No Animals Were Harmed in the Making of This

November 21, 2014February 26, 2015 / micahquookie / Leave a comment

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. More…

But now, I have broadened my culinary horizons and think I could successfully become a vegetarian, and maybe even a vegan. I think about it sometimes…but then I get a whiff of some bacon or nibble on some crispy chicken skin, and realize that it probably wouldn’t work. However, I do think that cutting back on meat is a great way to go; almost like a treat now and again. And if I was not convinced that I could go to a mostly plant-based diet, Unit 26: Plant Based Alternatives provided the final puzzle piece. The fact is, with bacon being a caveat, you can eat plant-based menus–enjoy satisfying meals and health–without feeling deprived. The graded assignment alone was to-die-for. Just take a look for yourself…

This tofu chocolate cream pie may have been the silkiest cream pie I have ever had. Its creaminess and decadence were complimented by fresh raspberries and some vegan cream made from coconut cream that I whipped up. The pie was wonderful the first day and perfection the second day. The coconut whipped cream even held its form and the pie’s crust and filling had firmed up brilliantly.

I can see using the filling as pudding or in a over-the-top trifle. The chocolate pudding might also lend itself to a filling layer in a cake or in a cream puff. The crust would be a great base for bar cookies or cheese cake. I know that cheese cake is not vegan, but the crust is very tasty regardless of its status of being vegan. It might also lend itself to topping fish or scallops.

Breaking Bread

November 20, 2014February 26, 2015 / micahquookie / Leave a comment

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…

Given how I feel about bread, I took Unit 21: Basics Baking & Bread very seriously. This unit had a massive amount of information to cover. To be honest, it could be broken up in to several units. And to be even more honest, if you look at the next several units including baking basics, bread, pastry, and chocolate, they look like the start of a really good Pastry course all on its own.

There were no graded assignments but I did remember to take some pictures of one of the practice recipes–an épi–which is a loaf of bread that has been specifically shaped to represent a stalk of wheat. Again, the ingredients were simple, the process enjoyable, and the results satisfying.

This bread was so much fun to make.

The Mid-terms

November 19, 2014February 26, 2015 / micahquookie / Leave a comment

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.

But here’s the thing, I have about two weeks to complete about five more units (I have been working a bit out of order towards the end here), the last black box assignment, and the final exam. From here on out, it will be Rouxbe, Rouxbe, Rouxbe.

You Are What You Eat

November 19, 2014February 26, 2015 / micahquookie / Leave a comment

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. More…

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. From preferences on animal products or grains to religious restrictions to absolute life-or-death food allergies- cooking for people with unique dietary needs can often be challenging. Most importantly, though, understanding that as a professional cook, you hold the power to affect health in positive or negative ways is a profoundly new way to look at food.”

And they practice what they preach. Not only is there a plant-based certification program available, but they are also heavily involved in a Kickstarter campaign called CulinaryRX that provides courses to doctors and patients alike using nutrition as a means of better health. They describe it much better than I can on their Kickstarter page:

But back to Unit 25…in one of the graded assignment in this unit, I had to put into words how I would deal with a customer who had a set of dietary restrictions. I had to fully respond to the issue and add any thoughts or suggestions that I had regarding the request. In the assignment, the customer wanted a substitution to a dish that normally had animal products including dairy for a vegan that also had some allergies. I am not going to paste my answer to the dilemma here, but I will tell you that I got 100% on my response. I was very happy. And I think the customer would have been, too!

Don’t put off ’til tomorrow what you SHOULD do today!

November 17, 2014February 26, 2015 / micahquookie / Leave a comment

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. More…

Once I got past my own mental block, I realized that it was not all bad; I was getting to practice my pasta-making skills, got to try a tomato sauce recipe, and use up some cashew bechemel sauce I had left over–and who knows, maybe I will like this vegan version. But because I waited so long, I am getting stressed as there is still so much to do before the class ends. So without further ado, I chose to make single-serve manicotti dishes and grated some veg cheese over the top once out of the oven. I also exchanged the spinach for peas; and it turned out to be a fresh pop and nice textural contrast to the tofu ricotta.

This dish was not one of my favorites, but that is no big surprise, it tastes like the original. So for some, that is great. And while I will not be making this recipe anytime in the near future, I at least know that I have a vegan comfort food dish in my back pocket should I need it. And I am finally done with the pasta unit. Not a moment too soon!

The Humble Chicken

November 16, 2014February 26, 2015 / micahquookie / Leave a comment

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. More…

Unit 18: Poultry is all about the beloved chicken. From breaking down the bird and butchering it to trussing and roasting it. It makes me what to buy whole birds from now on. I have a hard time finding parts for stock anyway so it might actually work in my favor. I even bought a boning knife after watching the How to Butcher a Chicken video. I’m hooked!

The graded assignment for this unit involved roasting and sectioning a whole bird. It was really lots of fun and eating the assignment was a nice bonus!

The first thing I did to make the roasted chicken was to preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. I then moved on to preparing my mise en place. I gathered 1 whole organic, certified non-gmo, free range chicken along with room-temp butter, Himalayan sea salt, and fresh ground pepper. In addition, I got out my roasting pan, roasting rack, thermometer, boning knife, twine, and scissors—and set it all on top of my cutting board.

I then patted the chicken dry and coated the entire surface of the chicken with much of the butter. I then seasoned the entire bird with salt and pepper; including the inside cavity. I then trussed the bird as I thought it would be a good learning opportunity….which it was. I found that the bird was a bit slippery and wondered if I would have been more successful trussing it before rubbing with butter and seasoning. I might try that next time.

Once I was done with the trussing, I put the whole chicken on the roasting rack and popped it in the oven for 30 minutes after having adjusted the oven rack so that the chicken was in the center. At the 30-minute mark, I took the chicken out—taking care not to leave the oven door open—and basted and turned it. I also added a bit of broth in the bottom of the roasting pan so that the sucs did not burn.

I continued cooking for another 20 minutes before checking the temp. The bird was not done so I basted again and returned it to the oven for 10 more minutes. It was still not done, so basted once again and roasted for another 10 minutes. It was done at that point, so I took it out of the roasting pan, tented it, and let it rest for about 15 minutes before beginning the carving process.

While the roasted chicken was resting, I popped some tri-colored carrots from my garden in the oven with just some salt, pepper, and olive oil to coat. I also drained off the extra fat in the roasting pan, put on the stove top, and added some stock to deglaze. Once it reduced by about half, I strained into a small cup to pour over the chicken. I then started the process of breaking down the roasted chicken. I started with the legs; separating the drumstick from the thigh. I then removed the wings. And lastly, the breast from the bone. I arranged the meat on a platter, adding the roasted carrots and spooning the pan sauce over the meat. I tried a few pieces of the meat and they were tender and succulent with a nice flavor (that did not need any additional salt or seasoning). Once the carcass had cooled, I bagged it and stuck in in the freezer for stock later. Unit 18 done!

I claim my steak!

November 15, 2014February 26, 2015 / micahquookie / Leave a comment

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. A few things that I took away from this unit that I thought were worth emphasizing include… More…

An obvious cry for attention!

A few things that I took away from this unit that I thought were worth emphasizing include…

bringing the meat to room temp or close to it before cooking. This allows for a shorter cooking time and thus moister final product.
the temperature increase in a resting roast that has been roasted at a high temperature will be far more than if the roast was cooked at a low temperature.
to avoid the steak sticking in a pan, heat the pan, add the oil, and then add the steak.
marbling is good.

The practice recipes that I have tried so far all worked out well and help me understand the material better. I especially liked the beef tenderloin with peppercorn sauce and the adobo marinated flank steak. Unfortunately, I did not take any pictures of the meat. I did however realize that Rouxbe is taking over my life and that my cat is adept at communicating without saying a word.

An obvious cry for attention!

Pasta: Part Deux

November 14, 2014February 26, 2015 / micahquookie / Leave a comment

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. More…

I chose to skip the second graded assignment in Unit 16 in favor of trying my luck and udon noodles. They taste great and have a certain relaxed look about them.

If I were to make udon noodles again, I might roll them out thinner as I had chosen to go on the thicker side; but everyone else thought they were a nice thickness and the texture was a really nice change from other pastas.

I am almost out of excuses on making the manicotti. Almost!

“Life is a combination of magic and pasta.”

November 8, 2014February 26, 2015 / micahquookie / Leave a comment

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. More…

Smart man, that Federico Fellini.

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.

To cook the dish, I heated a large sauté pan over medium heat. Once to temp, I added the oil, followed by the mushrooms, and seasoned with salt and pepper. I cooked the mushrooms until they released their moisture and started to caramelize. I then added the shallots and cooked for another minute before adding the garlic and sautéing for another 30 seconds or so. My pasta water finally came to a rolling boil at this point and I added the salt and pasta. I then deglazed the pan of mushrooms with the wine and let reduce by about half. Next, I added the stock and let reduce by about a third. I then turned off the heat to the pan while waiting for the pasta to finish cooking. Once the pasta was al dente, I reserved a ladle of the cooking liquid and drained.

#1: Waiting patiently for water to come to a rollling boil
#2: Adding pasta to water
#3: Pasta cooking
#4: Reserving some pasta water

To finish, I drizzled a bit of truffle oil along with the chives over the mushrooms, tested for seasoning and liked the flavor so no need for additional salt, etc. I then added the drained pasta to the mushroom pan, gently tossed, poured some of the reserved pasta water, tossed again, and served.

The completed dish was full of flavor. The mushrooms and truffle oil added an amazing earthiness without being over the top. The pasta was perfectly cooked with just enough texture. When cutting the mushrooms, I chose to cut them all in different shapes depending on the variety; this turned out to be a great choice as it allowed each type to have a distinct texture, and surprisingly, flavor.

I will end this post with on the positive of this dish and assignment.

Beans, Beans, the Magical Fruit

November 7, 2014February 26, 2015 / micahquookie / Leave a comment

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)! More…

The more you eat, the more you *mute*
The more you*mute*, the better you feel
So we have beans at every meal!

Sorry, but I could not get that out of my head during Unit 15: Legumes. And I now have gifted it to you. You’re welcome!

As for me, I was given 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)!

I chose to make cheeseless spanakopitas as my first legume dish. I used onion, garlic, and green onions along with a pinch of salt in my mirepoix, sweating until soft. To that, I added spinach which I pulsed in my food processor to create a fine chop. I chose to do this rather that cooking as I did not want the added moisture and thought it would be interesting to try. I mixed the spinach into the mirepoix. I then pulsed the chickpeas in the food processor into small chunks. I then added the chickpeas as well as some fresh parsley, fresh dill, salt, and pepper to the mixture. I stirred and tasted. I added a bit more salt. I then added an egg and stirred to complete the filling. The filo dough had been out thawing for a couple of hours and was ready to receive the filling. I cut the filo dough in half, storing one under a damp cloth and unrolling the other. I pulled two sheets out at a time and brushed with butter, and then added a tablespoon of the filling. From there, I folded by triangles much like you would a flag. I repeated this process with the remaining dough and baked for about 25 minutes in a 350-degree oven. I ended up with a lot more filling then filo dough, so I am planning on buying some lasagna sheets and making something later in the week.

The final dish was amazing! The filo shell was tender yet crisp with a savory filling that was not overly heavy. I could taste the spinach but it was mellow and the chickpeas added a nice pop every so often as I bit into the triangle. And the pieces of more ground up chickpea added a slight nuttiness to the dish. I served the spanakopitas with the cashew white sauce that I had on hand with some Hungarian paprika dusted on top as a dip. It actually came together rather nicely.

I chose to make chocolate chickpea cake as my second legume dish. I used chickpeas, eggs, dark chocolate, sugar, brown sugar, vanilla, espresso powder, butter, coconut oil, salt, and baking powder and a dusting of powdered sugar to create this fudgy flourless cake. I pureed the chickpeas with the eggs until smooth at which time I added all the rest of the ingredients except the powdered sugar and blended until completely smooth. I greased a 9″ round cake pan and dusted with powdered sugar and then poured the mixture into the pan. I baked for almost an hour; testing for doneness starting at 45 minutes and every 5 minutes thereafter. Once done, I let the cake cool for about 15 minutes before flipping onto a cooling rack. I then let cool another 10 minutes before flipping back onto a plate. I then dusted with powdered sugar. I then cut the cake while still warm, added some berries, and two small scoops of vanilla bean ice cream.

The final dish had the most interesting texture. It was actually light yet rich. It tasted decadent, but not heavy. Normally, flourless chocolate cakes are dense, but this cake somehow pulled off being moist and chocolaty without being too thick. The flavor was slightly sweet. On its own, it could have used a bit more sweetness, but with the addition of the ice cream and berries, was actually spot on. The contrast of the cold ice cream and warm cake was comforting and almost familiar. And to get about 10 grams of fiber per piece was just icing on the cake!

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