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.
rouxbe cooking school
a chronological journal of my online culinary school excursions
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.
Who Knew?
A while back, I saw a carrot salad somewhere that had these thin strands of--well--carrots. It looked like an interesting way to prepare them. I then promptly forgot about it and went on with my life...until a few days ago when I started this new unit on salad and dressing. Before even knowing what assignments I might have, I started searching for the gadget that provides these thought-to-be tasty tendrils. It didn't take long to find it: the Spiralizer. It was reasonably priced so I purchased it and patiently waited for it to arrive.
Oh, Lucky Me!
I wrapped up the third unit on knives and am now on to Unit Four: Salads & Dressings. Here's the thing; I love salads. I just also happen to have an aversion to dressings. Maybe I should rephrase that; I actually hate vinegar which happened to be in most vinaigrette and dressing. Before I had started this cookery school, I had decided that I was going to take this opportunity to try a few things that I had swore off. This was one of ingredients on my hit list to try, so I really should have been more excited, right? I even went out of my way to pick vinaigrette options that had vinegar in them as part of my practice assignments. I went to the store and purchased a white wine variety and still feeling positive began making my salad. When the time came to make the mise en place for the dressing, I knew in my heart that I couldn't do it. The smell...ugh!
Left To My Own Devices
It came! The whet stone arrived; even a day early. Amazon is the best; at least when you live on an island and there are no malls or departments stores available without a ferry ride. I decided to wait until everyone was gone for the day to begin my lesson in knife sharpening. I soaked the stone as instructed, selected the knifes that I wanted to sharpen as well as one to practice on first. I then turned on some background music and watched the Rouxbe video on using a whet stone. And then I watched it again. And again.
quookie 