Back to culinary school on Monday for my third term, and what better way to prepare than making Sunday dinner? Here's what's cooking:
Braised beef ribs (with the bone left long, 6-8 inches, for flavor and presentation. After browning and then "sweating" the mirepoix in rendered bacon fat, I am braising them in chicken stock and red wine at 225º F. for 2 1/2 to 3 hours, or until the meat is ready to fall off the bone.
Braised fennel and apples. Slicing the fennel lengthwise and the apples in eighths. I will sweat a diced shallot in 1 TB unsalted whole butter before adding water, bringing it up to a simmer and then adding in the fennel and apples. Should take 20-30 minutes covered on low heat.
Pommes duchesse, the fancy mashed, then piped, then baked potatoes.
Brown sauce thickened with roux and strained from the remains of the rib braising.
I will blanch and then fry a bit of the fern-like green tops from the fennel for garnish.
Check back later today to read how it turns out and for a full rundown on expectations in the first week of classes in Culinary Foundations III.
Showing posts with label braised short ribs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label braised short ribs. Show all posts
Sunday, January 03, 2010
Thursday, November 05, 2009
Battle of the bulge still on, but I'm winning for now
Still no weight gain for me -- in fact, a self-impressive 3-4 pound loss -- after six weeks of culinary school.
As has been said to the point of cliché, given a situation in which one must literally eat his homework and his in-class work, putting on pounds would seem to be part of the program. Executive Chef Tim Grable of the California Culinary Academy warned us about the issue at the beginning of the term, as shown here.
The scale read a hair over 180 pounds this morning. On Sept. 28, the first day of class, it hovered at 184.
Bigger tests are yet to come. In Culinary Foundations I, we didn't cook every day, and with one or two exceptions, we consumed only bits of what we made, adhering to Chef Grable's admonition to "taste, don't eat."
Starting Monday, in Culinary Foundations II, we will be cooking nearly every day, over a four-hour span. That will increase the challenge.
And, yet to come, in the early spring, is high potential for falling off the wagon: Baking and Pastry class.
Post Script: Any reader who interprets my small weight loss over six weeks as a sign that my cooking isn't all that good won't be invited to the next feast of braised short ribs with a wine sauce, garlic mashed potatoes and green beans in béchamel sauce.
As has been said to the point of cliché, given a situation in which one must literally eat his homework and his in-class work, putting on pounds would seem to be part of the program. Executive Chef Tim Grable of the California Culinary Academy warned us about the issue at the beginning of the term, as shown here.The scale read a hair over 180 pounds this morning. On Sept. 28, the first day of class, it hovered at 184.
Bigger tests are yet to come. In Culinary Foundations I, we didn't cook every day, and with one or two exceptions, we consumed only bits of what we made, adhering to Chef Grable's admonition to "taste, don't eat."
Starting Monday, in Culinary Foundations II, we will be cooking nearly every day, over a four-hour span. That will increase the challenge.
And, yet to come, in the early spring, is high potential for falling off the wagon: Baking and Pastry class.
Post Script: Any reader who interprets my small weight loss over six weeks as a sign that my cooking isn't all that good won't be invited to the next feast of braised short ribs with a wine sauce, garlic mashed potatoes and green beans in béchamel sauce.
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