A single grain of rice can tip the scale.

November 6, 2014February 26, 2015 / micahquookie / Leave a comment

So you can only imagine what a whole unit on rice and grains can do! Unit 14 turned out to be another enlightening chapter in my culinary, dare I say, journey. I grew up on rice. I am not sure which came first, but the three things I can not remember not knowing how to make are pound cake, tea, and rice. And to this day, I love all three. But, and this is an enormous but, I now know a better way to cook rice. No more stove-top absorption method for me. Whether I am making simple rice or pilaf, it now gets popped in the oven to finish cooking. No more uneven cooking or burnt bottom. It just comes to down to simplicity for me. I can then focus on the other parts of the meal knowing that the rice will be perfect. More…

In addition to re-learning how to cook my rice to perfection, I also picked up some tips on cooking grains and polenta–both of which are new comers to my meals in comparison to rice. There was a graded assignment on risotto which always seems to get the best of chefs on TV, and it turns out, it also got the best of this would-be chef. But as per the course, my instructor’s comments were constructive and beneficial.

I chose to make the pancetta, leek, and asparagus risotto. I started by par-boiling my asparagus so that I could add it at the end. I also chose to cook the pancetta to a crisp and add at the same time as the veg for its textural interest. I started warming up the stock at this point as well. I sweated the leeks and thyme in olive oil, added a bit of hot stock to finish the softening process. I then added the risotto and cooked it at a higher heat to slightly toast the grain. I then added the garlic and deglazed the pan with the white wine until syrupy. At that point, it was time to start adding the stock; ladle by ladle. In the end, I added a little over 5 cups of stock so I was glad that I had heated up extra. The process is a bit time consuming, but well worth the results.

I really like risotto, but I am not a bit fan of most cheese. In the past, many restaurants and recipes call for cheese. I am starting to think that they just trying to disguise the fact that they rushed the risotto. I was patient with it, adding one ladle at time, and the risotto came out creamy and rich with no additions of cheese or oil. The leeks added a subtle sweetness and the asparagus provided some color and texture along with the pancetta balancing out the dish with a with a slight saltiness.

While this dish was delicious, the risotto could have been looser which would have made it spread on the plate a bit more.

Plant-based what?

November 4, 2014February 26, 2015 / micahquookie / Leave a comment

It’s easy to think of a plant-based red sauce; that is what tomato sauce is. But white sauce, not so much. After all, traditional white sauces consist of butter, flour, and milk or cream. In one of the assignments in Unit 13, we were asked to do just that. In this plant-based version, soaked cashews are used as a base combined with white wine and seasoning, but without the dairy or wheat.

I really enjoyed this assignment as it allowed me to play with new ways of introducing proteins into my diet without meat. I am not vegetarian, but spent 10+ years as a pescatarian. More…

I really enjoyed this assignment as it allowed me to play with new ways of introducing proteins into my diet without meat. I am not vegetarian, but spent 10+ years as a pescatarian. I actually love the flavor meats bring to the table but am trying to use it more of a garnish much of the time. I believe this recipe will become part of my go-to sauces with only one small modification. I would either omit the onion crystals altogether and add more fresh onion, or cut down the amount of onion crystals. It may have been a case of the quality of my onion crystals not being up to par, but I think that some additional fresh onion would not adversely affect the recipe as it may just make the sauce a little thinner in the end; which would not be a bad thing as it thickens up upon sitting.

To produce the final dish, a Penne Carbonara, I started the pasta. In the meantime, I brought a fry pan to medium–high heat; adding minced leeks and stirring until the leeks began to stick to the pan. I then deglazed with the white wine and continued to stir for about 2 minutes. I then added a cup of the white sauce to the sautéed leeks, stirring well. I did have to dilute the mixture as it had thickened up. At this point, I added some bacon that had been cut and cooked previously that I had in the fridge along with a 1/2 cup of peas. Yes, this did make the final dish no longer vegetarian, however it was in line with my focus on using meat as more of a garnish. I mixed thoroughly and brought the sauce to a simmer. I then added the penne and stirred to combine. After tasting, I added a bit of salt and pepper along with fresh parsley, stirred again, tasted one last time, and plated. The cashew white sauce was really smooth and satisfying; coating the penne perfectly.

I think that I could and would use this sauce for a riff on chicken tetrazzini that highlights the mushrooms. I think that I could actually omit the chicken altogether as the cashew/mushroom combination would be quite satisfying on their own. I also think that if I added a few spices, caramelized the onions a bit, and allowed the sauce to thicken even more, it would make a really quick dip for naan or pita.

The Great Cover Up!

October 31, 2014February 26, 2015 / micahquookie / Leave a comment

Learning to cook has been an ongoing process that was propelled by this cooking course. And while there have been quite a few “aha” moments, one that sticks in my head is when I made my first beurre blanc sauce way back when I first had a trial membership on Rouxbe. Not to be obnoxious, but it turned out perfect. As I recall, it was a recipe that included a white fish and golden beets. I have made that sauce many times since, but my favorite has to be with tarragon beurre blanc over a bed of fingerling potatoes and pan-seared salmon. More…

Learning to cook has been an ongoing process that was propelled by this cooking course. And while there have been quite a few “aha” moments, one that sticks in my head is when I made my first beurre blanc sauce way back when I first had a trial membership on Rouxbe. Not to be obnoxious, but it turned out perfect. As I recall, it was a recipe that included a white fish and golden beets. I have made that sauce many times since, but my favorite has to be with tarragon beurre blanc over a bed of fingerling potatoes and pan-seared salmon.

After that, I learned how to make a basic roux that has served me well in making many things, but most importantly, in the gravy for biscuits and gravy—my daughter’s favorite meal. And with roux under my belt, I was able to make béchamel for the base of my tetrazzini and pot pies. And I cannot forget when I learned how to make pan sauces from the sucs, stock or wine, shallots, etc. While I felt I had a handle on sauces, I am humbled to know that there are many more sauces out there that deserve my attention as well.

Unit 13: Sauces expanded on my horizons and honed my current sauce skills. My favorite new sauce has to be the velouté sauce though. It was actually one of the graded assignments in this unit so I have detailed pictures for my virtual scrapbook…To being the process of making the velouté, I set up 3 tablespoons of butter and all-purpose flour along with 2 cups of chicken stock. I also made sure the salt and pepper were close by for final seasoning. And lastly, I got out a sauce pan, wooden spoon, and whisk.

To make the roux, I melted the butter over medium-low heat. I then added the flour and began to whisk to incorporate. I cooked the roux until the blond stage which took about 6 minutes. The roux took on a slightly darker color than a white roux and no longer smelled of raw flour.

Once the roux was ready, I started to slowly add the stock, whisking to incorporate. I continued to add stock in small batches, waiting for the mixture to come to a gentle boil between additions. I continued to add stock until the sauce looked smooth and silky; which ended up being almost all of the stock.

The upper picture I provided for this process showed how my velouté looked after the initial addition of stock. The lower picture showed the gentle boil that I was looking for to know when to add additional stock as the sauce was coming together.

The upper picture shows how my velouté looked after the initial addition of stock. The lower picture shows the gentle boil that I was looking for to know when to add additional stock as the sauce was coming together.

Once the velouté was done, I added a pinch of salt and some pepper, tasted, added a bit more salt, and tasted again. The final velouté was smooth with a gentle shine. It coated the spoon, but as it dropped back into the bowl, it did not leave any obvious marks in the sauce. I was surprised by the amount of flavor it had; given that it was basically only three simple ingredients. I have spent the last half hour dipping my spoon in it and licking it clean…over and over, again!

Getting to the Meat of It

October 29, 2014February 26, 2015 / micahquookie / Leave a comment

Unit 12 did not have any graded assignments that I needed to take pictures of but I did take some pictures of our pumpkin carving. Happy Halloween!

Unit 12: Moist-heat Cooking Methods is all about comfort food—from braising, stewing, pot roasting, steaming, pressure cooking, submersion, and combination cooking—pretty much everything you might want on a chilly autumn night in front of a fire. Just my luck, it is late October, slightly dreary, and definitely cold. More…

It was in this unit, that I realized that I needed to print each of the practice recipes so as not to miss a single one even though I could not make them all before completing the unit. Braised peppercorn short ribs, milk-braised pork, oxtail ragu, rustic beef stew to name just a few; and too many rich meals in a short period of time! But over a longer stretch, these meals are so flavorful and satisfying, they are well worth making. And then there is steaming and poaching which offered a bit of a break from the heavy meals but still lots of flavor. The poached salmon was tender, moist, and still flavorful, and my favorite poaching assignment.

Unit 12 did not have any graded assignments that I needed to take pictures of but I did take some pictures of our pumpkin carving. Happy Halloween!

It’s a Dry Heat

October 27, 2014February 25, 2015 / micahquookie / Leave a comment

In Unit 11: Dry-Heat Cooking Methods, much to my shagrin, I learned that dry heat cooking methods encompass many of the most common cooking methods–from pan frying and sautéing to shallow and deep frying. I learned the proper way to pan fry, sauté, sear, stir fry, and sweat. And I even got to try my hand at pan tossing. This has proven to be something that I will have to master over time with practice. More…

The first graded assignment in this unit involved pan frying. I chose to make Pommes Parisienne–adorable rounds of potato fried in a pan. This proved to be a challenging assignment due to technical errors. In order to make the Pommes Parisienne, I had to set out a large bowl full of cold water. I then peeled about 3 pounds of Yukon Gold potatoes (as I was only making a 1/2 recipe). I then began the process of melon balling the potatoes and putting the spheres into another bowl of cold water. Less than half way in, my melon baller broke so I had to hand cut the rest of the balls; this did increase the prep time quite a bit. Once I finally finished, I got out the fry pan, tongs, paper towels, salt, pepper, and ghee to complete my mise en place.

To start pan frying, I turned on the burner to medium-high. While the pan was heating up, I drained and dried the potatoes. I added the ghee to the pan. Once melted, I added the potatoes and stirred to coat the potatoes. I continued cooking for about 14 minutes. I took one ball out at this point and tested it for doneness as the outsides were golden. They were not done, so I turned down the heat and continued cooking for approximately 5 minutes on medium-low. I tested again and they were done. I then sprinkled with salt and pepper, tossed, and tasted again for correct seasoning. I then added a bit more salt, transferred to a bowl, and put in my warming oven as the Pommes Parisienne were to be part of a composed dish that I was still working on.

The completed Pommes Parisienne were lightly crisp on the outside and tender on the inside. At first, I thought about adding more items to the dish but in the end the lack of ingredients allowed the potato to shine. If making again, I would buy a new, stronger melon baller so that the task of hand carving the spheres was not so time-consuming! I think it would also be interesting to par-boil the potatoes and then pan-fry to see how different the end dish would be in terms of taste and texture. My initial thought is that the structural integrity of the balls might be affected, but it would be fun to see what happened.

Another graded assignment in this unit involved sautéing. I chose to make Sautéed Mushrooms. To cook the mushrooms, once the pan was hot, I added the oil and butter. After melting, I added the mushrooms, salt, and squeezed the lemon over taking care not to drop any seeds. I continued to cook over high heat for approximately 5 minutes. I took the opportunity to practice my pan tossing as I was sautéing the mushrooms in hopes of helping them color evenly. I was mostly successful, but did lose a mushroom or two in the beginning as I was gaining more confidence. In the middle of the cooking process, I decided to add a bit of shallot and continued cooking the mushrooms until golden brown. I tasted for seasoning; adding a bit more salt and some pepper. I then transferred the mushrooms to a dish and put in my warming oven to use in a composed dish I was still working on. While looking at the color of the mushrooms was a definite hint on them being done, the fact that all the moisture had evaporated was also telling. In the end though, the best way to know that they were done was to taste them. They were were tender and succulent without being mushy. They had a meaty quality about them without a fiber-like texture.

After completing the mushrooms, I seared some filet on both sides, put into the oven until it reached an internal temp of 135 F, took out, tented, and used the sucs to make a pan sauce with the sautéed mushrooms, more shallots, stock, and a pat of butter. It all came together with the pommes parisienne. Really nice meal.

DO sweat the small stuff!

October 25, 2014February 25, 2015 / micahquookie / Leave a comment

As part of Unit 11, there was an graded activity that involved sweating minced garlic for a study in flavor development. I was then instructed to write my thoughts and observations on the results. More...

As part of Unit 11, there was an graded activity that involved sweating minced garlic for a study in flavor development. I was then instructed to write my thoughts and observations on the results.

In this activity, I observed the following:

In the gently sautéed version, the garlic water was a light color with a fragrant aroma. In the higher-heat fried version, the garlic water was quite dark with a bitter aroma.

In the gently sautéed version, the garlic water had a pleasant mild garlic flavor. In the higher-heat fried version, the garlic water had a sharp, pungent flavor that was unappealing.

Obviously, the gently sautéed version of the minced garlic was the only one that could have been used to make a dish. It was interesting that even the behavior of the liquid being added was different based on the heat. The water simmered gently in the low-heat version and vigorously spattered in the higher-heat version. The gently sautéed version would have no issue with taste or color if infused into a soup or sauce where the higher-heat version would impart a bitter flavor and unattractive color to anything you tried to add it to. I also found it interesting that the unappealing aroma (and resulting flavor) of the higher-heat version happened rather quickly; even before all the garlic had browned. So it would be important to toss out the whole lot if this happened and start over. Trying to save “what you could” would be short-sighted as the final dish would have been based on a bitter beginning. Oh and one last thing, the smell of overcooked garlic is not a pleasant scent to have lingering around the house =)

’tis the Season’ing

October 22, 2014February 25, 2015 / micahquookie / Leave a comment

Unit Ten: Seasoning was all about correct and balanced seasoning. Brining, salting, cooking with herbs and marinating were covered to build deep, delicious flavor. By the end of this unit, I felt comfortable with the process of brining, using herbs and creating marinades.

I do have to admit that I was no stranger to brining as several years ago–from a recipe from Rouxbe–we started brining our turkey each year for the holidays. And I now use it for quick brines of pork and chicken when time permits.

Overall, this unit was packed with information and ideas to ponder, but the biggest take-away I realized was that due to my taking much of the summer off, I needed to kick in into high gear to complete this course in time. I also realized that I should print out all the practice lessons that I am not able to complete before finishing the unit and infuse them into my weekly meal planning.

Pandora’s Box?

October 16, 2014February 25, 2015 / micahquookie / Leave a comment

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. More…

Nope, just my first Black Box assignment!

To start, I prepared my mise en place which consisted of 4 slices of smoked bacon cut in a small dice, 1 tablespoon of coconut oil, 1 onion cut in a small dice, 3 carrots cut in a medium dice, 1 teaspoon red chile pepper flake, 1 teaspoon coriander powder, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, ½ teaspoon nutmeg; freshly ground, 2 garlic cloves; minced, 10 fresh sage leaves cut in a chiffonade, ¼ cup white wine, 1 ½ teaspoon kosher salt, 1 medium butternut squash cut in a large dice, 4 cups chicken stock, ½ a bunch of kale cut into bite-sized pieces, and 1 can of coconut milk for the soup. And a potato cut into a small dice (which is not pictured below as I did not need it for some time) and shallot (which I did not use in the end) for the garnish.

In the process of making the soup, I used the following techniques: sweating of mirepoix, reducing of wine, skimming of impurities, simmering of soup, blanching of kale, pureeing of soup, sautéing of sage.

To start the soup, I fried off the bacon and removed from pan. I left a small amount of the bacon grease and added the coconut oil. Once melted, I added the onions and sweat for approximately 3 minutes without browning (any brownness you might see is just from the leftover bacon grease). I then added the carrots and continued cooking until slightly tender. I added the spices and sage and continued cooking for about a minute. I added the wine at this point and cooked until most of the wine evaporated in order to intensify the flavors. I added the salt, squash, and stock at this point. As the soup was coming up to temp, I had to skim off some impurities. I brought the soup to a simmer and cooked for about 15 minutes until the squash was tender. At this point, I pureed the soup in three batches in the blender; at which time I then added to a new pot to bring back to a simmer for about 10 minutes. While the soup was simmering away, I brought a pot of water to a boil to blanch the kale so that the color would be a vibrant color contrast to the ultimate color of the soup. I blanched the kale for 2 minutes before submerging into an ice bath. I then removed from the ice bath quickly, squeezed it out, and added to the puree along with most of the crisped-up bacon. I also cut up some potato into a small dice and fried until crisp as a textural accoutrement to the soup. In addition, at some point during the cooking process, I decided not to crisp up some shallot as a garnish. I decided that crispy sage would be a better choice as it tied into the soup base and tastes amazing. So I ran out to the garden to get more.

The decision to make a savory butternut squash soup was multi-pronged. I wanted to use a butternut squash that I had in the cupboard and I also wanted a warm soup as it was a dreary day and wanted to warm my body. I wanted to use some familiar flavors of home that warm my heart. And I was inspired to make a savory soup with Eastern flavors as those spices warm my soul. And let’s face it; there is nothing as comforting as a soup simmering away on the stove!

The final dish looked inviting and smelled slightly exotic. I added the potatoes to the dish at the end and sprinkled a bit of the leftover bacon bits as well as the crispy sage. The spice level was perfect with one caveat; I used Vietnamese cinnamon and it was tad strong, but a more demure cinnamon or less of that type would have been perfect. The potatoes and sage added wonderful texture that I think the soup needed.

Roux the Day

October 16, 2014February 25, 2015 / micahquookie / Leave a comment

The next lesson in the Soup unit provided insight on roux-based soups. 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 assignments 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. More…

The next lesson was on starch-based thick soups that are made by cooking starchy vegetables, legumes or grains together with a liquid. This was graded assignment of which I chose to make Leek & Potato soup. The other two options, I printed out to make later.To make this soup (after mise en place). I melted the butter over medium heat. Once completely melted, I added the onions and sweat them about 5 minutes to soften. I added the garlic and cooked for an additional minute. I then added the leeks and salt, stirred, and covered to sweat until softened; for about 7 minutes. At this point, I added the potatoes, stirred to combine, and then added the stock. I ended up having to add all 4 cups of stock to just cover the ingredients. I brought the soup to a simmer and then put a lid on and cooked for 10 minutes. I tested to see of the potatoes were ready, but they were not, so I continued simmering over medium-low heat for an additional 5 minutes; checking each minute for doneness. Once the soup was done, I turned off the heat and ladled in enough soup to fill a 1/3 of my blender; taking care to only add enough stock/liquid to blend well. I then poured the blended mixture through a fine mess colander for added smoothness into a sauce pan. I repeated this process 2 more times. I heated the soup back up. In the end, I did not have any leftover liquid as the soup needed it to come out the right consistency. I also added a bit of cream and pepper. It did not need any additional salt.

To serve the soup, I heated back up to temperature; tasting one last time for seasoning. In the end, I had already added enough seasoning but added just a bit more cream. I warmed the bowls and grilled some bread. I then ladled the soup into the bowls, sprinkled some chives on top and placed the grilled bread. The soup was well balanced with a velvety feel in the mouth. I found this activity especially satisfying as the onions and leeks came from my very own garden! The next time I make this, the potatoes and garlic will come from my own garden as well.

Smooth, Silky, Thick, or Chunky

October 9, 2014February 25, 2015 / micahquookie / Leave a comment

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. The unit starts with a lesson on clear broth soup and then a lesson and graded assignment in which you choose one of two clear stock soups. I chose to make the Caldo Verde soup. I started by making my stock. I then set up my mise en place by finely dicing a yellow onion and mincing some garlic cloves. I shredded kale and savoy cabbage. I thinly sliced sausages and peeled and diced potatoes. More…

The choice is yours.

The unit starts with a lesson on clear broth soup and then a lesson and graded assignment in which you choose one of two clear stock soups. I chose to make the Caldo Verde soup. I started by making my stock. I then set up my mise en place by finely dicing a yellow onion and mincing some garlic cloves. I shredded kale and savoy cabbage. I thinly sliced sausages and peeled and diced potatoes.

To begin cooking, I heated a stock pot to medium-low and added olive oil. I then added the onion, garlic, and a pinch of salt; sweating for about 8 minutes until translucent. At this point, I added the potatoes and another pinch of salt and cooked for another 5 minutes until slightly softened. From here, I increased the heat to medium-high, added the stock and a bit more salt; bringing the soup to a simmer. I know this may seem like a lot of salt, but it really wasn’t as I was using a pinch at a time. I let simmer for approximately 10 minutes while I cooked the sausage. Once the sausage was browned on both sides, I transferred to a cooling tray lined with paper towel. I made sure to set aside some of the rendered fat for later.

I then lightly mashed some of the potatoes, added the kale and savoy cabbage and brought the soup back to a simmer and let cook for a little over 5 minutes. I mashed the potatoes a bit more, but not too much, as I wanted enough chunky potatoes in the soup to provide some textural diversity. I added the cooked sausage and added a bit more salt and some pepper.

To serve, I simply ladled the soup into the warmed bowls and added a drizzle of the reserved fat over each. I brought the rest of the rendered fat the table for dipping bread in as it had a great flavor and color. The combination of the bread dipped in the soup after being dipped in the oil was my favorite part of the meal. The soup was hearty, but not heavy. The combination of the kale and cabbage was perfect, providing slight bitterness with sweetness and additional textures. The sausage was slightly overcooked and tasted much better the next day when it had time to soak up some of the stock.

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