Ok, so making Consommé is monumentally easier than Chicken Grand Mere. I guess it took a frantic night of pulling my hair out and setting fires in an 115˚F kitchen with zero air movement to kick my butt into realizing that I have to high-tail it to get these recipes done solo. Although we've been doing only one recipe per night, with the other half of class spent in wine class, working on anything by yourself is stressful, especially in an environment so hot and steamy it felt like Las Vegas in a heat wave. Opposed to Grand Mere, which includes an entire chicken that needs to be trimmed, manchonnered, stuffed and trussed and is served with caramelized pearl onions, crispy bacon, sautéed mushrooms and potato rissoler, all in a perfectly reduced jus, Consommé is simply clarified stock served with a few vegetable cubes.
I began the class by sitting myself down and having a serious pep talk with myself. "Seriously, don't mess this up. I'm not even kidding Jackie, if you can't make freaking Consommé in freaking an hour and a half, you're a freaking &$#%!*^. Stop daydreaming about ponies and rainbows and just get it done ok?" Gee, you didn't need to be so harsh, but I get the point.
I mixed my lean ground beef with the tomatoes, egg whites and various julienned vegetable scraps. I added it all to the marmite (a type of brown stock) and brought that up to a simmer to clarify. In the meantime, I meticulously cut all of the vegetable macedoine cubes, and cooked them separately a l'anglaise. After about 45-50 minutes, I strained the Consommé and degreased it (with paper towels…it's a really scientific process) and put it back on the fire to get it very hot. I had a few minutes to spare (wow!) so I looked around, got myself mentally prepared and started to clean up. I threw my bowls in the oven to get them nice and smoking hot, and put the whole thing together last-minute. It was really, really good (for Consommé that is) and I was very proud of it, although I was more proud of the fact that I had kicked my own butt and had a little time to spare. Chef's only criticism was that I had too many vegetable garnishes in my bowl, but I can tell you that if I had paid $12 for a bowl of broth I'd expect a little over a tablespoon of vegetable cubes. I'm simply fighting for justice for the people.
I drank some Consommé for dinner, and then we all filtered across the hall for day two of wine class. It was much, much better than Wednesday's class - in which I was left wondering why I was embarrassed for thinking wine tasted like wine. We had seven small cups placed in front of us, which contained butter, salt, jelly, salami, smoked almonds, lemon slices and sriracha hot sauce. We were told that we'd be creating some small "recipes" to eat with our wine, and testing the realities of how drastically food can change the taste of a wine. It was absolutely fascinating; we started slow, placing a small bit of salt on our tongues and then tasting a Riesling or a bit of lemon juice with a Sauvignon Blanc. The differences were unbelievable, and from that moment on I was a believer. I am starting to realize that perhaps the reason why I don't enjoy wine is because I've never had a really great pairing, and it's possible I've been drinking my Trader Joe's Two Buck Chuck with the completely incorrect meal, causing it to taste too oaky and astringent (do you like how I threw in some new wine-tasting terms??).
Things started to get a little complicated, and we started creating "meals" with our ingredients. We had three different Syrahs to test, two very expensive Old World styles and one very cheap and manufactured pseudo-Australian brand (that contains the name of the color of the sun and the name of the animal body part that extends from the spine). We first made Pad Thai Takeout – a smoked almond dipped in jelly and hot sauce, with a drop of lemon juice. Now, I have a very colorful imagination, often seeing entire scenes play out before me that exist solely in my mind, but the Pad Thai was unreal – it required absolutely no imagination because it tasted exactly like it! To "complement" the Pseudo-Australian Yet Really American Sun-Colored Animal-Body-Part Poorly Manufactured and Fake Tasting Shiraz we concocted "American Barbecue" – a piece of salami with a little bit of butter, a dollop of jelly with hot sauce and a smoked almond. Holy Smokes, it sure was BBQ, but unfortunately nothing could mask the taste of that wine. I promise I'm not trying to act like a wine snob, in fact the mere thought of me being a wine snob is hilarious (Note to self: Practice 'Wine Snob' persona for next dinner party. Second note to self: Try to get invited to a dinner party). It is very obvious, though, when tasting a crappy wine right after a very expensive and historic vintage wine. It is also very interesting to sample different cuisines and food combinations with various regional wines. While I only spent 6 hours with a professional sommelier, tasting and discussing some interesting wines, I'd like to think I feel a little more confident with the pairings. While it'll take a few years of tasting, pairing and experimentation, I think my dear husband will be along for the ride. Now, in addition to an "Italy Trip Fund," a "School Loan Payoff Fund" and a "Feline Medical Bills Fund" we have to start a "Wine Tasting Fund." I'm glad one of us is employed…
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