Yom al-Idhnayn 2/22/10 – Braising and the Mixte Method

So, your very own little Jackie is almost ready to move up to Level 2 of The French Culinary Institute’s Classic Culinary Arts program! That will make me a step closer to and a pound heavier for October’s glorious graduation.

We have our big scary practical exam on Wednesday, and used half of Monday’s class quartering chickens and filleting flatfish in preparation. Surprisingly, no one wanted to take home any of the four small fillets rendered from their fish…so, in my classic no-shame style, I collected them all and brought home about 3 pounds of flounder. I even woke Steve up from a deep slumber when I got home from class to show him the loot I collected (PS he was only slightly impressed; an hour earlier and he would have been MEGA impressed).

In between butchering, we braised a lamb shank in wine, reduced the liquid into a glaze and served it all on a bed of currant/pine nut/curry couscous. Ma-atakallam Arabi. Wait, that’s not French…… L'esprit de l'escalier! That’s better. After dinner, we abandoned our Moroccan theme to make a braised chicken dish with a cream sauce and some vegetables. It was once said that a good chef can take the same few ingredients and make multiple different dishes, or something to that effect, and if this were true I would choose chicken, carrots, onions and celery, heavy cream and salt. Voila! I just planned Le Cirque’s menu for a year.

Anyone who knows me even remotely well knows that I have a vice; an addiction from which I find it hard to abstain, one that consumes my thoughts and often my actions to the point of alienating my loved ones. My name is Jacqueline Lindsey and I love fast food. I am proud to make this public declaration, for all four of you to see, to prove that it’s OK for a budding chef to eat crap…semi-often. I made a discovery today, one that will forever shape the final days of my temporary position with the bank - I found a Chipotle in lower Manhattan. Walking down Maiden Lane toward my final destination, the only street in the neighborhood I had not yet explored, reminded me of the first time I visited Times Square. The store fronts, with their elaborate displays and colorful artwork; the signs, shining through the sky like a midday sun; the employees, beckoning passersby with a free sample here, a brochure there. Hello McDonald’s, Maiden Lane _iner (the “D” bulb is out), Dunkin Donuts, Burger King and…Chipotle. I chose a stool in the front window, and I couldn’t help but feel that I was placed there solely to be judged every time I took a mouthful of my burrito by the healthy eaters walking by with their JustSalad! bags and Subway 6-inch vegetable subs. Newsflash: I don’t care… Maybe I should go into corporate development for Burger King or something…nevermind, that’s trouble.

I'd rather laugh with the sinners
Than cry with the saints
The sinners are much more fun
You know that only the good die young …

-Billy Joel “Only the Good Die Young”

Friday, 2/19/10 – Extraction Methods

Steve and I have been catching up on old seasons of the Showtime drama “The Tudors” on Netflix. I love the story of King Henry VIII and his court, however ridiculous and outlandish it was, and am always intrigued when they treated simple illnesses, such as fevers, by “bleeding” someone. Basically, they would cut holes in the patient’s body near the afflicted area and just let the blood flow, declaring that it would “extract” the toxins. Sheesh - I have a hard time plucking my eyebrows! I’m not sure why they thought that making a person weaker would allow the body to heal faster, but it’s kind of hilarious considering everything we know now, and scary imagining what it would have been like to face that treatment. This is slightly similar to the French cook’s extraction methods! Treating a piece of meat in such a way that it draws out its juices and goodness. Bear with me here people….my mind works in funny ways.

We made two very delicious recipes, both very different. The first, Poule au pot, sauce raifort is a boiled chicken with horseradish sauce. It’s not as gross as it sounds; it’s actually a glorified chicken soup with a spicy cream sauce on the side. We spent countless time cutting carrots, potatoes, celery and turnips into footballs as the chicken was poaching away, and served them all in the stock like a soup. Traditionally, the soup is served with the horseradish sauce, cornichons, Dijon mustard, sea salt and pickled pearl onions on the side, although no explanation was given as to why those particular items were chosen. It seems as though the chef who wrote this recipe hadn’t grocery shopped for a while and chose to throw a bunch of random jarred items on the plate.

All the while, a tasty veal shank was braising on the stove. We prepared a white supreme sauce with a simple roux, the fortified veal stock and heavy cream mixed with an egg yolk. We used the sauce to make a beautiful Blanquette de veau a l’Ancienne - a white veal stew. The veal was so incredibly tender, and the addition of pearl onions and mushrooms a blanc, served with rice pilaf, completed the dish. I was fortunate enough to take home the additional servings, and heated it up for dinner on Saturday night – which was received with what I can only translate as Husband Tastebud Satisfaction Syndrome.

I had an “off day” at school, which can happen to us all. I grabbed a hot pan handle straight on, overcooked the onions and blackened a pan in less than 10 minutes…yikes. I received an awesome compliment, however, one that surprisingly led me to believe my classmates don’t know me very well. I was washing my 15 million tools at the sink when someone approached to “get in line”. I apologized for monopolizing the faucet, and he said, “It’s no problem at all…I’m happy to wait for you.” I wasn’t quite sure what he meant by that, so I asked him to clarify. “You’re one of the most patient people I know, so I’m happy to wait for you to finish washing!” I thanked him for his kind words yet was a little taken aback by his assessment, as I consider myself to be many things but one of them is definitely not patient. “I’ve seen you stay calm through some pretty rough situations…and I respect that. So take your time.” Wow. I learned a little something about myself I guess, and sometimes it takes a simple compliment to turn your night around. I’ll definitely think of that next time steam is coming out of my ears and flesh is peeling off of my fingers. SERENITY NOW!

Wednesday, 2/17/10 – Concentration Methods Day #2

Prior to last Friday, I thought “concentration methods” included a cup of strong coffee, a bowl of Wheaties and a walk around the cube farm when your eyes get droopy. Apparently in cooking there are more specific concentration methods, such as roasting, sautéing and grilling.

Continuing our concentration education, we made a flattened and breaded chicken breast escalope with a “Viennese” sauce, or the French’s interpretation of what they think is eaten in Vienna. Raging stereotypes are very typical of the French cuisine. In fact, I think next week we’re making a dish called Les Oversized Americaine aux Rude and Lazy Sauce. We also seared and cooked a nice little beef filet tournedo and served it with….I’ll give you one guess……...take your time…………….butter. In fact, the French have improved butter, believe it or not, by adding herbs and salt, freezing it in a log and cutting it into slices to place on top of already buttery butter meat. It’s really unbelievable sometimes.

I was at the sink rinsing my potatoes when I suddenly heard a faint, “Bill, she better hurry up if she’s going to execute the garniture before 10:30.” I looked around, and as expected didn’t see anything out of the ordinary. “What the freak was that,” I thought to myself, shrugging it off and continuing, but a few minutes later the voice returned as I was reducing the sauce on the stove. “She’s gone too far! There’s no turning back now, the recipe might as well be over. Ever since the trials, Jackie’s been nursing a burnt hand and she doesn’t seem to have recovered properly. This could really hurt her in the end.” “Now, that’s a little judgmental. This ghost voice is not being very supportive.” I couldn’t seem to figure it out, but was getting more and more self-conscious as the night wore on and as the voice got more negative. “Look at that, Tom, she’s just haphazardly flipping the meat with no skill. This is not the day for her to half-ass this dish. Ivanka Klavnikova has already plated the potatoes and is draping them with the finished sauce. Jackie’s got 10 seconds to pull this off if she wants to go home with a medal.” Well good news Bill and Tom, I went home with a medal on Wednesday in the shape of a beautiful and delicious filet mignon. I also learned that just because the Olympics are on doesn’t mean we have to constantly watch them – apparently it doesn’t mix well with lack of sleep.

Sunday, 2/14/10 – Valentine’s Day

I’ve gotten a lot of requests for details on the Lindsey Valentine’s Day Dinner Extravaganza 2010. I have fantastic news: I took pictures of the 4-course meal created out of pure love and adoration for my dear husband, and am pleased to share them with you on this public, impersonal and permanent forum.

After planning for a week and slaving over the stove all day Sunday, leaving me unattractive and short-tempered, I am proud to tell you that my first attempt at creating an elaborate gourmet meal per deux was a complete success. I think I abused the services of my Sous Steve, perhaps ordering him around too much, but he’s a good sport. He knew it was game time.

Course 1: Seared Sea Scallops on Parsley Coulis

Course 2: Macedoine de Legumes, topped with Goat Cheese and Dill

Course 3: Fried Catfish Goujonettes with Sauce Remoulade and Red Pepper Cream Sauce, Potato Rissoler and Zucchini a l’Etuvee

Course 4: Orange Supremes baked in an Orange Liquor Mint Cream Sabayon

They say the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach; if this is true, I’ve won the heart of the one I love for a lifetime and beyond. Then again, I think I had his heart long before Sunday’s dinner.

Friday, 2/12/10 – Concentration Methods Day #1

Since we were “blessed” with a snow storm cancellation last week yet Steven and I were “allowed” to pay for a full class, Friday’s class was spent playing catch-up, so we cooked one recipe from Wednesday and one from Friday’s lesson.

I wear my heart on my cutting board. You know, once you think you know someone, all of a sudden they’re gone and out of your life with no ounce of remorse, like the past 2 weeks have meant nothing. The kitchen is no place for pansies, so I’ll just say it: we switched station mates again, and it was hard to say goodbye to Chad. He’ll be working right next to me, so I’m not that upset, but nevertheless we worked well together. At least that’s what I thought – he's probably celebrating as we speak.

We learned how to truss a chicken, which ensures that it cooks well, keeps the stuffing inside and that the breasts get plump…….it’s really hard for someone as immature as me to stay silent through “Get the breasts nice and plump!” and “Those breasts don’t look plump enough.” I need help.

So we roasted our trussed chicks with the plumped breasts (browning each side in oil first to crisp the skin) and used the drippings to make a nice jus. We served it with browned bacon lardons, mushrooms cooked in the bacon fat, caramelized pearl onions and potato rissoler, a 3-step method of cooking the little potato footballs – this whole dish is called “Grandmother Style,” or Grand-Mere.

Then we took a beautiful sirloin steak and threw it on the big grill, making sure we created the quadrillage, the classic diamond shape, on each side of the meat. Since I don’t like to eat something that’s still moo-ing, I put my steak into the oven for a few more minutes to get it up to medium. We served it with Pommes Frites and a Sauce Choron, which is a béarnaise reduction with tomato fondue that is traditionally served with grilled meats. DELICIOUS! I brought a good-sized sirloin home, and served a pepper steak-topped Greek salad for dinner Saturday night. I am getting a little nervous about how easy it is becoming for me to eat two full meals a night with no hesitation. This might become a problem in the near future.

RANDOM RECIPE OF THE DAY

Hand-made mayonnaise is not the same as the Hellman’s crap you buy on a shelf. It is light, flavorful and can greatly enhance any salad or sandwich.

MAYONNAISE

You will need:

-1 egg yolk

-1 tablespoon of Dijon mustard

-5 ounces of vegetable oil

-1/2 teaspoon white wine vinegar

-Kosher salt and pepper

Combine the egg yolk, vinegar, a generous pinch of salt and the mustard in a bowl and whisk until combined. Continue whisking, and slowly add the oil drop by drop until an emulsion occurs, or until it is thick and airy. The rest of the oil can then be added in a thin stream, but continue to whisk. You will recognize the consistency when it’s done. Season to taste, adding pepper and salt as needed.