Getting Caught Up!

It has been a pretty busy few weeks so I have not been on here as often as I would like. I am baking everyday making multiple items and then along came Thanksgiving. Still having a great time. I have posted new photos in the Le Cordon Bleu album on www.hanoverroad.com of some of the items I have made in class. Keep and eye out here and on my website for the recipes (formerly secret) for some of my all-time favorite goodies! The following are items that have been made in class so far, chocolate chip cookies, Linzer window cookies, Brysselkex Cookies (checkerboard design), French almond macaroons, lemon madeleines, Strassburger cookies, biscotti, buttermilk biscuits, flaky pie dough, mealy pie dough, streusel topping, blueberry pie filling, apple pie filling, blueberry sour cream muffins, chocolate chip muffins, Pâte à Choux-éclairs, peach cobbler, apple crisp, Crème Brûlée, pastry cream, Crème Caramel, cheesecake and Pâte Sucrée. So as you can see it has kept me very busy! In addition to this I made the turkey and stuffing, yams, cranberry compote, mac and cheese and pecan pie with bourbon and chocolate for Thanksgiving. Today I had a written test, 2 practicals and had to present 6 items for grade so I am tired and going to get off of here.

One Down!

Today was the end of my first session! But what a week, a mayonnaise practical on Monday followed by a final in Safety and Sanitation. Tuesday was a knife practical followed by my Servsafe certification exam and today was my final in Culinary Foundations. I am pleased to have done well in both of my classes. I get a couple of days off this week and then back to school next Monday! I will have intro to Patisserie and Baking from 10:00AM to 1:35PM MTWTF and applied math 1:45PM to 3:35PM MTWTF. But for now a relaxing 4 days off!

Triple Chocolate Cookies

Triple-Chocolate Cookies

Makes 26 cookies

3 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped 

1 1⁄2 cups bittersweet chocolate chips 

7 tbls. unsalted butter, cut into pieces 

2 tsp. instant coffee

2 tsp. vanilla extract 

3 large eggs, at room temperature 

1 c. sugar 

1⁄2 c. all-purpose flour 

1⁄2 tsp. baking powder 

1⁄2 tsp. table salt 

1 1⁄2 c. semisweet chocolate chips

1. Melt unsweetened chocolate, bittersweet chips, and butter in heatproof bowl set over saucepan of simmering water, stirring frequently, until completely smooth and glossy. Remove bowl from pan and set aside to cool slightly.

2. Stir coffee powder and vanilla extract together in small bowl until dissolved. Beat eggs and sugar in large bowl with electric mixer at medium-high speed until very thick and pale, about 4 minutes. Add vanilla-coffee mixture and beat until incorporated, 20 seconds. Reduce speed to low, add chocolate mixture, and mix until thoroughly combined, about 30 seconds.

3. Whisk flour, baking powder, and salt together in medium bowl. Using large rubber spatula, fold flour mixture and semisweet chips into batter. Cover blow with plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature for 20 to 30 minutes until batter firms up (it will more closely resemble thick brownie batter than cookie dough).

4. Meanwhile, two oven racks to upper and lower middle positions and heat oven to 350 degrees. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper. Using 1 heaping tablespoon batter per cookie, place cookies 2 inches apart on parchment paper on baking sheets. Bake until cookies are shiny and cracked on top, 11 to 14 minutes, rotating sheets top to bottom and front to back halfway through baking time. Transfer baking sheets to racks and cool cookies completely, on baking sheets, before serving.

Down to the Wire!

This week is getting down to the wire since next week is the end of the first session! I had two tests today so I spent yesterday studying when I wasn't in class. Next week is all finals and practicals. I will be making mayonnaise and demonstrating my knife cut skills in Culinary Foundations I followed by the final written exam. In Food Safety and Sanitation I have a class final on Monday and then the test for certification on Tuesday. After all of that I get a couple of days off before starting the new session on November 8th. I will be taking Introduction to Patisserie and Baking. Watch here later this week for a delicious cookie recipe, it will also be available on my website.

Pumpin Fruit Bread

Pumpkin Fruit Bread

2 cups sugar 

1 cup vegetable oil 

3 eggs 

1 - 16 oz. can cooked pumpkin 

3 cups all-purpose flour 

1 teaspoon baking soda 

1⁄2 teaspoon salt 

1⁄2 teaspoon baking powder 

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 

1 teaspoon ground cloves 

1 teaspoon ground nutmeg 

1 cup chopped nuts 

1 cup raisins 

1 cup chopped dates

2 loaves

In a large mixing bowl, beat together sugar and oil. Beat in eggs and continue beating until light and fluffy. Add pumpkin and mix well. Sift together flour, soda, salt, baking powder, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg and add to pumpkin mixture. Stir until dry ingredients are moistened. Fold in nuts, raisins and dates, and pour into 2 9x5-inch loaf pans greased with vegetable cooking spray. Bake at 325 degrees for 60-70 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Leave loaves in pans for 10 minutes before removing; cool on wire racks.

This is one of my favorite recipes and so easy to make It is wonderfully spicy for the colder months and it makes 2 loaves so you can have one for yourself and give one as a gift.

Look for the Norovirus video coming soon!

The Mothers of All Sauces

To understand the sauces you find in a French restaurant one must understand first that stock or a roux is an element in every sauce. There 5 main categories of stocks: fonds, fummets, essences, glaces and jus. The stocks are then classified by color - typically brown and white - which is determined by the ingredients, cooking time, texture and consistancy. Stocks or Les Fonds are typically made from veal, poultry, fish, shellfish, game or vegetables. The roux are made from cooking equal parts of flour and fat and are classified as Roux Blanc or white roux, Roux Blond or blonde roux and Roux Brun or brown roux.

With the help of these stocks and roux the mother sauces are the created, with the exception of Hollandaise. The mother sauces are:

Sauce Béchamel made with milk and roux blanc.

Espagnole made with brown stocks and roux.

Sauce Velouté made with white stocks and roux.

Sauce Tomate made with white stock and tomatoes.

Hollandaise made with egg yolk, water, pepper and clarified butter.

Mayonnaise is considered the cold mother sauce and is made with egg yolk, lemon juice, mustard, oil and salt and pepper.  I made my own mayonnaise for the first time today!

You don't learn to cook!

"Even though it is called "cooking" school most people don't go to school to learn to cook, they already know how to cook and come to school to improve technique, learn how to cook in a professional setting and most of all to learn the history and get an understanding of how it all started." An excerpt form Cuisine Foundations by the Chefs of Le Cordon Bleu.

I believe that is true. I can say that after cooking for most of my life and teaching myself most of the techniques I have used, I am learning new techniques for many of the preparations I have used over the years and I am also learning the technique for things I have always wanted to attempt.

Today I learned the proper way to segment and orange and it made the orange so much more pleasant to eat.  I also learned how to make Dent de Loup (Wolfs Teeth) from a lemon. Something I have always wanted to do and have attempted from time to time without success. Now I now how!

It is interesting how one seems to attract things that they are interested in or involved in. Today I was in the car after class and was listening to a cooking channel on the radio. All of the sudden the were talking about Auguste Escoffier who is considered the grandfather of French cuisine and is best known as the "King of Chefs". We just learned about him in class last week. Now would I have still heard about him on the radio if I was still selling Title Insurance?

Next week I have to make a presentation in Food Safety and Sanitation on the Norovirus. So look for the movie coming to a theater near you!