I had chosen not to look at it until it was time to actually work on it, so I was a bit nervous. I won’t go in to details/requirements of this assignment in case you are thinking about taking the course, or are taking the course, and want it to be a surprise but I chose to make savory butternut squash soup because after looking in my cupboard, I was inspired by the squash I saw. Normally, I find butternut squash soup to be a bit on the sweet side, but felt that I might be able to offset that sweetness with some slightly bitter kale and salty bacon. In addition, I love Asian flavors so was hoping to blend the classic pairing of butternut squash and sage with Eastern spices.
Author: micahquookie
Roux the Day
Roux-based soups are often referred to as cream soups and have a silky-smooth and cream-like consistency. But here is an interesting fact: Roux-based soups are actually based on a thin velouté sauce or a thin béchamel sauce. The practice assigments consisted of cream of broccoli, cream of asparagus, and cream of cauliflower soup. My favorite was the cream of cauliflower. It was very good and I am going to try roasting the cauliflower first the next time I make it for some added depth and smokiness.
Smooth, Silky, Thick, or Chunky
Unit Eight takes the base of making stock and broth and runs with it in an entire unit on soup! I learned how to make four basic soup bases: broth-based clear, stock-based clear, roux-based, and starch-base and builds on previous skills, such as stocks, broths, knife skills, and seasoning.
I can see clearly now!
For me, soup is a comfort food. It provides a warm hug while filling your tummy with a nourishing, hearty meal all in one pot. So, understanding the base of all good soup is important to me and I took Unit Seven to heart. I learned about both white and dark stock as well as the differences between short stock and regular stock, and broth and stock. I gained detailed knowledge about the importance of stock in cooking, the ingredients that generally go in to making stock, how to make stock, and how not to, and how to make broth--all the while learning ways to incorporate stock and broth into recipes.
Be Still My Heart
I thought I was a decent cook, but each unit in this cooking course makes me realize how little I actually knew--not in a bad way, more of an inspiring way. It makes me realize that there is so much out there--in terms of food--that I have yet to experience. I relish the opportunity!
The Humble Egg
I thought I had a love/hate relationship with eggs. I love scramble eggs; so much so that we have four chickens of our own. And I love using eggs in baking. But beyond that, I really have not taken to them, I might have even said that I hate them. I won't eat eggs out at restaurants; they have always smelled and tasted to "eggy" BUT it turns out that the problem isn't with the eggs, it is with the cook.
Nothing But Eggs
Everyone is back in school, and the weather has started to change, and I am about to begin Unit Six: Eggs!
Dog Days of Summer
Well, in this case, it is the cat days...as I am taking a holiday from cookery school for the summer. It's not a matter of not wanting to work on it but rather too much on my plate during the summer holiday. I want to be able to concentrate on my cooking and not be distracted with the garden, the family, or the weather. I will be back in September!
Burnt to a Crisp
In the roasting section of Unit Five, I learned the finer details of roasting, such as correct temp to roast at, why placement of veg on the sheet pan can be important, and many yummie practice recipes which were lovely to eat. The graded activity involved roasting either butternut squash or Brussels sprouts; BS happen to be one of my favorites so I chose that recipe. My only issue was that it was not exactly the correct season for fresh sprouts here. But the activity was pretty straight forward. To start, you guessed it, gather my mise en place.
Oh, the Glorious Vegetable!
Unit Four wrapped up nicely with a few practice salads and dressing. I have a new-found friend in vinaigrette; while I still do not like vinegar, my horizons have been broadened by the concept that acid can be found in more than one form. And with that knowledge in my back pocket, I have embarked on Unit Five: Vegetables. Who knows, maybe I will get to marinade some veg with some of my dressing. I love vegetables and this unit can only enhance my repertoire and understanding of this food group.
quookie 