Le Cordon Bleu - Instruction #20; Practical #20

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