A Second Course

To all my loyal readers, I’m very VERY sorry that I haven’t been posting on a regular basis. I’m in class about 60 hours, 6 days a week and working in my “free” time!  I just finished up 5 weeks of intense quantity food production – cooking lunch at our school’s cafe for 200-400 people/day. It was an awesome experience, with massive amounts of food….think  50 lbs of potatoes, 40 lbs of flank steak, 100 pcs of chicken…and that’s just a Tuesday!  The jist of what I learned was that you can take any recipe, convert it to the new desired yield, and you can really feed any amount of people. Of course I learned a few tricks along the way, which I will share in the coming months.

Now I’m in baking and pastry, and having the time of my life.  My jeans, on the other hand, not feeling so great. Is it worth the calories? You tell me…

Fruit Tart

Pecan Sticky Buns

Butter Tea Cookies Dipped in White Chocolate

If you really want to get that summer BBQ started, mix up some outrageous summer punch.  I never measure anything, just mix up all the ingredients below until it tastes delicious!

Combine:

Vodka

Cognac or Brandy

Orange Juice

Pineapple Juice

Fruit (whatever you prefer)

Marinate for 30-60 minutes, then add gingerale, champagne & 1 tub rainbow sherbet just before serving.

The semester is over, where did the time go?  Lots of great food, friends and fun!  To say this was the best decision I have ever made is a gross understatement. A year of my life to follow my dream, I am the luckiest person alive….can’t wait to see how the rest unfolds… Stay tuned!!!

Thought I’d end my photo reel with the very last dish I made this past semester in garde manger…a lovely cobb salad with an unreal blue cheese dressing.  Who  said simple can’t be elegant?

Finely sliced or shredded herbs/leafy vegetables. Roll up stacked leaves like a cigar and slice thinly.  Perfect strips in no time. I use this knife cutting technique on everything from basil to mint….

Just tried re-creating a dish from one of my favorite restaurants…..goat cheese tart with organic yellow, pink and red beets.  I give it an 8 out of 10. Even what I cook isn’t always perfect!  Looking forwward to practicing again…any guinea pigs out there who want to try it?!!

This makes an excellent starter for an elegant dinner party or even as a vegetarian entree. Alongside, I made a a refreshing summer salad with ingredients I bought yesterday at the farmer’s market. Delicous, fresh and EASY:

Blanch (for a few minutes) in boiling salted water fresh fava beans, asparagus and green peas. Shock in ice water to cool down and prevent further cooking. Dress with lemon juice, olive oil and chiffonade of mint. Season with salt and pepper to taste.  What a great side dish to grilled fish or chicken! Or shave some fresh parmesan and serve as your salad course. The best part is – you can make this in advance. In fact, I like to dress it a couple hours before my guests arrive so the citrus and mint have time to marry. A winning summer dish in less than 10 minutes!