I am not a vegetarian, but I did spend quite a few years without eating meat. I still ate fish. I am not sure why I made the distinction there, but it doesn't really matter now. Eventually, I just found that I was unable to find enough variety in my meals to continue and my protein intake was probably too low as well. I was a picky veg-head. I would not eat beans, cheese, most eggs--it just didn't work.
rouxbe cooking school
a chronological journal of my online culinary school excursions
Breaking Bread
Sitting down with some crusty bread and a glass of red wine is high on my list of things that center me. There is something satisfying about ripping the bread and topping with a wee bit of butter while sipping on a hearty class of vino. More... Sitting down with some crusty bread and a … Continue reading Breaking Bread
The Mid-terms
Actually, it much farther than the mid-terms, but it is the closed concept I could think of. I just completed my second Course Challenge Quiz. I got a 96%. I was hoping to ace it, but one question I clicked the wrong answer on, and the other, I just didn't know the complete answer and the other two, I just got wrong. but overall, I was happy with my score and current grade in the course and that I have completed Unit 20.
You Are What You Eat
Unit 25: Nutrition In the Kitchen is all about basic nutrition, diets and dietary restrictions, and the basics of cooking for health support. To quote the Rouxbe website:
"Every human being is completely unique- from our genetic make up all the way to what we choose to eat and how we choose to nourish ourselves. We call this uniqueness biochemical individuality. It is important to understand that there are different ways of eating to meet individual needs and wants, that whole, unprocessed food can seriously affect health in a positive way, and that their are specific medical reasons why people choose to restrict their diets.
Don’t put off ’til tomorrow what you SHOULD do today!
I do not like manicotti, I really don't like tomato sauce (except my own), and I don't like cheese with the exception of smoked Gruyere. So to say that I was not looking forward to the Tofu Ricotta Manicotti assignment is an understatement. But after several days of putting it off, I realized that there have been times in my life where I had to cook things I didn't like and there will be more...so suck it up.
The Humble Chicken
Within the last couple of years, I have been fortunate enough to have tried roasted chicken thigh. Up until that time, I would only eat the breast, discarding the rest. In addition to finding that I like much more of the chicken than I thought, I also see the benefit of purchasing bone-in and cooking with skin on. And that goes for any part of the bird. I am not saying that there is not a time and place for plain chicken breast, but rather that I now have more options--moist, juicy, flavorful options that take no more than a few ingredients. Chicken. Butter (or oil). Salt. Pepper. That's it.
I claim my steak!
Unit 17: Meat packs a lot of material into one unit but no graded assignments. I found this odd; however it does not diminish the amount of information I benefited from. Useful info on the basics of coagulation and how it affects the texture and juiciness of protein, the different cuts of meat, prepping the meat, and finally cooking it are discussed at length.
Pasta: Part Deux
I have to admit that this turned out to be the most difficult assignment thus far. I actually had to throw out my first attempt at the udon noodles. They just would not come together. I tried adding more water, but didn’t want to end up with a sticky mess either. I thought that if I let it rest it would come together, but after 10 minutes of kneading and 30 minutes of rest, I finally gave up and started over. In the end, I had to add 1/4 of a cup more of water than the instructions called for in my second attempt. The kneading was exhausting, but in the end, the noodles came out and the final dish was really tasty.
“Life is a combination of magic and pasta.”
Unit 16: Pasta should have been one of my easiest units. I love pasta, I love cooking pasta, and I love making homemade pasta. But like much in life, to guess the future is a fool's game. This unit is becoming my nemesis in more ways than one! But more on that in future posts. The unit started out well enough with a graded assignment in which I was to choose from a few options of pasta dishes. I chose wild mushroom and truffle oil pasta.
Beans, Beans, the Magical Fruit
Unit 15: Legumes gave a bit more knowledge on how to best cook beans, different options on timing of cooking and how it will affect the final dish, and timing of adding other elements to the beans such as the fact that acid should only be added to the beans at the end of the cooking process or you prolong the cooking time significantly. Who knew? Not me! But my favorite part of this unit had to be the graded assignment which gave me an opportunity to show two creative ways of using one legume--of my choice--even (think Snagglepuss from 70s Saturday cartoons)!
quookie 