Chef's Certification Progress

It's been a busier year for me, so I haven't posted in awhile, and this could be my last post in another long while, but I did manage to finish the chef's course I was taking.  I am still working on extra lab lessons and cannot wait to get into spherification for fun, but back in December and January, every Sunday for several hours a day I would cram in online lectures and tests, as well as the regular class time on Monday evenings, and did it, got finished.  My sis in law is still working on hers as well.  It is a lot of fun, and sister bonding too.  The thing that I learned most from this course is that chef's training is about being more practical and more efficient to be overall quicker and more functional in the kitchen, and not about making fancy things.  The recipes in our course pretty much call for salt and pepper as the seasoning agents....focusing on bringing out the natural flavors in each dish with accents.  The "fancy" lectures come as bonus lectures.  I was surprised to learn this, but happy about this.  Our classes have taught us that ratios is what cooking is all about.  It's not really about following recipes, but it's about knowing ratios.  Can't escape math!  :-)  We have learned time saver things....smashing garlic and ginger instead of cutting it actually brings out more flavor this way.......How to easily peel a tomato, or dice an onion only with a few strokes of a knife....ETC...and fun facts like the term Sweet breads is not referring to bread, but actually innards of animals that you can eat.  Anyway, I am happy to have pushed ahead to finish.  I've mentioned before that unless I owned a restaurant which would be pretty impossible with my lifestyle and I also already love my job as HQ Receptionist b/c it's an everyday opportunity to live in my role as a helpmeet to everyone else in the office and abroad.  I wouldn't want to work in the culinary field though I totally do have a lot of respect for food services....I don't think I'd have what it takes in more ways than one...standing on my feet all day for one....ETC...it's a lot of pressure!  I just really like the culinary arts and learning about nutrition to maybe be able to help with that in the future life while people are still on planet Earth;  :-)  so trying to make myself available and ready for God for whatever purpose He wants of me in the future, and now I can raise the royal bar in service in my life now even when need be.  I'm trying to make sure that everything that I do is with a potential future purpose.  Easier said than done sometimes.  This is done, except for the extra lab things!  Still the rest of the semester left of that.  Here is a funny from my niece:  One night at culinary class we didn't have lab meaning that we didn't have to cook, just a night of listening to lectures.  When Sophia's dad came to pick up her mom, Sophia told her dad these exact words..."We didn't cook today, but we will probably cook tomorrow."  LOL  I guess that meant sorry Daddy no dinner tonight, but don't worry, we'll probably have food to eat tomorrow.  LOL  No worries, he did have dinner waiting for him as my sis in law is great!  :-)

 ABOVE:  A photo of the certificate in my kitchen.  Hopefully it is not vain to hang it...a lot of work went into obtaining it, so hopefully it is okay to have it out.  I am one that is sometimes leery of such things.  Still a work in progress.
BELOW is a small portfolio of some of things we've done...I guess kind of a little mini Pinterest of ideas, but I'll try to post everything, on my culinary site later on when I have more time...probably this summer.

ABOVE:  CONFIT DUCK leg and thigh with accent poached pear in red wine alongside smashed potatoes with cabbage.  The confit method is an interesting method to learn, though pretty easy, and it came out delicious.

BELOW:  POACHED PEAR in red wine with vanilla bean ice cream as a simple elegant dessert. It was fun and pretty simple coring the pear while keeping it whole.

ABOVE:  Grill Pan New York Strip Steak...learning how to perfect indoor grill pan lines...with a special super easy Chef's recipe for Chimichurri Sauce.

BELOW:  A lesson on perfecting pan roasting a whole chicken.  Poultry was my challenge as it turned out.  I failed the poultry test the first time, but succeeded with an A the second time around.  We used brussel sprouts and brown rice as sides.

BELOW:  Deep Fried Chicken and Deep Fried restaurant style French Fries w/fried dill pickles.  This method takes a lot of effort, but it is delicious!  You use starchy potatoes, not waxy, and cut fries out.  Then, you first have to put cut raw potatotes in freezer, then take out and deep fry to blanch, then put them back in the freezer, then take them out and deep fry them again, then put them back in the freezer, and then do one final deep fry, and voila, you have restaurant french fries...kind of like McDonald's actually.  Lots of steps to get there....but this chef's way makes them where they are NOT greasy or soggy as you cook them at the right temperature and something about the chemistry of the exact proper temperature and this method will expel the grease rather than soak it into the fries.   The same applies to the chicken.  Not a healthy lesson, but glad to know how to get the desired affect to have these every now and then sparingly.

 ABOVE:  Mint Raita Chicken Legs...this is for more of the curry fan club....in which I am not a part of, but it was alright.  :-)

BELOW:  Beef Bourguignon...absolutely delicious lesson on stewing!

 ABOVE:  Lesson on braising meats with Beef Short Ribs in wine sauce.

BELOW:  Nicoise Salad with Pan Grilled Salmon.  Learned the different kinds of salad.  The most common American Salad as we know it is the Cobb Salad as most already know.  Not that it really matters unless you work or own a restaurant, but terms are a fun hobby for the foodies.

 ABOVE:  Stuffed Leg of Lamb with get this.....anchovies!  We were all wondering how this would turn out and had to just trust our chef's course, and it was actually quite delicious.  The fish cut down some of the lamb flavor, and vice versa leaving this dish with a perfect balance.  So good!

BELOW:  Using the cast iron skillets from my dad to do a test run on Egg Frittata's...Learned the difference between and Frittata and Quiche is that with Quiche everything in the egg settles on the bottom, and with Frittata's, everything in the egg rises to the top.  It's all the chemistry of how you whip it.  I may not have done so great in chemistry back in high school, but I managed to survive this aspect of it at least!  :-)