What's Cookin' Good Lookin'?
Jan. 26th, 2006 11:57 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jamesqI've started a cooking class. Actually, I started it last week so this week was my second class. It's loads of fun.
First, the instructor, Chef D is funny and sarcastic in exactly the same way that most of my friends are. We get along just fine. He's also damned interesting to listen to.
The listening is about an hour or so of cooking terms and how-to's. This is followed by two hours of applying what we've learned in one of SAIT's big industrial kitchens.
We also get to chow down on what we've made, so there is an incentive to make a decent meal. While having our little meal, Chef D regales us with tales of his professional life in assorted Calgary restaurants. If he names the restaurant, it's because they are really good. If he kinda-sorta describes the restaurant with just enough hints for you to *maybe* figure out where it is, it's because it's a hole. This is either professionalism on his part or a desire to not get charged with slander. From other, unrelated, conversations I suspect the former. For example, he's walked out of jobs because the boss obeyed the five second rule (if you drop food on the floor it's still ok if you pick it up within five seconds - a rule I obey at home but would never subject another person to - and no, I've never had food poisoning thanks for asking).
Our first class, last week we made four kinds of soup stock. A beef stock (which I worked on), a chicken stock, a fish stock and a vegetable stock.
Because you can't really eat a soup stock, he peeled one of my classmates off the stock and had them make a stir fry, which was yummy.
This week, we used the stocks to make an assortment of soup. I helped make borscht, which is a lot easier than I thought it would be.
Now taking this course I made a promise to myself, and that was that I would ignore my normal food likes and dislikes and try everything.
First thing to try this week was due to Chef A (not Chef D). Now I get the idea that Chef A is the alpha dog of this kitchen since everyone (including Chef D) defers to him. He is not, as far as I can tell though, a stereotypical tyrant-chef. Chef A made use Tomato Florentine and stuffed potatoes. Without asking. He just walked into the middle of the class and put this tray down in front of us and said "help yourself". Then he left.
Well I hate hate hate tomatoes. Tomatoes Florentine are stuffed with mushrooms and spinach, then baked. Have I mentioned that I also hate cooked spinach (it's OK raw, in a spinach salad). So here were these foods that I was going to find revolting, but I did promise myself I was going to try everything.
They were delicious. I have never liked a tomato before, unless it was smashed into oblivion. I had seconds. The stuffed potatoes were really good to.
Another food I can't stand is onions. One of the soups was french onion. And while we're on the subject, the soups we made were chock full, so the french onion was mostly onion.
It too was delicious. I'm sad that I shorted myself and only had half a bowl.
The borscht I made had only enough water in it to separate the ingredients and keep it from turning into red paste. It was loaded with vegetables, including the aforementioned onions and tomatoes. Now I've had really good borscht before (![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
wackynephews makes a really good borscht), but I think I did really well at it. I took about three litres of it home for the roomies and they all seemed to like it too - we had it with some perogies, just to make it nice and Ukrainian.
The other three soups were Clam Chowder (Mmmm), Roasted Asparagus Puree (double Mmmm) and Cream of Celery with Blue Cheese (thank good these are soups or I'd have spent about a hojillion points).
Chef D told us to bring tupperware to these things because there's always leftovers. In addition to the borscht, I had a small sampling of chowder, puree and cream soups. No french onion left as that was the first soup and it got finished off. Also a garlic and a half-package of blue cheese.
Next week, stuffed chicken and meatloaf. Awesome. I hate meatloaf, but I suspect I'll like this one.
First, the instructor, Chef D is funny and sarcastic in exactly the same way that most of my friends are. We get along just fine. He's also damned interesting to listen to.
The listening is about an hour or so of cooking terms and how-to's. This is followed by two hours of applying what we've learned in one of SAIT's big industrial kitchens.
We also get to chow down on what we've made, so there is an incentive to make a decent meal. While having our little meal, Chef D regales us with tales of his professional life in assorted Calgary restaurants. If he names the restaurant, it's because they are really good. If he kinda-sorta describes the restaurant with just enough hints for you to *maybe* figure out where it is, it's because it's a hole. This is either professionalism on his part or a desire to not get charged with slander. From other, unrelated, conversations I suspect the former. For example, he's walked out of jobs because the boss obeyed the five second rule (if you drop food on the floor it's still ok if you pick it up within five seconds - a rule I obey at home but would never subject another person to - and no, I've never had food poisoning thanks for asking).
Our first class, last week we made four kinds of soup stock. A beef stock (which I worked on), a chicken stock, a fish stock and a vegetable stock.
Because you can't really eat a soup stock, he peeled one of my classmates off the stock and had them make a stir fry, which was yummy.
This week, we used the stocks to make an assortment of soup. I helped make borscht, which is a lot easier than I thought it would be.
Now taking this course I made a promise to myself, and that was that I would ignore my normal food likes and dislikes and try everything.
First thing to try this week was due to Chef A (not Chef D). Now I get the idea that Chef A is the alpha dog of this kitchen since everyone (including Chef D) defers to him. He is not, as far as I can tell though, a stereotypical tyrant-chef. Chef A made use Tomato Florentine and stuffed potatoes. Without asking. He just walked into the middle of the class and put this tray down in front of us and said "help yourself". Then he left.
Well I hate hate hate tomatoes. Tomatoes Florentine are stuffed with mushrooms and spinach, then baked. Have I mentioned that I also hate cooked spinach (it's OK raw, in a spinach salad). So here were these foods that I was going to find revolting, but I did promise myself I was going to try everything.
They were delicious. I have never liked a tomato before, unless it was smashed into oblivion. I had seconds. The stuffed potatoes were really good to.
Another food I can't stand is onions. One of the soups was french onion. And while we're on the subject, the soups we made were chock full, so the french onion was mostly onion.
It too was delicious. I'm sad that I shorted myself and only had half a bowl.
The borscht I made had only enough water in it to separate the ingredients and keep it from turning into red paste. It was loaded with vegetables, including the aforementioned onions and tomatoes. Now I've had really good borscht before (
wackynephews makes a really good borscht), but I think I did really well at it. I took about three litres of it home for the roomies and they all seemed to like it too - we had it with some perogies, just to make it nice and Ukrainian.The other three soups were Clam Chowder (Mmmm), Roasted Asparagus Puree (double Mmmm) and Cream of Celery with Blue Cheese (thank good these are soups or I'd have spent about a hojillion points).
Chef D told us to bring tupperware to these things because there's always leftovers. In addition to the borscht, I had a small sampling of chowder, puree and cream soups. No french onion left as that was the first soup and it got finished off. Also a garlic and a half-package of blue cheese.
Next week, stuffed chicken and meatloaf. Awesome. I hate meatloaf, but I suspect I'll like this one.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2006-01-26 10:28 pm (UTC)I've been enjoying cooking for a while, and just recently started playing around with soups. I started with a home-made chicken soup (my Mom's recipe) for this past non-trad party... and started exploring from there.
I've MOST recently been having a great deal of fun making cajun-style gumbo. Still experimenting with it... I've made it three times now, and it gets better each time. :)
I'm also a member of the tomato-hating club. Can't stand the little buggers. (Although I *LOVE* a good brushetta...go figure) Hate cooked spinach even MORE. I wonder if I'd have liked that dish? *shudder*
Regardless... sounds like a lot of fun. Enjoy! :)
CK
no subject
Date: 2006-01-27 12:34 am (UTC)Cool
Date: 2006-01-27 03:31 am (UTC)I love cooking - at least when I have the time to explore a bit. I like to use it as a "cheap way to travel" - mostly by exploring the cuisines of lands that I seriously doubt I'll ever get to travel to (at least in the forseeable future).
Have fun!
no subject
Date: 2006-01-27 06:08 am (UTC)