Le Cordon Bleu - Paris Times

Developing a Le Cordon Bleu Menu

2010-08-25T00:34:00.002-04:00

The process begins with anticipation.

What will the proteins be? Will there be side requirements? I wonder if we’ll get fruit.

Every student has an opinion. On everything. Why this and not that. We all fall into a tizzy of speculation.

Then all is revealed. With great pomp and circumstance the administrative office walks into a random instruction. Pile of paper in hand.

Sweat starts to form on our brows. Some can’t resist and blurt out, pass them around already. It gets wild. And finally. The master secret is in hand.

Required items listed. Followed by supplementary ingredients. Must dos and can’t wants are also scribed. Ceasing mystery in an instant.

The brain shifts from guesswork. To possibilities. Running the gamut from pasta. To jelly. To stuffed. To decomposed. To puréed. For the next two weeks the ideas flow. Slow at first.

Later hemorrhaging uncontrollably. What may look like a mess, is indeed, art in action.

The menu starts to fall in place. After some trial and error – mainly error – an organized sequence begins to form.

Two weeks have passed and our dry-run atelier is coming up. By this point – whether ready or not – your list, recipes, and plating ideas need to be finished.

Through the atelier you learn a great deal about your menu. Wondering, where did that stupid idea come from? To, shear brilliance! Working the kinks out. Refinement derives from the chef’s feedback.

With the atelier’s input, it’s back to the drawing board – more like the revision board. Tweak here. Adjust there. Practice this. And scrap that. For 10 days until the final exam.

Things begin to take a more professional shape. Detailed timelines. And completed plating.

Until the final result of exam day.

Le Cordon Bleu - Superior Final Exam

2010-08-24T02:44:00.014-04:00

I woke up with a confident feeling. Thinking it would wane as I got closer to my exam start time. But it never did. Anxious to get started, to get in there, and do my thing – yes, this feeling never left. But scared or worried never settled in.

With only four of us in the kitchen – normal is 8 or 10 – it felt like a ghost-town. Plenty of space to roll guinea fowl breasts, sauté foie gras, and stuff cantaloupe. I clicked along at pace that left me calm and with spare time in the end. My planning paid off.

I thought I could successfully execute my plan if nothing had to be repeated. You’d think this was true, considering the extra moments at the end. But, it didn’t.

Gauging the viscosity of my port sauce. I thought just a little more reduction. This ended up in me forgetting and burning it. I was twelve minutes to presenting. I quickly slapped a new pan on the range and started over. This time without slowly sautéed onions and shallots. And. At a high speed boil.

Caramel. Also gave me a run for my money. The beginning of the final lime and ginger sauce – burnt twice. They say when you make caramel you should pay attention to nothing else. Don’t answer the phone, check the oven, or walk to the refrigerator.

The first time I set my sugar to brown. I went to the sink to wash a knife. Returning to a scorched mess. I took a deep breath and said, ok let’s try this again. This time I decided to pan-sear eggplant strips on the range right next to my sauce pan. Nope. Burnt again. Finally I got it. Next to vacating the building, I successfully caramelized sugar.

Once it turned a beautiful golden-blond. I added lime juice and a dash of sherry vinegar. Initially shocking the caramel into a hard candy. Slowly melting as the heat continued to penetrate. Deglazed a second time with guinea-fowl stock. And carried on from there…

..until my dishes were complete and ready for presentation…

Once our group had all presented their dishes. We were invited into the judges’ kitchen for feedback. Giving critique of the cooking of the breasts, portion size of garnishes, and seasoning of sauces.

It was a proud moment for me. To be with the group I had been cooking next to for the past six months. To see all our dishes lined up. Like some four-star restaurant.

Everyone happy – and sad – that it was over. Some looking like they needed a shot of whiskey while others quietly wept. It was an emotional packed room – a feeling I wanted to bottle up forever.

No matter the end results. I know I passed. And above that. I am happy with my efforts. I worked hard. And diligent. With heart and soul yesterday.

I gave my last Le Cordon Bleu the absolute best I have within me. And. In the end. That’s all you can ask for.

Au revoir ma Cherie Le Cordon Bleu.

Le Cordon Bleu - Final Exam Arrives

2010-08-23T02:50:00.001-04:00

For the last time. I will walk to Le Cordon Bleu. Put on my uniform. And cook. Today is a great end. But an even bigger beginning.

Life as you’ve read over the past eight months. Will never be again as of 12:50 p.m. Handing in my final dish I will remember Chef Stril’s first lesson on how to cut a carrot. To Chef Tivet’s wacky Coq au Vin. All the way through Chef Clergue and Terrien’s brilliance in Superior.

One of life’s milestones. Laid forever.

Thursday LCB will host our final graduation ceremony at one of Paris’ most prestigious social halls, Cercle de l'Union Interalliée. My brother and sister-in-law have already arrived. And James is due in on Tuesday. To help celebrate a victorious end.

Finding Wonder

2010-08-22T01:55:00.012-04:00

I took an unexpected turn. Leading me to Madeleine. Knowing the métro stop well – home to my favorite line – but unaware of what was on street-level.

Madeleine refers to an enormous building. Neo-classical architecture with fifty-two columns left me wondering its function. I thought maybe a library, or a court house, or even a concert hall. So I walked in.

Heading up the stairs, pass the tourists, and to the doors – which reminded me of something I couldn’t think of – still unclear. Once entered, it all made sense.

Feeling partly sheepish, I gawked at the beauty. The gold plated entrance resembling the Ten Commandments. Images of Mary Magdalene darted throughout. Pews lined with parishioners. And an organ that could sing of angels.

Perhaps it was the unexpected that captured me, but L'église de la Madeleine is one of the most beautiful Roman Catholic churches I have come across. Certainly in Paris.

Most visitors head to Notre Dame or Sacré Coeur for mass. Usually overcrowded and full of disrespecting tourists on the side line. Leaving an un-spiritual feeling. My suggestion is to visit these churches as a rude tourist. But. Find religious growth at Madeleine.

My experience also pointed out after eight months of scouring Parisian streets I’ve barely scratched the surface

L'église de la Madeleine
14 Rue de Surène

75008 Paris

Notre Dame

6 Bis Rue Cloître Notre Dame

75004 Paris

Sacré Coeur

35 Rue du Chevalier de La Barre

75018 Paris

Le Cordon Bleu Empty Planning

2010-08-20T06:21:00.001-04:00

We are broken into smaller groups for practicals. Eight per group divided by the 24 total Superior Cuisine students makes for three groups – A, B, and C. I belong to the later. In fact. I have always been in group C.

Groups A and B had their final exam yesterday. Poor planning by Le Cordon Bleu left my exam for Monday. Four days of wondering, stirring, and rethinking. All while my friends celebrate their victories. Unfair.

Believing things happen for a reason, I am searching for the meaning.

Saturday my brother and sister-in-law arrive into Paris. My final visit. Friends, family, and acquaintances have all breezed through during my stay. Their presence will help distract me – at least for the day before my exam.

More stir-crazy thoughts to come…

Le Cordon Bleu - Instruction #30 - A Farewell

2010-08-19T03:20:00.017-04:00

For the last time I write to you from the demonstration room of Le Cordon Bleu.

Other than a couple notes about the final exam. Chef Terrien proceeded as though it were any other class. Leaving the group with an anti-climatic end.

The entire process through LCB has been without flare. Moments I sometimes feel like I am a number in a mass-producing giant.

Graduation for Basic and Intermediate were held in the Winter Garden. Rather quick jumbles of name calling. This. I dismissed because it was only a small milestone – like finishing a semester. One certainly doesn’t expect grandeur for that.

I must say, however. Orientation was heightened with emotion. Probably more due to my nerves than the school’s performance.

Le Cordon Bleu will not disappoint. From what I know. Superior graduation is something to write home about. Hosted in one of Paris’ most posh hotels. Formal dress required. And a ceremony worthy of putting a sugar-rushed two year old asleep. But. More about this later.

Instruction #30 – A farewell. Forever.

Shot glass of goat cheese and oven-roasted vegetables, mini sacristains with black salt
Mini veal loin in a salt crust with vegetable spaghetti, soufflé potatoes
Small pear cooked with caramel, gingerbread bostock, carambar ice cream

The entrée was nothing innovative. But heavenly delicious. Items naturally paired.

Goat cheese mixed with a touch of honey, olive oil, and fresh herbs of chive and basil. Roasted vegetables – tomatoes, red and yellow bell peppers, and fennel. Twisted puff pastry seasoned with black salt and sesame seeds – sacristains. And a final dash of reduced balsamic vinegar.

Black salt – sea salt – hails from Hawaii. Land of lava. Simply, sea salt harvested with charcoal. And thought to have detoxifying characteristics.

As we have seen sea bass crusted, so was today’s veal loin. Protected with a layer of salt, flour, egg whites, crushed black peppercorns, and fresh herbs. Disrobed for plating, this meat was packed with flavor.

Long, thin slices of carrot, zucchini, and daikon radish made a spaghetti-type garnish. Accompained by potatoes that were naturally souffléed. First frying slices in 130 degree Celsius oil until they start to swell. And shocked at a higher 170 degrees made them explode like little pillows. Neat, but time consuming and unreliable.

Carambar are hard, French candies made of caramel from the mid-1950’s. Most known for chipping teeth and poor jokes found inside the wrappers. Melting a few. Chef added to crème anglaise. And churned for ice cream.

Pears poached in syrup and later caramelized made way to the dessert plate. Along with syrup imbibed gingerbread topped with almond cream. A simple, great dessert all around.

[I am not quite ready for this post to end. This is a special moment for me. One that I know I will never have again. A time in my life that is too unique for words. Trying to hold on. I realize that whether I embrace it or not. Life progresses forward. *deep breath*]

And. Without fail. Chef Terrien produced a meal worthy of any Michelin-starred restaurant. Finding moans of satisfaction throughout the room.

2010-08-18T02:00:00.001-04:00

Today is the last Le Cordon Bleu instruction...EVER!

Le Cordon Bleu - Winter Garden

2010-08-17T09:00:00.000-04:00

The Winter Garden is a strange place within Le Cordon Bleu.

The overall function is to give students and guests a place to sit. Drink coffee. And eat lunch. In actuality it is overcrowded. Supplies bad coffee from a machine. And is always out-of-stock of water.

A place that is deathly hot in the summer. Humid from plant water. And stuffy from no air movement. While the skylights give light during the winter. They also bring cold. The room gets so cold that your fingers numb and breath forms when you speak.

This is our lovely little place we call, the Winter Garden.

Nonetheless. We gather to recall last night’s events. Ponder what will happen in the day’s demonstration. And sip coffee, hoping the caffeine kicks in before class.

Above all. The Winter Garden has the bulletin board. A place where administration attempts to communicate to students. Displaying the week’s schedule. Final examination times. Details about up coming events. And. Of course. Our grades.

Finally posted this morning, written exam grades are out. My 83% on the written exam was bettered by the recipe fill-in-the-blanks’ 100%. Since the later is added to our final practical grade it carries much more weight. This 100% will help out in the end. As for the written part, it is what it is. Its importance is less than 10% of the final grade, so no real worries here. Happy overall.

Le Cordon Bleu - Instruction #29

2010-08-16T14:32:00.008-04:00

Instruction #29

Chilled langoustine consommé with fava beans, new season vegetables and cilantro
Semi-wild duckling served in two styles and parmentier
Watermelon jelly with melon, mint and Sauternes wine cocktail

Tartare – finely chopped raw meat or fish – of langoustine was not my favorite. The rawness mixed with lime and passion fruits was a bit off putting.

The chilled consommé didn’t help matters either. Langoustine stock clarified with egg whites and gelled made for a nice presentation. But taste was also most gagging.

The main dish of duck was much better. Crispy breasts seasoned with four spice. Sweetened by honey. And knocked up with cider vinegar. Add next to braised legs with juniper berries, red wine, and veal stock. And you’ve got a great dish.

Potatoes served parmentier made for a great way of serving the duck legs. Alternating layers with puréed potatoes.

A final purée of peas completed the dish.

The chocolate tuile was a bit random on this plate of melons. Fresh watermelon juice sweetened with powered sugar. Mixed with lemon juice and vanilla made way for a great jelly. Topped with some more Cavaillon melon, mint, and Sauternes wine.

Cavaillon is a small, seaside town in France’s Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Famed only for melons de Cavaillon , the town’s 26,000 people eat theirs with a glass of Port wine.

Where Do We Go From Here?

2010-08-15T04:23:00.006-04:00

My intention was to write a blog about my experiences in France. Living among Parisians. And studying at Le Cordon Bleu. Opportunities are dwindling down – barely dripping from the faucet of memories.

Many of you have asked if I will continue pass August 26th’s graduation. After some consideration, I have decided. As long as you keep reading. Then I’ll continue writing.

I am not sure how the focus will change. Part of me feels evolution should occur naturally. And the other side thinks I should develop a plan – the voice I want spoken and stories I want to be told.

Off the cuff. I imagine it will be a portal of watching a young – newly graduated – cook find employment. Navigate a new culinary city. And grow from lowly line cook to the sought after title, chef. If made into a movie, it would be a dramatic satire.

Young foolish boy making mistakes. Angering large men in tall, white torques. Slowly evolving into something worth paying. Perhaps even good enough to cook unsupervised. Until one day. When this culinary ugly duckling breaks forth into a white master of knives.

I can hear Irene Cara’s Fame. Higher Ground by Stevie Wonder. And Bridge Over Troubled Water. Progressing the flick. And. Of course. Jay-Z singing I Made It as the credits roll.

“…I look to the skyyy!
I made it!
Ooo!
Made it, I made it
Yes I did”

Le Cordon Bleu - Orange and Lemon Cake Recipe

2010-08-14T02:24:00.012-04:00

You asked for it. So here it is.

Molleux Orange et Citron Servi Tiède,
Sauce Mandarine
Warm Soft Orange and Lemon Cake, Tangerine Sauce

Butter and paper line 4, 6cm (2.5 inch) diameter ring molds, 5 cm (2 inch) high. This recipe serves four.

Orange Cake Batter
2 eggs
100 g (1/2 cup) sugar
Peel of 1 orange, finely grated
20 ml (4 tsp) reduced orange juice
100 g (1/2 cup) flour
1 pinch salt
100 g (1/2 cup) butter

Blanch eggs with sugar (whisk until pale yellow). Mix in zest and orange juice. Whisk in flour in thirds to prevent clumping. With a spatula incorporate butter making sure it is well distributed through the batter. Fill piping bag (or zip-lock bag with tip cut off) and rest in refrigerator.

Lemon Filling
1 egg
30 g (2 tbsp) sugar
Peel of 2 lemons, grated
80 ml (1/3 cup) lemon juice
25 ml (1.5 tbsp) cream
25 g butter (1.5 tbsp)

Blanch eggs with sugar (whisk until pale yellow). Mix in zest, lemon juice, and cream. Cook on low to medium heat (like you would for crème anglaise) until well thickened. Be careful not to scorch or cook the eggs. Move the pan on and off the heat to regulate temperature. Once well thickened remove from heat and incorporate the butter. Fill small molds the size of a €2 or fifty-cent piece (about 1 tablespoon). And chill to harden.

------------------------------------------

Once the batter has rested and the filling has hardened then prepare the cakes. Pipe prepared molds half way full with cake batter. Stud center with a harden lemon droplet. Top with more batter. Flatten top with a dampened spoon. Allow to rest in the refrigerator for 15-30 minutes. Bake at 160 degrees Celsius (320 degrees Fahrenheit) for about 10 minutes – until firm and slightly golden on top.

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Tangerine Sauce
150 ml (2/3 cup) tangerine juice (can be obtained from blending tangerine pulp and straining)
10 g (2 tsp) orange peel, very finely grated
30 g (1.5 tbsp) sugar
20 g (4 tsp) white chocolate
Cointreau

Heat juice over medium heat with zest and sugar, dissolving the sugar. Take off heat. In a separate bowl set over steaming water melt the chocolate. Mix chocolate into juice mixture. Chill. Add desired amount of Cointreau. (Always add alcohol once the mixture has cooled otherwise the alcohol will burn off.) Serve with baked cakes.

Le Cordon Bleu - Instruction #28

2010-08-13T12:23:00.003-04:00

With no associated practical, there was little note-taking by other students. I suspect senioritis will only get worse.

Still focused, Chef Terrien presented our third to last demonstration.

Instruction #28

Flaked crabmeat and grapefruit jelly, pea pearls, honey and yuzu jus
Beef tenderloin with duck foie gras and mushroom gratin, potato croquettes, buttered green and white asparagus
Tonka bean panna cotta, lightly pan-fried cherries

If you mix algin – anionic polysaccharide – into purée. And drop droplets into a CH solution bath. Pearls form. With the consistency of caviar – formed skin and liquid/gel interior – this allows you to make chocolate or broccoli or even red wine bubbles. Unfortunately, Chef choose pea flavor. Resulting in a small ball that looked like it did in the beginning, a pea. But. We get the idea.

Agar-agar (algae based for warm dishes) and gelatin (animal based for cold dishes) have been flying through LCB these days. Gelling, firming, and solidifying all sorts of liquids. Today grapefruit juice slightly sweetened with honey, benefited from agar-agar’s amalgamable characteristic.

Pea pearls and grapefruit jelly made their way to a plate with wasabi-mayonnaise crabmeat. And dressed with honey, yuzu vinaigrette.

Yuzu is thought to be a Japanese fruit. Actually originating in China and later introduced to Asian neighbors in the 8th century. Rounding out not much larger than a tangerine, these little gems are a great addition to any dish. Try some in granita with ponzu on raw oysters. Or drizzled over grilled watermelon. The aromatic, citrus yield per fruit is low keeping the juice quite expensive. But, a little goes a long way.

Finishing the dish with an Asian note. Chef prepared potato crisps with Matcha green tea.

I am not a fan of beef. But. This was a killer dish. The jus alone was worthy of my bowl. Smothering beef tournedos topped with foie gras, mushroom mousse. I was delighted.

Fry a potato in any form and I’ll fight for the last one. Puréed potatoes with chives, breaded in crushed Japanese Somen noodles were no exception. (Without saying out loud I may have had three or four.)

Panna cotta, an Italian custard-like dessert, was given a rare flavor from tonka beans. Resembling old, wet wood, the aroma didn’t do it for most students. Cherries pan-fried in Kirsch didn’t win anyone over either. Unless you’re a diehard cherry fan I would skip this dish all together.

Le Cordon Bleu - Atelier Exam Dry-Run

2010-08-12T17:27:00.005-04:00

Menu written out. Time line laid. Ingredients listed. And plating drawn. I walked into the first floor practical room. Ready for my last atelier – the final exam dry-run.

GOALS

1. Complete all components
2. Master new skills and ideas
3. Make it taste good
4. Complete on time

Proctoring Chef Poupard could not have been more helpful. Present in our room, walking around, assisting all students as needed. Everyone called out, Chef, many times throughout our six hour period. Most of us however, didn't take the full time and plated at the four-and-a-half to five hour mark.

Most of my goals were met. All listed items were cooked, puréed, pan-fried, baked, or blended. Failing at first. Some of my new ideas took a couple times at bat, but came through in the end. And Chef gave some great suggestions on taste. Complete on time. Didn’t happen.

I am fast, efficient, and organized in the kitchen. My sequence is always planned and my plating mapped. Yet. All three ateliers I have finished late. Assessing. I can see I underestimated some tasks. Inefficiently plotted particular steps. The main culprit though, is repetition – redoing because a caramel over darkened, or the tomatoes burnt, or the peas came out too soon.

Having completed the dry-run I now see the importance. A chance to make mistakes, mis-season, and incorrectly cook. With all this behind me I can revamp, tweak, and practice the difficult parts of my menu. For the next eleven days until the exam.

For Basic Cuisine we all went into the kitchen at the same time. Intermediate was staggered by ten minutes per two students. And Superior’s final exam schedule is one student, every ten minutes. This is mainly for the judges – a panel of outside chefs.

Staggering start times, does so as well for finishing. Judges receive one plate every ten minutes, rather all at once. Giving them a chance to look, smell, taste, and judge without pressure or confusion.

Such schedule was posted today in the Winter Garden.

Anthony Fassio – Cuisine Supérieure – Groupe C – Commencer 8h50 – Présent 12h50 – Lundi 23 Août 2010.

Le Cordon Bleu - Instruction #27; Practical #27

2010-08-11T11:49:00.010-04:00

There are still 30 instructions. Even though. We only have 27 practicals.

Those that would normally go with class #28 and #29 have been combined. Into one, five-hour, dry-run. And. As normal, practical #30 constitutes the final exam.

Today’s practical #27. Therefore. Was my last. Menu included; veal stuffed rabbit legs, braised endive, and polenta with olives.

I moved through practical with Chef Poupard hovering about. Stopping often, taking it in. While this was not my last time in the kitchen. It does mark an end.

Demonstrations from now are just for show. Wondering what dish will come next, ceases. And focus is solely on final exam preparations.

Without ceremony. Chef Terrien plowed through lesson #27.

Instruction #27

Mussel fricassee, golden chanterelles and beans, poulette sauce
Stuffed and roasted rabbit leg, crisp endives, polenta with olives, reduced jus with sage
Inversed flat peach Melba, red currant jus flavored with hibiscus

Poulette refers to the poulet – chicken – stock in the sauce. Not to my aunt Paulette. Finally mixed with mussel cooking liquid, cream, chives, butter, and parsley.

Mussels steamed in white wine, shallot and parsley stems. Opened for consumption. And prepared them for a garnish of cannelini beans, sautéed chanterelle mushrooms and sliced chorizo sausage. Making for a decent entrée.

As mentioned before. Rabbit stuffed with veal slowly roasted at 180 degrees Celsius for about twenty-five minutes. For a first at Le Cordon Bleu. Sage was used. Studding the legs and throughout the jus. Chef suggested adding beyond the two sprigs that I used.

Disliking the olives in instruction’s polenta. I left them out. When presented to Chef. He asked.

Where are the olives?

I told him that they were optional and I didn’t like them. Slightly chuckling. Chef replied.

I think you are optional. Not the olives.

We laughed. And I added a bit at the end. Just for him.

Belgian endive and I don’t get along. Always too bitter for me. Even today’s lemon juice and sugar in the braising liquid didn’t help. Chef liked it in the end. Different tastes. I suppose.

Dessert is a classic. Syrup poached peaches, coulis, and vanilla ice cream. Barley modernized with red currant, hibiscus perfume, and gingerbread tuile.

Le Cordon Bleu - Superior Written Exam

2010-08-10T02:39:00.001-04:00

Victoria pineapples.
Sanguine blood oranges.
Montmorency cherries.
Charlotte potatoes.
Sucrier bananas.

This was the first matching part of the exam. The second required pairing cuts of meat to the animal. Suprême of chicken and foie gras of goose, for example.

The balance of the exam – multiple choice and true-false – came from every where. Basic Cuisine vocabulary. What does déglacer mean? Intermediate regional information. Do the best walnuts come from Auvergne? And Superior’s recipe compositions. Grenadin de veau is veal tenderloin that can be cut into fillets?

Overall the exam was fair, not too tricky, and manageable. Studying this weekend was time well spent. A decent grade is expected.

The second half of the exam was fill-in-the-blank. We are required to memorize six recipes. Quantities and ingredients. This mindless exercise is completely useless. This does not test any knowledge or skill other than the ability to memorize.

I think we should be required to memorize useful information that every French trained student should know. Like mother sauces and their derivatives. Cuts of meat. Or geographical ingredient production zones.

Sunday afternoon was nothing but rote. Handed a recipe I knew best, this was a piece of cake. Once I filled in all the blanks, the stored, useless, information vanished from memory.

Whether I did well or poorly. It’s over. No more written LCB-style exams. Ever.

Le Cordon Bleu - Instruction #26; Practical #26

2010-08-09T13:00:00.009-04:00

We may never see Chef Poupard again. At least in demo. With only four more instructions time is limited.

In a jolly and ready to get ‘em mood, Chef controlled the stove. His eagerness slowly waned as things began to unravel. Ok, unravel is a bit strong – he just burnt the dried orange decoration for dessert.

Instruction #26

Oysters and oyster leaves in a frothy Jerusalem artichoke broth
Double veal chop cooked in a cocotte, demi-glace jus, spring vegetables
Warm soft orange and lemon cake, tangerine sauce

Froth is made from lecithin – a group of phospholipids most commonly extracted from soy beans. The powered lecithin used in most restaurants needs to be added to cold liquid. And brought to 70 degrees. Then emulsified, or whipped. Adding anything containing soy – oil or milk – will also work.

Oysters quickly poached in their jus. Presented with whipped artichokes. Made for a nasty gag. Oysters – in my opinion – should never be heated. Cooked. Or warmed. A simple raw bivalve mollusk with some horseradish and ponzu granita is all you need.

There may have been more vegetables on today’s main plate than any other dish at Le Cordon Bleu. Blanched snow peas. Stewed baby carrots and new pearl onions. Sautéed chanterelle mushrooms. And finally, fava beans.

Garlic flan and well reduced veal jus finished off the dish.

I highly dislike beef – almost detest. Veal, however, is one of my favorite proteins. In line with duck and lamb. This was a great dish all around. Practical is another issue.

Most of our class completely lost steam by practical time. We had just finished our written exam and a lengthy demonstration. The two hour wait from test to cooking drained all enthusiasm. My work today was fair. Everything cooked, seasoned and presented well. But. Without finesse, as the chefs say.

Lauren is still moaning about today’s dessert. As a student of both cuisine and pâtisserie, she made a bold statement.

This was the best cake I have eaten at Le Cordon Bleu.

Do you hear that? Small lemon nuggets made of melted white chocolate, cream, and lemon juice oozed out of fluffy orange-flavored cake. If you need the recipe let me know and I’ll send you to a wonderful place.

2010-08-07T14:24:00.001-04:00

My mother-in-law recently asked me if it was all worth it. This Le Cordon Bleu, Paris, husband-separating, thing. The answer across the board is yes.

For those that know me intimately however, know that there were some rough cracks over the past eight months. Times I wanted to quit. Spaces when the loneliness was too painful. And bumps that seemed too high to clear. But, my answer is still a qualified, yes.

The hard days were peppered throughout. Surrounded by mind-blowing, passion feeding, rapture filled moments. After all, you can not have downs without ups.

More events, stress, and experiences are yet to be had. Preventing an official reflection to be formed.

The time remaining in Paris will indeed be epic. Last practical. Final exam. And, of course, graduation.

The story is far from over.

Le Cordon Bleu - Rungis

2010-08-06T16:20:00.000-04:00

Field-tripping. Our class traveled the short 7.2 miles from Paris to Rungis.

Known as the world’s largest market, this place was impressive. So large that we traveled by bus from hall to hall. Nine buildings the size of a small airplane hangars dedicated just to vegetables and fruits. There are similar shops for beef, poultry, butter and cheese, pork, fish, and even flowers.

As a true market, most activity finished by 11 a.m. Even earlier – 4 a.m. – for fish. Things move fast and in tons. Wholesale items are only for restaurant and chef industry members. Think of Costco on horse-steroids. Here are a few facts.

Rungis in a nutshell

€7.767 billion annual sales
1199 companies
12,000 employees
573 acres
1,462,191 tons of foodstuffs, annually
19 on-site restaurants

We traveled from pavilion to pavilion marveling at the size and volume of it all. There were two official Rungis tour-guides at our disposal answering all sorts of questions.

My operation management soul was on fire. Reeling from happiness and excitement. I couldn’t help but to imagine the logistics department and all the fun algorithms, charts, schedules and plots they must have. A little piece of heaven for me. I could have spent a week. If you get the chance, it’s a must visit.

Le Cordon Bleu - Wines of the World #6

2010-08-05T06:50:00.000-04:00

The last class. Not just of the term. But forever. Completed Wednesday night. This meant more than farewells, it indicated test-time.

Wines of the World included notes from New World Vineyards – New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, South America (Chile and Argentina), and California. Wines of Europe – Austria, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Spain, and Portugal. Burgundy. Bordeaux. Spirits and fruit brandies. And fortified wines. A ton of information.

The test came in two sections. Written – various true/false questions. Ranging from inquires about the type of wine produced in Austria. To the largest exporter of the world. Up and down, I ended up alright. Let’s put it this way, I think I passed.

Part two – wine identification. Only by smell. Four glasses of amber liquid were presented. Required to identify the Cognac, Armagnac, marc, and Calvados. The later two were easy. Marc – a.k.a. grappa – makes you want to hurl. Alcohol so strong it goes right to your head. And calvados – made from apples – had the appropriate pomaceous aroma.

Determining the difference between the first two challenged. As our instructor said, you’ll either get a 50% or a 100% on this section. Not so encouraging.

It is said that Cognac is more refined to Armagnac’s earthy smell. Unable to tell the difference I committed my physical reaction to memory. Noting Armagnac burned my nasal cavity more than its counterpart. Scoring 100% on this section, this proved to be a good tactic.

We finished our last class with a small chat about fortified wines. Wines with added alcohol – namely brandy. Port, Sherry, Madeira, and vermouth are the most common.

First a regular table wine is made. Or at least the process is started. Fermentation, as we know, is the transformation of sugar (naturally within grapes) into alcohol. Depending on the desired sweetness of the finished fortified wine, neutral alcohol is added – halting fermentation. The sooner it is added, the less sugar has been transformed into alcohol. Resulting is a sweeter beverage.

Certain types of styles of fortified wines are aged, either in bottle, oak, or both. And must contain certain levels of alcohol.

Near the Spanish–French border lie the Pyrenees. An environment full of sunshine. Allowing late harvest (October) to occur. The long, warm weather slowly shrivels grapes on the vine, concentrating overall sugar. Perfect for Rivesaltes production. With only 16% alcohol this wine can still be served with a main course of meat and fruit. Unlike 19% Port. Which should be enjoyed as an after dinner drink.

There are three types of Port – white, young ruby, and Tawny. White, is just that, white Port. Young ruby is a young Port that is made from different harvests. And tawny are different aged Ports which are further aged, turning a reddish brown color – hence the name, tawny. Tawny Ports can range from 10 to 40 years old. These are best for drinking, whereas ruby Ports are better suited for cooking.

Port is made in the Duoro Valley of Portugal. Sherry from Andalusia in South-West Spain. Madeira from the island of Madeira off the coast of Africa. And vermouth refers to a method, not location.

Like wine, fortified wines can be white, red, or rosé. We tasted a white Sherry-Fino. Fino – one of the three sweetness levels – is the lightest and driest. A great accompaniment to walnut cake.

Sherry is made in the presence of oxygen – unlike any other wine. This forces oxidization. If you know the smell, or taste of Sherry, then you know oxidization. A unique experience to say the least. I struggled with this glass. A bit too rusted iron-y for my taste.

Session #6 – Tastes

Rivesaltes, 2005
Port-Tawny by Dalva
Port by Taylor’s, 2003
Sherry-Fino

A whirlwind class, nonetheless. Marking that the ends have begun to surface. Le Cordon Bleu. Paris. And France all together. Are slowly. Systematically. Wrapping themselves up.

Le Cordon Bleu - Instruction #25; Practical #25

2010-08-04T07:18:00.000-04:00

Soups are often forgotten during warm weather. But, if done well, a soup can be enjoyed anytime of year. If nothing else, it can be made cold.

Started Chef Terrien. Commenting just before his note about how he’d move quickly. He was afraid we would fall asleep, or perhaps he would.

The night before our class celebrated the Superior Dinner at the Park Hyatt. A festive event for all. Needless to say, nobody – including Chef – got enough sleep.

Leeks smothered in butter sweat through, giving flavor. Potatoes added for thickness. And water to turn the vegetables into soup. A quick blend with salt and pepper prepared the liquid for the refrigerator. Where it chilled and thickened entirely.

Milk infused with bacon. And whipped cream with herbs garnished the dish. Some simple croutons and dried pancetta plated for decoration.

The soup was very good, but in my opinion, should have been served hot. And I had to stretch my mind to get the bacon flavor from the milk. But, the herbed cream was more than delicious.

The name of the sauce is peppered nage. So I added pepper. Heaps and heaps. Finding the sauce to be too spicy in the end. I blamed the recipe to Chef Maleek. Pointing out that the word pepper is in the title and how I wouldn’t want my clients to be disappointed if they couldn’t taste it. He agreed with me and said it was the recipe’s fault.

Apart from over doing it with the spice. My fish was cooked well, garnish – fennel and onion brunoise – nicely presented, and the flavor of my raviolis was great.

A dash of Madeira to sautéing shallots and mushrooms helped the ravioli shine. Mixed with finely chopped parsley, chervil, chives, and tarragon. And finished with salt.

I would pass on the brill fillets – not my favorite fish. And I certainly will not revisit the sauce. But the raviolis are well worth remaking.

Dough of flour, potato starch, salt, and hot water was a bit sticky in the beginning. A small addition of more flour and potato starch rectified this. Once passed through a pasta roller to the finest setting I mounded the mushroom mixture in the center. Folded and cut in little raviolis. One minute of poaching completed the preparation.

We’ve seen more interesting desserts than today’s pineapple and strawberry mixture. I suppose the most exciting thing on the plate – which wasn’t that good – was the Campari sorbet. Even the crisp fans lacked enthusiasm.

Instruction #25

Chilled leek and potato soup and creamy smoked bacon foam
Brill fillet, peppered nage, mushrooms and herb ravioli
Pineapple and strawberries in syrup with ginger, crisp fan and Campari sorbet

Le Cordon Bleu Instruction #24; Practical #24

2010-08-03T08:28:00.004-04:00

With Chef Clergue on vacation. We’ve been seeing a lot of Chef Terrien. Who knocked it out of the park again during lesson #24.

Salmon marinated in sugar, coarse salt, crushed coriander seeds, cinnamon stick, and orange and lemon peel sat overnight. A gentle unearthing of the fish and a slow bake – 65 degrees Celsius – did this dish right.

Cooked/marinated/raw perfumed salmon paired nicely with warm potatoes and arugula. Everything gaining flavor from lemon, mustard vinaigrette.

A special cucumber sorbet added a bit of fun to the plate. Bringing in a fresh taste to help the salmon. As well as a bit of coolness to balance the heat from the rest of the dish.

Lamb is a favorite of our class. We are always happy pupils when it shows up on the menu. Even today’s traditional method didn’t deter us.

Boned lamb saddled regained shape from ground veal, truffles, mushrooms, carrots, and herbs. Roasted at 180 degrees Celsius for about twenty minutes.

Left over stuffing allowed rolled cabbage to happen. Filled with carrot and daikon bâtonnets and haricots verts. This was my least favorite item of the day. It resembled salmon stuffed cabbage or ballottine – Intermediate nightmares – a bit too much.

Of all the recipes shown at Le Cordon Bleu it is the dessert ones that I will make time and again. Without alteration. The cuisine recipes are more for technique. Most of which will never see the sight of my table.

Crispy tuiles stuffed with chocolate mousse and chestnut cream. Proudly stood on the center of the plate. Decorated with crème anglaise and imbibed biscuits. Another. Must do.

I’m off to practical. So. Barring any disasters. I shall report later.

Instruction #24

Marinated salmon cooked at low temperature, cucumber sorbet
Black prince saddle of lamb, vegetable chartreuse
Chocolate and chestnut crisp like a mont-blanc

Le Cordon Bleu - Instruction #23; Practical #23

2010-08-02T09:40:00.015-04:00

I don’t know if it’s him. Or the recipes. But. Every time Chef Terrien cooks. His food is phenomenal.

Demonstration #23 blew me away.

Instruction #23

Salmon tartare, celery root rémoulade, herb jus and crispy potatoes
Duck breast roasted with spices, orange glaze daikon radish, Anna potatoes, apricot chutney
Fine orange and chocolate tart, blood orange granita

Fresh salmon mixed with lime juice, olive oil, shallots, cilantro and shiso made up the tartare. The secret flavor – shiso. This Japanese leaf adds fennel and mint notes. Expanding the freshness of any dish. Green leaf shiso is more common than the related purple leaf. If you’re looking for this herb at your local Asian market try under the alias names; Japanese basil, perilla, purple mint or Beefsteak plant.

Marked with celery root rémoulade – julienne celery root, mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, soy sauce, shiso, and cilantro. And herb jus emulsified with peanut oil and miso.

Slow cooked duck breast crisped beautifully. And happily took to apricot chutney, carrots with cumin, and Anna potatoes. For the later, no one seems to know who Anna is. But preparation shows small potato rounds in a flower shape. Baked in tiny molds.

Being a chutney fan, I think it fits nicely on any meat plate. Honey dissolved in white vinegar and dry white wine. And spiced with four-spice and fresh ginger. Slowly melted dried apricots. An easy and great accompaniment to duck breast, salmon, and pork.

The day’s dessert calls out to my mother – a diehard orange-stick fan.

Orange marmalade lined the bottom of chocolate shortbread pastry. And topped with melted dark chocolate, butter, cream, yolk, flour which was folded into meringue. A grandeur orange stick, to say the least. Finished with blood orange granita.

As for Chef Terrien? All in a day’s work.

Le Cordon Bleu - Final Exam Market Basket

2010-08-01T02:31:00.007-04:00

The last great unknown. Has been revealed.

The market basket – ingredient list – for our final exam was distributed on Friday. Eliminating mystery not just of itself. But of Le Cordon Bleu.

There are no more surprises, questions, or first experiences that will come with my time at school. Everything has been exposed or experienced before. It is all common.

The chefs have complained about the previous Superior class. How they weren’t quite up to LCB standards. Lacking creativity and luster. When the list was distributed. Chef Terrien said that we have the capability of being the best graduating class. Because of that. They gave us some challenging, new, and interesting ingredients.

We must make four, identical, vegetarian amuse bouches – small tastes – served in shot glasses. And four, identical, main course plates with one stuffed vegetable, one simple garnish, and one composed. The shot glass may be hot or cold, whereas the main must be served hot with a jus or sauce.

Obligatory Items
1 free-range guinea fowl
100 g duck foie gras
300 g haricots verts
½ bunch pearl (spring) onions
300 g fresh Paimpol white beans in their pods
4 fresh figs
50 g arugula

Other Items Available
Pancetta
Chicken breast
Red bell pepper
Cantaloupe
Zucchini
Olivette tomatoes
Mushrooms
Parsley
Cilantro
Basil
Ginger
Potatoes (waxy type)
Lemon
Lime
Agar agar and gelatin
Phyllo dough and brik pastry
Chicken stock
And a variety of pantry items like vinegars, eggs, milk, wine, spices, etc…

In a week and a half we will have a practice round for the final exam. Similar to atelier #1 and #2, but with only five hours. This will give us a chance to test, practice, and iron out any kinks. It is also an opportunity to get some feedback from the chef. Then a week later. The final exam. Sure there are practicals and instructions still to be seen. But. At this point they are almost non-existent. Focus is clearly on the final exam, in hopes of graduating.

Ooh La La. A Poem.

2010-07-31T02:59:00.005-04:00

Ooh the way you treat me,
Welcoming and rude.

La rue decorated with pup,
And human excrement.

La personal pride flying high in style,
Hygiene nowhere to be found.

Ohh how can I hate you?
You are my home.

La couleur draped around,
Blue, white, and red.

La borough filled of colonies past,
Vietnam, Algérie, Haïti.

Ohh I can not break this emotion,
Bountiful food has made me fall.

La Tour Eiffel always captivating,
Annoying my daily commute.

La love is strong and forevermore,
Ma France persists within my heart.
~Anthony Fassio

Le Cordon Bleu - Instruction #22; Practical #22

2010-07-30T02:14:00.014-04:00

This would never happen in the U.S.

I commented.

Chef Terrien had a bit too much wine at lunch. Sloppy from his swaying. And goofy off the buzz. It was an entertaining class.

Instruction #22

Crunchy vegetables and peas flavored with peppermint
Roasted thick cod fillet, gazpacho with basil, eggplant paupiettes
Soft macaroon, fennel ice cream, berries

We started with dessert. And it’s a good thing – Chef had to redo the macaroons. Powered sugar, ground almonds, beaten egg whites, and sugar. Gently baked until puffy.

Star anise and baby fennel fronds infused milk. Mixed with cream, sugar, blanched egg yolks, and cooked to crème anglaise state. Once the ice cream mixture chilled, it was passed through the churner. And later mixed with candied fennel.

Plated with coulis and fresh fruit, this dessert was simple and comely.

Cod is huge. Or at least larger than anyone expected. Mild in flavor, but jam-packed with nutrients – omega-3 and vitamins A, D, and E. This fish is most common to English fish and chips, and a variety of dishes in Massachusetts. Accessible and relatively inexpensive.

Pre-cooked fillets were quickly finished in a skillet. Mine ended up overcooked, as – now sober – Chef Terrien observed.

And now you will see something that you have never seen before.

Said Chef as he put the gazpacho on to heat.

Traditionally gazpacho is served cold. Originating from Spain, this raw vegetable, tomato based soup took on a new meaning at LCB.

Gazpacho with Basil

½ cucumber, peeled and diced
½ red bell pepper, peeled and diced
½ onion, diced
2 very ripe plum tomatoes, diced with seeds
4 garlic cloves, small dice
20 g breadcrumbs
50 ml olive oil
½ bunch basil, diced
100 ml tomato juice (if needed)
Salt, pepper

Mix all ingredients in a small, flat bottom bowl. Press down on mixture. Allow to develop in the refrigerator for one to eight hours. On a low setting slowly begin to heat the mixture. Gradually increasing burner temperature until heated through. Heated, not hot, and not cooked. Add salt and pepper. Blend. Adding tomato juice if the mixture is too thick, or more breadcrumbs if too thin. Strain. Keep in a warm place – do not heat high and never boil – until ready to serve.

You can add chili powder, or whole fresh, seeded, diced chilies to the developing mixture for a bit of spice. The soup should be thick and bright red-orange. A perfect accompaniment to fish, chicken, or even veal.

Small skewers of cherry tomatoes, chorizo, zucchini, yellow and red bell peppers, and button mushrooms were heat in olive oil. And passed along.

Roasted eggplant flesh. Mixed with onion, garlic, zucchini, and red bell peppers. Made a perfect stuffing for the eggplant paupiettes. Gently rolled thin slices of aubergine. Heated through in the oven. Finished today’s plate.

Chef made a cold pea soup of shelled peas, onions, chicken stock, and olive oil for the entrée. Sent with a mixture of shelled peas, diced yellow tomatoes, chopped shallots, brunoise sun-dried tomatoes, chervil, mint, and lime juice. And topped with peppermint sorbet.

A wonderfully light and fresh dish. Avoiding the sorbet as there was a bit too much sugar. This is a repeat recipe.

Le Cordon Bleu - Wines of the World #5

2010-07-29T10:09:00.000-04:00

Not necessarily a wine of the world, but wine nonetheless.

Spirits and fruit brandies.

Spirits are those made from grains or wine – brandy, whiskey, vodka, etc. Fruit brandies are just that, made of fruit.

In French, spirits and fruit brandies are called eau de vie. Water of life. In the Middle Ages alchemists were searching for longevity, for the drink of youth. They stumbled upon brandy. This was given to children as medicine. As the negative effects – stunted growth and mental issues – began to show, this practice was quickly abandoned.

Ok, so what is brandy? Brandy is distilled wine or fruit juice. Cognac and Armagnac are the most known. Areas that border Bordeaux to the north and south, respectively.

First a still, dry, white wine – mainly of ugni-blanc – is made. Then double distilled.

Distillation is a process of physically separating elements. That is to say, a process of dissecting the different components within the wine through a physical reaction. This is not a chemical reaction.

The still, dry, white wine is boiled. Vapors of one elements steam out the top. Concentrating the remaining items. And increasing alcohol content. The flavor begins to resemble a spirit by this point. This is a batch process. And repeated twice, double distilled.

Alcohol content by this point is usually around 70%. Due to a tax-break given to liquor at, or below, 40%, the brandy is diluted with pure water to 40%. The liquid is placed in oak barrels to age. Bottled. And finally distributed.

Like French wine labeling, Cognac and Armagnac bear the names of their towns. Cognac is more elegant and refined to the rustic, earthiness of Armagnac. Both tastes knocked my socks off.

Calvados is another well-known French brandy. Made in the northern region of Normandy. From apples. Eau de vie de cidre – water of life of cider.

The process is the same as brandy. Except we begin with cider, not white wine. And a mandatory natural one month fermentation must occur prior to distillation.

Still causing a gasp reflex at 40% alcohol, Calvados is slightly smoothed from apples.

Eau de vie de marc. A.K.A. grappa. This crap is made from pumas – grape residue. At the end of common wine production there is a byproduct of skins and seeds. These are taken, covered with warm water, pressed, and distilled. Producing a ghastly product some actually enjoy.

The smell alone was making me gag. Concerned I’d loose my lunch, I was cautious with my tasting. The flavor was just as bad as expected. HUAOAHU!

Created by monks in Eastern France – monks tend to get bored and discover alcohol, i.e. Dom Pérignon. Eaux de vie de fruits are simply fruit flavored brandies. From fermented and distilled fruit juice. Kirsch (cherry) and cassis (blackcurrant) are probably the most known. But, flavors of raspberry, prune, and yellow plum also exist.

Liqueurs differ from fruit brandies only by sugar content. Fruit macerated in brandies are fortified with sugar. Per liter the sugar content can by as high as 450 grams. Cointreau – orange flavor – is one of the most common.

It was a day of small sips and huge gasps. Amusing nonetheless.

Session #5 – Tastes

Hines Cognac
Chateau de Maniban Armagnac
Chateau du Breuil Calvados
Gabriel Boudien Eau de vie de Marc
Plum brandy
Cointreau

Le Cordon Bleu - Instruction #21; Practical #21

2010-07-28T16:18:00.010-04:00

Cuisine instruction. The respected practical. Pastry demonstration. And wine class #5 made for a long day at Le Cordon Bleu.

For his last time with our class. Chef Clergue. Happily taught today’s lesson.

Instruction #21

Red mullet escabeche, fennel cream
Guinea fowl breast cooked on the bone with lemongrass fricandeau of legs and green tomato royale
Blancmange with seasonal fruit, mojito sorbet and jasmine tuile

The entrée reminded me of lunch at Hôtel de Crillon with my father-in-law. Pre-cooked red mullet marinated with warm marinade, escabeche.

Adding warm marinade to fish – or any protein for that matter – not only flavors the ingredient, but cooks it as well.

Onions, carrots, and fennel sweat in olive oil with thyme, bay leaf, parsley stems, and garlic. Mixed with white wine and cider vinegars. Red Thai chili and Szechuan pepper added a fiery spice. Simply poured over the fish. And placed in the refrigerator to marinate.

Served along blanched fennel blended with crème fraîche and olive oil. Finally decorated with round, red radishes.

This was a favorite dish of mine. Acidity screamed through from the vinegars, opening the palate. Allowing vegetable and red mullet flavors to develop. Spice quickly followed on the back of the tongue. All cooled by fennel cream.

There are haters – some sit next to me in class. But. Today’s recipe will convert anyone to guinea fowl.

Boning and grinding the legs started the fricandeau – pan fried ground meat. Chorizo, mascarpone, basil and breadcrumbs brought the nutriment into little meatballs. A hot and slow pan-fry finished these tasty bites.

Unlike the legs. The breast was left on the bone. Browned. And finished in the oven over a bed of browned bones, carrots, onions, shallots, lemongrass, and lemon zest. As though someone opened a bottle of aromatherapy. Citrus filled the air.

As the breasts baked, so did green tomato royales – savory custard. Shallots, tomatoes (green because they are firmer and less watery), butter, garlic, salt, eggs, and milk set up in a 100 degree Celsius oven. Like crème brûlée.

Guinea fowl looks and acts like chicken. But, when cooked properly. It’s moist. Part gamey, part domesticated – like wild turkey. And slightly sweet. Paired with lemongrass, this bird is set free. If that’s not enough to convince. One bite into the fricandeau is all it’ll take. You would insist it was pork. Dark, succulent meat takes nicely to mascarpone and basil. A great alternative to Jimmy Dean.

If you are not hooked, call me up. I’ll hand deliver a plate of this revolutionary fowl.

Most of the class perked up when they heard the words. Mojito. Sorbet. The added instructions, add the rum after the mixture is cool to preserve the alcohol. Also helped to grab the group’s attention.

Prior to the rum addition, mint infused sugar-lime-water – part tap, part sparkling.

Blancmange – milk, almond milk, and agar agar – led the first shot-glass layer. Agar agar is similar to gelatin in that it gels liquids. Different because it comes from seaweed – vegan friendly – and can withstand high temperatures. Perfect for hot dishes.

Brunoise of mango, strawberries, pineapple, and papaya topped the blancmange. And jasmine tuiles with sliced almond finished off the plate.

Le Cordon Bleu - Instruction #20; Practical #20

2010-07-27T10:03:00.008-04:00

I’m not sure if this is breaking news. Or embarrassing.

Today. At Le Cordon Bleu. We used the microwave. Not to reheat. Nor to melt. To actually cook a dish.

Golden crisped toast lined the bottom of a small, round mold. Whipped egg whites and truffles filled the bottom third. A lone egg yolk rest in the center. Topped with more egg whites. And cooked through in the microwave in less than a minute.

Served with morel mushroom coulis – shallots, morel and cultivated mushrooms sautéed, blended with cream, reduced port wine, salt and pepper, and thinned with chicken stock.

The dish was remarkably good. A perfect Sunday brunch first course.

Conventional cooking methods overtook the main dish. Breaded sea bass fillets were quickly browned in clarified butter on the stove. And finished in a 160 degree Celsius oven.

Sautéed spinach slotted as garnish number one. And lemon, caper, parsley sauce filled the second spot. Now the dish diverts.

Chicken jus and glazed chicken legs finish off the plate. Huh? Sea bass with a lovely lemon sauce and now chicken stuffs? I agree that it was strange, but the flavors surprisingly went well together.

The jus was our typical chicken, shallot, and water sauce. But. The glazed chicken legs. Took on a new flavor. Browned morsels coated in sherry vinegar, soy sauce, and maple syrup.

These accompaniments got me a très bonne in practical from the Korean Chef – we don’t really know her name. Other feedback was that the fish was cooked to its maximum – good, but no more. More coloring on the crust. Jus was tasty. And my spinach was nicely seasoned. I packed up as much as I could for tonight’s dinner.

Dessert reminded me of Grandma Schneebeli’s crumbles. While she never ventured into apples and pineapple with lemon balm syrup, the theory is the same. Baked fresh fruit covered with crumbly dough. And served with ice cream.

A simple mixture of flour, sugar, ground hazelnuts, butter, salt, and vanilla were kneaded into a ball. Allowed to chill – rest – in the refrigerator. Once the compote of apples, pineapple, lemon juice, and sugar was cooked and spooned into the bottom of a mold, the dough was crumbled over the top. And baked for 15 minutes in a 180 degree Celsius oven.

Pineapple sorbet and lemon balm syrup completed the dish.

From those that tried today’s dessert remarked how amazing it was. A must make-at-home recipe.

This marks the end of lesson #20. Time is more than winding down. Seven more practicals. A written test. Dry-run for the final exam. And the mammoth final itself, are all that remain.

Instruction #20

Egg blancmange with truffle, morel mushroom coulis
Crispy sea bass with French toast, capers, and lemon, chicken jus
Crisps with apple, pineapple sorbet, lemon balm syrup

Le Cordon Bleu - Instruction #19; Practical #19

2010-07-26T06:22:00.014-04:00

If you have a dinner party planned, scratch the menu. No social meal on your calendar? Get one, stat.

Today’s menu will blow anyone away.

Instruction #19

Green asparagus and crab charlotte, citrus vinaigrette
Roast beef tenderloin, mi-venaison, marinade with soy, daikon radish and beet brochette, parsley potato crisp
Frothy caramel with sea salt from Guérande

Thicken fresh crab meat with mayonnaise. Fill an asparagus lined mold. And keep refrigerated until serving.

Meanwhile. Blend peeled, seeded, and diced tomatoes with olive oil, tomato paste (for color), salt, pepper, and sugar (for the acidity) until smooth. Attention not to over blend, retaining a deep red color.

Mix orange, lemon, and lime juice with zest, salt, and pepper. Slowly whisk in olive oil. Creating a citrus vinaigrette.

Flavor and presentation will easily wow your guests. This entire dish can be made in advance, allowing you to enjoy it as well.

Likewise. The main course can be made ahead of time. For at least an hour, preferably overnight, marinate beef tenderloin. Shallot, celery, garlic, thyme, juniper berries, black peppercorns, soy sauce, red wine vinegar, red wine, onion, and orange peel.

Begin a sauce by browning meat trimmings. Sweating carrot, onion, and celery. Deglazing with red wine and balsamic vinegars. Once evaporated dry, deglaze a second time, this round with cognac. Pour enough marinade to cover the solids, add thyme and bay leaf, and reduce two-thirds. Next, add veal stock and greatly reduce. Finish with redcurrant jelly and crushed peppercorns giving them a moment to infuse the sauce. Strain and reduce to desired consistency.

Simply brown the marinated meat in screaming hot oil. And cook through in a 200 degree Celsius oven – 15 minutes per pound for rare/medium-rare.

Garnish with cooked daikon radish and beet. And heavenly parsley potato crisps.

Boiled, diced, buttered, creamed, herb-ed potatoes were wrapped in butter-brushed phyllo dough. Rolled like a spring roll and browned in a 200 degree Celsius oven for about five minutes. Careful when biting into these, they can be hot.

If your guests haven’t hired you to cater their next party by now. Then dessert certainly will.

Caramel – melted sugar deglazed with milk and cream – is frothed with beaten egg whites. Gelled with gelatin and allowed to set. Think caramel Jell-O. Cognac deglazed caramel syrup adds the finishing touch to the dish.

If you’re not completely satisfied with today’s menu then you can bring it up to demo-Chef Poupard. I’m sure he’d be willing to help you out.

Le Cordon Bleu - Atelier #2

2010-07-24T12:19:00.016-04:00

Hold true to the timeline. This round's goal. Motivated by the final exam’s four hour requirement.

For each atelier we are given six hours to complete two entrées and two main dishes. Completing in four, or at least five, has always been the chefs’ suggestion. I finished in four and a half. I didn’t budget twenty minutes of discussion with Chef Terrien – today’s proctor – about my first plate. So. Overall. I consider this a success.

Such delaying conversations will not take place during the final exam. In fact the entire format is different. Four amuse-bouche – small enough to fit in a shot glass – and four main plates. Much easier to manage.

As for the day’s results? Overall, fair to good.

Chef Terrien is perfect to have on a day like today because of his detailed, constructive criticism. He always has another idea for plating. An alternative cooking method. Or some addition for a sauce. He is seasoned and good.

Entrée was presented nicely. Well seasoned. And diverse. Chef would have left the skin on the fish, cooked the spinach at a lower temperature, and plated the center item upside down. All brilliant ideas duly noted.

I was disappointed with my fish. I would have cooked that longer and blanched the spinach from the get-go – I slowly dried it in the oven. My sauce was better than I expected, so that’s a keeper.

Entrée – Poached sea bream with beet, artichoke ‘Oreos’ and carrot, spring onion, tarragon purée.

Today’s main plate went much better than the last atelier. Portion-control was in full effect.

Curious to use gelatin I made a tomato, garlic jelly. Plating beautifully. Disastrously ending.

I knew that gelatin would loose its bond once reheated (i.e. placed on a hot piece of meat). I just didn’t know it would happen so quickly. I expected to plate my dish. Present it to chef as he watched the jelly slowly melt away. Instead the jelly was essentially gone by the time Chef laid his eyes on my plate.

The good news was that the tomato and garlic flavors nicely corresponded with my ginger jus and lemon cream sauce. Chef was happy.

An argument – even among LCB chefs – is the desired doneness of veal. I prefer less cooking, giving respect to the tenderness of this protein. Chef Terrien demands it more done. This was his first criticism – cook it more.

Chef’s only other suggestion of the main course was to drain my cauliflower purée. Oh. And to cook the cauliflower longer.

You are a cook. So. You must cook. Kindly remarked Chef.

Main Course – Veal medallion, sweetbread phyllo ‘candy’ with white asparagus, green-dyed cauliflower purée, ginger jus and lemon cream sauce. Tomato, garlic jelly.

It will be a week or two before we receive our final exam list. I am curious what proteins, vegetables, and other ingredients will be given. The ideas are rolling through my brain as I type.

Where will we go?

Le Cordon Bleu - Instruction #17; Practical #17

2010-07-23T03:45:00.015-04:00

He is loved by all students. In his adorable demeanor Chef Clergue happily pressed through lesson #17.

Instruction #17

Crisp langoustines, citrus emulsion with olive oil and wasabi
Pan-dried monkfish, sauce with Provence flavors and heirloom vegetable purée
Sauternes wine jelly, marbled lemon sorbet and balsamic jus

Langoustines – also known as Norway Lobster – are often prepared in France. Hailing from the Atlantic Ocean, and Mediterranean and North Seas. This creature is versatile as its meaty tail is much larger then common shrimp. Measuring up to two inches long, today’s tails were marinated in olive oil, espelette pepper, and four-spice.

Unraveling Kataifi pastry, Chef rolled each tail into a small package. Leaving the tip exposed for presentation. Middle Eastern descent Kataifi is shredded phyllo dough. Most commonly used for a dessert of rolled dough, honey, and nuts.

Frying each morsel created a delicious crunch. Nicely paired with an herb – chervil, parsley, tarragon, lemongrass, mint, and marjoram – salad. Seasoned with an orange, wasabi, olive oil emulsion.

Fumet, candied lemon, slow-roasted tomatoes, olive brunoise, fennel, parsnip purée, and potato crisps. The list of accompanying items for the main monkfish. Noticing the abundance I inquired.

Chef. Why is there always a long list of ‘other’ items when we prepare monkfish? Is it to cover the flavor or boring-ness?

Chef replied.

Monkfish is easy to prepare. One central bone makes filleting a snap. Cooking is quick and simple. So you have the time.

It all made sense to me. So, I started with the tomatoes. Peeling, seeding, and slicing into petals I popped them in a low 90 degree Celsius oven with some thyme, bay leaf, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Boiled potatoes and parsnips in water and milk, respectively. Individually passed them through a fine-mesh sieve. Buttered each batch. Poppy seeds, spreading thin on a baking sheet, and dried in a 100 degree Celsius oven for an hour finished the potatoes. Whereas, a bit of cream and salt completed the parsnips.

Finished my brunoise and prepared the fumet. Things were rolling forward. Finding myself with a bit of spare time I started to play around. Curled candied lemon peel. Blanched leek strings. And carved a fennel head. All thinking about presentation.

Not a bad dish. Not a great dish either. This average plate I would probably recreate with some alterations. The candied lemon was too sweet for my migraine-prone head. Some more salt would have bettered the potato crisps. And cooking monkfish in clarified butter would have been superior to the oven-bake.

Sauternes wine and gelatin. That’s all the jelly took. Add that to lemon sorbet, blood orange sorbet, and balsamic jus and you’ve got a killer dessert.

All these sorbets sound good. Not to mention simple to make. Only issue is having an ice-cream churner. I used to have the Kitchen Aid Ice Cream Maker and found that it never worked. It could have been my lack of knowledge and skill. Or simply that the darn thing was no good. I am on the look out for a good, small, machine for home. Let me know if you have any suggestions.

Le Cordon Bleu - Wines of the World #4

2010-07-22T05:22:00.001-04:00

Vineyards owe their perfection to the parallel of moderation.

Temperate weather of the 45th parallel makes Bordeaux one of the best climates for wine production. Regulated by water.

Flowing southwest, along the eastern border of Bordeaux. The Dordogne River meets the north-westerly Garonne. Together forming the Gironde, an Atlantic Ocean estuary – often mistakenly called a river.

Moreover. The forest on the west blocks all easterly winds and rains. Bringing additional safety to the grapes.

Bordeaux consists of over 100,000 hectares of wine growth. Making it the biggest AOC in the world. Grape varieties vary throughout, but mainly consist of the following.

Rouges

Cabernet-sauvignon
Cabernet-franc
Merlot
Côt (Malbec)
Petit Verdot
Carmenère

Blancs

Sémillon
Sauvignon-blanc
Muscadelle

The largest AOC is not necessarily the most complicated. Following all other wine regions. Wines labeled with Bordeaux are the most generic. It is the sub-regional appellations and specific town labeled bottles that you should be buying.

The sub-regional appellation breakdown looks like this.

In general. Graveled soil of the Garonne’s left bank produces tannic, well structured, tough wines. Predominantly from cabernet-sauvignon. Whereas the right bank – clay and limestone – is merlot dominant. Making fruitier, full-bodied wines.

With that said. Cabernet-sauvignon needs a bit of roundedness from merlot. Just like merlot benefits from cabernet-sauvignon’s structure. Therefore they are almost always blended together. Linked with malbec. And enhanced with carmenère – more of a yesterday’s grape – or petit verdot – making a come-back.

Whites tend to be very aromatic and dry. Characteristics of the heavily used sauvignon-blanc. Structured with muscadelle. Sémillon’s prone-to-noble-rot trait makes it perfect for dessert wines. Especially in Sauternes, Barsac, and Cérons – where the dividing river, Ciron, flows into the larger Garonne.

When the Ciron’s warmer water flows into the cooler Garonne, mist is created. Forming water droplets on the grapes, breeding fungus. Dried daily by sunshine. Slowly reducing the grape’s moisture. In turn. Increasing sugar-concentration. Noble Rot (botrytis cinerea). Perfect for dessert wine production.

My suggestion. As always. Drink them all and write down your favorites.

Session #4 – Tastes

Pauillac (cabernet-sauvignon, cabernet-franc, merlot) by Château La Rose, 2005
Margaux 2eme Crus (cabernet-sauvignon, cabernet-franc, merlot) by Château Rauzan-Ségla, 2004
Saint-Julien (cabernet-sauvignon, cabernet-franc, merlot) by Château Larose de Gruaud, 2002
Listrac-Medoc (cabernet-sauvignon, cabernet-franc, merlot) by Château Fonreaud, 2004
Moulis Cru Bourgeois Superior(cabernet-sauvignon, cabernet-franc, merlot) by Château Brillette, 2003

Trente-Sept Jours

2010-07-21T02:41:00.000-04:00

Scrolling around Delta.com last night. Dismayed to discover. There are only 37 days left.

In a slight, nostalgic panic I rummaged through a pile of notes. Retrieving my list. The list of must-do’s while abroad. Thinking all along, will this be full of checkmarks by the time I depart?

I am list guy. Crazier, if it’s on the list it must get checked off. Otherwise. Small beads of sweat form on my brow. Blood pressure rises. Attention span diminishes. And the ability to form complete sentences evades me. It’s not pretty.

Rue Cler

Avignon

St. Chappelle

Musee de Louvre

Musee d’Orsay

Place Vendome

Musee de Pompidon

Rodin Gardens

Sacre Coeur/Montmartre

Le Marais

Latin Quarter

Versailles

Ok, this was looking like a completed list. But wait. There was more…without checks!

¨ Top of Eiffel Tower
¨ Les Baux
¨ Musee de Picasso
¨ Musee de Edith Piaf
¨ Vezelay
¨ Jewish Museum
¨ Etc…

Balancing the end of Le Cordon Bleu – Superior ateliers and final exam – while working on the list. Is my current challenge. Some items I know I won’t get to because I’ll need to travel, but those that lie within Paris’ walls must get ticked off.

After the list hysteria subsided. I reminisced all things managed to get accomplished that weren’t on the list. Making great friends, learning French, knowing Paris like the back of my hand, and discovering the best pomme frits – French fries – in the world. I smiled a bit.

Then there’s all the subconscious education. Having a good grasp of what Portuguese sounds like. A deeper understanding of Korean culture. And a changed view of Turks. Stemmed from working in an international school.

It was also clear that I have a limit with the French, miss American deodorant, and love the Paris métro. Picnics were less frequent than I imagined. I never knew I would do laundry daily. And how was I able to consume that much ham?

Surprises lurked all around my time in France. Some presenting themselves in more direct ways. Nonetheless. I have grown. Widened my scope. And stretched my knowledge. Oh! And I’ve learned how to cook.

Le Cordon Bleu - Instruction #16; Practical #16

2010-07-20T03:36:00.009-04:00

It was sort of a no thrills-type of day. Avocado sorbet dessert did perk up some interest, but nothing to write home about.

Haddock, mackerel – both pre-cooked – layered in a terrine along potatoes. All bonded with cream and dill flavored gelatin. The accompanying horseradish sauce would have sent my father to the restroom. Dill, cream, and lemon flavors couldn’t stand up to Chef Poupard’s heavy horseradish hand.

Remember deboning an entire pigeon while keeping its shape? Similar technique with sole. Gently. Tediously. And slowly. The skeleton was cut, picked, and sliced out. Leaving a cavity waiting to be filled.

Duxelles – shallots and mushrooms slowly cooked – regained the sea creature’s shape. Braised in white wine and fumet prepared the sole. After the braising liquid was strained, reduced and creamed it too was ready for the plate.

Crêpes filled with cockles – small clam-like – was the last item on the agenda. Mixing flour, salt, egg, milk, butter, and chervil created the crêpe batter. Thin layers in a small sauce pan gave us the desired size.

Cockles heated through in a bath of shallot infused vermouth were given richness from reduced heavy cream. Piled into the center of a crêpe. And tied like a little purse finished the presentation.

Fruit chutney – this time; pineapple, mangoes, dried dates, apricots, and figs, and raisins – slowly cooked in orange and lemon juice. Spiced with cinnamon, ginger, lime zest, and sherry vinegar. Plated – not sure if paired is correct here – with avocado sorbet and caramel coulis.

Instruction #16

Haddock, mackerel and potato terrine with dill, horseradish sauce
Sole stuffed with mushrooms served with sauce glacée à l’anncienne, Célestine crêpes with shellfish
Mango and pineapple chutney, avocado sorbet

Le Cordon Bleu - Superior Conference

2010-07-19T14:12:00.002-04:00

There is one each term. Basic’s focused on pots, pans, sieves and their proper use. Intermediate followed with one about chefs – who, what, and where they come from. And today’s Superior conference focused on the restaurant.

In short. How to open one. An aspiration of some students.

Chef Lesourd – one that never had his own place – led our discussion. He started with explaining that usually it is easier to work for someone else. But. The rewards of running your own establishment can be far greater. It’s a risk. More simply. A decision that all chefs need to make.

First you need a menu. Not just any menu, but a balanced one. Evened out with entrées, fish, meat, and desserts. Menu-equilibrium also comes from seasonal verses standard dishes. High and low margin plates. And flavors that generally appeal.

Once the menu is in place a kitchen, brigade, and day-to-day details need to be determined. Consulting a real estate agency or business development company that specializes in restaurants was Chef’s number one piece of advice. They can help you determine where to build the restaurant, how to obtain a building, kitchen design, and even initial staff hiring/training.

The answers are endless and unique to the chef, location, and target audience. Above all. There needs to be a plan, one thoroughly thought through. For example, buying certain pans that don’t require much cleaning may reduce dishwashing staff, but might cost more. Cloth tablecloths and napkins certainly class up the joint, but will require laundry service. Point being, whatever the decision it is important to imagine all possible repercussions.

A successful restaurant/chef owner will not only be able to produce good food, but will be a good leader, have a business-sense mind, and vision. Some people are great chefs and not business people. Some are better at leading than cooking. There is a place and purpose for us all.

Barely scratching the surface, we had a good discussion and Chef left us with a lot to think about.

Owning your own restaurant is not always the end goal.

Le Cordon Bleu - Atelier #2 Thoughts

2010-07-18T03:43:00.000-04:00

Moving right along. Instruction #15 marked our half way point through Superior Cuisine. Signaling that the end of Le Cordon Bleu. All together. Is near. Next Saturday also brings us to Atelier #2.

Similar to Atelier #1 we need to produce an entrée and main dish. While respecting certain requirements. Make a fumet and cold sauce for the entrée. Crust or pastry to enrobe the main dish. One vegetable flan and two simple garnishes. And a small vegetable brunoise.

The must use ingredients are

Gilt-head sea bream
Veal tenderloin
Veal sweetbreads
Caul fat
Brittany artichoke
Large spinach leaves
Beetroot
Cauliflower
New pearl spring onions
White asparagus

Menu ideas have been floating around in my head for the past week. I plan on confirming my plan on my two days off. But. If you have any ideas send them my way.

Le Cordon Bleu - Instruction #15; Practical #15

2010-07-17T10:40:00.001-04:00

I have always enjoyed it fried. But. I’ve come to realize that I like calamari – squid – just about any way.

Chef Clergue whipped up a fantastic entrée. Trick when pan-searing squid is not to over cook it. Barely heated through in fact. Similar to shrimp.

Paired with thin chorizo slices, red and yellow bell peppers, Kalamata olives, veal cheek, and garlic. This salad base exploded when drizzled with arugula pesto and vinegar sauce. Reduced white wine and balsamic vinegar gained volume from fumet. Color from squid ink. And viscosity from olive oil. Acidic. Velvety. And dark. A sauce favorite of mine.

What goes up. Must. Come down. The day’s main course was less than stellar. So bad in fact, I think it was the worst dish prepared at Le Cordon Bleu.

The only favorable part of this recipe was deboning a squab. A mid-sized, 500 gram pigeon systematically lost all of its bones. Part by part removed through the cavity opening. No other incisions or holes were made. Finally. A limp bird laid flat on my cutting board. Regained shape from stuffing of veal sweetbreads, shiitake mushrooms, breadcrumbs, onion, shallot, and American farmers cheese.

As the stuffing was piped into the center the fowl blew up like a balloon, resembling its original shape. Slow roasted. Paired with spelt risotto. And jus made this the worst dish ever.

So bad that I could barely taste the final product. Chef Clergue commended my work – at least I know the poor flavor wasn’t my fault.

Dessert regained the face of LCB. For all my chocolate lovers get your notepad. Bittersweet chocolate cakes studded with sea salt caramel. Baked just enough to hold its shape. Oozed when cracked opened.

Chocolate and salty caramel flavors were happily met with coffee sorbet. Delicious happiness throughout.

Chocolate Cake
125 g bittersweet chocolate
125 g butter
3 eggs
125 g sugar
40 g flour

Melt chocolate. Melt in butter. In a separate bowl, blanch eggs with sugar by whisking until slightly lighter in color. Whisk flour into eggs. Fold batter into melted chocolate/butter.

Fine fleur de sel sea salt caramel
100 g sugar
30 g glucose
Hot water
Fine fleur de sel sea salt

Caramelize sugar and glucose in a dry pan until blond caramel color. Stop the cooking by adding hot water. Reduce until caramel consistency. Chill. Add in fleur de sel sea salt to taste.

Pipe chocolate batter half way up buttered/paper-lined molds. Make a small well in the center with the back of a spoon. Fill with prepared caramel. Top – filling mold to top – with more chocolate batter. Bake in a 180 degree Celsius oven for about 10 minutes (set, but not baked through). Allow to rest 5 minutes. Unmold and serve with favorite fruit sauce or sorbet. Serves 8.

Le Cordon Bleu - Wines of the World #3

2010-07-16T04:33:00.004-04:00

Varietal-ly speaking, Bourgogne is the simplest region. In terms of everything else. It is the most complex.

Totaling only six percent of French wine production – one percent globally – Burgundy is one of the most well known wine regions. This isn’t by fault. They make some fantastic wines.

Situated in the central, eastern part of France. Burgundy draws its ideal grape growing terroir from cliff sides. Easterly facing plains. And the hills of Beaune, Nuits, Chalonnaise, and Or. Hence the names, Côtes de Beaune, Côtes de Nuits, ect. Côtes literally means coast or shore. Here it refers to edge, or ridge.

Layers of minerals, namely limestone, sit below the earth’s crust. Giving a unique depth. Clay and granite are also commonly found.

Surprisingly. Burgundy has a higher production of white wines than red. Respectively, 58% and 42%. Whites are usually chardonnay. Reds are always pinot-noir. Occasionally wine makers are allowed to add sauvignon-blanc or aligoté to the lighter bottles. And gamay to the rouges. Although this almost never happens.

The structure of Bourgogne is the most complex system around. It is important to understand this because it has a direct effect on labeling.

First there is the region of Burgundy – the mass encompassing zone. General Burgundy wines are labeled with the regional name and the varietal. Bourgogne Chardonnay. These are perfectly fine to drink, but usually light and ordinary.

Within the regional area there are communes. Large sections still. But more focused. There are five major communales.

Chablis
Mâcon
Côtes de Chalonnaise
Côtes de Beaune
Côtes de Nuits

Wines that bare a communal label are always blends from various vineyards. Labeling at this level includes the region, Bourgogne, and commune name, i.e. Côtes de Beaune. Bourgogne Côtes de Beaune. These usually don’t travel too far. Consumed by locals.

Breaking the region down even more. There are villages within the communes. These too are usually consumed within the zone of production. Marked with only the village name. Pouilly-Fuissé.

Within each village there can be two distinctions. Premier Cru and Grand Cru. These are the wines that make it in overseas shops. Within each village. There is a hill. The lowest and highest sections are Premier Crus. With the Grand Crus in the center – location with the best terroir. These are distinctions. Not every town bares these awards. (See if my drawing makes any sense.)

As probably assumed. Wines are tagged with Premier Cru or Grand Cru some where on the bottle. Otherwise. Following previously discussed labeling.

In a nutshell memorize the five major communes. This way you’ll know it’s a Burgundy. And remember that whites are always chardonnay. Reds are pinot-noir.

Lesson #3 Tastes

Bourgogne (pinot-noir) by Olivier Leflaive, 2007
Côtes de Beaune Ladoix (pinot-noir) by Chevalier, 2006
Ladoix Premier Cru (pinot-noir) by Chevalier, 2006
Ladoix Grand Cru (pinot-noir) by Chevalier, 2006

Le Cordon Bleu - Wines of the World #2

2010-07-15T06:53:00.043-04:00

Class #2 brought us back to Old World wines. Greater Europe – home of 80% of the world’s wine production. With equaling consumption rates.

Vines were distributed throughout Europe by the Roman Empire. Beginning in present day Iran. Moving toward Egypt and Greece. And exploding to far off lands like China, South America and the U.S.

Today, some successful vines as far north as Sweden and Denmark can be found. Confirming the global warming.

Austria. Nearly 50,000 hectares makes this one of the lowest producing countries. The 1985 debacle of adding poison to their wines not only gave Austrians a bad reputation, but may have stunted growth as well.
The generally cool climate creates mainly white wines (2/3) which are generally dry, light in alcohol and slightly sparkling.

Separated into four regions – Lower Austria, Burgenland, Styria, and Vienna. The most common white grape varieties are Grüner Veltliner, Müller-Thurgau, Welschriesling, and Weisser Burgunder. Whereas the reds are Lauer Zweigelt (dark and tannic), Blau Frankish (sappy and perfume-y), and Blauer Portugiser (rustic).

TASTE. Weingut Brandlmeyer. Kamptal. Grüner Veltliner, trocken. 2006.

Let’s break this wine label down. Weingut, means chateau or winery. Brandlmeyer is the producer. Kamptal is the region, actually a sub-region of Burgenland. Grüner Veltliner is the grape or type of wine. Trocken means dry. Like German wines, Austrian wines have a series of words to describe the dryness. Trocken being the driest.

This was a simple wine that would be best served as an aperitif. Probably not complex enough for food. Pale golden with silvery lines, it smelled of grass, tart, citrus, and floral. The initial taste was large and round, but fresh. An average evolution and less exciting finish keeps this wine simple. Acidity was nice – similar to what is smelled on the nose.

Greece. Wine is not this country’s area of expertise. With only 12% being quality wine, most production is for basic table consumption.

There are over 700 varieties grown on the 130,000 hectares. Many of which are dried for raisins. Those that tend to make it to a wine bottle are Assyrtiko, Debina, Robola, Rhoditis, and Savatiano (flavored with pine resin) for whites. And Xynomavro, Agiorgitiko, Mandilaria, Liatiko (Crete), and Mavrodaphne (sweet wine) for the reds.

TASTE. Gaia. Nemea. Agiorgitiko. 2003. (The label description are in the same format as Austria’s example.)

A dark red wine with orange near the horseshoe – edge of wine in a glass when tipped horizontal – indicates aging. The clean, medium intense nose gave way to smoke, toast, jammy fruit, tobacco, leather, macerated cherries, and licorice notes. The long, developed finish on the palate supported acidity that melted, minimal tannins, and a slight warming aftereffect from alcohol. A great wine, perfect with lamb, beef, or duck in a rich sauce. Or with a small slab of brie cheese.

Italy. The number one wine producing country in the world. Exporting over a third from its 900,000 hectares.

Many grapes are grown, but the principal white wine varieties are Trebbiano (known as Ungi Blanc in France), Verdicchio, Vermeninto (dry and fruity), Canaiolo, Greco, Moscatel, Vernacchia, and Malvasa (sweet wine). The reds: Sangiovese, Nebiolo, Montepulciano, Barchetto, Aglianico, Nerodiavola, and Lambrusco (sparkling wine).

All produced in the area’s five regions. The north. The centre. Tyrrhenian Sea. Mediterranean Sea. And Adriatic Sea.

There are about 220 DOC – AOC equivalent – throughout Italy. Italians rank the top consumers with 50 liters per person per year (compared to Austria’s 33 and France’s 49).

TASTE. Rapido Red. Chianti. Sangiovese. 2009.

Deep purple with no coloration suggests the youngness of this wine. Fruit explodes on the nose – blackberry and currant – with added licorice and floral notes. A smooth, mild wine all around calls for BBQ, charcuterie, or some sort of fruit compote.

Spain. Some of the oldest vines dating back to the 10th century can be found throughout the 60 protected appellations. While grape production ranks the highest in the world on 1,200,000 hectares only about a third makes it to wine. Setting it behind Italy and France in overall wine production.

Airen, Maccabeo, Palomino, Pedro Ximinez, and Xarello (sparkling wine) make up the white wines. Sister reds are Grenache, Tempranillo, Carinena, Monastrell, and Graciano.

There is an added labeling system within Spain that indicates the age. Joven (young, unoaked). Crianza (6 month in oak; 12 months in bottle). Reserve (12 months in oak; 24 months in bottle). And Grand Reserve (24 months in oak; 36 months in bottle).

TASTE. La Raymundo Palazio. ???. Rioja, Reserve. 2006.

Busted. This bottle was corked beyond corked. No tasting here.

Corked refers to when the bottle has gone bad due to the drying of the cork. Contaminated with TCA (2,4,6-Trichloroanisole). And the ruining of the flavor. It is harmless to drink, but usually incredibly unpleasant. Twelve percent of wines (those that use cork stoppers) are corked. A move to plastic and screw tops helps prevent this all together.

Portugal. This country is more known for its port production than table wine. Nonetheless a fragmented 260,000 hectares exist.

Rabigato (white port), Alvarinho, and Encruzada are the whites. And Touriga Nacional (red port), Tinta Francesca, Tinto Roriz, and Touriga Francesca are the reds. Eight regions with the addition of Madeira – small island next to Africa where Madeira wine is produced – are present.

TASTE. Quenta do Vallado. Douro. Touriga Nacional and Touriga Francesca. 2005.

Very dark, almost black violet color. Cherries, prunes, confit jam, spice, mint, tobacco, and pepper dominate the nose. Described as a typical Portuguese wine, the soft fleshy, well developed taste made for a rich, but great wine. Best paired with a big, juicy steak or roasted meat.

Hungary. Most people know about Hungary’s Tokaji sweet wine and not so much about regular table wines.

Approximately 95,000 hectares produce Furmit, Harsluvelu, Ezerjo (whites) and Kadourka, Kefrankos, Kekoporto (reds).

An AOC-like system has been in place since 1984 properly regulating production.

The four main regions of this country are: The Great Plain, Northern Transdanubia, Southern Transdanubia, and Northern Hungary.

TASTE. Oremus. Northern Hungary. Tokay Aszu. 1999.

Very sweet wine, amber, dark yellow, golden color. All suggested by its age. One whiff of this filled you with marmalade, flower blossoms, honey, beeswax, jasmine, and candied citrus zest aromas. The palate was overjoyed with a tart sugariness. Hard to pair with food, sweet wines tend to stand alone. However. A nice slice of foie gras or Roquefort may go nicely.

Le Cordon Bleu - Instruction #14; Practical #14

2010-07-14T10:04:00.002-04:00

We started laughing and joking around. By the end of demonstration the students were bored and ready to get out.

Chef Lesourd in his calm, seemingly flawless, mood taught lesson #14. Gracing through recipe after recipe. Finishing on-time. With beautiful final products.

Instruction #14

Roasted jumbo shrimp flavored with lemongrass and coconut
Herb crusted thick salmon steak, mushroom flan, creamy jus with Madeira
Pistachio crème brûlée, nibbed cocoa bean tuile

Crème brûlée should take over an hour at a low – 100 degree Celsius – temperature. Respecting this, Chef started with dessert.

Mixing milk and cream into blanched – lightly whisked with sugar – yolks. Flavored with pistachio paste. And poured into ramekins to slowly bake. Brûlée at the end.

Served along side, cocoa bean tuiles. Baking at a slightly higher 160 degree Celsius oven for thirty minutes. Melted butter, milk, sugar, glucose, honey, and cocoa nibs filled the room with a chocolate bake-y goodness.

Leaving France all together, today’s entrée is a must make.

Jumbo shrimp pungent from a sesame seed oil, lemongrass, cilantro, garlic marinade were quickly pan-fried. Sauce – almost soup like – poured over the top. Adding ginger, galangal – blue ginger baring no resemblance – coconut milk, and kaffir lime leaves completed a perfect flavor.

Garnished with baby sweet corn, red bell pepper, baby green asparagus, and fresh cilantro.

Chef created a coconut, pineapple puree, curry, turmeric, ginger, Tabasco paste. Gummed with xatan. To add a fantastic addition to the presentation.

Staying with seafood, salmon topped with an herb butter crust centered our main plate. Butter mixed with breadcrumbs, ground hazelnuts, potato starch to bind, chervil, parsley, and cilantro perfectly added.

A simple mushroom flan, whipped cream, and Madeira jus set this dish to the finish line.

Practical is not until Thursday.

Today, July 14th, is Bastille Day. Equal to America’s Fourth of July. Morning rain delayed the air show and put a damper on most picnic plans. The skies are expected to clear for tonight’s over-the-top firework show. Illuminating the Eiffel Tower and surrounding 7th and 15th arrondissements.

Le Cordon Bleu - Wines of the World #1

2010-07-13T14:47:00.004-04:00

New World refers to vines that are less than 500 years old. Much younger compared to Old World 2000 plus year aged vineyards.

New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, South America, and North America focused our first discussion.

New Zealand. Blessed with a northern temperate maritime climate and cooler, drier, sunnier southern exposure. Most varieties hail from Europe. With a dominance of Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc. Representing over half the grapes.

Australia. Similar to New Zealand – but concentrated on the southern tip – this country has a cool, dry, sunny climate. Prefect for Chardonnay, Riesling, Semillon, Sauvignon Blanc, and Portuguese Verdelho production. Not to mention the world-known red varieties – Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Grenache, and Pinot Noir.

Australia wines are organized in the states of New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Western Australia, and Queensland. Grape-growing surface area is nearly 300% larger than that of New Zealand.

South Africa. One of the oldest New World wine players with nearly 120,000 hectares planted as early as the 17th century. Mediterranean climate is perfect for Chin Blanc, Colombard, Muscat, Chardonnay, and Sauvignon Blanc white varietals. In addition to the bountiful red wine production – Pinotage, Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, and Cabernet Franc.

Similar to France’s A.O.C. system South African wines are tightly controlled. Allowing wines to claim particular wine of origin status.

South America. Settled by Spanish settlers in the 16th century there are now more than 300,000 hectares of wine vineyards. Favorable climate allows Sauvignon Blanc, Muscat, Chardonnay, Sémillon, Chenin Blanc, Torrontés, Perdo Ximinez, Malbec, Tempranillo, Shiraz, Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Carmenère, and Carignan to prosper.

Most wine making in this region is centered around Chile’s Aconcagua and Argentina’s Mendoza sub-regions.

North America. With California in the clear lead of production, Oregon and Washington States are not too far behind.

First vines in California date back to 1771. With a present day total around 400,000 hectares. Most common white varieties are Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc, and Semillon. Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel, Merlot, Shiraz, and Sangiovese make up the most seen red wines.

An A.O.C. system – AVA – has established approximately 150 controlled areas since 1983.

Final Return

2010-07-12T08:20:00.002-04:00

Traveling back to Paris. My final overseas trip that I will make alone. See you en France.

Reminders of the Loveliness of Life

2010-07-11T08:04:00.005-04:00

Le Cordon Bleu’s stellar scheduling left me four days off.

Bags packed I headed to my atelier. Grabbed a quick shower. And jumped on the metro for Charles de Gaulle.

Destination – JFK. This weekend marks my last visit. As my Facebook status reads, Anthony Fassio is last New York visit. Next NYC arrival will be on a one-way flight.

This also represents that last time I will see James until graduation. For the next six weeks I will be hitting atelier #2. Finishing Superior Cuisine. And preparing for the mammoth LCB final exam.

Our reunion in August will be final. No more airport goodbyes. Separations. Or long-distance loneliness. This world wind, fanciful life will cease.

Our permanent homecoming will fill a deep gap within me.

My final flight out of CDG. However. Will not be without new pains. LCB, Paris, friends, chefs, daily croissants, my studio apartment. Will all be missed. Above all. This experience of going to culinary school in Paris at Le Cordon Bleu. Will be over. Never again will it – or could it – be realized. This once-in-a-lifetime opportunity will have passed. Epic-ness will be no more.

As I write this morning, I am reminded of the loveliness of life. The beautiful ups and downs, gives and takes that come with being alive. Solidness, peace, and success can not be realized without uncertainty, chaos, and failures. But that’s what I yearn for. To live.

Le Cordon Bleu - Atelier #1 - Results

2010-07-10T07:38:00.013-04:00

I started out on time. Organized. And fast. Rolling through my schedule. Until Chef Maleek arrived.

The new chef from Morocco has some teaching skills to learn. Constantly talking – not sure about what because I usually ignored him. Caused a slight annoyance in the kitchen. Not nearly as annoying as his constant, are you ready, question – sixty minutes before we were finished.

It was a long day with Chef. I panic for the next practical or atelier that we might have him.

Chef Clergue – thank god – came through our room as we presented our plates. To taste and give feedback. At least we had proper, constructive feedback.

The day went according to my plan. I didn’t burn, forget, or screw up anything. Well. For the most part.

My entrée, salmon and shrimp duo with chilled, summer pea puree, was a smashing success. The plate came together. Looking much better than my simple sketch.

Salmon mousse, grilled shrimp, and fresh, sweet pea puree created a great flavor profile. All tastes balanced and in harmony. Chef Clergue – for the first time – had nothing to say.

Everything, he said, was parfait. He had a very proud smile on his face.

Elated for a moment, until remembering the day wasn’t over. Still needed to complete the main course.

A great tip of his hat and a hand shake from Chef set me right to complete my day’s work.

As happy as I was about my appetizer. I was quickly humbled. When the main course feedback came.

Chef’s first response was it’s too much. The plate had been crowded. I repeated polenta cakes which seemed redundant to Chef. My sauce was too sweet. Pigeon undercooked. And potato crisps overdone.

The idea is good. Just refine and control portion size. Advised Chef. Some where in his assessment he reiterated how great the entrée was and to use that same mentality.

As much as I wanted to hit the main course out-of-the-park, I agreed with Chef.

The sauce browned a bit too much, leaving a slight burnt taste. Attempted to rectify with more honey and a dash – which was more of a gallon – of vinegar. As the sauce reduced I tasted from time to time. I couldn’t tell if the sauce was really good. Or. Really bad. Each test left me on the two extremes. Chef kindly settled this confusion for me.

I wanted smaller polenta cakes. Like little stands. Unable to find the proper-sized mold at the kitchen store I settled for what I had. A mistake of ignoring instinct. I should have hand-cut the polenta into the correct size. Lesson learned.

As for the breasts being undercooked. I was juggling two other tasks at the same time. Pulling my internal stop-watch-attention. Lesson learned - when cooking proteins do nothing else.

Overall it was a great day. I am happiest with a knife in my hand. Cooking away in the kitchen. Creating and testing recipes.

Successful with some ideas, learning around others. The point of the day properly realized.

Atelier #2 is in two weeks, I am filled with anticipation. The ideas are already flowing.

Le Cordon Bleu - Ateliers #1; Practical #13

2010-07-08T23:10:00.005-04:00

The Superior final exam is very different than previous Basic and Intermediate. For those that have followed me from the beginning know that the first two term exams were specific dishes. Meals that we had previously made. One of ten pulled from a hat for us to replicate. Not so much in Superior.

The Superior exam comes from our brain. A chance to pull together everything we’ve learned and present our original recipes.

We have two ateliers – workshops – in preparation for this. Given a list of ingredients. Some items with asterisks – those we must use. And a few general requirements.

Instruction and practical #13 constitutes our first atelier. We have six (6!) hours to complete two servings of an entrée and main dish. We are encouraged to finish in four hours as that is the limitation of the final exam.

General requirements are; a forcemeat stuffing, cold sauce for the entrée, jus for the main course, two simple side dishes, and one composed – more than two items.

The must use ingredients are

Squab
Salmon
Jumbo shrimp
Fingerling potatoes
Red bell pepper
Peas
Small pearl onions
Cultivated mushrooms

Other ingredients for use are items like veal and fish stock. Dairy products galore. White, red, and port wine. Flour, salt, sugar, potato starch, and spices. Fresh herbs, random vegetables, and chicken breast.

I have been thinking. And rethinking. My menu for over a week. Constantly coming up with new ideas. I finally settled. Created my recipes. And drew out my timeline (thank you Operations Management degree!). I think I’m ready.

Entrée
Salmon and Shrimp duo with chilled, summer pea puree
· Salmon stuffed with salmon/shrimp mousse
· Pan-seared jumbo shrimp
· Dill savory cookie
· Chilled spring onion and pea sauce
· Red pepper brunoise, herb salad garnish

Main Dish
Squab two ways with polenta and vegetable stands
· Pan-seared squab breasts
· Slow braised pulled squab legs
· Spiced honey jus
· Parmesan polenta stand
· Vegetable stand of eggplant, zucchini, and tomatoes
· Glazed pearl onions
· Madeira sautéed button mushrooms
· Potato straws

I write this post as I head to the atelier. A thorough report back will be my next move. Wish me luck. And stay tuned.

Le Cordon Bleu - Instruction #12; Practical #12

2010-07-08T00:28:00.000-04:00

This was a hit and miss menu. The entrée was marginal. Main course delicious. And could have gone without the dessert.

Still on vacation-coverage mode. Chef Poupard instructed our lesson.

Instruction #12

Grilled line caught whiting served with a warm salad, medley of condiments
Sautéed veal grenadine, polenta with parmesan, stuffed Poivrade artichoke
Crisp puff pastry with berries

Whiting fillets flash-seared in olive oil. Leaving the center raw. Sat nicely along a warm salad of sorts. Wild arugula, candied lemon, olives, sun-dried tomatoes, anchovies, and capers. All tossed with reduced chicken stock.

You might ask why this nice salad was ruined with reduced chicken stock. I did at least. The dish is. After all. Served with lovely balsamic vinaigrette. Future renditions of this dish will be leaving out the stock.

Candied, oven-dried rhubarb twists and borage flowers decorated the plate.

Chef informed that whiting is very low in fat. A good choice if you have cholesterol problems. This English Channel swimming creature is most common to the Atlantic cod.

The main course began with a lesson on artichokes. French ones that is. Poivrade refers to young, purple leaf ones found in Provence. Compared to the more robust Camus variety of Brittany.

Discarding hard leaves. Cutting out the choke. And cleaning up the stem prepared them for cooking. Simmered in a blanc – water, lemon juice, salt, and flour – until tender. Stuffed with onions, garlic, breadcrumbs, and herbs. All steamed through.

Simple parmesan polenta rested as the final garnish of the plate. Leaving room for the star – veal fillet mignon. Gently pan-seared. And passed with lemon sauce.

Lemon and lime peel and juice deglazed into sugar, honey caramel. Slowly brought up to flavor with reduced veal stock and ginger. A sweet, glaze-y sauce proudly held onto the meat.

Delicious all around.

Simple puff pastry, berries, and vanilla whipped cream displayed as the day’s dessert. Nothing much more to say about this.

Le Cordon Bleu - Instruction #11; Practical #11

2010-07-07T03:55:00.009-04:00

Chef Poupard has been filling in for vacationing Chef Terrien. Instruction #11 was the second – or third – time he’s graced Superior demonstration.

Instruction #11

Shot glass of guacamole and ceviche
Roast turbot fillet, asparagus and langoustine tails with bacon, red pimentos stuffed with herb mousse
Beet ravioli with berries

Explaining guacamole is not new to anyone. Every household has their own special version. à la Le Cordon Bleu; avocados – fork mashed – lime juice, green bell pepper, olive oil, sour cream, cilantro, and red onion. Spiced only with Tabasco.

Thinly sliced cod altered in a marinade of lime juice and vodka. Flavored by a medley of red; chili, pepper, and onion. Citrus acidity denatures and coagulates seafood proteins. Mimicking heat by toughening the fish and erasing the opaque appearance.

Presented with spring onions, dill, and cilantro leaves. A great summertime entrée.

I can never quite get the smell of fish. Out of my hands, apron, or chef coat. Turbot was the day’s culprit.

Native to brackish waters of all European seas – Mediterranean, Black, and Baltic. This is an odd creature. Born swimming upright. It slowly turns. Swimming flat as adults. Most often mistaken for sole.

Fish-infused hands we prepared the main course. Starting with filleting – this bugger has four. Knowing that stuffing pimentos – Spanish red bell peppers – was down the road, we reserved any turbot trimmings for a mousse. A mousse of whipped fish, cream, and fresh herbs.

Asparagus stems were stewed. And tips blanched.

A fumet/sauce took shape from langoustine and turbot carcasses, shallots, garlic, celery, vermouth, and water. Emulsified with olive oil in the end.

The presentation was nice. But. For a non-fish lover. The taste was marginal. Flat-lined and, well, fishy.

First we made dessert out of tomatoes. And now beets. Odd ideas for the final course of a meal. But, so far. They’re working.

Similar to candied tomatoes, beets were braised in syrup for three-ish hours. Finely sliced to look like ravioli dough. And stuffed with brunoise blackberries, raspberries, and strawberries mixed with fromage blanc and lightly whipped cream.

Paired with fromage blanc sorbet and a final raspberry tuile.

Yummy moans were heard throughout.

Chef Clergue liked my presentation. Only issue was that my stuffed pimento was bigger than the turbot. Dwarfing the center stage and possibly cheating a future diner. Taste and doneness was good all around.

Le Cordon Bleu - Practical #10

2010-07-06T06:12:00.002-04:00

When I think of practicals. These days. I don’t have much to say.

Having become common place and routine, practicals tend to go by without incidence. That’s not to say that faults, confusion, and mishaps don’t still occur. Suggesting only another day in the kitchen.

With that said. I’ll try to think of some creativity for my comments on Practical #10.

There’s no doubt that the room was filled with an aroma. That transported us to North Africa. Or at least some land foreign to French soil. Szechuan pepper, coriander and cumin seeds, cinnamon sticks, star anise, and cloves gently simmered. In a sauce of honey, balsamic vinegar and veal stock. Traditionally flavored with onions, shallots, and tomatoes.

Slowly braising lamb shanks should take three or four hours. Respecting limited practical time Chef Poupard instructed us to let it cook for one hour. Practical Chef – some guest chef – thought otherwise. His constant, pas cuit comment got old after some time. We all got it – let meat braise for a long time.

Making chlorophyll – to essentially color – for gnocchi was a first for me. Quickly blanching leeks greens, parsley and tarragon stems, and spinach leaves in boiling, salted water helps fix the bright green color.

Once the greenery was shocked in ice water – additional assurance of a bright green color – and dried, they were blended. Into a green slurry. On extremely low heat water slowly evaporated. Ultimately leaving green pulp, chlorophyll.

Mixing the final product in prepared gnocchi batter transformed the pale, golden-yellow, potato mash into a beautiful green glow. Poached and served along white salsify and brown lamb shanks really made them pop.

It was a start-and-stop type of practical. Rush to get the lamb in the oven. Wait for potatoes to bake. Zip to stew the salsify. Pause to poach the gnocchi. Hurry to reduce the braising liquid. And hold off on final plating.

The end turned out good. Comments of cooking the lamb longer from guest Chef permeated everyone’s feedback.

Eating the uncooked lamb for lunch. I think the one hour from last night was more than enough cooking time.

Like A Phase of the Moon

2010-07-05T04:12:00.003-04:00

Not sure if it’s burn out. Frustration. Home sickness. Or simply the heat. But. There’s a sense of stillness within me and my friends.

Our level of enthusiasm has lowered. The spunk has waned. The glee is minimal.

I sometimes feel unappreciative. Living in Paris going to cooking school. And my only response is how lonely, difficult, and frustrating life is some days. Recent visitors – James, parents, father-in-law – temporarily spark things up.

Free days are becoming more difficult to fill. The interest of exploring Paris has ceased. Too much free time releases my wandering mind. Thoughts of the future stress me out. Ideas about school are second guessed. And my emotional-self is unfulfilled.

My time here. With you. Inside my blog. Is a chance to share what is happening in life. Yes, it is an opportunity to glimpse inside Le Cordon Bleu. And yes, it is where we laugh about foreign living. But, it is also a place where we talk about daily emotions.

From the initial frustration I shared about trying to speak French. To the joy I realized when I did well in school. All the way to the pain I felt every time I said goodbye to James.

I spend much of my time trying to wrangle the darting thoughts in my head. Attempting to find a job. Worrying about an upcoming practical. Figuring out how to pack. Concerned that the laundry is taking too long. Unsure why my friends are in funks. Reminiscing past visits. Along fifty other thoughts, they bounce uncontrollably in my brain.

Like life. This process of LCB/Paris waxes and wanes. Ebbs and flows. Rises and falls. There was never an expectation that everyday would be filled with rapture. I knew full well moments of sadness, confusion, second guessing, and loneliness would be part of the deal.

I didn’t know it would be this hard, I sometimes think to myself.

Less than two months remaining. These emotions that my friends and I share. Will certainly pass.

What goes down, must come up.

Le Cordon Bleu - Instruction #10

2010-07-03T12:04:00.004-04:00

One third through Superior Cuisine already. Lesson #10 was presented by Chef Poupard first thing Saturday morning.

Instruction #10

Fresh artichoke salad, ricotta gnocchi, lemon peel and dandelion leaves
Lamb shank slowly cooked with spices, roll-cut salsify and potato gnocchi with herbs
Pineapple and vanilla brochettes with gingerbread, coconut sauce with saffron

I’ve said it before. But. This may have been the best menu at Le Cordon Bleu.

Gnocchi made of ricotta, yolk, flour, and parmesan were gently poached. And served cold with cooked artichokes, pearl onions, and dandelion leaves. All tossed with lemon vinaigrette. Garnished with oven dried tomatoes.

The star of the day was the main course. Fork-tender lamb slow braised in honey and balsamic liquid. Flavored with Szechuan pepper, coriander and cumin seeds, cinnamon sticks, star anise, and cloves. The aroma was enough to make your mouth water.

Deliciously served with potato gnocchi. Colored – and flavored – with leek, parsley, tarragon, and spinach chlorophyll. Baked potatoes mixed with flour and egg yolks gave these gnocchi substance and form.

Salsify – white, root vegetable – stewed in water, lemon juice, and milk. Nicely finished off the plate.

Dessert was not only presented beautifully. It tasted equally so. Gingerbread and coconut flavors permeated the entire plate. Including caramel, pineapple sauce finished with Malibu and coconut milk.

Stay tuned for Monday’s practical.

Le Cordon Bleu - Instruction #9; Practical #9

2010-07-02T17:27:00.010-04:00

I need to jump right to the dessert.

Candied tomatoes. After some syrup – 80% water, 20% sugar – infused with vanilla bean has cooled. Drop in firm, peeled, gutted tomatoes to macerate overnight. The final texture and taste is that of candied pears.

Stuffed with brunoise strawberries, raspberries, white grapes, blackberries, and peaches. Drizzled with raspberry purée flavored coulis and Sauternes. The tomato takes on a whole new meaning.

As Chef Clergue mentioned the shortbread smelled like his bathroom. He, obviously, is not a fan of lavender. Cutting the lavender quantity in half helps with the potency.

After discussing which wines pair the best with dessert – answer was Tokai, Banyuls, or Sauternes – Chef moved on to the day’s entrée.

Instruction #9

Lightly roasted langoustines and zucchini blossom with herbs
Red mullet fillets with potato scales, orange butter and Barigoule style artichokes
Candied tomatoes stuffed with red berries, wine sauce and lavender shortbread

Lining a mold with fresh blossoms. Chef filled the flower with flan – cream, fromage blanc, eggs, and finely diced herbs. Wrapped in plastic. And steamed until the center was set. Having only had fried zucchini flowers, this was new to me.

The center flan was deliciously balanced. Firmness from the egg and fresh flavor from the herbs. The blossom was almost flavorless. A bit too, well, flower-y.

Finished with a red pepper coulis that must be repeated. Simply. Oven-roasted red bell peppers blended with salt and olive oil.

A final cappuccino of tarragon infused milk was prepared. Adding a bit of contemporary-ness to the plate. I don’t remember tasting this component, so I don’t think it made it to my tasting plate.

I’ve actually come to like red mullet. A small, compact fish. Easy to stuff, fillet, or serve whole. Today’s preparation was a bit tedious though.

Small potato scales were blanched and stuck to the fish with egg yolk. Pan-fried in clarified butter gave the scale sensation some depth. An interesting approach to say the least.

Now this beurre-blanc was good. Typical sauce as we’ve made in the past. Only difference was a final addition of orange syrup – juice greatly reduced. Giving the sauce a hint of tropical orange. Cutting the strong butter flavor.

A final garnish of stewed artichokes and pearl onions finished off the plate.

There is a new chef at Le Cordon Bleu – name escapes me. He hails from Morocco, but acted like he owned the school during Thursday’s practical. In the end he was harmless and I think he enjoyed our group. We’ll see how future sessions go with him.

Wrapping Up Mom and Dad's Visit

2010-07-01T04:09:00.000-04:00

Luggage weighing a bit more than their arrival. They hopped in a cab by 7:30 a.m. And scooted down Boulevard de Grenelle. Moving further away from me. Destination, Charles de Gaulle airport.

My parents’ visit was beyond great. We not only ticked off everything on their must do list. But snuck a few extras in there too.

Our last day together was spent visiting, learning, and tasting sparkling wine in Champagne. A slick one hour and ten minute train ride from Gare de l’Est. And a short walk into town. Brought us to our first destination.

Founded on Champagne’s inventor, Dom Pérignon, Moët et Chandon is the largest of all houses in Epernay. Epernay is the closest town to Paris in the Champagne region. After an hour tour of the grounds, cellars, and history we finally tasted. True Champagne. In Champagne.

Most houses – synonymous with wineries – shut down for a two hour lunch. Heading into the heart of Epernay we found a great outdoor café to eat. A bit rosé Champagne in the hot sun set our meal just right.

We capped the day with another visit – tour and tasting – at Mercier. The story was similar to that of Moët et Chandon. But the drinks were better, and cheaper. We picked up a few souvenirs here.

We arrived back to Paris in the early evening. Perfect for one more dinner. Transporting ourselves to the Latin Quarter – one more neighborhood for Mom and Dad to experience. We settled on some Vietnamese. A great place with a nice patio that caught a bit of a breeze.

A quick metro ride back to the hotel neatly wrapped up their visit. They were off to pack for their early morning cab ride.

Visits like these are always too fast. I miss them dearly.

Le Cordon Bleu - Instruction #8; Practical #8

2010-06-30T01:57:00.003-04:00

The best part of lesson #8 was my parents. They sat with me as Chef Clergue cooked, talked, and prepared the final dishes. They both were enthralled with the complexity and busyness of the kitchen.

Instruction #8

Shortbread with crab, lime and lemon balm, green mango and lemon grass sauce
Squab breast wrapped in cabbage, legs stuffed, tartlets with wild mushrooms
Coconut meringue, yogurt sauce, wild blackberries and parsley coulis

At the beginning of tasting any dish. I try each component by itself. First the sauce. Then the garnish. And finally the center ingredient.

Segregated I didn’t like the entrée. The crab was fishy. The sauce too tart. And the shortbread was overly dry. Together – as an ensemble. It was quite good. Delicious in fact.

This poses the conundrum that some chefs have. Chefs compose plates with the intention that it will be eaten in a particular way. Most of the time this is true. Because of the positioning of items on a plate. Sometimes, though. The diner will look at the dish from a completely different angle. And potentially changing the flavor of the meal.

In honor of Dad’s recent Holland-pigeon visit. We made squab – baby pigeon – for the main course.

This was a great representation of the recipes at Le Cordon Bleu. Mom and Dad were able to see how a jus is made from bones, a few vegetables, water, and a lot of time. They experienced the hallmark farce stuffing that was piped into boned squab legs. And above all. Wrapping meat and stuffing in cabbage leaves just to be steamed was also witnessed.

The final dish was mediocre. Not a big squab fan I passed my liking on the meat and jus. The garnish of shallot, butter sautéed chanterelle and oyster mushrooms was good. Presented in golden baked brik pasty shells.

We were one of the last people out of the demonstration room. As we were waiting for dessert. Meringue has been a common dessert plate item on this trip for Mom and Dad. From corner boulangerie meringue to the famous Pierre Herme macaroons. These were no expectation.

My parents fully enjoyed the slight coconut flavor. Quickly cooled by the yogurt sorbet. and enhanced – not diminished as I suspected – by parsley coulis.

As Mom and Dad wandered Paris I handled the practical. Chef Tivet was pleased with my end results. And if he’s happy. I’m happy.

My Dogs are Barkin'

2010-06-29T05:40:00.001-04:00

We have been going non-stop.

Mom and Dad have done a great job on adjusting to local time. Jet-lag has been minimal. A short nap on their arrival. And staying up late the first night. Are all to thank.

Their initial evening was rather simple. French café and a walk through the Champs de Mars. To gawk at the Eiffel Tower. And slurp up some ice cream.

Our first full day included the open air, double-decker bus tour. A great way to see the city. Get a grasp on the layout. And enjoy the beautiful Parisian air. Dotted throughout the tour we hit some of the major sites. Notre Dame and Arc de Triomphe to name a couple.

The next day they took advantage of the tour bus’ second day while I was in class. Riding around Paris hoping on and off wherever looked interesting, was the name of the game. They had a lovely day. Great lunch. And a bit of adventure.

After class I picked them up and we headed to the Netherlands. Via train. Departing Gare du Nord. And Transferring in Rotterdam. This was great fun.

As you’ve read. Holland was all in the name of the pigeon. Check out Holland's blog HERE.

Once we returned to Paris. We turned up the speed. Sunday was a full day. Starting with laundry. From there. Mass. Louvre. Lunch at good ‘ole Bar du Central – best pomme frits in town. Montmartre. Sacré Coeur. Macaroons at Pierre Herme. Soirée to meet my friends. And dinner. Whew!

We dubbed yesterday as, the day of education. This was an exciting day for me. Mom and Dad came to LCB for an instruction. After a tour of the school we sat and watched Chef Clergue demonstrate class #8. It is so much fun for me to have visitors with me. Especially on the, now tedious, walk to and from school.

Our education didn’t end there. We made our way near the Louvre in the first arrondissements. For a two hour, guided wine tasting. Focusing on the wines of France. Since our time to travel to each of France’s wine regions was limited, we thought this would be a good way to explore.

Tasting wines from Champagne, Loire, Rhone, Burgundy, Bordeaux, and the South-West. A great representation.

We capped the day with a stroll through the Marais. Dinner at an Israeli restaurant. And some homemade gelato.

Worry not. Our trip is far from over. Stay tuned.

Le Cordon Bleu - Practical #7

2010-06-28T03:21:00.002-04:00

Getting back to school. Practical #7 went much better than the previous. No, near emergencies, due to the stomach flu.

We had Chef Clergue, same Chef as practical #6. I wanted to redeem my work ethic. So I paid extra attention.

I started with preparing the fish. First fin, scale, gut, and fillet sea bream.

Squid. Pull off the head, cut and reserve the tentacles. Fish out the feather – long cartilage that helps it keep its shape. Gut. And remove outer skin.

Langoustines. Disengaged arms/claws reserved for sauce. Shelled tail meat cut into brunoise. Mixed with carrot, celery and stirred into cooked risotto.

A simple vegetable bouillon was prepared with thinly sliced onions, carrots, celery. Saffron and langoustines carcasses were added for flavor.

Final stage was stuffing squid with risotto. Quickly pan-frying just like the sea bream. And shallow frying tentacles for decoration.

Chef liked my presentation. Commented that the sea bream was cooked at the maximum. And the bouillon could have used a bit more seasoning. Squid, risotto were to his liking.

Another day in the kitchen.

Fly Home Duif

2010-06-27T04:22:00.011-04:00

He races pigeons – homing pigeons. Much like the type used in WWII.

Duif to the Dutch. These birds can fly home up to 1100 miles. More normal distances are between 200 and 500 miles.

We traveled to the Netherlands for Dad. To discover big game racing. The American Racing Pigeon Union’s 15,000 membership is small potatoes. Compared to Belgium and Holland’s impressive 90,000 roster. Dad engrossed himself into fowl. While Mom and I discovered southern Holland.

Beginning our journey in Breda, the nearest town to our hotel. We were surprisingly delighted. Full of squares, cafés, restaurants, shops, and parks.

We arrived around 9:30 a.m. and there wasn’t a soul around. As if a tour bus stopped. People started filing into the city by 11 a.m.. Filling it to its brim.

After some shopping and a good walk around town. We stopped for a nice, long lunch. Situated in the middle of the main square. My lamb croquettes were one of the best things I have ever tasted.

The outside was perfectly crisp. Not oily. Or soggy. The center was a heavenly mixture of potatoes, lamb, cream, and spices. Served on fresh Dutch bread and mayonnaise spreads. Mom’s club sandwich with local cured bacon was equally divine.

Flinstering Cafe
Grote Markt 23
4811 XL Breda, Nederland
06 25271398

After a full day of Breda we journeyed onward to Rotterdam – Holland’s second largest city – the destination that we eventually met back up with Dad.

A city in its own right. After walking the wrong direction from the train station – we were going on instinct – we found the typical European setting. People congregated around water. Cafés lined up as though they were one establishment. And shops sporting all types for sale.

We spent most of the day walking and talking. Resting for a bit at a café before catching the train back to Paris.

A quick trip indeed. Dad was more than in heaven. An adventure I surely never thought I’d have.

Travel Time

2010-06-25T10:41:00.004-04:00

Mom. Dad. And I. Are off to the Netherlands for the weekend. Dad's big opportunity to soak in some pigeon knowledge - I'll explain later. I am sure they'll be more than handful of stories to tell upon our return.

Le Cordon Bleu - Instruction #7

2010-06-24T02:50:00.005-04:00

Immediately following practical #6 was Instruction #7. It was a long day. And a difficult one to get through with the stomach flu. I was never quite sure if I was going to make it. The thought of going home and taking a zero was always on my mind. I was physically there. Not so much mentally.

Chef Clergue gave a great demonstration. Chef only prepared two recipes this time. Because he took time to present the foie gras terrine from lesson #5. Foie gras is one of my favorite ingredients, sadly I wasn’t feeling good enough to taste.

Instruction #7

Pan-fries sea bream, squid stuffed with langoustine risotto and cilantro
Lemon grass cream, citrus jelly and rhubarb crisps

The main course was actually rather stimulating. Cooked risotto mixed with brunoise carrot, celery, and langoustine – large shrimp. Finished with Parmesan and butter. Then stuffed inside squid. Then quickly pan-fried to give a crispy-tenderness.

Plated with pan-fried pink sea bream and a bouillon – vegetable sauce of carrot, celery, onion, shallot, and saffron. Finished. Of course. With butter.

Practical is tomorrow. I’ll report then.

Cream and milk infused with lemon grass. Mixed into blanch egg yolks – yolks whisked with sugar. Filled the bottom two-thirds of serving dishes. Baked in a bain-marie at 130 degree Celsius oven for about 30 minutes.

Next a citrus jelly was prepared. Juice from oranges, grapefruit, and kumquats was slightly reduced. Sugar, agar-agar, and grenadine syrup dissolved in next. And set in the refrigerator for setting. A bit was used to top off the bake cream dishes.

Finally passed with rhubarb crisps – blanched strips of rhubarb that were dried in a 60 degree Celsius oven for about two hours. And a layer of rhubarb compote. Simply. Rhubarb slices melted down to a compote with a bit of sugar syrup.

Le Cordon Bleu - Instruction #6; Practical #6

2010-06-23T16:45:00.009-04:00

Instruction #6

Smoked and fresh salmon terrine with leek, shallot vinaigrette
Provencal-style crisp wrapped lamb fillet, vegetable tian
Strawberry and rosemary “brochettes,” rhubarb sorbet, balsamic jus

Led by Chef Terrien. Our fist demonstration with him. He is quite amazing, a bit messy, but amazing. He’s off for a four week vacation so it might be a while before we see him again in the kitchen.

Without flaw or panic Chef prepared today’s menu. Starting with the entrée.

Thin slices of salmon layered with baby leeks, and smoked salmon. Rolled into a log. Cut into small, round wedges. Passed with mimosa – capers, chives, hard-boiled eggs and olive oil. Topped with shallot vinaigrette. And decorated with salmon roe and reduced balsamic vinegar.

I have a bit of the stomach flu. Or at least something nasty in my gut. So I passed on all tastings today. This looked great and pleased many of my fellow students.

Lightly seared lamb roast – trimmed from a rack – was wrapped in phyllo-type dough. Along with a forcemeat of pine nuts, pistachios, garlic cloves, parsley, cilantro, basil, and chicken mousse. Browned to help crisp. And baked until cooked.

Served along with breaded and fried garlic cloves. Vegetable tian – montage of onion, zucchini, eggplant, and tomatoes. And lamb jus.

My jus was a little too light in color. So Chef Clergue suggested browning some more vegetables to help darken it. That worked. Everything came out good, except my lamb was a bit overcooked.

Trying to survive the day from my flu, I was just happy I made it to the end.

Dessert was interesting all around. First rosemary sprigs skewered strawberries. Next fresh rhubarb, sugar, water, and strawberries were combined for a sorbet. And finally a tuile of blackberry purée, flour, sugar, syrup, and melted butter was created.

The end result was stunning. In fact all of Chef Terrines’ plating was fantastic.

Goodbye and Hello.

2010-06-22T17:35:00.002-04:00

The goodbyes never get easier. You would think after six months of saying goodbye to James I would be use to it. Well, I’m not. Each moment ends in tears.

I just dropped him off at the airport in Paris. We had over three weeks together. It was glorious. We kept saying how special it was. What a treat for us. Then I thought. No it’s not. Spending three weeks with your spouse shouldn’t be a treat. It’s a right.

After some grumbling about how we didn’t want to return to our separate lives. We embraced in the terminal. Gathered some strength. And each returned home.

Only two more months. Our separation will be over. International traveling will be finished. Le Cordon Bleu will wrap up. And life in New York will permanently begin. Finally.

One great bit of news is that my parents are arriving from the US for eight days tomorrow. Just like I rushed home to see James, I will rush home to greet my parents.

I haven’t seen either one since just before New Year’s. My anticipation to see them is great. Our agenda is packed. Including a Holland trip this weekend – a chance for Dad to do some pigeon investigation.

So stay close as I travel, explore, and live in Europe with my parents. I’m sure there will be plenty of stories to share.

Le Cordon Bleu - Instruction #5; Practical #5

2010-06-21T07:21:00.000-04:00

Already into the second week of Superior. I can’t believe it. I booked my return flight to the US this morning. The reality that the end is nearer than the beginning is starting to settle in.

For the last time in Superior, Chef Lesourd guided us through demonstration. Lesson #5 was tagged, contemporary cuisine. Hinting toward the candied orange peel and lobster foam.

Instruction #5

Foie grad and oven roasted vegetable terrine
Lobster chartreuse with candied orange and lemon, frothy jus
Light tiramisu-style mousse and sugared raspberries

Most terrines bake for around one to two hours. Then are pressed overnight. Before serving. We watch Chef prepare and assembly layers of eggplant, cognac and port macerated foie gras, artichokes, tomatoes, and bell peppers. Drizzling gelatin glazed chicken stock from time to time – this is what binds the loaf together.

We’ll get to see the final project and taste the terrine in our next demonstration.

Lobster chartreuse is not the lime-green color of the dish. But rather. A ramekin-molded layered mousse. Layers of boiled lobster and leek rounds sat between whiting mousse – bonded by egg white and cream. Decorative daikon radish and carrot lined the mold.

Sautéed spinach and candied orange and lemon peel accompanied the plate. The contemporary aspect was clearly the lobster foam. Jus made of lobster carcass, shallot, tomato, tomato paste, garlic, white wine, fumet, onion, milk, whipping cream, and soy lecithin – a foam stabilizer. Was boiled, reduced, drained, and finally whipped with a hand mixer. Creating crustacean-flavored foam.

Pretty cool I must say. This opens lots of ideas for the final exam. Foam. Hmmm.

I suppose it was the mascarpone in the dessert that suggests tiramisu. Italian meringue – 118 degree Celsius sugar mixed with egg whites – was folded into mascarpone, sugar, yolks, gelatin, and cream. Piped into a martini glass. And flavored with layers of raspberry coulis and fresh, whole raspberries.

Practical came on James’ last night in Paris. I was eager to get finished and home to him. Apart from burning some decorative orange peels, everything went great. In fact, Chef Stril looked up from my plate and gave me a confident, superb. Très, très bonne. All along practical I was thinking that my focus was too pulled to James. I guess not.

Vegetarianism. Parisian-Style

2010-06-19T03:28:00.002-04:00

Vegetarianism isn’t easy in Paris. Luckily James is a pesco – one that eats fish. Even so. We’ve had difficulty finding some accommodating menu items.

Most restaurants have at least one vegetarian option. It’s usually unappealing. Or not that good. Vegetarianism and other eating restrictions however, are becoming more common throughout France. Slowly, but surely.

We found a little gem in the third arrondissement, Le Potager du Marais. One hundred percent vegetarian, there was no issue navigating the menu. Offering two dining rooms – it looked like the second was a recent acquisition of the space next door – this place was more than accommodating. We didn’t need reservations for a Monday night, but I would suggest it for nights later in the week. The décor was dated and slightly run down, but the staff was attentive, patient, and spoke English.

Started with seaweed tartare. More commonly known in Asian cuisines, Atlantic seaweed has been making its way into French food for centuries. In spite of the vitamin-B12 pack, the dish was a bit too sea-y. Luckily we split it – just the right amount of algue.

My main course was much better. Tofu and quinoa burger. With a slice of heavenly goat cheese. Served with pine nut-crunchy pesto. Passed with cabbage purée. I would have dumped a bit more salt in the purée, but everything else was well worth the trip. Refreshing in fact, from the typical fries, ham, and baguette dominate French meals.

Le Potager du Marais
22, rue Rambuteau
75003 Paris

Breakfast. Lunch. Or just a spot of coffee. Any will do at Rose Bakery. Introduced to us by Gill and E’Lane, this spot is a must visit for any Parisian visitor.

English owned and operated. Tucked on a small side street of the Marias. This is a perfect Sunday brunch with friends-type of place.

While the burger looked good, I opted for poached tofu with chilled dashi and mushrooms. Amazingly good. The tofu was firm, yet saturated with dashi – kelp based Japanese stock. Served with slightly crunchy wheat berry and buttery mushrooms. A perfect end to our three mile walk.

Carrot, sunflower seed salad, cucumber curry, homemade muesli, and a mushroom, cheese tarte studded our table. Everyone smiled happily as we consumed our feast.

Rose Bakery
30, rue Debeylleme
75003 Paris

There have been some dishes. Here and there. That James has found to love. Thai is a great example. Always vegetarian friendly.

Palace Thai
23 Avenue Duquesne
75007 Paris

Let’s not forget the tomato, mozzarella, pesto sandwich at Bar du Central that he’s been raving about. Loved it so much he’s had it four times. So far!

Bar du Central
99 Rue Saint Dominique
75007 Paris

For all those diet-restricted people, fear not. Paris offers something for everyone. You just may have to travel a bit farther than your corner café.

Le Cordon Bleu Instruction #4; Practical #4

2010-06-18T06:01:00.001-04:00

I don’t know what is with these baked, stuffed creations. But they are making it difficult to plate. In a way that is modern, attractive, and appetizing.

This time. Phyllo pastry was stuffed with quail, shiitake mushrooms, offal, and sweetbreads.

Offal and sweetbreads? Organs and glands. More specific. Offal refers to the heart and liver. Whereas, sweetbreads means the thymus and pancreas glands.

It is important to blanch sweetbreads to help remove the outer membrane. Luckily if you forget to do this, like I did in Practical, it’s hardly noticeable.

Sweetbreads, quail breast, and offal were given a quick pan-sear – leaving the center raw. Once each ingredient was codified – preventing flavor to escape – they made their way to the pastry. And baked until properly cooked in a 170 degree Celsius oven for about 30 minutes.

Cream, salt, pepper, shallots, and parsley flavored the stuffing. While breadcrumbs and eggs bonded the entire mass together.

I have been a stuffed bread fan up until this point. Surprisingly enjoy them. This one didn’t make the top of my list. Too bland and dry – not enough fat. Nonetheless Chef Lesourd – instruction and practical chef – gave me two thumbs up on my pastry and accompanying pepper flavored jus.

Practical was at 6:30 p.m. on Friday night. Immediately following the 3:30 p.m. instruction. Normally this wouldn’t be an issue. But James is here. I was bummed that I had to spend part of Friday night in class.

As always. It worked out for the best. He came to instruction with me. Talk about a treat. Here I am in Paris. At Le Cordon Bleu. And my husband is on my left! He was more than amazed about the process. Cooking. Chefs. And, of course, me in my uniform.

After instruction James went wandering Paris with some of my friends. And once I banged out my sweetbread pastry. I jumped on a bike. And met up with them for dinner and drinks. We had the best time ever. I was even able to catch a picture with him and all my friends.

In addition to the odd pastry, James also witnessed the entrée and dessert in demo.

Smoked surf and turf misguided me. I was expecting lobster and steak. LCB’s version is diced smoked eel, trout, and salmon – surf. And parsnips, beets, celery root – turf. Smoked fish trimming based sauce, shallot, onion, and cream mixed with the diced confetti. And topped with a wine vinegar, hazelnut oil vinaigrette.

The end result was heavy on the smoke and light on other flavorings.

A frozen concoction of chocolate, cream, candied fruit, sour cherries, Kirsch, nougatine – caramel, almond mixture – and meringue constituted dessert. Simply prepare all ingredients. Mix together. Freeze. And serve.

James said he liked the dish. Some where in between of ice cream and chilled milk.

Instruction #4

Smoked surf and turf duo
Quail and veal sweetbread pastries with shiitake mushrooms, pepper flavored jus
Frozen chocolate nougat with sour cherry coulis

Le Cordon Bleu Instruction #3; Practical #3

2010-06-17T06:22:00.000-04:00

Now that you’re in Superior…

A common phrase meant to motivate us from the chefs. This term is still proving to be a chance to develop our creativity and focus on presentation.

Lesson number three’s sea bass in a crust made it partially difficult to plate. A pie, or loaf or sorts, stuffed with sea bass, rice, salmon, onions, mushrooms, hard-boiled eggs, and fresh tarragon was hardly attractive.

Beurre-blanc – shallots, white vinegar, white wine reduction finished with cream and butter – ran along our baked creation. Garnished with broccio – ewe’s milk cheese from Corsica - stuffed cocktail tomatoes.

My stuffing could have used a bit more salt. Chef Cotte also would have liked to see a little more cooking on the stuffed tomatoes. A misunderstanding on my part. I thought we were to just heat them through. Not actually cook the tomatoes. Overall, a good practical. Happy for my third Superior experience.

Most students enjoyed the entrée. The citrus pungency was too overwhelming for my taste. Orange, grapefruit, and lemon juice seared throughout the dish. Slightly tamed by the sweetest of lobster and attempted to be rounded out by fresh herbs. But, unsuccessful in my opinion.

Interestingly Chef Poupard grated some Tonka bean over the final dish. The fruit found in teak trees. Unknown to Americans due to its USDA restriction. Banned in the US because of its carcinogenic characteristics.

A Moroccan nod. Dessert was wonderfully presented. Bonbons – almond paste stuffed dates wrapped in phyllo pastry – were rolled to look like old-fashioned candies. Passed along saffron ice cream. Flavored with saffron and ground gingerbread. A true treat.

Instruction #3

Lobster salad with citrus fruits
Sea bass in a crust coulibiac style, tomatoes stuffed with broccio cheese
Dates stuffed with almond cream wrapped in phyllo pastry, saffron ice cream

James has been hanging out with me this week in Paris. Talk about a true treat. It is wild to finish class and get home to see him sitting here in my apartment. To tell you the truth. Once class is finished I can not walk home fast enough. Excited to see him and play. I’m a happy husband these days…

Le Cordon Bleu - Instruction #2; Practical #2

2010-06-16T10:43:00.010-04:00

Graced by Basic Cuisine Chef Lesourd. Instruction number two was equally progressive as the first.

Instruction #2

Frog legs with garlic puree and green jus
Pan-fried double lamb loin chops, French green beans with bacon and purple potato crisps
Fresh fruit minestrone, tomato cappuccino and basil

My first introduction to frog legs. All snickering aside. They do. Taste like chicken.

Small drumstick-like morsels of meat sat atop garlic cream. Dressed with green jus – parsley, basil, and chervil. Excited about this discovery – borrowing from chicken recipes – possibilities are endless. If you haven’t had the chance. I highly suggest frog legs, or grenouilles to the French.

I tend to say this about LCB’s lamb recipes. But the main course may have been the best recipe yet. Luscious lamb loin chops topped with béchamel, duxelles, ham, and truffles. Lightly broiled. And served with lamb jus. Amazingly good.

The potato crisps seemed like a lot of work for the result. Boil purple potatoes. Skin. Mash with butter and salt. Spread onto a sil-pat. Cut into desired shapes. And baked at 110 degree Celsius for twenty minutes. Voilà! Purple potato chips. Why not just thinly slice and fry?

Dessert terminology confused me. Minestrone. And cappuccino. Former refers to the fruit size. Whereas cappuccino hints to the tomato foam top – supposedly. A fellow student said that it was surprisingly delicious. Who knew? Tomatoes glazed with vinegar, basil, and fresh fruit marinated in vanilla, star anise, sugar, lemon syrup.

Le Cordon Bleu - Instruction #1; Practical #1

2010-06-15T04:20:00.010-04:00

Bananas. Mangos. Tandoori, satay, and turmeric spices. All greeted us.

I could tell right of way that Superior was going to be different.

Chef Clergue welcomed us to the final term. Encouraged us to work harder than ever. And opened the door for flexibility. He mentioned now that we’re in Superior we have the right to interpret the recipes our own way.

Practical Chef Frederick expanded. Superior is all about your creativity – how you see things. What you make of it.

We are still required to make specific recipes. It’s the how – and to some degree, the what – that we have free-reigns.

Instruction #1

Cauliflower and shrimp tabouleh, cilantro and peppermint
John Dory fillets with red spices, wild rice with tropical fruit
Banana baked in its skin, sorbet, hibiscus and rum sauce

The entrée was straightforward, but delicious. Couscous mixed with cauliflower, broccoli, shrimp and cucumber. Tossed with cilantro, parsley, peppermint vinaigrette that found its acid from lime juice. Finished with sun-dried tomatoes, mint leaves, and whole shrimp.

I’ve never had wild rice with tropical fruit before. I was pleasantly surprised. Brunoise mango popped throughout the red riz sauvage.

Tandoori and satay spices perfumed the kitchen as the sauce got underway. Started with a typical fumet. Brought exotic with spices, mango trimmings, and lime zest. Foreign as the sauce may have seemed. It was returned to France with a butter heap in the end.

I enjoyed the hot-spicy, spice-ful flavor of the fish. The sauce was still a bit too buttery for my taste. Here, for example, is where my creativity can step in. I can create – or discover – an alternative to finishing the sauce with butter. A method that would still give velvety volume.

Final example. The first example is Chef’s traditional plate. The second, my plate. Alternatively finished with fresh spinach salad and lime vinaigrette.

Bananas seasoned with brown sugar – cooked in their skin. Accompained banana sorbet. Finished with dried bananas – thin slices baked for one hour per side at 90 degree Celsius.

I was motivated by today’s work. And the direction Superior has promised us. Part delivered by LCB. Relying more on our creativity. It is going to be all about what I make it. Where I allow my imagination to go. How involved I keep myself. And most of all, the amount of fun that I create in the kitchen.

This is going to be a lot of fun!

Restarting Le Cordon Bleu

2010-06-14T03:15:00.007-04:00

The distractions. 8x10 verses 9x12 area rugs. Reconnecting with James. And job-hunting. Obviously. Pulled my focus the past two weeks.

Two weeks of living in America. How strange? I worked my way through this new life – at least, soon-to-be – new life. Surrounded with bliss, time was still stressful. Happiness accompanied panic. And love was balanced with regularity. Nonetheless, I relished every minute of it.

The apartment foundation has been laid. It’s the details that need filling now. Those come with time.

Sitting in the Paris apartment last night with James on the computer was a trip. Surreal. For all this time. He only filled my apartment on the other end of the phone. Now – here in the flesh – I’m not quite sure what to make of it. One week of being husbands. Paris-style.

Superior Cuisine starts this afternoon. The third – and final – term of Le Cordon Bleu. Just under three months from today I will be writing a farewell LCB post. There are clichés about how time has flown by. But I’ll save them. For now.

Yes. For now. Today’s focus is on the beginning of a new term. A term that promises worldly ingredients. Modern techniques. And personal creativity. A term that has been long coming.

My hope is that the traditional, French methods of Basic and Intermediate will be left behind. Embedded in our hands, but no longer needing classroom attention. Now it’s time for real-world work. I’ll report the validity of my expectation after today’s initial class.

Time to Switch Gears

2010-06-11T09:13:00.002-04:00

Most of the furniture arrived yesterday. The apartment is finally looking like a livable space.

Tomorrow I will ship back to Paris – already. Now that I am some what settled into New York. Life with James. I’m not completely ready to go back. Luckily James will be going with me. For a week, that is.

Finally. He will get a chance to meet my friends. Watch a Le Cordon Bleu class. And get a deeper understanding of what my Parisian life looks like. I can’t wait.

There are a few stokes in the fire. In terms of job-hunting. It is still a bit too early though. I need to set this task aside for now. And focus on my final LCB term.

Superior starts Monday.

Hold on. To your hats.

Which Way To Go?!!?

2010-06-08T08:59:00.002-04:00

In terms of job-hunting. Most of my time has been spent wandering New York wondering. Imagining this type of job. Or that. Dreaming about doing that for a living. Or this. There has been a lot of exploration.

At the end of each day I am more confused than before. Times when I am convinced the traditional route – restaurant kitchen – is the way to go. Only to be led to a different path in the next moment.

When I started Le Cordon Bleu. I said that I didn’t know where I wanted to go. But that I expected the answer to come. Two-thirds into it and no answer blowing in the wind.

Perhaps I need a little more patience. Or a wider mind. I’m not sure. All I know is that my anxiety level is rising each day.

Job Hunt - Trail #1

2010-06-04T07:44:00.007-04:00

It’s called trailing. How chefs and restaurants court.

Wednesday I spent 13.5 hours in the kitchen of Blue Hill in Stone Barns – a one star Michelin kitchen. Under the direction of Dan Barber.

Arriving at 11:30 a.m. I changed into my uniform. Was given the ten cent tour. And put right to work.

I was first assigned to Alex, chef de partie – grill station. Service didn’t begin until 5 p.m., so it was nothing but prep work. Alex had trimmed pork chops, chicken breasts and oysters – the little piece of meat just north of the thigh – and bellies of pork and lamb. My job was to put them in plastic bags, season with either olive oil or cream and fresh herbs. And hermitically seal. This was easy enough and slightly monotonous.

Finally getting my hands dirty. I prepared boneless chicken wings. Using garden-shear-type cutters I cut the mid-section from the wing. And pulled the bones out. Alex seasoned with salt and pepper. I added a bit of olive oil. Into a plastic bag. And sealed.

My final main task at the grill station – for the moment – was preparing calf bone marrow. Presented with a tray of over twelve feet that had been sawed in half – exposing the marrow. I was to take the bone out – with marrow in tow – and clean. Free of any attached ligaments, skin, or meat.

This was the hardest, and most physical, task that I have ever done. Alex needed twelve perfect bones. I felt like it took me six hours – it just might have. I cut. And scraped. And wiped. And pulled those pesky bones for hours. Barely surviving by the twelfth bone.

As I was flaring my boning knife around. I thought, just don’t cut yourself. How embarrassing would that be? As I fatigued near the end I barely nicked my left middle finger. I held my breath and repeated in my head, please don’t bleed, please don’t bleed.

It bled.

Secretly wiping the blood from time to time I was able to get pass without any medical attention. Or even a band-aid. It was more a paper cut than anything.

Serving a general dining room as well as a private event space, the kitchen was buzzing by service time. Leaving Alex to grill and roast meats. I stepped over to the private event station.

First I plated small canapés for cocktail hour. Then assisted the other three chefs plate each course. Starting with roasted asparagus, candied apricots, and pistachios. Followed by crab salad with rhubarb and pink tapioca salad. And the main course was pan seared pork tenderloin, passed with sautéed bok choy. By the time they were plating dessert I was back helping Alex.

More plastic bag sealing. This time; clove, black peppercorn, salt, variety of dried herb marinated pork bellies. And lamb bellies that were simply seasoned with salt, pepper, and olive oil. I was just happy I didn’t have to go back to bone marrow.

As the night progressed I accomplished a variety of other tasks. Draining the day’s chicken and veal stock. Labeling bags. Dicing herbs. And cleaning. A good spectrum of what it would be like to work in fine dining.

By the time the 29 private party and 100 – or so – general guests left. The kitchen began to calm down. It must have been around 12:30 a.m. And Chef Dan Barber called the nightly meeting.

Chef with all his chef de parties discussed the evening’s happenings. Both good and bad. Smiling at the good. But focusing on the bad. Brainstorming how they could get better. More efficient. And cleaner. Chef was forceful and straightforward. He called chefs out for not living up to standard. But can you blame him? He has a serious kitchen to run – Michelin stars don’t come by easily. I respected him more and more as he led his troops.

A bit more cleaning of the stoves, counters, and floors. And by 1 a.m. I was walking out the door to head home.

It was an exhilarating day. I learned about cooking, but also about myself. I will admit that working in a fine dining kitchen is a lot harder than I expected. But I loved it. I loved having a knife in my hand. Wearing a chef coat. In the heat of it all.

Still unclear of my exact path after graduation, I want as many experiences as I can get. To help clarify my future.

Where to now?

2010-06-03T13:23:00.002-04:00

I am busy running around New York. Getting the apartment settled. Job hunting. And trying to enjoy my break.

Much more to come...

Le Cordon Bleu - Butcher Time

2010-06-01T06:56:00.034-04:00

One session near the end of Intermediate a butcher arrived. Whole lamb in tow.

He quickly, and systematically, segmented the lamb. Explaining to us where each cut originated. This gave us the chance to step backwards in the food chain. Mental reverse vertical integration.

Chefs always advise us to know our products. Where they come from. How they live. Who – or what – they eat. How they move. And this session drove the point home.

In general, but especially French chefs, have a holistic approach to ingredients. Respecting their origins and how they contribute to the planet.

More importantly. Understanding the how, why, what of animals helps a chef know what to do with it. The tenderloin, for example, is just that. A tender cut of meat. One that needs to be gently cooked and not for too long. The rump, on the other hand, is a muscle that is worked often and hard by animals. Long, slow braises is the only method that will make this though part edible.

Beginning with the whole lamb. The upper and lower sections were separated.

Excess fat and skin was trimmed from the upper section.

The left and right rib sections were sawed in two with the help of Chef Caals.

One by one. Each cut was prepared. Here the butcher is trimming a leg.

Frenching the racks.

Until each piece was cut. Trimmed. And prepared for sale.

Leg of lamb with bone.

Boned leg of lamb.

Shoulder with bone.

Boned shoulder.

Loin.

Chops.

And rack with tenderloin.

Now I just need to find a farm to watch these creatures. Walk, eat, and sleep.

New York Arrival

2010-05-31T07:28:00.005-04:00

My arrival into New York could not have gone smoother.

Zero waiting on Paris’ tarmac delivered us to JFK 40 minutes early. Most New Yorkers left the city on Friday for the long Memorial Day weekend. Leaving the streets sparse. Thirty minutes from airport to apartment. Slick. As. Snot.

Marginally jet-lag. I was overcome with butterflies in the cab. My anticipation to see our new apartment was sending me through a tizzy. Most of all. I could not wait a second longer to see James.

E’Lane and I talked once of butterflies. And how we still get them for our loves. Even after all this time. It’s a fun feeling. But most of all reassuring. A reminder of love’s presence.

James arrived two weeks ago. Wanting to nest together, he has only purchased a bed and a chair. The place is expansive. And incredibly empty. Yet he managed to have a lone vase of flowers – where the entry table would be – to greet me.

Our reunion has been filled with excitement. I arrived into the city at 11 a.m. Dropped my bags and we hit the furniture-store filled streets. A full day created lots of ideas. Evaluated over our traditional first-night Thai dinner.

Here is a sneak-peak. Most of the furniture will arrive on the 9th of June – three days before my return to Paris. I wish it was sooner, but at least I will see most of the apartment filled out before I leave. I will have to wait for my next visit to see the two backordered items.

I already feel at home in our apartment and New York. But then again. It’s not the location. It’s my husband.

Le Cordon Bleu - Final Regional Visits

2010-05-30T01:12:00.000-04:00

During lessons #29 and #30 we explored two final regions. Flanders and Corsica. Located at opposite ends of France. Furthest north and deepest south, respectively.

The cuisines of the two areas are equally far apart. Flanders’ rich, slow cooked foods, are usually cooked in covered pots. Corsica – an island – is fresh, light, and quickly seared.

Geographically isolated, the former region is limited to mackerel and herring. Corsica on the other hand – surrounded by water – is known for countless fish.

The mountainous northern land does however, provide fantastic grazers. Sheep, pig, dairy and beef cattle can be found on every street corner. Poor weather, like neighboring Alsace, also restricts crop growth. Don’t bother looking for anything beyond potatoes, cabbage, hops, or beets when farmer’s market shopping.

On the contrary. The islanders of the south can’t claim and livestock other than pork. But they can boast the seemingly endless supply of zucchini, eggplant, artichokes, mushrooms, cherries, chestnuts, pears, tomatoes, oranges, lemons and limes.

As mentioned before, lots of livestock produces lots of cheese. Flanders is home to some of France’s strongest cheeses – Vieux-Lille, Maroilles, and Dauphin. Sad Corsica barely produces and ewe’s milk cheese, Broccio.

Wine is not non-mentionable in both regions. But strong berry growth of Corsica helps to support myrtle liqueur production.

It goes without saying that if you’re one that seeks out touristy lands with warm sunshine filled beaches, then Corsica is your destination. If. However. You travel by the seat of your carnivore stomach, then Flanders is more likely your choice.

Le Cordon Bleu - Final Exam

2010-05-28T22:19:00.002-04:00

I made it!

In the end everything was cooked, but too much. Seasoned correctly. And presented well.

Results will not be available until next week. So for now. It’s just sit back and trust that I did well.

Au revoir Paris. Hello New York.

Le Cordon Bleu - Intermediate Practical Exam

2010-05-28T01:34:00.005-04:00

Ok Neptune. Today is D-Day. And I’m not referring to 1944.

In less than eight hours Intermediate Cuisine will be officially over.

I have spent the last two weeks practicing dishes. Reviewing notes. And talking sequence with my friends. Of the ten possible dishes there is only one that I want to avoid. The others? I am ready to attack.

The nerves have stayed at bay for the most part. Slightly twitching last night before bed. But a quick review and chat with James focused my thoughts and sent me happily off to sleep.

Unfortunately my exam doesn’t begin until 12:50 p.m. So I have the morning to stew.

Leaving excessively early tomorrow for New York – a well deserved two week visit with James. I purposefully have not packed or vacation-readied the apartment. Tasks I plan on attending this morning to busy the mind.

I have received many good lucks and best wishes. Thank you friends and family for all your continued support and enthusiasm. Leaning on this to get me through the day.

Scheduled to present my final dish at 3:20 p.m. Followed by celebrations with my fellow students. I will sneak a quick note to you before my Parisian departure. Then it’ll be States-side writing.

[Confident Nod] [Deep breath] One. Two. Three. Here we go!

Le Cordon Bleu - Instruction #30

2010-05-27T03:02:00.010-04:00

Instruction #30 is always without a practical. In theory. Our final exam is practical #30.

Usually. This makes for a relaxed environment. Where we can just learn for the sake of learning – no stress of reproducing the menu for the chefs.

Normally. The chef is in a good mood – happy that the students are near the end.

Ordinarily. The lesson ends with celebratory champagne.

Usually. Normally. Ordinarily.

Class #30 wasn’t typical. Beginning with a strict lecture from Chef Poupard. Excess absentees in practical #29 broke the camel’s back. Apparently, some students are not taking attendance seriously.

We were told that you are allowed one – ONLY ONE – absent in the real world. And how LCB is very relaxed and easy-going. This, come as you please attitude will get us thrown out of a professional kitchen. In some cases, literally thrown out by the head chef.

Chef forcefully spoke at us flanked by the director of academics, an administer, and the translator. Verbally smacking our wrists. He was seriously ticked off.

The air. To say the least. Was let out of our balloons.

In a joyless manner Chef prepared our final demonstration.

Instruction #30

Vegetable fritters
Pork tenderloin and chestnuts cooked in a dough-sealed pot
Broccio cheese and blackberry tart

The entrée was very good. Basically vegetable tempura. Only this batter had cornstarch, baking powder, and whipping cream. Unlike the ice cold water, flour, and egg traditional Japanese recipe.

Zucchini blossoms were part of the battered fritters. Reminding me when I would arrive before the farmer’s market vendors in the U.S. To be sure I could snatch up all the blossoms. Stuffing with goat cheese, figs and roasted red peppers. And lightly frying. Mmmm, memories.

Part tenderloin fillets. Part stew. The main course was straight forward. Pork with porcini mushrooms, chestnuts, and dark brown glazed pearl onions combined in a pot. Sealed with dough. And braised in a garlic, rosemary, tomato-y sauce.

The final dish of Le Cordon Bleu’s Intermediate program was a tart of Corsica local cheese and blackberries. Broccio – ewe’s milk cheese – was drained overnight. Mixed with sugar, eggs, and lemon juice. Baked in a short-crust pastry tart. And finished with fresh, wild, blackberries.

In spite of being scolded, class did end with champagne. More of a shameful drink than a celebratory one though.

Now will all the lessons and practicals behind me. It is one hundred percent final exam focus time.

Le Cordon Bleu - Instruction #29; Practical #29

2010-05-26T01:27:00.012-04:00

The farewell tour continued into instruction #29 – Chef Tivet’s final moment with our group.

About this point last term I was really starting to feel sentimental. Time was moving too fast. Afraid there wouldn’t be enough opportunities. Concerned that this was all I would have.

This time. I am ready. I am ready for the Intermediate final practical exam. Ready to end this term. And ready for Superior.

Probably stemming from the hump. Looking forward to nesting my apartment in New York. Yearning to see James for more than 48 hours. And ready for the next challenge.

Lauren has commented that Intermediate is just Basic Cuisine with more expensive ingredients. There have been some new techniques, but hardly anything to write home about.

The ritual of filleting fish or segmenting fowl carcasses for stocks is getting a bit boring. But I recognize that it is important to instill this modus operandi. Accomplishing that. It’s time for the next challenge. Which Superior Cuisine will bring.

An opportunity to develop our own recipes. Menus. And plating. A term where international ingredients and more complex techniques will be woven into our learning. A schedule that will tour the wines of the world. And above all. Allow for creativity to foster. And permeate from our fingertips.

With that. Instruction #29’s menu was less than thrilling.

Spitting out the entrée wasn’t a good start. Leeks that were stewed in water the night before were left mushy. An explosion of rancid water. Lying next to court-bouillon poached skate – flavorless – and an herb vinaigrette made with cockle jus. Continued the gagging reflex.

I am a fan of braised red cabbage. Like my Swiss grandmother used to make. I think the beer vinaigrette that accompanied the main dish ruined it. Reduced beer leaves a bitter taste. One not able to rectify. In spite of the onion, shallot, sugar, butter, juniper berries, veal stock, wine vinegar, peanut oil, and black pepper that simultaneously reduced.

I will say the onion ring garnish was good. I couldn’t quite get enough in demonstration and practical.

Speaking of practical. This was our final class for Intermediate. Blessed with Chef Cotte. The day went well. Chef recognized the bitterness of the day’s recipes. And gave enhanced instructions.

Substitute white wine for beer. Finished the cabbage in veal stock. And slowly, slowly cook the fish. His end results exceeded Chef Tivet’s instructional tasting.

Dessert du jour was a hit. Mangoes, strawberries, and passion fruit seeds mixed with vanilla infused sugar syrup. Strawberry granita and meringue fingers finished the plate.

Most importantly. We had Chef Tivet. Which for some strange reason. Our class loves him. Talk to the other levels and they are writing daily complaints about this man. For me – and I suspect for my fellow classmates – it’s his enthusiasm in the demonstration room that we love. He is always committed. Excited. Enthralled with the food he is creating. His passion is clear and strong. One that you inspire to have. My friends and I have been able to connect with Chef on a personal level. Allowing his humor – and laughter – to unearth. I will miss Chef Tivet. But, look forward to seeing him in future practical sessions.

Instruction #29

Warm skate and leek salad, herb vinaigrette with cockle jus
Pan-fried cod steak, Flemish-style red cabbage, beer jus vinaigrette
Mango poached in vanilla-passion fruit syrup, strawberry granita and meringue fingers

Le Cordon Bleu - Instruction #28; Practical #28

2010-05-25T06:25:00.009-04:00

Instruction #28

Sea bass and shellfish with aromatic vegetables
Veal tenderloin cooked pink, creamy risotto and mushrooms, asparagus sauce
Warm raspberry tart

Instruction #28 was our farewell lesson with Chef Caals. He will still be around for Superior practicals. But in terms of demonstrations. He’s finished.

Chef is a good instructor one-on-one in a practical kitchen. If he cares about you. Luckily somehow this term, he started to care for me. I learned a lot from him. Just none of it in his instructional classes. C’est la vie.

Ceviche-style marinated sea bass fillets. And cooked shellfish. Started off Chef’s demo.

Green and red bell peppers, celery, onion, zucchini, tomato, lemon juice, basil, chives, garlic, and olive oil all happily married each other in the fridge. Meanwhile thin slices of sea bass were prepped with olive oil, thyme and bay leaves, lemon and orange zest, and black peppercorns.

The finished ensemble was wonderfully fresh. Lightness from fish. Cool citrus hints. And a fragrance of fresh herbs.

Next on the menu, not so light of a dish. Risotto, creamed with chicken stock and parmesan cheese. Accompained rosé veal. Gently pan-seared in olive oil, butter, and garlic. Matched with asparagus and Mornay sauce – béchamel with grated parmesan. A few mushroom chips finished off the plate.

My nerves rose once Chef Terrien walked into our practical room. Committed to staying calm I worked patiently through the recipes. I still managed to over – or was it under – cook my veal. Trying to mimic chef’s demonstration I must have missed something. I was instructed in practical to use only low heat. Not the high initial blast I thought I was to do. This is not beef. Chef kindly pointed out.

A final comment of less salt in the asparagus sauce. And more for the risotto. Really sent me over the edge. Gently smiling at Chef I cleaned my work station. And began to greatly worry about Superior Cuisine, when Chef Terrien will be a regular presence.

Final dish of the day was some what common. Tart with fresh fruit. This time, raspberries for the top. Almond cream in the base.

Le Cordon Bleu - Instruction #27; Practical #27

2010-05-24T09:40:00.008-04:00

The presentation for the main course was fascinating. And quite different.

Paired with a Provence-style tart. Of roasted zucchini, tomatoes, and eggplant. The butter sauce passed with the salt crusted sea bass wasn’t my favorite. Infused with star anise, the flavor was too buttery.

Instruction #27

Fantasy of smoked and fresh salmon
Sea bass in a salt curst, vegetable tart with Provence flavors
Chestnut cake, caramel ice cream and caramel sauce

Thyme, rosemary, and summer savory perfumed the kitchen while our tarts baked. And our fish en croûte took shape.

I am not really sure the meaning of the entrée name. Fantasy sounds too mysterious. Like a surprise. Nonetheless it was delicious. Steamed fresh salmon paired with smoked salmon mixed with chive, lime juice, butter, and fromage blanc. Served along side a tropical salad of mango, kiwi, tomatoes, and avocados.

The individual little chestnut cakes each had a whole chestnut – marinated in syrup – in the center. A little nut-surprise. Most of the class was anticipating the ice cream. Unfortunately the caramel got a little too burnt. Leaving an overcooked bitter taste. The caramel sauce with Armagnac did hit the spot though.

Practical went well as Chef Poupard monitored our group. Cracking jokes here and there about each of us. He’s funny and enjoyable to be around. But he has high standards and usually makes us nervous.

Chef was not too impressed with the three bones that I left him in the fish. But the butter sauce was to his liking – I think I put too much Pastis though. The tart and fish were perfectly cooked and quite delicious. I was sure to eat the tart the next morning for breakfast.

This was lesson #27. Time is winding down with only three more demonstrations. I was told today that our written exam grades should be posted by tomorrow morning. Anxiety-stricken!

Versailles

2010-05-23T02:20:00.000-04:00

He loved to hunt. So why not?

Louis XIII moved the royal residence – unprecedented – from Paris to Versailles. A heavily wooded area. Perfect for hunting deer, wild boar, partridge, and pheasant.

Taking over 20 years to construct. The remaining building, gardens, and general estate are more than impressive. It is no wonder there was a revolution.

Lived in by Louis the 13th, 14th, and 15th until the end of the monarchy. As we knew it. The final Louis and his Austrian wife, Marie Antoinette, were ultimately captured from Versailles. Imprisoned. And beheaded in Paris. Giving rise to the famed Napoleon.

The entire country of China (I swear) toured the building with us. Unfortunately we weren’t left any time for the gardens. Or Marie Antoinette’s English cottage. Those will be left for the next visit.

Family Visit

2010-05-22T00:07:00.000-04:00

Aunt Shelly and cousin Ariel are in town visiting for the weekend. Today we are off on an eight hour tour of Versailles. Details to follow…

Yesterday we met up for lunch at a fantastic café in the first arrondissements. Avocado, shrimp tartare to start. Followed by roasted salmon and zucchini.

L’Argenteuil
9, rue d’Ardenteuil
75001

To pass the time between meals I went to school. And they took a tour of Monet's Gardens.

Dinner was at one of my favorite places in Paris, Hôtel de Nord. Located in the 10th district. Classic French cuisine. With a modern, hip twist. My second visit and it was equally as good as the first.

Green and white asparagus with a poached egg for an entrée. And red mullet with sweet potatoes and tapanade crostini for my plat. Aunt Shelly’s dessert, took the cake (ha! ha!). Panna cotta with red fruit coulis.

Hôtel du Nord
102, Quai de Jemmapes
75010

It is always such a treat to see family. I am always thankful for the friends and family that have come, or are coming, to visit. It helps to take away some of the homesickness.

Le Cordon Bleu - French Wines #6

2010-05-21T02:37:00.007-04:00

Prestige is part of it. Production limits and intensive labor are the real reasons.

Most Champagne – true Champagne from France – is not cheap.

Yield is capped at 2600 liters per 4000 kg. That’s 2050 liters of noble free-fun. And 550 pressed juice. Additionally. All grapes must be picked by hand. Adding to processing costs.

The four main regions are situated just outside Paris – the northernmost area of grape growth. Covering 34,000 hectares. Consisting mainly of chalk and limestone.

Montagne de Reims
Côte des Blancs
Vallée de la Marne
Aube Vineyards

Most people are surprised to learn that 80% of champagne is made from red grapes. Limited bottles are produced blanc de blanc – white from white, 100% white grapes. Pinot-noir, pinot-meunier, and chardonnay are the only permitted varietals.

The process begins like any other white or rosé wine. A still wine is made. Allowed to ferment – change sugar into alcohol – for one to two weeks. Sealed with nothing more than a beer cap. The top is then removed. More sugar added. Starting a second fermentation. This time, producing carbon dioxide, bubbles.

Champagne is cellar-matured for two to tens years depending on the cuvée– blend, of different years. Labeled as such. Most sparkling wine is a mixture of different vintages. Making them NV – non-vintages.

Our final French Wine class was unfortunately rushed due to our pesky exam that took up the first half. Nonetheless we managed to get our tastings in. Including a final vintage (1999) Devaux.

Aged champagne is said to be foxy. Not because of its beauty. But because it smells of fox. And boy was that an accurate description. Almost repulsive. We tasted the wine. Divine! Smooth. Round. Calm, yet full of flavor. My favorite of the evening. Retailing for nearly 60 Euros, it’s not something I would ever buy myself. A nice adieu to this term’s wine class.

Next term’s Wines of the World should be more than interesting.

Lesson #6 – Tastes

Champagne brut by Le Repaire de Bacchus, NV
Champagne blanc de blanc by Melard, NV
Champagne rosé brut by Haton, NV
Champagne by Devaux, 1999

Le Cordon Bleu - Instruction #26; Practical #26

2010-05-20T00:59:00.000-04:00

Lamb stuffed with dried fruit. Couscous on the side. And lamb jus to slop up.

I mean. What doesn’t sound good here? This just may be the best meal of Le Cordon Bleu.

Demo – Chef Caals – was a little bit unclear. Practical went well – parfait, nonetheless. I even got a très bien from Chef Tivet when he saw me cut into my meat.

First. We completely deboned a lamb rib roast – the 8 primary ribs. Leaving the meat flap from the bones. Creating a sort of loin with an attached blanket. Brunoise dried apricots, dates, and fresh rosemary tucked up next to the loin. Rolled like a jelly-roll into a neat little package. Tied to keep uniformity during cooking. Browned in olive oil. And finished in the oven for five minutes.

Lamb’s resting time should always equal cooking time. In my case, it needed twenty minutes. At first it will continue to cook. Then the temperature will plateau. And begin to drop. At this point the meat is covered and kept near a heat source.

A typical jus was prepared to pass along. Keeping with the Middle-Eastern flavors. I finished mine with a bit of dried madras curry.

If you don’t know what couscous is, then you need to get on it. Not only is it easy to make, but incredibly versatile. Taking dry couscous. We added some olive oil, salt, pepper, toasted almonds, pistachios, golden raisins, and reduced (warm) chicken stock. Left for five minutes. And it was ready. It is as easy as that.

Preparing for our final exam. We also made béarnaise sauce. Everything went well. No scrambled eggs, or separated bond. My shoulder, on the other hand. Is a bit sore from all the whisking. C’est la vie.

Friends commented that the dessert, crème catalane, was divine. Whole milk infused with fennel. Thickened with egg yolk and whipping cream. Sweetened with sugar. Baked in a gratin at 90 degree Celsius for an hour and a half. Burned sugar crusted the top. Basically, fennel flavored crème brûlée.

Instruction #26

Lamb rib roast with dates and rosemary, couscous with dried fruit
Béarnaise sauce
Catalan cream

Le Cordon Bleu Examinations

2010-05-19T00:14:00.000-04:00

Ok, I have survived both of my exams. The Cuisine exam was a lot more difficult than I was expecting. So the grades will be interesting. As for the fill-in-the-blank recipe I know I got a 100%. Which is more important than the true/false, multiple choice. As it is added to our final practical grade.

With the written exam only worth 10% of our final grade I am not too worried. I will keep you posted once grades are reported.

The wine exam was much better. Almost easy. Tasting wine during an exam doesn’t hurt either. Blind tasting a white and a red. Explaining the look – color, brightness, clarity. Nose – freshness, intensity, and aroma families. And finally the palate – architecture of the attack, evolution, and finish, acidity, tannins, and alcohol content. We also had to comment on the wine’s overall balance and suggest a food pairing.

I have a full day today. 8:30 a.m. practical. 12:30 p.m. instruction. Followed by a second 3:30 p.m. practical. So many more details to follow…

Oh! The weather has gotten incredibly gorgeous in Paris. Smiles all around!

2010-05-18T01:13:00.002-04:00

10 a.m. Cuisine Written Exam

12:30 p.m. Cuisine Instruction #26

7 p.m. French Wines Written Exam

Agrhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

Le Cordon Bleu - Practical #25

2010-05-17T07:29:00.005-04:00

The name of the game is one day at a time.

I am starting to feel completely overwhelmed. In less than two weeks, Intermediate Cuisine will be finished. Completely over. Behind us all.

That – in and of itself – is exciting. The checklist until completion however, is beyond long.

Tomorrow I have two written exams; Intermediate Cuisine and French Wines. Many recipes still to practice for the 28th’s final practical exam. And still four instructions/practicals yet to come.

Each term we have a one-on-one meeting with a chef. Last week Chef Tivet and I discussed my progress, grades, and future. It was an inspiring meeting. With lots of great advice. The most important being, focus on the upcoming Intermediate exam, but don’t forget about the last five lessons. This was in response to my questioning some Superior Cuisine items.

Basically Chef said, whoa there tiger. Let’s finish today’s tasks before looking at next month’s. A difficult assignment for me.

Studying over the weekend for both the written and practical exams I tried not to neglect today’s practical.

Reviewing my notes last night I determined my sequence of events. Starting with making a white roux to thickened milk – béchamel. Then it was onto panade – a paste of milk, butter, flour, and egg yolks. The item that bonded a mousseline of pike-perch, egg whites, whipping cream, and seasoning. I had to make the panade twice…I think I mis-weighed the first time because it was a runny soup! Finally, the base was completed.

Working on the core of the recipe. I decided I would make the crawfish coulis after I cooked – scored in screaming hot olive oil – six freshwater crawfish. Crushing and mixing the shells with celery, onion, and shallots a coulis was underway. Deglazing here and there with cognac and white wine. And finished with tomato paste, fumet, and water. A slight thirty minute simmer developed flavor, consistency, and color.

The mousseline had been resting on ice in the fridge by this point. Using a piping bag I piped three large quenelles. Think over-sized gnocchi. Light poach in simmering water. And drained on paper.

Part of the crawfish coulis made its way into the béchamel. The balance reduced to a syrup. And used to glaze the crawfish meat.

Béchamel-coulis lined the bottom of a roasting pan. With my three poached-quenelles ready to be baked. After about ten minutes the soufflé-like mousseline was puffed and ready to come out.

Trying to find some design to my finished dish. I drizzled each quenelle with more sauce. Syrupy coulis. Topped with glazed crawfish meat. Fried crawfish meat trimmings. And a parsley leaf for a final dash of color.

Chef Poupard gave me an overall parfait. Sauce was good. Quenelles cooked and not too stringy. Crawfish meat nice.

So good news. I was able to stay focused on the first task. Now, focus, focus, focus on tomorrow’s exams. And then. On from there…

Le Cordon Bleu - Intermediate Final Practical Exam

2010-05-16T01:20:00.003-04:00

The recipe list for our final exam was distributed last week. Once Tuesday’s written exam is over I will hit these recipes full-time. Practicing them over. And over. And over.

Bordeaux-style duck breast, potato and bacon rounds
Savoy cabbage filled with salmon, red wine sauce
Pan-roasted guinea fowl with Calvados sauce
Mediterranean scorpion fish and John Dory fillets in a Provençal fish stew
Guinea fowl and potato pie
Monkfish wrapped in bacon with braised artichokes, broccoli and cauliflower pannequet
Rabbit tournedos with prunes, potatoes filled with cheese
Basque-style chicken sauté
Lamb fillet with vegetables tian, peppermint jus
Trout stuffed with morel mushrooms and braised in Riesling wine

Two of these dishes will be chosen for the final. Before entering the kitchen we will draw a colored chip from a hat. Each color will correspond to one of the two narrowed-down dishes. In two and a half hours we will need to complete our dish. Including sauces, side-dishes, and garnishes. And present to a panel of five exterior chefs.

In addition to one of the above dishes we also need to complete a plat technique imposè. This component tests our mastery of a particular technique. For Basic Cuisine it was turning artichokes. This term. Béarnaise sauce.

It is. Nose. To. The. Grind-stone.

Le Cordon Bleu - French Wines #5

2010-05-15T02:35:00.022-04:00

Bordeaux consists of over 100,000 hectares of wine growth. Making it the biggest AOC in the world. Grape varieties vary throughout, but mainly consist of the following.

Rouges

Cabernet-sauvignon
Cabernet-franc
Merlot
Côt (Malbec)
Petit Verdot
Carmenère

Blancs

Sémillon
Sauvignon-blanc
Muscadelle

My suggestion. As always. Drink them all and write down your favorites.

Session #5 – Tastes

Côtes de Blaye (merlot, cabernet-sauvignon, cabernet-franc) by Château Lacaussade Saint Martin, 2008
Entre deux Mers (sauvignon-blanc, muscadelle) by Château Haut Rian, 2009
Montagne-Saint-Emilion (merlot, cabernet-sauvignon, cabernet-franc) by Château Corbin, 2006
Pessac-Léognan (sauvignon-blanc, muscadelle, sémillon) by Château Tour Léognan, 2007
Moulis (merlot, cabernet-sauvignon, cabernet-franc, malbec, petit-verdot) by Château Mauvesin, 2006

Le Cordon Bleu - Instruction #25

2010-05-14T08:47:00.013-04:00

Instruction #25 – Lyonnais

Lyon-style sausage with potatoes
Pike-perch dumplings in crawfish sauce
Lyon-style Mardi-Gras fritters

Think warm potato salad. With a potent vinaigrette. For the entrée. Mixing onion, mustard, vinegar, parsley, and white wine with warm (operative word) potatoes is the key. Full flavor infuse-ment.

I loved this dish. Served along pistachio-sausage of pork shoulder, lean veal, and pork fatback. Slowly cooked in court-bouillon – water flavored with onion, celery, bay leaf, thyme, white wine, salt, and black peppercorns.

I had trouble envisioning the main dish from the title. I was thinking some sort of a ravioli-type item. Actually. It is more like a soufflé. Quenelles – dumplings – made of milk, butter, flour, egg yolks, cream, and pike-perch. Much like past mousselines. Poached in barley simmering water. Placed into a gratin dish.

Coating the bottom of the gratin, crawfish coulis. Essentially an over-reduced crawfish stock. Mixed into béchamel. All baked until puffy, golden, and hot.

I was surprised that the final dish tasted less like fish. And more like milky eggs. Chef’s quenelles were quite large. So maybe more sauce or small dumplings to intensify the flavor? With practical on Monday I have the weekend to mull-it-over.

Since the dessert batter – flour, oil, rum, salt, lemon peel, baking powder, sugar, butter, and eggs – wasn’t made the day before, it hardly puffed when fried. According to Chef Caals. Had the dough rested overnight, the final result would have been dramatically inflated.

Lyonnais is known as the cradle of traditional, hearty cuisine. Perfectly situated near the Rhône River. Pike-perch, gudgeons, crayfish, trout, and carp are produced. The land rears the famous Bresse chicken and Charolais beef.

On the non-protein side. Onions, potatoes, green beans, watercress, cherries, apricots, cardoons [pictured] and its artichoke relative are harvested.

Rich in foodstuffs and wines of the Rhône and Loire Valleys and neighboring Burgundy. Another. Must see when touring France.

Le Cordon Bleu Tips and Tidbits

2010-05-13T02:52:00.003-04:00

The Intermediate written exam is less than a week away.

Prowling through my notes I noticed quite a few little tips and interesting tidbits. I thought that I would share these random ideas with you.

Le Cordon Bleu Tips and Tidbits

Adour River in Basque country is a great source of wild salmon
If you’re going to eat celery, always peel away the fibrous outer-layer
Peel white button mushrooms for a smoother, more consistent texture
Mushrooms absorb acidity of alcohol
Crawfish digestive-tracts need to be removed when they are still alive
There is a lot of guinea fowl production in South Africa. They are raised to 11 weeks old
Always free-range
Salt destroys fat matter
Aromatics should be 1/3 of meat trimmings when making a jus
Leaving the joints in meat keeps the skin in place when cooking
Dough is allowed to rest after rolling to prevent shrinkage during cooking
Butter molds twice (once, rest in fridge, re-butter)
Sweetbreads are the thymus glands of lamb and calves. The outer membranes need to be peeled off after cooking
When plating the head of the fish always goes on the left (swimming left)
Round off vegetables when roasting. Rounded edges don’t burn
Snails are always served in multiples of 6
Snails are allowed to starve before harvesting – cleans out the digestive-tract
Morvan produces some wonderful beef
Squab are killed by suffocation to prevent excessive bleeding
Salmis is an abbreviation of salmigondis
Vert cuit = mi-cuit
Canette duckling is a crossbreed between colvert (a wild duck breed) and barbary (a farmed duck breed). Colvert is a mallard. Barbary is Muscovy duck. This produces a mid-sized duck.
You’ve reached a sabayon consistency when the bottom of the bowl becomes visible during whisking
Vegetables start to break-down at 87 degrees Celsius
Sweating raw vegetables (sprinkle with salt on a rack) helps prevent the vegetables from absorbing too much oil when cooking
Seasoning farce – forcemeat stuffing – is always 20% salt. 0.4% pepper
Only use sugar on tomatoes if they are out-of-season
Heavy cream can be boiled and reduced down in a sauce. Light cream can not (it will curdle) and can only be added at the end
Butter has reached brown-butter-stage once it stops sizzling
Fruit rinsed in water/vinegar with a slight soak will help them preserve on the final dish
Most of the flavor in herbs is in the stems, not the leaves
Amer – means bitter
Auvergne and Périgord are best known for walnuts
Only cut basil with stainless steel and never in a food processor. Always add at the end of cooking
Toasted flour helps to prevent lumps and takes away the glutinous taste
Virgin oil comes from the first press of olives. First press is never heated. Subsequent presses are heated to extract maximum oil, but some flavor is lost
Stuff calamari inside-out so they’ll close up when cooked (otherwise they’ll open up)
Boil potatoes in skins to keep potatoes dry – prevents them from becoming over saturated with water
Ventrèche is kept flat in France. Rolled in Italy. Pancetta to the Italians.
Vinaigrette should be too acidic and too salty on its own, because you are using it to flavor something else
Brittany is the second place region for prune production
When skinning rabbits start with the legs and rip towards the head. Monkfish and eel is the opposite (start at the head and rip towards the tail)
Monkfish only has one central, large bone
A small bit of water in the bottom of a sauce pan will prevent milk from scorching
Cooking celeriac in milk prevents it from oxidizing and keeps the color pure white

Le Cordon Bleu - Instruction #24; Practical #24

2010-05-12T02:33:00.015-04:00

Take foie gras. Confit of pork, duck, or goose. Truffles. And pair them with talented chefs. In one of the most beautiful spots of France. And you’ve got today’s region.

Périgord.

Naturally protected by landscape, Périgord has remained an untouched region. Divided into four sections. Périgord-Green. Périgord-White. Périgord-Purple. And Périgord-Black. Countryside. Stones. Wines. And thick forests of black oak (and truffles). Respectively.

Rich in goose and duck products and freshwater fish from the Dordogne River. Such as; carp, eel, trout, smelt, and crayfish.

Wild hare and partridge dart the forest floor. Dodging wild chanterelle and porcini mushrooms and truffles. Potatoes and artichokes are more organized on cultivated farms.

Using one of my favorite ingredients Chef prepared the entrée. Thinly sliced fresh foie gras is quickly pan-seared. Just to butter-up the flavor and consistency. Served along side butter sautéed apples (turned of course) and a cider/walnut sauce – a vinaigrette made with reduced veal (or duck) stock. And passed with a seed and nut crisp.

For the seed and nut crisp. Mix softened butter, flour, salt, and egg white into a smooth consistency. Mix in crushed pistachios, sesame seeds, and almonds. Spread onto a well oiled (or sil-pat) baking sheet. And bake at 180 degrees Celsius for about 8-10 minutes. Break up the crisp into desired shapes.

This is a great side component to any salad, soup, or as a snack.

We don’t often cook beef. So today’s main dish was a bit of a surprise. Not to mention a busy one. Pan-seared steak. Served with a Madeira wine and truffle sauce. Celery flan that had been decorated. And goose fat sautéed, turned potatoes.

Instruction and practical were both led by Chef Tivet. Things went fine. Chef blurted out a très bien mon ami as he noted by flan. I over-thickened my sauce with potato starch. But the meat, potatoes, and even sauce, flavor were good and to Chef’s liking.

I chuckled at the comments of the day’s dessert. Reminds me of banana bread. Coffee cake for me. It makes me think of fruit cake. So I guess you’ll have to make it and see for yourself.

Walnuts, pine nuts, and butter are mixed into caramelized sugar. Allowed to cool. Then crushed in a food processor. The mixture, nougatine, is divided in two. The first part, mixed into galette dough. And the second is folded into crème anglaise.

Instruction #24 – Périgord

Pan-fried foie gras with roasted apples, cider and walnut sauce
Pan-fried steak, celery flan, Madeira sauce with diced truffles and potatoes in goose fat
Caramelized walnut and pine nut tart

Stillness From An Empty Home

2010-05-11T03:19:00.006-04:00

I was reminded of the apartment struggle in Paris. As James and I got excited about a place. Only to be notified that it was rented to someone else. Big city home hunting is not for the weak-hearted.

The fourth place. Finally came through. I am happy to report that we are the proud owners of a New York apartment lease.

As I type. James is shipping boxes. Ordering a bed. And saying his Utah adieus.

He arrives Thursday. And will begin reestablishing himself. For him, graduate school is just around the corner. And before he knows it. A grander chapter will begin.

I sit with a stir-craziness. A feeling I can’t label or give direction to. I am elated by my new home. But grounded by Le Cordon Bleu responsibilities. My eagerness to get to the city is tamed by Parisian reality. More so. My unsettled feelings stem from loneliness. Unable to help my husband. Incapable of experiencing this moment with him. Separated by life circumstances.

This is a moment when I want it all to pass. When I question if I have made the right decision. This is when the separation from those you love doesn’t seem worth it anymore.

Call me a sentimentalist. But, I think we should spend the first night together. Not him alone. I am tempted to spiral into deep depression. Tempted.

I realized that I am living a dream. Le Cordon Bleu. Paris. Cooking. Daily croissants.

I understand that life – this life – was not meant to be easy.

Some of you may be rolling your eyes at my downer. And you’re partially right.

I have lots to bring smiles. Sometimes though. It’s just hard.

In a recent New York trip we saw Promises, Promises. And this song says it best (minus the broken heart/mistake bits).

A House Is Not A Home
Lyrics by Burt Bacharach

A chair is still a chair
Even when there's no one sitting there
But a chair is not a house
And a house is not a home
When there's no one there to hold you tight,
And no one there you can kiss good night.

A room is still a room
Even when there's nothing there but gloom;
But a room is not a house,
And a house is not a home
When the two of us are far apart
And one of us has a broken heart.

Now and then I call your name
And suddenly your face appears
But it's just a crazy game
When it ends it ends in tears.

Darling, have a heart,
Don't let one mistake keep us apart.
I'm not meant to live alone. Turn this house into a home.
When I climb the stair and turn the key,
Oh, please be there still in love with me.

2010-05-10T00:59:00.001-04:00

Intermediate written exam is one week away. Here we are already.

With only two cuisine classes on Monday. And one on Friday. There is a lot of spare time to study. So. The focus of this week is recipe memorization. Reviewing regional information. And studying any other random fact dished out by the Chefs over the term.

I have entered into that anxious stage. Pacing. Studying. Wondering and worrying. Stressing!

Oh the joys of school.