Flipping through old cookbooks to find something different to serve for Easter dinner I came upon a recipe I made at Le Cordon Bleu during my Superior Cuisine course: Lamb Rib Roast Baked in a Bread Crust served with Jus and an Artichoke Hazlenut Oil infused Purée.

The lamb is baked in yeast bread crust with a vegetable stuffing surrounding it and served with a purée of artichoke blended with hazlenut oil and a teensy bit of cream. Globe artichokes are in season now, and of course, Spring lamb is always symbolic of Easter. The addition of hazlenut oil adds extra warmth and comfort to the purée.

The tricky part of this recipe is getting the cooking time right. Since there is no way to check for done-ness of the lamb through the bread. I find that by the time the bread is browned the lamb is cooked perfectly. Be careful not to over sear the lamb in the pre-cooking steps. It needs to be rare.

The fun part of this recicpe is decorating the top of the lamb loaf. Why not make an Easter basket or give it some bunny ears?

Happy Easter!

Recipe from Le Cordon Bleu Superior Cuisine

Filet D’Agneau Du Boulanger, Purée D’Artichauts a L’Huile de Noisette

(Lamb Rib Roast in Bread Crust, Artichoke Purée with Hazelnut Oil)
serves 4

Ingredients

Artichoke purée:
5 large artichokes
50ml cream
30 ml hazlenut oil
salt, pepper
1 lemon
2 tablespoons flour

Lamb and Jus:
1 lamb rib roast (best end neck – 8 ribs), fillet removed from bones and trimmed. Bones chopped.
1 chopped seeded tomato
Trimmings from vegetable stuffing
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 cup lamb stock (can substitute chicken, vegetable, or beef stock –without salt)

Vegetable Stuffing:
1 shallot
1 carrot
1/2 leek
1 celery stalk
100 g mushrooms
20 g butter (1 Tablespoon)
1 T chopped parsley

Bread Dough:
500g country style bread flour (pain de campagne)
20g fresh compressed yeast (can substitute active dry yeast)
330ml water at 9˚c or 18˚F
10g salt
kneading: 15 minutes at slow speed, form into ball, cover, keep warm

Decoration on Bread Loaf:
125g flour
30f butter
5g salt
50 ml water
15g glucose

Instructions

For Artichoke Purée:
1. Cut leaves off of artichokes with a serrated knife down to the bottom, including the tough outer part around the artichoke bottom. Scoop out the thistle in the center with a spoon (takes some work here). Rub with lemon.
2. Cook artichoke hearts in a “blanc” or simmering water with two heaping tablespoons of flour and the lemon used to rub the artichoke bottoms with. This will keep the artichoke hearts from turning black in color. Once the hearts are cooked, drain, and rinse in warm water to remove any flour.
3. Purée in a blender until smooth then add in hazlenut oil, cream, and salt in pepper
4. Place in a bain marie (pot in a water bath of warm water) and keep warm until ready to serve. Or refrigerate and reheat in a bain marie.

For vegetable stuffing:
1. Brunoise all ingredients (chop into a small perfect dice) and sauté in butter until just cooked. Stir in the chopped parsley and let cool. Use vegetable tirmmings for lamb jus.

For Meat and Jus:
1. Trim fat off of rib roast and trip filet off of bones. Then trim off the silvery tendons on fillet. (Or have butcher do this for you, but reserve all meat trimmings and the bones for jus.) Chop bones with a cleaver for jus.
2. Season lamb filet with salt and pepper on all sides. Heat a medium skillet on high heat with a tablespoon of olive oil. When oil is hot, sear lamb rare on all sides. This is around one minute for each side. Remove lamb to rest for five minutes and re-season with a sprinkle of salt. Refrigerate after it has rested.
3. Re-use the same skillet for the jus. Turn down heat to medium and add the lamb bones and any meat trimmings (not the fat). Do not stir too often, but let bones and meat get nice and brown. Once all is browned, deglaze pan with white wine and scrape up any carmelized bits. Add meat stock and any vegetable trimmings available including a chopped and seeded tomato (mushroom trimmings, parsley stalks). Let jus simmer on low heat until reduced by half. Reserve.

For Decorations and Bread:
1. Add the yeast to warm water and let dissolve and get foamy. Then add to flour. Put dough in a professional mixer with a dough hook and need for 1-2 minutes, then add salt and continue to knead for another fifteen minutes on low speed. The temperature of the bread should be around 24 – 26˚C by the time it’s done (48-52˚F).
2. Form into a ball and place in a bowl, cover with a towel and let rest in a warm place.
3. While bread is rising make decoration dough. Add water to glucose and heat in a small pot and stir until mixed. Melt butter. Make a well in the flour and add water/glucose mixture and melted butter. Knead on a flour surface. Roll out dough into strips and create decorations. For wheat roll into 1/2″ strips and then snip the top with scissors. Place on a floured baking sheet and refrigerate for 2-3 minutes.
4. Once the dough has risen punch down and knead by hand for 3 minutes, form into a ball and let it rise again.
5. Oil a baking sheet with olive oil.
6. Flour a large surface and roll out dough – not too thin – in a rectangle to almost fit the size of the baking sheet.. Place in the refrigerator for 3-5 minutes.
7. Take dough out of fridge and cut dough on the baking sheet to a size that will wrap around the fillet.
8. Place one quarter of vegetable stuffing down the middle of dough, the length of the fillet. Place fillet on top and pack the rest of the vegetable stuffing on top and around the sides. Seal edges of dough around the fillet with water and press to form a seam. Fold the ends of dough like a package and seal with water too. All seams should be on the top of the lamb loaf. Gently turn the loaf over so the seams are on the bottom of the baking sheet.
9. Brush top with water and place on decorations.
10. Leave to rest at room temperature for 10-15 minutes to expand a little.
11. Cook for 15 minutes on the baking sheet at 142˚C or 380˚F. Watch carefully to make sure decorations don’t burn. Cover them with tin foil if necessary.
12. Take out of oven and let cool a little on a rack. Then serve and cut into slices at table with a serrated bread knife.

The post Easter Dinner: Filet d’Agneau Du Boulanger first appeared on Amy Glaze's Pommes d'Amour.

Easily this was a job meant for several people but I managed. One day our pastry chef quit. She was also working for the famous restaurant, Stars, in SF and couldn't handle both. I was asked to take her place while continuing with my Garde Manger position since we had a small cooking staff and none of the other Chef's had any extra prep time. Baking for the first time in a restaurant was a total nightmare. Thank God Italian desserts are much simpler than French ones!

I made every costly mistake in the book. Including not tempering the eggs right for our Creme Brulée, using bread flour for a cake that required all-purpose flour (the bins weren't labeled – how was I to know?), cooking cheesecake until it wasn't jiggly in the center and not letting it set afterwards, wasting over ten kilos of Valronna chocolate because I didn't temper it right – oh the list is endless!

There were many nights when the servers would tell the clientele that we were "sold out" of a particular dessert because I messed it up during the day and didn't have time to go back and re-bake it. I learned the hard way without the aid of a fancy cooking school education how to bake. And I did get really good.

Fast forward to Summer of Paris 2005. I decided to go to cooking school and relearn all the things I had done wrong. I started my education at Le Cordon Bleu with a basic pastry class. I thought I was going to be best in class due to my vast experience in desserts. I was sure that no one would equal my skill, speed, or artistic creativity. I was wrong.

Parisian desserts are a science. They are not "a little bit of this and a little bit of that" like Italian desserts. On our first day we were given scales to weigh ingredients as opposed to the traditional measuring cups, a full case of knives and pastry utensils, and an enormous notebook with recipes covering every famous French pastry and cake that you can imagine.

Our first recipes included several tried and true French tea cakes and biscuits – the Madeleine included. I whizzed through the first recipes faster than anyone in the class. My pastry skills and muscle memory seemed to come back naturally. Even the teachers were impressed. And then came the Madeleines.

I whipped through the simple recipe – maybe too fast – and waited for the rest of the class to catch up so we could put our little cakes in the oven at the same time. When the oven buzzer went off I was excited to see my shell-like cakes with the traditional little bump on the other side (a phenomena that no one can explain, but signifies a well baked Madeleine).

I was even more excited to taste their buttery spongy-ness. Our beloved pastry chef took out the cakes and stacked them on the cooling racks. One looked particularly horrible. The Madeleines had puffed up too much and formed one cake over the whole tray and the ingredients seperated.

I remember thinking, "Oh, I'm sooooo glad those aren't mine. How embarrasing." and then when I couldn't identify my cakes as any of the other perfect golden brown delicacies, I went nervously to see whose name was on the ugly batch.

Yup, they were mine. The chef came over to me and said in broken English, "Zheese ahre yourz?" with a look that can only be compared to one who has seen the Grim Reaper in person.

"I guess so." I replied, close to tears. He then proceeded to quiz me on how I made them and if I had measured everything perfectly. I assured him that I had. "Zhees happens you know, with zhis biscuit and no one knowz why" he comforted me. He popped one in his mouth and told me they tasted excellent. They did taste good at least.

I have made these several times since and I haven't had the same problem. Most likely, I rested the batter longer than every one else's in an extremely hot classroom and perhaps I wasn't as exact with my measurements as I should have been.

This little cake taught me some lessons: there is no place for ego in the kitchen, be exact when baking a recipe for the first time, learn from your mistakes. Madeleines are a specialty of the northeastern French town, Commercy. They are baked in shell-shaped molds and often served with tea.

Bonne Chance!

Madeleine Tea Cakes

(makes 2 dozen large madeleines)

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups cake flour

1 3/4 teaspoon baking powder

1 big pinch salt

1/2 cup sugar

3 tablespoons honey

4 eggs

Grated zest of 1 lemon (or orange)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract or 3 pinches of vanilla powder

12 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

2 Madeleine molds, pastry bag and plain tip

Butter and flour madeleine molds by brushing with softened butter and then flour. Tap out extra flour.

Sift dry ingredients together: flour, baking powder, and salt. In a separate bowl cream eggs and sugar with whisk or electric mixer, until light yellow and creamy. Add honey and lemon zest and beat until blended. Beat in the melted butter just to incorporate. Don't overmix. Let rest for 10-15 minutes covered with saran wrap. Meanwhile set oven to 400˚F.

Pipe batter with pastry bag and tip into madeleine molds about 2/3's full (about 2 T). Bake for 5 minutes at 400˚F then reduce heat to 350˚F minutes and cook about five minutes more until golden. Cool. Eat and enjoy!

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Our ceremony was held at the private estate of the Cointreau family located on rue St. Honoré. The famous liqueur company owns the Cordon Bleu schools world wide and they open up their gates in Paris for graduation. Quite the exclusive location surrounded by embassies and France’s Maison Blanche (President’s white house)

Mon Mari, Jamie, et Moi at entryway to Maison Cointreau

We entered into another world once through the gates; a luxurious era with gold plated fixtures, spiral stair cases, and manicured gardens. Guests were ushered upstairs to an old ornate ball room for the ceremony while students found their name tags and nervously awaited their 30 seconds of fame.

Gardens and Regal Staircase of the Cointeau Mansion

We listened to the opening speeches as the chef’s talked about the different Intermediate and Superior classes. They were very forward with our strengths and weaknesses. Never ceasing to use even the last moments as an opportunity to teach. The Intermdiate pastry chef commented that several students would not be graduating this term and that he felt the level of commitment needed to be stronger. He encouraged students to do better in Superior pastry.

The Superior pastry chef commented on a recent tragedy where a student burned the flesh off his arm severely with hot sugar by carelessly placing the bowl on the counter, knocking it over, and then trying to catch it. He lectured students that safety is a number one priority in the kitchen. A somber reminder that accidents can cause serious damage in the kitchen.

Our beloved Suprior Cuisine Chef talked about what a great group we were but openly expressed his disappointment in our final exam results. He felt that many students did not work up to their capabilities. He did thank those that were creative. He said there was some problems with our cooking of the pigeon and that most were not done to the right temperature. Although his words were stern and fatherly, his point was well taken – you are not chef’s yet, so don’t get too comfortable!

Omri (#1 in Cuisine) and Jamie my cooking pahtnah

Their speeches were not flowery or hostile and I appreciated their honesty. That’s what I love about the French chef’s, they call it like it is. Any one who’s actually spent some time cooking in a restaurant kitchen knows that culinary school gives you the skills to survive when the heat is on, but it doesn’t teach you how to be a chef. Like all professions, being a chef is a life long learning journey. Similar to teaching or being a doctor. There is always room to improve. That is what makes the “belle profession” so fascinating.

Graduating Superior & Pastry Class, 54 International Students

After we received our diplomas everyone filed into another area of the mansion for champagne and hor d’oervres. My family and I drank a lot of champagne. One of the attendants took a liking to our family and made sure that our glasses stayed refueled. (hee, hee)

Mes Parents et mon Mari ready for some home cooked meals!

I did get the chance to tell my four favorite chef’s just what I thought of them…

Chef Struil in charge of basic cuisine and former head chef of Maxime’s and the Hotel du Palais in Biarritz

Didier Chantefort, Marc Thivet, Patrick Terrein, & Bruno Struil will forever be legendary to me. Bruno, is a teacher’s teacher. He tells you what he’s going to do, shows you how to do it, and then repeats what he just did. Had he not been my chef in Basic cuisine I would have been lost in Superior. Constantly patient and always professional.

No one could forget Chef Thivet, with his “petit histoire” for every dish and every situation or Chef Terrien with his beautiful presentations for Intermediate cuisine.

Chantefort, our Superior Cuisine chef, makes even the hardest dishes look simple. He adds humor and insight that keep students engaged – a difficult feat for a three hour intensive demonstration. Also, he really helped me pursue my apprenticeship at Guy Savoy.

The traditional French two kisses for Superior Chef Chantefort, former executive chef of Le Grand Cercle, Coconnas, and the Beaux Séjour in Tokoyo.

All graduations are happy and sad at the same time. When confronted with one chapter of life closing and another beginning there’s bound to be mixed emotions. I was sad to be leaving the family that I’ve found at LCB, and disappointed in myself that I didn’t place in the top three (my pigeon was one of the undercooked ones – boohoo), but happy with the knowledge I’ve gained, friends I’ve made, and totally ecstatic over my upcoming internship.

I was also excited to be offered another apprenticeship by Chef Bruno in Perigord after my three months at Guy Savoy are over. He said he wanted to me to learn there – that made me feel really good! (Perigord is the land of truffles– yippeee!!!)

Tired but excited, we all drank, ate, and toasted to our graduation and upcoming endeavors. My family and I caught a taxi to eat at Chiberta (another Guy Savoy restaurant), and continued with our prolonged champagne rampage over delicious food. After a long day and night, we came home and crashed.

I went to bed like a kid with a new toy, mind reeling with how I will fare in my upcoming apprenticeship at Guy Savoy. Never a dull moment in the world of food….

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Seriously though, I feel fortunate to have worked with some of the Grand Chefs of France. GROS BISOUS to: Didier Chantefort, Terrein Patrick, Marc Thivet, Marc Chalopin, Bruno Stril, Patrick Lebouc, Nicolas Bernardé Mof, Xavier Cotte, Fabrice Danniel, Jean-Francois Deguignet, Walter, and Guy Shokr – you guys are amazing and I marvel at your expertise, stamina, patience, creativity, and dedication to the “belle” profession of cuisine. (merci bien par tout!)

Now about the exam…

I was calm and collected today. If you’ve followed my posts at all, then you know I’m a stress case, but today I woke up, ironed my uniform, sank a cup of coffee and caught a taxi to Le Cordon Bleu. I arrived and had another cup of coffee with my cooking partner Jamie, who was also relaxed. We watched other people freak out around us and pace back and forth, but we remained zen. Maybe it’s because we practiced at home, or maybe it’s because neither of us slept the night before.

I’m a big fan of improv and anyone who’s ever participated in an improv show, knows that you can’t control it. You just have to give in, go with the flow and have fun. That was my attitude towards this finale: just have fun. I knew that there would be some curve balls, but as long as I didn’t forget my pigeon in the oven, everything would be okay…

Everyone’s time was staggered and I was last. Being last is the worst because you begin when everyone else is stressing out. Also, any extra ingredients have already been used up and the student assistant is tired of running up and down to the kitchens to get more stuff. Luckily I didn’t really need anything extra, except larger artichokes, two lemons, maple syrup, pine nuts, two ‘gros carrots’, basil, and an onion. Hey – I was the assitstant last time for the Superior Cuisine final – if anyone has the right to ask for more stuff, it’s me!!

Our proctor for the exam was an Iron Chef. No joke. Guy Shokr was our chef today and he was awesome. For those that haven’t watched Iron Chef from the start, he was the first chef to compete against the Chinese ‘French’ chef (Sakai vs. Shokr, episode 8). He should be returning to the show for a second show down sometime next year. Chef Shokr is also into molecular gastronomy and teaches a course at Le Cordon Bleu on it.

Everything went swimmingly today. Seriously, I cleaned my bloody pigeon quickly and roasted the breasts, saving the legs to confit separately. Afterward, I made my sweet pea basil gnocchi, glazed carrots with lemon confit, deep fried artichokes with tapenade, and lastly my little amouse bouche of foie gras mousse, pigeon confit & wild mushrooms. The sauce came out great, the plating was perfect. Yippeee!!!

Things got stressful during the last five minutes because they take your plates away when the time is up. If all the food isn’t plated, then too bad. I stretched my last thirty seconds to the maximum and even managed to squeeze in a few photos with my Iron Chef before the plates were whisked away to the judges.

After I cleaned up and packed my knives away I got a little sneak peak of the rest of the plates from the other groups while the judges were sampling and making notes. There were an awful lot of plates to taste and only three judges to do it. I’m not quite sure how they managed!?!?!

We had to plate four identical dishes for our final using specific ingredients. Our plates had to include three side dishes: two composed (more than one ingredient) and one simple (technical). Also we had to cook the meat, which was pigeon (blech!) rosé and serve sauce along side it and on the plates. When I saw the beautiful plates from all the groups, my mouth just dropped. Nobody did the same thing. Who knew there were so many combinations of pigeon, sweet peas, carrots, potatoes, foie gras mousse, and mushrooms?

Here’s my final plate:

Gotta go…I think another glass of bubbly is calling my name….

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If you haven’t already discovered for yourself, they are an aphrodisiac. That’s right! You can put away the bottles of Viagra and eat some chokes instead. Wooo!

According to the site What’s Cooking America, which provides excellent food history and basic recipes, ancient Greeks and Romans considered artichokes an aphrodisiac. The artichoke was attributed to aiding in the birth of boys. Later In the 16th century, Catherine de Medici made the artichoke famous. She is said to have introduced them to France when she married King Henry II and was later quoted: “If one of us had eaten artichokes, we would have been pointed out on the street. Today young women are more forward than pages at the court.”

The nerve of those women! Going around eating artichokes like that! Tsk, tsk.

Well, us galavanting Cordon Bleu students have artichokes on our upcoming final. Hopefully we’ll be able to resist tearing our sexy uniforms off while preparing our pigeon, peas, carrots, and baby chokes. I’ve been experimenting with baby artichokes and I want to make the most of their beautiful shape. I had considered making a purée, but that just seems criminal – like asking Gisele to wear a full body paper bag – or something like that, you get the idea.

I found that when frying them at a low temperature until cooked, and deep frying again quickly at a higher temperature forces the petals to open and gives a great crunchy texture to the edible inner leaves. A sprinkle of fleur de sel and a deep fried lemon wedge et viola – Bliss! (recipe to follow)

I’m using this as my simple garnish (sidedish which contains only one ingredient) but I will serve it with a little bit of tapenade in the center of the choke. This should go nicely with my sweet pea gnocchi, shoestring carrots, amuse bouche of foie gras mousse and confit pigeon leg, and roasted pigeon breast with jus.

P.S. Is that why California provides 90% of the artichokes for the U.S. ? You know, we’re a little different on the West Coast…hee, hee

Artichoke Recipe on next page

Technorati Tags: Le Cordon Bleu, Paris, baby artichokes, artichokes, recipes

Deep Fried Baby Artichokes

Ingredients
4 Baby Artichokes (If using normal size, make sure to take off most of the outer leaves to the pale green ones and cut into 4 wedges)
6 Cups of olive oil, enough to cover artichokes by at least 1/4″ or vegetable oil (or a mixture)
1 Lemon
Fleur de Sel or salt to taste

Instructions
1. Sanp off lower outer petals of artichokes near the base. Continue until you reach the leaves that are half light green and are thin.
2. Using a vegetable peeler, peel stalk of choke and trim around base of leaves.
3. Slice lemon in half and rub over artichoke or it will turn brown.
4. Cut half way around leaves to take of pointy tips and then slice the whole artichoke vertically lengthwise. Rub with lemon.
5. Using a paring knife tip gently remove the fuzzy inner choke at the center of the leaves. Rub with lemon.
6. Put enough olive oil in a pot that it will easily cover the artichokes. Heat on medium low heat to a temperature of 210˚F
7. Fry artichokes until you can slide a knife in the heart easily about 5 minutes.
8. Remove artichokes and drain on paper towels.
9. Turn up the heat to medium high under the oil (350-375˚F) and fry two at a time until the leaves unfold and turn golden brown, about 30 seconds.
10. Drain on paper towels and sprinkle with salt.
Note: they will keep crispy for awhile but are best served hot. If you want to flash fry them right before serving you can.

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I never realized just how difficult it is to be in that survival situation until now.

Living in a country and not speaking the language makes even the most mundane tasks a scary adventure. Today I had to go to to the restaurant and get my official stagier (apprenticeship) papers signed. As usual, I got up, got dressed (thirty thousand times), poured myself a cup of coffee, and once again stared at my telephone. Do I call? Should I make an appointment? Should I just walk over? What if they’re really busy preparing lunch and I’m coming at the wrong time? What if I call and I can’t understand what they say back to me?

After much deliberation, I decided to call. I called twice and there was no answer. What a relief! My husband finally told me that I should just walk over. “You’re an actor, you’ll be fine! They’ll love you. You’re talented, you’re beautiful, they’re lucky to have you…” He gave me the get-off-your-butt-and-take-care-of-it speech with an ego boosting twist. It worked and I walked the scary three blocks wondering the whole time if I was making a big mistake.

Before and After photos

Heart racing I paused before the restaurant and called my husband again for reassurance. I know, I know, I’m a big baby – but a three star michelin restaurant is nothing to scoff about. It’s the Broadway of Cuisine, the Shubert Theatre of gastronomy. I felt like I was going for an audition or callbacks. I felt like I wanted to throw-up!

Just as my husband picked up the phone and asked if everything was okay, I caught a chef crossing the street from the restaurant. I hung up quickly and stopped the chef and asked him if it’s possible to get my stagier papers signed. After a somewhat quizzical look he then took me to another chef who took me to another chef. I went from a storage space across the street to the actual restaurant itself to a tour of the kitchens to the offices of the restaurant and his lovely warm and friendly staff.

Along the route different chefs tried to speak with me and I mostly smiled and blushed furiously. I can’t help it. The older I get the more I blush. It’s terrible, but I’m afraid I wear my heart on my sleeve most of the time. I made some small talk, at least I think I did, but it’s hard to remember exactly what I said because my heart was pounding the whole time. Funny how nerves erase one’s memory.

The kitchen was cramped but cool! All the chefs are very young and hip and I was happily surprised by a few female faces. Now I just need to find the chef that speaks English and cling like saranwrap. There are eighteen cuisine cooks and eighteen pastry chefs. That’s a whole lot of specialized chefs for a kitchen about the size of my living room. I guess we’ll get to know each other real well.

I’m not sure how well I was received by the kitchen staff. I said, “Bonjour” and got a few long stares and some short “Bonjour’s” back. I think there was even a few chuckles from some of the guys. Maybe I’m reading into this, but I don’t think any of them thought I was chef material. Either that or they’re tired of non-french speaking American stagiers. Or maybe they were just concentrating. Or maybe, maybe, maybe…

Finally I was taken upstairs to the offices which are above his restaurant. The staff was unbelievably warm and friendly. Totally not what I was expecting. I was led to a room that was plastered with incredible photos of the famous owner/chef everywhere and his personal secretary greeted me and signed my stagier papers for him.

As I was leaving one of the other assistants gave me my schedule. She basically told me (in a really friendly way) to show up on the first day and the chef will see what level I’m at and base my schedule afterwards – that much I understood. As I was about to leave she stopped me and also said that my letter of motivation was the most unusual and well written they had ever received. (Gros bisous to my friend Marine, who helped in translating, otherwise I don’t think I would have got the position.)

I blushed again, thanked her many times, and ran home to tell my husband the good news. Yippeee!!! I’m an official stagier!!! Wo-ooo!!!

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I never realized just how difficult it is to be in that survival situation until now. Living in a country and not speaking the language makes even basic tasks a scary adventure.

Today I had to go to Guy Savoy and get my official stagier (apprenticeship) papers signed. As usual, I got up, got dressed (thirty thousand times), poured myself a cup of coffee, and once again stared at my telephone.

Do I call? Should I make an appointment? Should I just walk over? What if they’re really busy preparing lunch and I’m coming at the wrong time? What if I call and I can’t understand what they say back to me?

After much deliberation, I decided to call. I called twice and there was no answer. What a relief! My husband finally told me that I should just walk over. “You’re an actor, you’ll be fine! They’ll love you. You’re talented, they’re lucky to have you…” He gave me the get-off-your-butt-and-take-care-of-it speech with an ego boosting twist. It worked and I walked the scary three blocks wondering the whole time if I was making a big mistake.

Before and After photos

Heart racing I paused before the restaurant and called my husband again for reassurance. I know, I know, I’m a big baby – but a three star michelin restaurant owned by world renowned Monsieur Guy Savoy is nothing to scoff about. It’s the Broadway of Cuisine, the Shubert Theatre of gastronomy! I felt like I was going for an audition or callbacks. I felt like I wanted to throw-up.

Just as my husband picked up the phone and asked if everything was okay, I caught a chef crossing the street from the restaurant. I hung up quickly and stopped the chef and asked him if it’s possible to get my stagier papers signed. After a somewhat quizzical look he then took me to another chef who took me to another chef. I went from a storage space across the street to the actual restaurant itself to a tour of the kitchens to the offices of Guy Savoy.

Along the route different chefs tried to speak with me and I mostly smiled and blushed furiously. I can’t help it. The older I get the more I blush. It’s terrible, but I’m afraid I wear my heart on my sleeve most of the time. I made some small talk, at least I think I did, but it’s hard to remember exactly what I said because my heart was pounding the whole time. Funny how nerves erase one’s memory.

The kitchen was cramped but cool! All the chefs are young and hip and I was happily surprised by a few female faces. Now I just need to find the chef that speaks English and cling like saranwrap. There are eighteen cuisine cooks and eighteen pastry chefs. That’s a whole lot of specialized chefs for a kitchen about the size of my living room. I guess we’ll get to know each other real well.

I’m not sure how well I was received by the kitchen staff. I said, “Bonjour” and got a few long stares and some short “Bonjour’s” back. I think there was even a few chuckles from some of the guys. Maybe I’m reading into this, but I don’t think any of them thought I was chef material. Either that or they’re tired of non-french speaking American stagiers. Or maybe they were just concentrating. Or maybe, maybe, maybe…

Finally I was taken upstairs to the offices of Guy Savoy which are above his restaurant. The staff was unbelievably warm and friendly – totally not what I was expecting. I was led to a room that was plastered ceiling to floor with media photos of Guy. I was fascinated by one photo of Guy with four children clinging to him. His warmth radiated from the photo and that is the way I imagine he’ll be in person (let’s hope!). I can tell he truly is a grand chef because his staff seem very content to be there. His personal secretary greeted me and signed my stagier papers for him. (Guy is in Las Vegas opening a restaurant at Ceasar’s Palace).

As I was leaving one of the other assistants gave me my schedule. She basically told me (in a really friendly way) to show up on the first day and the chef will see what level I’m at and base my schedule afterwards – that much I understood. Guess there won’t be too much room for error on my first day of work!

As I was about to leave she stopped me and also said that my letter of motivation was the most unusual and one of the best written they had ever received. (Gros bisous to my friend Marine, who helped in translating, otherwise I don’t think I would have got the position.) I blushed again, thanked her many times, and ran home to tell my husband the good news. Yippeee!!! I’m an official stagier!!! Wo-ooo!!!

Oh merde, I’m an official stagier…

The post J’ai Besoin de Parler Avec le Chef! first appeared on Amy Glaze's Pommes d'Amour.

We are given a list of ingredients and two weeks to prepare our own recipes. Our menu must include two composed side dishes and one simple. The meat, which is Pigeon (oh, joy) can be cooked in any method we desire, as long as it’s perfectly rosé. We also need to create a sauce. All this must be completed in four hours – not before or after.

Ms. Glaze’s Sweet Pea Gnocchi served along side filet mignon and tarragon glazed shoestring carrots

One of the ingredients we will be given is 400g of petit pois. I’ve overheard many students talking about making a purée or a flan, but I want to do something different so I’m making petit pois gnocchi with fresh basil. There are many ways to make gnocchi using ricotta, potato, or choux pastry. I’ve chosen the potato method but I’m substituting most of the potatoes for peas. It’s taken awhile to figure out the measurements and play around with the dough, but it creates the most beautiful tasty bright green dumplings. (Recipe to follow)

Gnocchi doesn’t have to be presented in the normal dumpling or small cylinder shape. It can also be served as an amuse bouche with a little shaved parmesan or tomato confit on top. I got the idea of this little tube from Bea at Tartine Gourmand – clever! It’s easy to cook this way because you roll the gnocchi dough up in cling film and press out all the air. Then tie off the ends tight and simmer in water for 7-10 minutes. Cool in an ice water bath, cut to desired length, refrigerate, and reheat before serving with a little olive oil. Or top and bake quickly before serving. Cool, huh? Who knew gnocchi could be so versatile and easy?

One garnish down, two to go…oh yeah, and that little bird too…I don’t want to give away all my secrets just yet, so I’ll fill in the details soon.

Ms. Glaze’s Sweet Pea Gnocchi Recipe on following page

Technorati Tags: gnocchi, Le Cordon Bleu, Paris, peas, petit pois, recipes, sweet peas

Ms. Glaze’s Sweet Pea Gnocchi

Ingredients
400g Sweet peas (petit pois), shucked should weigh about 160g
210g Potatoes (about two medium size potatoes)
75g Flour
1 Egg
Splash of olive oil
Salt to taste

Instructions
1. Peel potatoes and quarter. Put in cold salted water (so they don’t turn brown) and simmer on medium heat until fork tender. About 7-10 minutes. Once cooked, drain well, and place on a parchment papered baking sheet. Dry out further in a slow oven (80˚C, 150˚F) for another 5 minutes to get rid of any excess moisture. Be careful not to brown in oven.
2. Blanch peas in simmering salted water until done, about 4-5 minutes. Refresh under cold water to stop cooking. Drain and purée in a blender. Save a few whole peas for decoration if desired.
3. Put potatoes in a ricer and rice, or mash with a fork. Add pea purée and mix well.
4. Add salt to taste, egg, and flour little by little. Mix well. Add a splash of olive oil. Dough should be a little sticky.
5. Heat a skillet with three inches of water to a slow simmer. Form canelles of gnocchi using two spoons to shape them and gently let them come off the spoon in the water. Or roll dough out on a floured surface into a snake and cut tubes to desired length (this can be difficult). Once dumplings float to the surface remove gently remove with a slotted spoon and transfer to an ice water bath. Before removing them from simmering water, it’s a wise idea to try one and see if it’s done in the middle. Gnocchi can remain in the ice bath for a few minutes without coming apart.
6. Remove gnocchi from ice bath and place on a tray and refrigerate. They will form a slight skin which protects them when reheated.
7. Reheat in a nonstick pan on medium heat with a little olive oil and butter.
8. Garnish with sweet peas and shaved parmesan

Note: Resist the temptation to add more flour. This takes away from the flavor of the gnocchi and makes them tough. If you’re having trouble shaping the gnocchi with spoons, try dipping them in warm water first so the dough doesn’t stick while forming. Also, you can fill a pastry bag with the dough and slice them into simmering water as you squeeze the dough through the tip.

The post Eat Your Peas: Sweet Pea Gnocchi first appeared on Amy Glaze's Pommes d'Amour.

However, today at school I overheard students talking about their dishes: “Well, how many sauces does yours have? Mine has three…”

Three sauces? Are you friggin’ kidding me? We have four hours to create a masterpiece and you’re doing three sauces? Is there even room on the plate for that?

At first I was like, “Yeah, great, three sauces, whatever show-off.” but now I’m like “Merde, he’s doing three sauces? Is mine too simple? Are the judges going to scoff at my obviously Italian based menu? Did I just totally miss French cooking 101?”

Another friend of mine is making – making – puff pastry for his plate. I enjoy making puff pastry but the margin for error and the amount of uncertainty are high, especially if it’s a really hot day, like it’s supposed to be.

So now I’m looking at my menu and wondering if it sucks. Uggh-a-roo. I guess I’ll find out tomorrow when I do my practice test on my husband and his buddy. Hope they like pigeon!

My six hour practice session is on Thursday at Le Cordon Bleu where we get to play around in the kitchens, so I’ll get the male perspective two days in a row (from my hubby and the chef’s). Wish my Mom was here to tell me just what’s right and what’s wrong. Mom’s are great that way, aren’t they? They just know…

P.S. I’ll share my recipes after all students have had their practive runs at LCB. Just in case they really are good (totally paranoid, huh? I know, I know – pitiful). To try your hand at our final and check out the full list of ingredients go to Final Exam at Le Cordon Bleu

The post Final Exam Insecurity first appeared on Amy Glaze's Pommes d'Amour.

I have to admit I was a little nervous at first. Only because there is something voyeuristic about reading other peoples daily posts. Then meeting that person in person, is slightly bizarre at first. Serious deja vu, because you already know about their history. You can talk about people/problems in their lives (boyfriends, family, work etc) like you’ve known them for years. I have been fascinated with their journeys in Paris, so our cooking session was a great excuse to finally meet in person and swap stories.
So here’s what we made based on French cooking techniques:

Spring Menu:
Vegetable Soup Provencal with Pistou
Beef Tournedos with Béarnaise Sauce and turned Artichokes
Tarte au Citron & Tarte aux Poires Frangipane & Tarte aux Frambois et Frangipane

We started with basic cutting technique (mirepoix, paysanne, brunoise, julienne) for our vegetable soup and moved onto multiple tart variations. We tried our hand at grilling meat, turning artichokes, and making the alltime French classic, bearnaise sauce. Quite an ambitious meal for one day.

My husband used the simple syrup I had poached the pears in from the Tarte aux Poire et Frangipane, and created a vodka cocktail with mint. It was so refreshing and I’m afraid, a little too drinkable. The essence of lemon, cinnamon, cointreau, and fresh pear in the syrup really created the most sublime spring time cocktail.

We chopped, we grilled, we baked, we laughed, we drank, we ate and ate and ate. Good time had by all…can’t wait to do it again…I think next time I’ll start the refreshments a little later in the lesson

Vegetable Soup Provencal recipe to follow…

Technorati Tags: Paris, soup

Vegetable Soup Provencal

Ingredients:

Vegetable Soup
2 Carrots
2 Celery Branches
50g Salt slab bacon
1 Leek
1 Small yellow Onion
1 Shallot
2 Tomatoes peeled, seeded
1 zucchini diced
400g petit pois
1 8oz can of white beans in water, drained (any white bean will do, just make sure they are already presoaked)
Bouquet Garni (mixture of dried thyme, bay leaf rolled into a leek leaf or tied in gauze)
2 garlic cloves
pinch saffron

Pistou
1 Bunch basil
1/4 Cup parmesan
4 Taplespoons olive oil
2 Garlic cloves

1. Make vegetable stock by roughly chopping one carrot, celery branch, onion, shallot, garlic clove, and bacon. Heat bacon first in a large pot and then add the rest of the vegetables. Cook on medium low heat for 4 minutes stirring occasionally (don’t brown). Add bouquet garni and 6 cups water and cook on medium heat for one half hour. Let stock rest for another half hour off heat off heat. Strain and reserve broth.
2. Dice the rest of the vegetables the same size of the petit pois, about 1/4″ and add to broth (leek, tomatoes, zucchini, carrot, celery). Simmer on medium heat.
3. Add a pinch of saffron and salt and pepper to taste.
4. Add peas and white beans
5. Cook until all vegetables and beans are done
6. To make the pisou blend basil, parmesan, olive oil, garlic cloves, and salt to taste in a blender. Add more olive oil if too thick or more parmesan if too thin. Season to your taste.
7. Serve soup hot with a spoonful of pistou on top.

The post Private Cooking Class first appeared on Amy Glaze's Pommes d'Amour.

Nonetheless, Le Cordon Bleu students are a happy bunch. I caught one student flying back from our local cafe after our brief session of cramming…our brief session of cramming coffee and pastries into our bellies!!!

I left the written exam feeling pretty good until I got home and started looking up questions I thought I had answered correctly. Those darn questions in Celsius really drive me crazy (what is the maximum temperature of freezer?… uh, I dunno…cold!?!) Then I realized that I probably just passed the Superior written exam too. Hey, I’m an actor, what can I say? I memorize dialogue, not inane facts that anyone can get from the internet – Jeez, I can’t be perfect at everything!

Speaking of perfect (eh-ehmmm), I was pretty darn proud of my technical plate exam today. Our demo was at 8:30 A.M with the examination following. I barely made it because my alarm clock decided not to work and I just happened to wake up with sunlight streaming in my bedroom window disturbing my slumber. I called a taxi who came pronto and sped me across town so that I could make my final on time.

Our incredible Superior Chef demonastrated a recipe that used just about every part and every animal I can think of. Delicious and deceptively simple: Selle D’Agneau Prince Noir Et Son Gateau Au Lard Paysan (Black Prince Saddle of Lamb and Bacon-Potato Cake) Our Chef walked us through the steps carefully making sure there was no cause for concern.

The most difficult part is butchering the lamb. It must be taken off the bone and then butterflied. The farce (stuffing) is made of ground up veal and carefully brunoised mushrooms, carrots, shallots, and black truffles. Served with a cake of mouthwatering fat: foie gras, cured tongue, bacon, and potatoes on a bed of savoy cabbage. Not for those on any sort of diet of any kind, with the exception of Atkins perhaps.

The practical was relaxed. We all whizzed through our technical cuts without any problems. The biggest issue was the heat in the kitchen and the sweat rolling down our foreheads blurring our vision. I’d say the hardest part was cooking the lamb to the right temperature. Even though I used a meat thermometer I could tell that it was still too rare.

I put my lamb loaf back in the oven – which was a smart idea. Lamb can be very hard to get just right. Over cooked and it’s tasteless and tough, but lamb sushi isn’t good either. It has to be perfectly rosé. I cooked it just the way I like it, so I was happy. My layer-of-lard-cake turned out nice and so did my jus. The chef told me “Super! Super!” (zuhpear, zuhpear!) Let’s hope it makes up for my written exam!

One more exam to go..the Final where we get a basket of ingredients and have to create recipes. Hey, how come only two people have answered my challenge!?!?! Doesn’t anyone like pigeon!?!?

P.S.
Thanks for all the encouraging responses on my upcoming stage. I was happily surprised by all the positive feedback

Gros Bisous!

The post We Don’t Walk to Cordon Bleu, We Fly!!! first appeared on Amy Glaze's Pommes d'Amour.

I got the phone call in the morning. I heard it ringing and I thought, “That’s odd, nobody calls me except my husband and he’s home, everyone else texts me or emails me… I wonder if it’s… naaaah, couldn’t be…” But then I looked at the number and it was French and my heart started racing.

So, instead of picking it up I let it go to voice mail. Why? Because my french is horrible and the thought of having to converse without preplanning my dialogue brings on panic attacks. I then made some coffee, sat down next to my phone and stared at it.

I liken the experience to playing the lottery. Once you buy the ticket you can dream about what it would be like to actually win. How it would change your life. What plastic surgery, fancy cars or mansions you might buy. But most of all, how you would be able to pursue your passions and please the people closest to you. Up until the day the numbers are drawn, you are a millionaire. So naturally, up until I received that phone call, I was already a cook at Guy Savoy in my mind. I had already imagined what it would be like.

Then the question was, do I pick up the phone and dash my dream to a million pieces or should I just let the phone lie there beeping at me every two minutes to tell me there’s a voicemail?

As I sipped my coffee the thought hit me: what if I really did get the stage? Oh merde, what am I going to do? My french is horrible, I’m female (and yes, that is an issue in France), people are going to yell at me all day long, and I’m going to have to work 14 hour days with only two hours for rest midday. I’m too old for this!

After slurping my last slug of coffee, I reached for the phone and listened to the message. Low and behold, it was my favorite Superior Cuisine chef calling to tell me that they have approved my internship and they liked my letter or motivation. I think he said that he was very excited for me. The message, which I still have saved on my phone, said something like this, (I don’t understand all the inbetween words): “Oui bonjour Amy, je vous… appelez…avec beaucoup plasir…Guy Savoy acceptez vous…bon journée…”

When I got to school my Superior Cuisine Chef gave me a big hug and looked down on me (he’s 6′ 6″ in his chef’s shoes) like a proud and happy papa. I told him that I was scared but excited and he said I’d do just fine. I think most people were really surprised that I got the stage (including myself). I’m really going to miss class with the Superior Cuisine Chef, what an incredible talent and good spirited person.

Two weeks left of school, one written final this Friday and one four hour cooking final on the 22nd. Then I start my stage on June 1st. June 1st!!! Has anyone learned French in just two weeks??? Oh la la la la!!!

The only catch is that now I have to go back into Guy Savoy (after my bizarre first encounter) and get all my paperwork signed. As trivial as this sounds, that means I again have to bypass the receptionists and ask for the chef and then I have to talk with him. When you can’t hold a phone conversation in a foreign language that means everything has to get done by person or email.

Oh well, a small price to pay for such an incroyable opportunity!

P.S
Thanks for keeping your fingers crossed for me

Technorati Tags: Cooking School, Le Cordon Bleu, Paris, paris cooking school, stage

The post Le Stage, Part III first appeared on Amy Glaze's Pommes d'Amour.

The Amazing Superior Cuisine Chef at Le Cordon Bleu told me to turn in my packet first and said he would follow up with a phone call when he came back from his vacation. However, when he got back to school, two days ago, he said that I should go back and ask what my status is. Go back and ask? Are you kidding me? I would rather be thrown to a pack of hungry wolves!

I, of course, found this to be frustrating because my speaking capability is limited and I had already explained my messy first encounter. He also promised me that he would call and said that he was saving this apprenticeship for me because he knew how badly I wanted it! Doubly painful because he’s one of my favorite chefs and I’m always appreciative of his incredible talent, sense of humor, and professional demeanor in the practicals.

But bad things come in three’s… I was down in sous-sol, the kitchen of Le Cordon Bleu (and now my unofficial nickname), slaving away peeling endless petit onions, when I overheard my Chef talking to a student about his internship at a different Guy Savoy restaurant. (there are a few restaurants owned by Guy Savoy in Paris) Then he asks the student if he should call for him. He asks if he should call or not! What am I chopped liver? Mousse Paté? Yesterday’s potatoes? What is going on?

Granted it’s a different restaurant and I know that many Le Cordon Bleu students go there for their apprenticeships. I also know that students must seriously pursue the three star restaurants on their own, if they really want it. I believe that there has only been two or three students in the past to get into Guy Savoy because they only take one apprentice at a time and they are very selective

The 6 year old mentality took control of my brain in sous sol, and I let loose: “That’s not fair, you’re going to call for him and not for me?” To which he didn’t reply because he does not speak English and he probably didn’t know I was talking to him, but I’m sure he noticed my eyes filling with tears as I turned back around to peel more stupid little onions.

But hope is still alive…while we were making the lunch for the Le Cordon Bleu staff, he came down to sous-sol to eat. I had gotten over my earlier outburst and had psyched myself up to go back into Guy Savoy and ask again. But, to my surprise, he came up to me and put his arm around my shoulders, while I was concentrating on deboning chicken, and told me that he was going to call for me because I’m a good cook and “bonna personna” (italian for good person?). Now that’s the Chef I know and love! Where did we go wrong?

Oh the drama language barriers can cause!!!

I won’t find out till next week after our long weekend so keep your fingers crossed for me…

P.S. I’m traveling to Hen Dye to see some friends and then San Sebastian for some relaxation with my hardworking hubby this weekend so I might be computer-less for awhile.

Technorati Tags: Cooking School, Le Cordon Bleu, Paris, Paris restaurants

The post Le Stage, Part II first appeared on Amy Glaze's Pommes d'Amour.

We are given a list of ingredients with items that we must use and other’s that we can add if we desire. In the space of three weeks we need to create our unique recipes. Our presentation must include two composed garnishes (side dishes) that require a mixture of ingredients like a flan or a vegetable tian and one technical garnish, like carrots turned perfectly into an olive shape and glazed. We must also cook our meat or fish to perfection and plate it with a sauce, reserving extra for the judges to taste seperately.

Normally in class we just plate a single serving, but for the final we must plate four servings exactly the same way and finish precisely at our end time – not before or after. Points will be taken away if we fail to meet this criteria. All of our cooking times are staggered so that the chefs can stand over us with their stop watches waiting to clock our final burst of adrenaline.

I love games, so this to me is fun. I practice mentally whenever I go to the supermarket… Okay now if they give me beet root and dourade, what can I make?

Perhaps I should say, I thought this game was fun until we received our ingredients. Before I break the bad news, I must admit that I’m happy there was no mention of frogs legs, escargot, or mountain oysters on the list.

Drum roll please…

In the spirit of a starving Hemmingway, we are cooking, PIGEON!!!

I think the PC term is squab, but they will always be rats with wings to me. Bloody rats with wings that come with head and feet attached and all the innards intact. Joy.

Well at least there’s some petit pois on the list and oyster mushrooms. Oh, and my faaaaaavorite – foie gras mousse. Nope, it ain’t the fattened duck liver that you slice ever so gently and sear quickly before serving to drooling guests. It’s the other version that comes in a can. Spam would be a close cousin.

A squab recipe that we did in class (roasted w/olive tapenade & fava beans)

Despite my initial disappointment (the last superior class got scallops & dourade and the class before that got lamb – we get pigeon? Is LCB bankrupt or what?) my brain has been going like a slot machine on speed and has finally hit the jackpot with four cherries. I really want to share what I’m going to do, but I think it’s best I keep it a secret for now, incase a spy decides to runaway with my coveted recipes.

So here’s a game for you, what would you make if you had these ingredients to choose from? Remember there are three side dishes: two composed and one technical. Don’t forget the sauce! All astericks are ingredients you must use. I will also include a list of items that will be in the kitchens at your disposal

Ingredients listed on the next page…

Technorati Tags: Cooking School, Le Cordon Bleu, Paris

Market Basket Ingredients for Free Theme

You can only use the ingredients listed in the market basket. No other purchased ingredients can be used.

* 2 X 500g sqaubs
1 chicken fillet
* 50g foie gras mousse
150 caul fat (don’t ask if you don’t know! Icky!)
500g waxy type potatoes
200g oyster mushrooms
8 medium tomatoes
1/2 bunch basil & chervil
* “poivrade” or small artichokes
8 new season carrots
* 400g peas in their shells
8 green asparagus
60g black olives

At your disposal: Cooking alcohol (wine, cognac, porto, vermouth, armagnac), milk products, eggs, nuts, phyllo pastry, bread crumbs, rice (all types), lemon, any type of meat stock, herbs, onions, shallots, celery, gelatin, tomato concentrate, flour, sugar, all vinegars and oils, pork crepine

Have fun and post your answers if you’re feeling inspired! Bon Courage!!!

The post Final Examination for Le Cordon Bleu first appeared on Amy Glaze's Pommes d'Amour.

This morning I got up and got dressed. Let me rephrase that, I got up and got dressed thirty times before settling on a pair of jeans and smart looking shirt. I drank my coffee and rehearsed my script: bonjour, je m’appel Amy Glaze et je voudrais travailler ici pour ma stage. The whole way over I repeated my mantra.

Once I got to the doors of Guy Savoy, both receptionists were on the phone obviously checking messages from the night prior. One woman finally hung up and asked me what I wanted and then cut me off half way through my Bonjour, je m’appel Amy Glaze et je voudrais travailler ic…” She pointed to a man coming up from the kitchen with chef’s pants on. Jeez, did I have “stagier” written all over my forehead or what?

So I began afresh with my mantra to this new chef who looked at me like I was crazy in a sort of amused way. People often give me that look when I try to speak french. It’s the – she doesn’t look American, but eer accent, eets zo strahnge look. He was obviously confused, maybe there’s not a lot of women who ask for an apprenticeship? After I mentioned that I go to school at Le Cordon Bleu (at least that’s what I think I said) the light bulb turned on for him.

I could feel the blood starting to rush to my cheeks, so I thanked him quickly, gave him my packet, and said “Au Revoir!” and bolted out of there. On my short walk home I caught my reflection in one of the shop windows. My cheeks weren’t too red but my nervous energy was making my curly hair stand on end. Hello Frankenstein’s Bride!

I often rehearse what I want to say to people in French if I need to communicate something important, but it’s the response back that totally throws me off guard. When the chef started rambling on I wanted to say, “Hey buddy, this isn’t in my script all right?”

Now, I just wait I guess….

Okay, I’m waiting…………………………..

Technorati Tags: Le Cordon Bleu, Paris, restaurants

The post Le Stage? first appeared on Amy Glaze's Pommes d'Amour.

Even Jamie, my cooking partner at Le Cordon Bleu, who made the worst grimaces when the chef brought out a tin of capers during our demonstration, couldn’t get enough of the sauce. And she’s a vegetarian! I saw her gobble down the chicken jus like there was no tomorrow! I might have been sighted licking my plate, but I wouldn’t want to admit to that in public.

The toughest part of this dish is wrangling with the sea bass. They are huge with fins that poke holes in your fingers, and big scales with tough skin. I filleted one huge one (1.5 feet) for us to share and it took me at least thirty minutes. Thankfully Jamie compensated and prepared our jus from carmelized chicken bones and chicken stock as well as most of the garnishes. By the way, if you haven’t already check out my video on filleting fish it should be running smoother.

I have simplified the recipe because most of us don’t have the luxury of using thirty million pots and pans and taking the time to make homemade chicken stock. If Rachel Ray only has 20 minutes to whip up chili, then how are the rest of us supposed to manage? The sauce is an old popular French recette that can be used to accompany poultry, white fish, or eve perhaps breaded veal.

Recipe is on the next page…

P.S.
Just bought the Zuni cookbook and it’s incredible. My French chefs would have a fit it they read some of her techniques, but I love it! She won two James Beard awards for outstanding restaurant and oustanding cookbook. Worth the splurge

Technorati Tags: cookbook, fish, Le Cordon Bleu, recipes

Crispy Sea Bass with Lemon & CapersSpinach Salad
One part vegetable oil to three parts red wine vinegar for salad dressing
Big pinch of salt and pepper
One shallot finely diced
Sliced toasted almonds to sprinkle over
Baby Spinach

Sea Bass
Two fillets around 200g/person
Small croutons made from dry white bread
2 eggs
1/2 stick melted butter

Chicken Jus
Two chicken wings, hacked into 1″ pieces
One can chicken stock (without salt)
Two shallots
Brown butter made from a 1/2 stick (let butter melt over medium heat until it starts to turn a nut color then remove it and keep warm)
One lemon, segmented
Two Tablespoons of capers

Instructions:

1. Chop chicken wings and brown in a small skillet on medium heat with a little oil. Once bottom of pan starts to turn brown add shallots and stir. Don’t burn the chicken, just brown it. Deglaze with chicken stock and reduce by half.
2. Make dressing for salad by whisking all ingredients together. (except spinach! – add at end)
3. Take fish and brush egg mixture over then pat on croutons to form a crust. Drizzle melted butter over croutons. Season with salt and pepper and refrigerate until ready to fry.
4. One sauce is reduced, strain and whisk in brown butter. Add lemon segments and capers before serving.
5. Heat a nonstick skillet on medium heat and add a little butter and peanut oil. Then add fish crouton side down and let cook until brown. Flip and cook a few more minutes. Transter to a parchment lined baking sheet and bake the fish for another 7 minutes and 350˚F or until done.
Serve fish on top of sauce with spinach salad next to it.

The post Crispy Sea Bass with Capers, Lemon, and Chicken Jus first appeared on Amy Glaze's Pommes d'Amour.

I’m graduating in four weeks from Le Cordon Bleu and I’m trying desperately get myself ready for my “stage”. A stage is like an apprenticeship without pay in a restaurant. We call it an internship in America. However, in the french kitchen it really means slave labor. I have worked in kitchens in San Francisco restaurants and run overly packed cooking classes with hormonally challenged teenagers – a feat I still look back on with wonder – but the idea of working in a Michelin star restaurant is intimidating.

In the vein of Julia Child, I’ve started working in the kitchens at Le Cordon Bleu to try and get back into the swing of prep work and to practice with unfamiliar produce, meats, and fish. It hasn’t been easy. First of all, my french is horrible. The sous-sol chef barks orders to the assistants and I have to double check to see what he’s said. This is a huge problem. Often instead of telling me what to do, he’ll come over and show me an example. What am I going to do in a french restaurant where nobody speaks English? Is the head chef going to come over to me and show me an example every time he want’s something done? Uh, don’t think so!

I secretly think the sous sol chef puts up with me only because my french makes him laugh. I’m not shy about talking en francais, but my pronunciation, grammar, and verb conjugation in elementary. On our first encounter I told him that I needed a “gros carrot” for one of the chefs. He burst out laughing so hard that tears started flowing from his eyes. I didn’t understand what I had said, until I grabbed a big carrot from the walk in fridge – then it hit me. I had asked him if I could have a big penis.

To make matters worse, there’s a little hierarchy amongst the student kitchen staff at LCB and I spent the first week having to really prove myself. I’m older than everyone down there and have restaurant experience so you can imagine my surprise (and annoyance!). I know that sounds cocky, but when a 21 year old tells you your brunoise is shit and orders you to do it again in a tone reserved for disobedient kids, it takes a lot of deep breathing to maintain composure. And, by the way, the recipe said dice not brunoise. However, I sucked it up and inwardly thought, “This is just a test, it could be much worse in a real French restaurant kitchen”.

My favorite was when one of the students tried to tell me how to wash lettuce. I was ripping the core out quicker than he was cutting it out and he was insisting that I was doing it wrong. I finally turned to him and said, “I used to prep for hundreds of salads a night, I think I can handle these twenty heads here”. After that he realized that I had some experience and instead started asking me questions about quick ways to handle different produce.

But, I don’t want to come across as a know-it-all here because many of these Cordon Bleu Kitchen Slaves have been working sous-sol a long time and they understand the flow of preparing lunch for the whole Cordon Bleu staff as well as preparing all the foods for the demonstrations and practicals. I have learned a huge amount from the students in the basement of Cordon Bleu: I can shuck oysters, clean monkfish (very hard), cut purrrfect brunoise and julienne, butcher just about any type of meat, and understand basic french orders. And yes, I’ve also learned that it’s okay to be 30-ish and still learning.

I have four weeks in the basement kitchen at Le Cordon Bleu and then It’s either sink or swim. Why am I doing this you might ask? Because I want more than anything in the world to do my stage at my favorite restaurant in Paris, the three Michelin star, Guy Savoy. This is my favorite restaurant in Paris and if I had 285 euros for dinner I would eat there every night.

Recently Guy Savoy was voted the 7th best restaurant in the world. I would be happy peeling potatoes in a corner if they let me.

So keep your fingers crossed for me and if anyone has any fancy shmancy favorite restaurants here in Paris, please share…

Technorati Tags: Cuisine, Food, Le Cordon Bleu, paris cooking school, Paris restaurants

The post Preparing for My Stage first appeared on Amy Glaze's Pommes d'Amour.

The lamb is first seared rare and then left to cool in the fridge. Any cut of lamb will do– you can choose a fillet or have individual chops. Next we made an herb crust with pistachios, pine nuts, basil, egg white, and oil that we smeared over the meat. We wrapped the meat up in brik pastry and baked it for 10 minutes. This is one of those recipes that would be excellent for a dinner party. Everything can be done ahead and refrigerated and then baked right before serving. If you’re not a lamb eater then why not fish? Salmon would be de-lish.

The vegetable Tian is nothing more than slices of zucchini, eggplant, onions, and red peppers sautéed quickly in olive oil and then layered together with sliced tomato. A little salt and pepper et viola! You can cook the Tian in a big dish or make individual ones.

I would love to give quantities here, but I’m afraid this is one of those Le Cordon Bleu special recipes. However, you can take the general idea and play around with it. It was a lot of fun to create. Let me know if you have any questions about brik pastry or anything else.

P.S. This book has most of the recipes that we cook at school in a menu format (entrée, main course, dessert). It’s a great book. I’ve already bought two for both my mums! Wish I had bought them on Amazon, they’re 20 euros cheaper, can you believe that!?!? I got all the chefs to autograph it too, so I suppose that makes up for the extra expense.

Technorati Tags: Food, Le Cordon Bleu, Paris, lamb , recipes

The post Lamb Presents first appeared on Amy Glaze's Pommes d'Amour.

My day started at 4:30 A.M. After a restful three hours of sleep I jumped in my pre-ordered taxi and headed across town to meet up with friends and await our tour buses. We were told to get there by 5:15 A.M. sharp or the buses would leave without us. I arrived at 5:00 A.M. underdressed, with no jacket, scarf, or hat – WHAT WAS I THINKING? The buses were late. An hour late. I froze my butt off during that long, long hour and had to pimp clothing from other barely awake friends (thanks Omry & Richard). We all huddled for warmth and amused ourselves with silly jokes still punch drunk from lack of sleep. Finally our buses arrived and we were off! Unfortunately, by 6 A.M we had missed all of the fish market, and most of the butchering in the meat packing area too.

I guess I didn’t really understand how big Rungis was going to be. I thought it was going to be like a large farmer’s market. When the bus tour guide rattled off the figure of 3,000 hectares, it really didn’t mean anything to me – uh, what’s a hectare?. Rungis is huge! We started off in the produce area and worked our way through exotic fruits, miniature vegetables, edible flowers, artichokes bigger than my head, hundreds of apple varieties, potatoes for miles, and more. I’ve never seen so much food in my life. In fact, Rungis supplies 20 million consumers with food. Incroyable!!!

After our vegetable and fruit tour we drove to the meat packing area and donned special hair nets and jackets. The area was a bit of a shock initially. There were hundreds of animals hung on meat hooks: veal, pigs, cows, horses, suckling pigs, etc. I’m a little desensitized because we butcher smaller portions of meat all the time in class, but I was struck dumb by the sight of dead baby suckling pigs. I don’t know why, but baby animals really tear at my heartstrings. The funny thing was, they all seemed to be smiling. I wanted to ask how exactly they are killed, but I just couldn’t bring myself to do it.

Another bizarre sight were butchered cows hanging with their pictures pinned on. As if to say, “Here’s Daisy, she was once a gal chewing cud, now just a side of beef – but not just any side of beef – a blue ribbon choice”. And then there was the horse section. I love horses and love to ride and I don’t think of horse as an acceptable form of food. If I ever have to eat horse steak I’ll probably throw up, but I was impressed by their massive muscular structure covered with the deep yellow fat. One of the meat packing guys told me that a lot of the horses come from America. That really shocked me. There were other disturbing things like how they crush the animal skulls to get the brains out, but I won’t go into that…

Meat packers are a happy morbid bunch who can slash an animal into parts in record breaking time. I was interested in the process and impressed by the cleanliness of the facilities, but happy to get out – besides, it was freezing in there! Interesting to note also, is the bidding process on the animals. Restaurant and market managers come down to Rungis and haggle over the prices. I guess that’s where the ‘before’ pictures come in handy. How some one can look at a side of beef and know what it’s worth is beyond me.

Lips blue, fingers numb, and brains churning over the morality of animal death, we left for the the fromage section. Oh happy day! Many students entered the cheese warehouse and immediately pinched their noses from the overwhelming powerful cheese scents. Not me! I took a big sniff and smiled. I love cheese and there was every single type to be seen (unfortunately none to taste – and we were starving). Soft cheese wrapped in leaves or herbs, huge wheels of cheese aging on wooden racks, gooey cheeses with moldy crusts ranging from dark grey in color to soft fluffy white. Cheese for miles…yummmm.

I didn’t know that buyers could sample the big wheels of cheese before buying. The process is kinda cool, like wine tasting. There is a special tool that takes a plug out of the cheese wheel about the size of a cork. The hole is then plugged back up with just the outer rind from the little cork. Next time I need to buy a wheel I’ll make sure to get a plug full first…hey, maybe that’s where all the holes in cheese come from!

Lastly we finished with the flower market which was half empty and dull in comparison to the San Francisco flower mart. There was only a hand full of vendors, but it’s not exactly the best time to grow right now in Europe. The buyers for the market are on the phones every day to foreign countries including South America (Ecuador for roses) asking what the weather is like and how the flowers are doing. It’s really a fast paced business and the buyers must speak a lot of languages. I always thought that the flower industry was more laid back, but it’s more like the New York stock exchange.

On our way back to school everyone passed out on the bus. Heads bobbed trying unsuccessfully to stay awake as we pulled into the 15th arrondissement – more tired than when we had left. On arrival we stumbled back into school, changed into our uniforms, and prepared for a three hour demonstration on meat. I’m not quite sure how any of us made it through that demo, and I don’t remember a lot about it either except that I did have to leave a few times to get coffee from the vending machine.

We always think so much about what we’re going to put on the plate, but seldom do we have the time to actually consider the business of food. How it’s grown, how it gets to the markets, the middle men involved in price negotiations, and the health standards maintained or ignored. The trip was fascinating, like walking backstage in a Broadway show.

Rungis is a professional market and you can’t get in without the appropriate license so we were very lucky to have this opportunity. It was an experience I’ll remember forever despite my lack of sleep and warm clothing!

Technorati Tags: Cooking School, Food, Le Cordon Bleu

The post The Biggest Market in the World: Rungis first appeared on Amy Glaze's Pommes d'Amour.

Photo by Typefiend, Gregory Han
(flavors: vanilla, coffee, caramel, black pepper, chocolate, raspberry, cherry, pistachio, cardamom, lemon, etc.)

Macaroons

Ingredients
5 1/4 cups of ground almonds (poudre d’amands)
5 cups of confectioners sugar
1 1/4 cups of egg whites
1 T granulated sugar

Instructions
1. Sift almond flour and powdered sugar separately. Don’t skip this step. You can make almond powder by grinding up skinless almonds, but it is much better to buy the commercial type.
2. Mix almond flour and powdered sugar together with a whisk in a mixing bowl.
3. Beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Add granulated sugar and continue to beat until they are stiff.
4. Pour half of almond/sugar mixture over eggs whites and fold in.
5. Fold in the rest of the almond/sugar mixture with added color of choice (see below for options & use powdered colors if available). Do over mix/fold until batter is shiny.
6. Paper a cookie sheet with parchment
7. Put cookie batter in a pastry bag with a 8-10mm pastry tip.
8. Pipe circles to desired size. Somewhere between 1″-4″.
9. Tap baking sheet and let cookies rest until a skin forms over the top of the macaroons. For the crackled look let them rest up to two hours. If you touch one and your finger comes away clean, then they are ready to bake.
10. Bake at 350˚ for 10 minutes.
11. Let rest in the oven with the door open and heat off for another 2-3 minutes.
12. Take two cookies and spread a thin layer of easy butter cream or filling of choice and sandwich together. (real buttercream frosting is not necessary because it is just a little bit for added flavor)

Variations for flavors
Vanilla: Scrape the seed of two vanilla beans and add to almond/sugar mixture or use 3 pinches of vanilla powder. Fill cookies with softened butter mixed with sugar and vanilla extract.

Coffee: add 1T coffee extract or powder to egg whites. Fill cookies with coffee ganache or mix a little butter with sugar and coffee powder.

Chocolate: add cocoa powder with the almond/ sugar mixture. Fill cookies with chocolate ganache. To make choclate ganache scald 1/2 cup of cream and pour over 1/2 cup of chocolate chips. Whisk in one place until ganache forms, then make bigger whisk circles

Pistachio: add green and yellow food coloring to the egg whites. Fill cookies by mixing almond paste with pistachio paste and butter

Raspberry: add red food coloring to the egg whites. Use raspberry jam for filling.

Lemon: add yellow food coloring to egg whites. Fill cookies by mixing softened butter with a little lemon juice and lemon peel

Note: even the best pastry makers will tell you that sometimes these turn out and sometimes they don’t. They really are not easy even though the ingredients look simple. However, once you get down the general idea then you can get creative and make your own flavors. If you have a scale and want the metric measurements, let me know.

Technorati Tags: Le Cordon Bleu, macaroon, macaroons, Paris, passover, pastry

The post Passover Pastry Macaroons first appeared on Amy Glaze's Pommes d'Amour.

When I first came to Paris I thought macaroons were those shredded coconut clumps that are dipped in chocolate with a cherry on the top. They’re not. Macaroons come in all different flavors: caramel, lemon, raspberry, chocolate, vanilla, etc and are normally filled with a flavored butter-cream. Although the ingredients are simple they are difficult to make and the outcome is rarely predictable.

The one posted here is of course overly stuffed with filling to give the hamburger effect. Next time you’re in Paris stop by LaDuree for tea and macaroons. For those San Franciscans out there, Miette at the Ferry Building has a beautiful little patisserie that makes them too and they just melt in your mouth. (they also offer apprenticeships so check their website out if you’re interested)

Here’s what we look like when we go to school. This is a good picture too. If my old students knew I was wearing a hat like this I’d never hear the end of it. Good thing I’m across the pond where no one can find me. Thanks Jamie for your sense of humor! We look like dorks in these hats but our food tastes good. Gros Bisous!

Technorati Tags: Cooking School, hamburger, Le Cordon Bleu, macaroon, macaroons, pastry

The post Big Mac Attack Macaroon! first appeared on Amy Glaze's Pommes d'Amour.

After the Chair Stealer threw my chi off for the morning, I was brought back to the light by the amazing recipes our chef had in store for us. A lobster salad with strawberry vinagrette served over ripe melon and garnished with lollo rossa lettuce (my fav!), next came more lobster over risotto garnished with an incredible sauce and puréed fennel with vanilla bean, lastly he prepared a dessert of fruit salad covered with pistachio sabayon and puff pastry decorated with italian meringue. Oh la la, incroyable!!!

At the end of every demo we get little plates of all the dishes so that we can taste what we are supposed to cook in our practicals. Normally we sit in our seats and the chef’s assistant passes back racks of tasting plates for us to sample. But today because it was lobster, everyone crowded the front of the demo room pushing each other to get second helpings and grabbing huge lobster fillets off the chef’s display plates and gobbling them up without sharing or anything. I don’t like it when people get pushy. Maybe it’s the school teacher in me, but I like it when people follow the rules, especially when it comes to lobster.

I left the demonstration annoyed. Then I went to get coffee with my group members and got even more annoyed because no one wanted to sit outside on one of the first sunny days we’ve had in months. Then I got more annoyed because my cell phone went kaput so I couldn’t even call my husband and express my unhappiness (probably for the better anyway). When it was finally time to go to my practical I got even more annoyed, because we had a rent-a-chef (visiting chef) as our supervisor and they never know how we’re supposed to cook the recipe or how our real chef did it in the demo, but they like to yell at us for doing everything wrong. Double ha-rumph!

This time I handled the lobster more bravely than in the past (Lobster Attack Part II). I picked a fat one and plopped it in my pot of boiling water with the lid on firm – just in case it tried to escape like last time. After two minutes I took it out and twisted the thorax from the head, pulled off the hood shell, and proceeded to move onto the meat in the pinchers. But the rent-a-chef came over and told me I was doing it wrong.
To smash the claw I used the palm of my hand and came down hard on it. It broke neatly and I pulled the claw meat out in one piece retaining the shape of the pincher. This was the way our real chef showed us. But no, Rent-A-Chef wanted me to use the back of my knife to crack the shell. As he was hovering over me, I used his method and it broke the claw meat. I looked up at him and he just shrugged and walked away. Triple ha-rumph!

Aside from my unusually fussy disposition, I managed to glide through the recipe super fast. Just as I was plating my gorgeous lobster, the chef decided that I needed a circle mold for my risotto. I tried to explain that our real chef hadn’t used one. He told me to wait so he could get one. There is nothing more annoying than having all your food hot and perfectly cooked and then having to wait. nothing more annoying. I had just reheated the lobster in olive oil to the perfect done-ness and he wanted me to wait! TO WAIT!?!?! HA! You can’t go back and re-heat lobster for a third time. That’s worse than double dipping!

So, I waited. He eventually came back with one mold (for our whole group) and I made a stupid little circle with my risotto and placed my cold lobster on top with my cold sauce, cold vanilla fennel purée, and cold risotto stuffed squash blossom
.

Lucky for him, (because I was about ready to unleash demons from hell) he gave me good grades and admired my beautiful presentation. I told him, “but everything is cold!” and he said he didn’t care that the sauce and fennel purée were delicious, but my risotto needed more seasoning. The lobster was cooked perfect. Happy with my grades and still incredibly angst, I packed up my knives quickly and left.

I took a taxi home with my lobster leftovers packed up for my husband to enjoy, wrote this post, and now I’m going to pour a glass of wine in the setting sun and hope that tomorrow my chair will be free…..

Tasty Easy Recipes:
Strawberry Vinegrette: Let a half basket of strawberries macerate in one part red wine vinegar then blend up and add three parts oil, strain out strawberry seed with a fine sieve. Season with salt and pepper. Totally delicious and easy!

Vanilla Bean Fennel Purée: Trim one fennel and take out hard middle section. Slice and throw into a pot. Cover with half milk, half water and add a vanilla bean pod and two star anise if available. When fennel is soft, purée in blender with a touch of cream. Split vanilla bean and scrape seeds, then add back to purée. Cover with film and keep warm until serving.

Lobster: stick it into a big pot of boiling water for two minutes to kill it. Then take out and de-shell (reserve shells for sauce if making). Heat up lobster meat right before serving in hot olive oil or serve cold (like me).

Technorati Tags: Cooking School, Food, hommard, Le Cordon Bleu, lobster, Paris

The post Lobster Again?!?! first appeared on Amy Glaze's Pommes d'Amour.

Our superior cuisine chef knew that none of us were going to be too thrilled about an early morning Saturday class. He cleverly started off with homemade gingerbread for the dessert and baked extra to pass around for us to nibble on during the three hour demo. Just the scent of baking cinnamon, allspice, ginger, and nutmeg transformed our grumpy sleep deprived class into a happily spice intoxicated bunch. Aromatherapy works.

The fish recipe, Filets de Rouget en Écailles de Pommes de Terres Croustillantes et Flan de Brocolis or Red Mullet Fillets with Crispy Potato Scales and Broccoli Flan, is simplistically beautiful and delicious. I absolutely adore rouget or red mullet for it’s striking red flecked skin and delicate fillets. The crispy potato scales that cover it give texture and compliment the rouget’s slight fishy taste. The sauce, an orange juice reduction with butter and white wine, added an irresistible summertime seaside feel. Hard not to envision eating this dish somewhere on the Cote d’Azur at a trendy open air cafe or bistro.

I find that broccoli can be difficult to get creative with. Overcooked it looses it’s bright green magpie appeal and becomes a two year-old’s nightmare. This flan, made with eggs and cream, brought out the best qualities in the cruciferous tree. The cream & eggs helps to sweeten the vegetable while the fat of both ingredients also heightens the silky smooth consistency. A little salt, pepper, and numetg et voila! Perfection!

As simple as this recipe looks, it is not easy to cook. My potato scales slid off my fish while frying as did many other’s in my group and no one could figure out why. The pics above are done by a professional – our superior cuisine chef – who makes everything look easy. I wish I could lay claim to them, but not in this case. The sauce if done incorrectly separates (mine was delicious – halleluja for that!) and the flan if not baked right will get stuck in it’s mold or worse, have browned edges. Again, my flan was super yummy…but my little red poisson, my beautiful fish lost it’s crispy scales!!! Better luck next time…

Technorati Tags: Cooking School, Food, Le Cordon Bleu, recipes

The post Little Red Poisson: Rouget first appeared on Amy Glaze's Pommes d'Amour.

To prepare them it is necessary to soak in cold water to bring out any impurities and then blanch very quickly in boiling water (2 min) to remove the film that envelopes them. After that you can pan sear or bake and deglaze with a little madeira for extra flavor. They have a delicate sweet flavor and texture if cooked correctly. Quail is also easy to cook and I prefer just to roast it like a miniature chicken. You can part it into breasts and legs and pan fry it too. It is the California State bird so out respect I don’t normally eat it, nor do I see it on Bay Area menus too often.

Just curious…does anyone have any lovely sweetbread recipes or experiences? Or does it make you go – blech!

Technorati Tags: Cooking School, Food, Le Cordon Bleu

The post Quail In a Casket with Sweetbreads first appeared on Amy Glaze's Pommes d'Amour.

This article is for Matthew Rose who asked me how to make sausage, specifically Boudin Noir. I prefer Boudin Blanc for it’s delicate flavor and lack of blood, however, the methods are the same. The problem with Boudin Noir is finding the blood. Sometimes we get pints of it in the kitchens at LCB for specific recipes like Poulet en Barbouille – pint of pig blood anyone? Blood when it’s cooked binds ingredients together and turns a beautiful dark chocolate color, but it takes some getting used to. Here’s the technique:

Grind all the meat and fat up together. Weigh meat and add salt and pepper to it (20g salt/ kilo meat, 4g pepper/ kilo meat). Then mix meat and all precooked & cooled ingredients together in a big bowl. Load up your pastry bag with meat filing and pastry tip and scrunch casing over the tip then tie off the end of the casing. Gently squeeze away. Make sure not to overfill so you can tie off links with cooking string. Once finished poke a few holes in casing with toothpick, especially if there’s any air bubbles. Boil for 20 minutes then fry up! Voila!

After cross referencing many different Boudin Blanc recipes they all seem to be the same with the exception of whether or not to add breadcrumbs instead of potato starch. Here’s the old tried and true standby sans breadcrumbs…

Technorati Tags: Cooking School, Le Cordon Bleu, recipes, sausage

Boudin Blanc

Ingredients
400 g pork leg, shoulder, or loin (veal or chicken can be substituted)
150 pork fatback
20g potato starch or bread crumbs
1/2 onion, finely diced cooked and cooled (not browned)
6 egg whites
80 ml whipping cream
300 ml milk cooked with an onion and the peel of 1 orange (for flavor)
bay leaf and thyme
pinch nutmeg
20g salt
3g white pepper
1 meter sausage casing
kitchen string

Cooking liquid
500 ml milk
2 litres water
30 ml orange flower water

Instructions
1. Sweat onions with just a little butter over low heat (don’t brown). Add a pinch of salt & sugar.
2. For aromatic milk simmer low (60˚C maximum) with orange peel, bay leaf, thyme, and sliced onion.
3. Mix ground meat with onions, pepper, salt, potato starch.
4. In a cuisinart or blender put meat mixture and blend in egg whites, milk, and then cream till just mixed. Don’t turn cream into butter.
5. Start cooking liquid simmering (68-70˚C)
6. Load up your pastry bag with meat filing and pastry tip and scrunch casing over the tip then tie off the end of the casing. Gently squeeze. Make sure not to overfill so you can tie off links with cooking string. Once finished poke a few holes in casing with toothpick, especially if there’s any air bubbles.
7. Poach in cooking liquid for 20 minutes. Put in ice bath to cool. Then fry up in some peanut oil until golden brown.

The post Homemade Saucisson: Boudin Blanc first appeared on Amy Glaze's Pommes d'Amour.

For the recipe read on…

Technorati Tags: Cooking School, Food, pastry, recipes, video

Raspberry Almond Cream Tart with Chocolate Sauce
Sweet Short Pastry
240g all purpose flour
125g butter
pinch of salt
20g sugar
5 ml water
1 egg
2 big pinches vanilla powder

Almond Cream
60g soft butter (almost melted)
60g sugar
60g ground almonds
2 eggs
4 baskets of raspberries
4 T of warm raspberry jam

Chocolate Sauce
160g honey
100g dark chocolate chips
100g raspberry purée
50-100g cream (if needed)
Raspberry eau de vie or kirsch to taste

Instructions
1. Whisk salt, sugar, vanilla powder into flour. Sablé or cut in butter until dough resembles fine sand. Add egg and water and mix until ball forms. Knead dough lightly (2-3 times) inside of bowl to make sure ingredients are well mixed. Form into a flattened disk, cover with wrap, refrigerate.
2. Blanch sugar and softened butter in bowl with whisk until light in color. Add ground almonds and mix. Add two eggs and mix. Set aside.
3. Roll out tart shell 2-3mm thick to fit size of desired pan or ring (9-10″). Fit dough to pan and flute pastry edges. Pour almond cream into shell and smooth evenly. Cook for 13 minutes at 160˚C or 350˚F.
4. If serving straight away then brush almond cream with raspberry jam (warmed) and place raspberries in concentric circles to cover almond cream. Sprinkle a little granualted sugar over to get that dew kissed look. Place back in oven and cook for another 7 minutes. Otherwise cool and refrigerate and do the raspberries later.
5. For the choc. sauce, melt chocolate chips in a double boiler on low heat. Put honey in a separate pot on medium high heat to caramelize. Once golden brown big bubbles form quickly pour in raspberry purée. Be careful caramel can be dangerous and burn. Add raspberry/honey mixture to chocolate and whisk until smooth. Add a cream little by little if it’s too thick. Before serving add desired brandy.

The post Raspberry Almond Cream Tart with Chocolate Sauce first appeared on Amy Glaze's Pommes d'Amour.

In truth, even our chef had the spirit of ’76 twinkling in his bright green eyes, perhaps recalling the Bee Gee’s world tour or maybe a rendez-vous avec un petit ami for a ABBA gig. Paranoid, I turned around from my front seat in the demo room half expecting the rest of the class to be decked in bell bottoms, feathered hair, and thick mustaches – just day dreaming – luckily.

Now, I’m a child of the early ’70’s and I can’t pinpoint why exactly this recipe just screamed disco to me, but I’m telling you there was something about it. Perhaps it was the head and tail of the fish that were re-attached to the sea bass fillets. Or maybe it was the whole hard-boiled eggs added to the salmon/mushroom/rice stuffing. Or maybe I’m just recalling the fabulous buffet parties my mom used to throw including whole huge fish fillets cooked to perfection and people dancing to Stayin’ Alive in living room. No seriously, I remember these things.

The seabass didn’t taste bad in all honesty. It wasn’t easy to make either, it took about two hours to conjure. Would I serve it at a three star restaurant? Mmmm, don’t think so. But, If I was throwing a fancy disco soirée I might just bust out this type of novelty. Bon Appetit!

Technorati Tags: Cooking School, Cuisine, Le Cordon Bleu, Paris, paris cooking school

The post Disco Dinner first appeared on Amy Glaze's Pommes d'Amour.

Low and behold I got to the locker room and all of the lockers were taken! The basic and intermediate pastry and cuisine students got to the lockers before the superior students could grab the most desirable ones. How unfair – a senior getting a bottom locker – oh the horror!

Technorati Tags: Cooking School, Cuisine, Food, Le Cordon Bleu, Paris

A basic cuisine student noticed my special knife case (all of the superior students have them) and she asked me where I got it. I reluctantly told her, BHV, the huge department store close to metro Hotel de Ville. She continued asking me how much it cost and how to get there. Secretly I was thinking, “You don’t even know how to use your knives, how dare you ask such an upcoming culinary star, like myself, where to purchase a case reserved for superior students. And who doesn’t know where BHV is!?!?!” Yes, senioritis has sunk in.

After taking one more swig of Bordeaux, all 54 of us excitedly piled in the demonstration room for our very first lesson. Something happens when you reach the superior level, everyone relaxes and bonds together. The superior chefs are hilarious, imitating our previous chefs from basic & intermediate cuisine, and cutting corners where the other chef’s wouldn’t dare. It’s like one big you’ve-finally-made-it club.

Once the notebooks were passed out with all of the recipes for the semester, the group grew silent as we flipped through our upcoming work. I couldn’t believe my eyes– contemporary fusion french cuisine! Haleluja! I thought I would die if we had to make another forcemeat with fatback–but no!–the forcemeats contain foies gras and truffles! Now, I can really work with that. The unusual spices and ingredients were jaw-dropping to all of us and a little bit frightening too – frogs legs, pigeon, suffocated squab. So was the instant realization that there would be no translation into English of the demonstration. Merde.

Our superior chef demonstrated the most delicious menu that we’ve had so far in all of our cuisine courses. It was a french fusion dish influenced by Indian spices and tropical fruit. Marguerite de Saint-Jaque aux fruits de la passion, Effeuillée de Saint-Pierre aux épices rouges, et banane rotie en peau a la vergeoise et son sorbet. Otherwise known as marinated scallops with passion fruit, John Dory fillets with red spices, and bananas baked in their skins with brown sugar and banana sorbet – talk about being instantly transported to paradise.

The John Dory, an expensive whitefish with firm texture, was dipped in marsala and seared to lock in the fragrant spices. It not only smelled delicious, but looked so sensual – like a gash of red lipstick on a pouty model. The sauce, a mixture of mango, papaya, cilantro, lime peel, fish stock, and spices wafted through the demo room instantly hitting everyone’s stomach and saliva glands. Definately a great recipe for valentines day or any other prelude to a kiss.
I couldn’t help but grab seconds of the marinated scallops. It was unusual with a mixture of chopped artichoke bottoms, passion fruit, lime juice, and honey.

The dessert reminded me of a refined tropical version of a girlscout campfire favorite: banana boats. In the girl scout version bananas are split and stuffed with chocolate and marshmallows. Then they are wrapped back up in tin foil and placed at the bottom of the campfire coals to cook. When they are done, you can scoop the gooey banana/chocolate/marshmallow out of the skin with a spoon.

For the contemporary french version, the bananas are split in two leaving the skin on and caramelized in a pan with brown sugar. Then they are baked so the pulp is chewy. Accompanying the banana boats are homemade banana sorbet and a sweet sauce of tropical fruit juices, dried hibiscus flowers, and rum – Yum! The bananas are plated in their skins with a cannelle of sorbet and a drizzle of sauce. Same principle of using the banana skin as a small boat.
The chef plated his finished creations poking fun at the concept of modern cuisine. To one plate he added a few dots and stripes with sauce and remarked, “See? This is modern cuisine – terrible, n’est pas?” We all laughed at the truth in his joke and admired the beauty of it anyway. Just like a painter who can make a few brush strokes a work of art, so can a chef with a drizzle of sauce.

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I have a disgusting secret to share…when I was a kid and spent summers in Ohio on my Grandma’s farm, there were little frogs everywhere and we used to catch them and rip their legs off with pliers. It was my cousin’s idea not mine, but for some unknown reason I played along. It was better than watching my grandma swing chickens around by the neck to kill them. Even worse, after my grandfather would mow the back field there would be chopped up frogs everywhere. Blech! We also used to catch lightening bugs and put them in jars for nightlights, but I digress..

So now when I see frogs legs I feel really bad and I gross out. I’m sure they do taste like chicken, but I’m just not ready yet to find out. The recipe was sautéd frogs legs on a bed of pureed garlic with a green herb jus and a touch of olive oil otherwise known as: Cuisse de Grenouille poelées a la puree d’ail et jus vert.

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After a night of studying with my cooking parnter and making hollandaise sauce, the technical part of the final, one last time – which we both royally screwed up – we went to bed. We woke up early, cooked a nice egg breakfast, ironed our uniforms, and walked to school reciting each recipe. It takes an hour to walk to school and it took an hour for us to go through each recipe.

Once we got to school the nervous energy was crazy. People were glued to their recipes or talking to themselves in corners going over every detail outloud. We changed into our whites and took our places in class for the demo. It’s kind of funny how people react when they’re nervous: some play it cool but nervously tap a foot or hand, other’s make jokes, and some just study study study. I think I was an ADD version of all three today. I couldn’t study, hold a conversation, tap a finger, or make a joke without loosing my own attention.

By the time the demo was over and I had thrown back a small glass of bubbly, my nerves started to settle down. I had a little private conversation with myself, “Why are you freaking out? You know this! You know every detail. Chill out. Breath. Do some Alexander technique, just chill out”. There’s nothing like a little private self conversation to sort things out.

After an excruciating hour of anticipation after the demo and a brisk walk around the block to mellow out, I went up with all my cooking gear to the practicle room to join my fellow group members. I did get a tip from the chef’s assistant as to what the recipes were going to be, which helped to focus my final moments. There are 54 people in the intermediate class and I feel fortuante to have a great group. We definately all pull together and no one is overly competitive. I secretly think that the chef’s love our group because we’re quick and nice to one another. Trust me, it ain’t always pretty in the practicals and if you’re in a bad group it makes the whole class hell on earth.

Luckily for us, our chef was the retiring superior cuisine chef who is really fun. Jamie and I got the Dorade (sea bream) recipe that is stuffed and wrapped in lettuce leaves then quickly baked. This recipe is a pain in the butt to make, but I like cooking fish so I wasn’t too unhappy. The other option turned out to be the pavé de beouf with a gorgeous truffle sauce. The beef was definately easier but you have to cook the fillets to the chef’s specifications which is not easy.

I whizzed through everything. In fact I zoomed through everything so fast that I forgot an ingredient in my stuffing for the fish. I sweated shallots and cooled them in my fridge for the stuffing, but I totally forgot about them! It wasn’t until I had the fish stuffed and beautifully wrapped in delicate butter lettuce leaves that I realized I didn’t put in the friggin onions. Merde!!! At this point there was only 20 minutes left and I still had to reduce my sauce, bake the fish, and make the hollandaise sauce.

So, I put my fish in the oven, added cream to my sauce and strained it, and whipped up the most beautiful hollandaise sauce known to mankind. Okay, that’s a gross exaggeration, but it was pretty darn good. Everything turned out beautiful. My sauce was tasty and the right color. The jerusalem artichoke puree was creamy, and the lettuce wrapped fish was cooked perfectly – with or without shallots! The stuffing actually tasted pretty good without the onions so maybe they’ll like it better.

Afterwards I came home with my cooking partner Jamie and you’ll never guess what we did next….cook dinner! Let me tell you, we had a fabulous dinner with delicious french wine to celebrate.

I leave for a surfing vacation on Wednesday to Lagos, Portugal and then back to Le Cordon Bleu for more torture in the superior class! Yippeee!

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One day before my final at Le Cordon Bleu and I have a bad case of the I-don-wanna’s. Bad, bad, bad. I keep doing everything there is to do but, study. I should not be blogging right now. Okay, this will be the last thing I do and then I will study.

We have been given ten recipes to memorize and they are all delicious. Except for the braised choux which is a molded cabbage leaf stuffed with ground fat back (lard), pork fat (uh, lard, I think), and some ground pork and onions. Then it’s draped in caul, weblike fat from the neck of a cow, and braised – ball o’ fat with cabbage.

However, the trout with morrel stuffing, steak with truffle sauce, and lamb tien are off the hook. The chicken Basquaise and dorade wrapped in lettuce leaves are also deliceux, but tricky. And then there’s this one recipe that I can’t find in my notebook which is worrying me. Knowing my luck, I will propably get that one. I can’t remember making it either and I have no pictures of it. Perhpas that was the day the aliens came down and abducted me from class.

I have been good about studying for the technical aspect: hollandaise sauce. I went out and bought a flat of eggs and stacks of butter last night with my cooking partner, Jamie, and we whisked away. I’ve never had trouble with hollandaise which is worrying me a little. Sometimes it’s better to mess things up–especially delicate sauces–so that you know exactly how not to do it next time. Like the time I made a meat sauce with bones and mirepoix (carrots, onions, celery) and I caramelized it too much. When I deglazed the pan and tasted the sauce it was bitter. The color was gorgeous, the taste horrible!. Now I know just how brown you can caramelize bones/mirepoix before deglazing. Not too sure about hollandaise…

Mine turned out awesome last night (and Jamie’s did too) despite the bottle of bourgogne we polished off beforehand. Who knows, maybe I’ve just got the hollandaise touch!?!? Maybe I will be to hollandaise what Mrs. Fields is to cookies or what Nancy is to quiches? I know, I’ll make up for the recipe I can’t recall with my gorgeous sauce! The judges will be so in awe of my delicate buttery hollandaise sauce that they won’t even notice the un-identifiable mess beside it.

Here’s my recipe and tips. I should say beforehand, that hollandaise sauce is not difficult or time consuming if you follow the precautions. The real trick is keeping it warm before serving because you cannot reheat or it splits. Bad hollandaise sauce looks like mayonnaise. It should be light in color, airy, and melt in your mouth – not gloopy, glossy, or bright yellow. Serve over eggs, or fish, or eat it right out of the bowl.

Keep your fingers crossed for me on the exam!!!! I’ll let you know how it goes on Monday.
Hollandaise:
1. 4 egg yolks
2. 1 Tablespoon water for every egg yolk (4)
3. 1 stick of clarified butter or 200g
4. Salt to taste
5. 1 Tablespoon lemon juice, or to taste.
Prepartion:
1. Prepare a double boiler by filling a large wide sauté pan half way with water. Make sure it is not the type with one pot sitting snuggly onto another filled with water. You want the steam to escape around the sides of the mixing bowl. Simmer water GENTLY.
2. Make clarified butter by gently melting it in a double boiler (whichever kind you want). Once the butter melts and the whey falls to the bottom, skim off the oil. Put back into the double boiler and keep warm– very important! To test it, put your finger in. Too hot or cold to the touch and it will ruin the sauce.
3. In a stainless steel mixing bowl, that is smaller than the base of the double boiler, whisk the egg yolks and water together until frothy. Holding the bowl with one hand float it in water of the double boiler and start whisking. Whip it good! The eggs should turn a light yellow color and start to double and triple in size. Once you can begin to see the bottom of your mixing bowl while whisking then take off the heat and place on the counter with a towel around the bottom to keep it steady.
4. Drizzle warm clarified butter into the eggs while stirring rapidly with a whisk (stirring, not whipping here).
5. Add salt and lemon to taste.
6. To keep warm: place sauce in a bowl and put on a small circular roasting rack that sits just above warm water. You could use the water from the double boiler. Cover with saran wrap. Viola!

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Nonetheless, hair or no hair, I have made some darn tasty things at Le Cordon Blur – uh-ahem – Le Cordon Bleu. I prefer the dishes that use less fat and have simple preparations. Not because, I’m lazy or afraid of putting on the pounds (okay maybe a little) but my cooking philosophy centers around using the best produce and meats available paired with the perfect cooking technique to allow the natural flavors to shine. If it tastes better raw, then serve it raw dammit!

So here’s some of my favs thus far: Galette Feuilletee Au Thon Mariné, Vinaigrette Vierge Au Basilic (Puff Pastry galette with marinated tuna, virgin vinagrette with basil) from the Côte d’Azur

Pavé de Boef Poele, Flan de Celeriac, Sauce Aux Truffes, et Cocottes a la Graisse d’Oie. That’s a fancy way of saying: sautéed rumpsteak, celeriac flan, truffle sauce and potatoes in goose fat. By the way, goose fat is apparently good for you. That’s what a chef told me, and I’m sticking to it. This one’s from Périgord. Celeriac is an odd shaped small basketball-like root that tastes something between celery and a pine tree. However, it is a perfect match for the reduced Madeira truffle sauce that accompanies this dish.

Tian D’Agneau Cuit Rosé avec Jus a La Menthe Poivrée (Lamb fillet with vegetable tian peppermint jus). This gorgeous lamb pie has layers of sautéd mushrooms, tomato concaisse with garlic, and wilted spinach. The sauce is a lamb jus with a hint of mint. Yummmmm-y!

For the finishing touches I have to vote for the heavenly Let Pet de Nonnes Angevines Fourrées d’Une Creme a l’Orange (Anjou-style chou fritters with orange cream). They were saintly!

And lastly the Tulipe et Son Emulsion Au Citron de Menton (tulip cookie with lemon emulsion). The chef called this one an 80’s hit, which I found hilarious considering that the 80’s are very much alive in Paris. Whatever the time perioed, the lemon cream melts in your mouth and the caramel decoration provides that certain je ne sais quoi. This one’s also from La Côte d’Azur.

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It can be hard to find animal blood and this recipe can be thickened with potato starch (fecule) instead, but it won’t give the quite the same color or flavor. I greatly appreciate the French use of the total animal. This is evident in their heritage of delicious sauces made from carcass or bones, chacuterie, and dishes made of various organs (kidneys, sweetbreads, liver, etc).

It’s not easy working with ingredients that aren’t commonly found in home kitchens and in this case we were all a little grossed out by the pints of blood… hence the funny photos. Notice how the color of the sauce changes with the addition of blood at the end. Also, if you do use blood you need to add a drop of vinegar to it and mix it in.

Recipe:
Chicken parts of 2 chickens marinated in red wine from 12 hours to 2 days.
1 inch thick slab of lardon (bacon)
1 yellow onion
2-3 whole garlic cloves
2 carrots
5 Juniper berries lightly crushed
10 black pepper corns lightly crushed
300ml veal stock
Two whole bay leaves
Sprigs of dry thyme
150ml blood with a 1/2 teaspoon of vinegar added
2 Tablespoons toasted flour (light brown in color)
50ml cognac
Peanut oil for frying chicken (3-4 Tablespoons)
Preheat oven to 200˚C or 400˚F

1. Drain chicken. Reserve marinade and reheat to a boil on stove. Skim impurities that float to the top. Set aside.
2. In a large oven safe skillet sweat chopped onion and carrots over medium low. Be careful not to brown vegetables. Add bay leaf, thyme, and garlic.
3. Take bacon and blanch it by putting the whole slab into a pot of cold water then boil it. Skim impurties off the top and remove bacon right after it’s boiled.
3. In a smaller skillet brown chicken in a 3-4 T of peanut oil. Oil should be hot before adding chicken. Put chicken in skin side down first. Once chicken is browned remove and let drain.
4. Add chicken to sweated onions and carrots over medium heat. Deglaze pan with cognac. Once cognac has mostly evaporated and the alcohol burned off, sprinkle toasted farine over and stir to coat vegetables and chicken.
5. Add veal stock and enough marinade to almost cover the chicken but not quite. Add peppercorns and crushed juniper berries, and bacon slab.
6. Cover with lid or parchment paper and cook for 45 minutes.
7. When chicken is done, decant and keep warm.
8. Remove rind from bacon and cut into batonets or little pieces, add to chicken and keep warm.
9. Strain sauce from vegetables into a saucepan. Heat sauce on medium heat and let reduce a little (not too much, just so it’s soupy). Skim fats from surface.
10. Pour 2/3rd’s of sauce back over chicken. With the remaing 1/3 add the blood and stir over medium heat. The color will change quickly from red to a dark rich brown and thicken. Pour this over chicken and stir to combine.
11. Serve immediately.

Notes: If you are making for a dinner party you can cook the chicken in advance and then do the sauce with at the last minute. This dish cannot be reheated because the blood sauce gets globby.

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Let’s face it, soufflé’s are a little scary to make. The thought of them falling before they get to the table is almost worse than forgetting to put pants on before going outside. However, this same unpredictable quality adds a wonderful magical surprise to any party when they DO make it to the table in tact. The oooo’s and aaahhhhh’s can be worth a little uncertainty.

Follow these basic intructions: use softened butter to flour and butter soufflé dish, whisk egg whites stiff but not dry just before folding into ingredients, and don’t open the oven door until it has risen 3″-4″. Voila! Soufflé’s are broken down into two three parts: béchamel sauce, egg whites, & egg yolks.

SOUFFLE AU FROMAGE (Cheese Souffle):
Serves 4 people
40g butter
40g flour
250ml milk
100g gruyére grated
3 egg yolks
5 egg whites stiffly beaten
1 pinch of salt
Butter and flour 6-cup soufflé dish. (use softened butter)
Freshly ground pepper, salt, nutmeg to taste

Instructions:
1. Butter and flour soufflé dish up to the very top. Refrigerate.
2. Make roux for béchamel sauce in saucepan: melt butter over medium heat until foamy then whisk in flour. Let flour cook in butter (while whisking) to cook the glutens. 2-3 min. Don’t let it brown.
3. Pour COLD milk into HOT roux and whisk briskly to form béchamel sauce. When it boils take off heat and add a generous pinch of salt & pepper. Add a small pinch of nutmeg.
4. Whisk egg yolks one by one into béchamel (off heat) and grated gruyére.
5. Whisk egg whites until very stiff but not dry. Add a pinch of salt as they become stiff.
6. Immediately mix 1/4 of egg whites into bechamel sauce to lighten it.
7. Pour béchamel sauce back over remaining egg whites and fold in with spatual. If you want the rustic look (like my pic below) then leave some white streaks. If you want the refined top hat look then fold quickly/gently until few eggwhite streaks remain.
8. Pour into soufflé dish leaving 1/2″ space from the top. Make a 1/2″ groove with your thumb around rim of batter to help it rise straighter. Be careful not to rub the inside of the dish.
9. Cook for around 20 min at 200˚-180˚C / 400˚-385˚F.
Check for done-ness after it has risen 3″-4″. Touch the top lightly. If it feels firm with a slight wobble in the middle then it should be moist inside and dry outside. If you like it dryer then cook a little longer. BEWARE: an overcooked soufflé will deflate.

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Terrines can be difficult to make and normally include some of the following ingredients: chicken livers, pigs, ducks legs & liver, goose fat, pork shoulder and neck, herbs, spices, wild mushrooms, prunes, wine, brandy, and occasionally black truffles from Perigord. Ingredients are layered inbetween a stuffing or forcemeat and then wrapped in fatback to larder. Fatback, in case you’re wondering, is a thick sheet of pork fat that is used to keep terrine moist while it bakes. Most of the ingredients are parcooked in goosefat prior to assemby.

Now the great thing about terrine’s, besides their magpie appeal after slicing, is that they can be kept unsliced for up to one week. Normally the high fat content helps to ensure their longevity. They are often served on a decorated tray of aspic (gelatin) and sometimes packed in gelatin too.

Le Cordon Bleu

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The most exciting demonstration so far has been the the recipes from Normandy. Aside from the fact that butter, cream, and hard cider are in everything (Emril would love Normandy) they use a lot of seafood in their regional dishes. One entrée that was prepared for us was Matelote Normand Au Cidre Brut (Fish Stew with Dry Cider). This creamy fish stew contains scallops, langoustines, crawfish, and sole.

If you’ve never cooked a live crawfish you’re in for a treat. In order to remove their intestine before you cook them (alive, did I say alive?) you must pick them up (yuck!) and twist their tails like a key and push it up which allows you to pull out their intestine. After it’s ripped out they writhe in pain…or something…apparently they don’t have brains so they can’t feel pain (is that true!?!?). Then you toss them into hot water and cook them quickly to put them out of their misery.

All the fish are fried quickly and then added to a soup made of fishstock, cream, butter and calvados. It actually tasted really good…but then again anything with butter and cream tastes pretty good.

My favorite dessert this week is also Normandian, Tarte Fine Aux Pommes et Beurre de Miel (Apple Tart with Honey Butter). It’s a beautiful simple apple tart. You caramelize honey and add apples cores and skin (for pectin), hard cider, calvados, and butter and reduce. Then you fan thin apple slices over puff pastry rounds and bake for 8-10 minutes. After you spoon the sauce over. Yummy.

Best winter hearty recipe this week was the Cuisses de Lapin Mijotées Aux Carottes Fondantes et Flan de Pommes de Terre (Rabbit legs simmered with tender carrots and potato flan). Although it’s hard for me to chomp on ole’ Buggs Bunny, the flavors of the meat braised in red wine and veal stock are divine.

Apparently they serve carrots with it because that is what the animal likes to eat so it goes together well. That might be a myth, I’m not sure–it’s hard to tell when the chefs are joking. Also the potato flan (made with eggs buter and cream) with fresh herbs is silky and very more-ish

The week went by fast and so far our huge group of 54 international people are getting along. Next week we eat our way through Provence! Horray for Olive Oil!!!

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Today was my first official day back at le Cordon Bleu for my intermediate cuisine course. Fifty-four people in the class…yikes!!!! I thought it was going to be a nice little group like last time, oh well. This time I’m taking the regular class–not the intensive–which spans over the next two and half months. Hopefully I’ll have some time to pursue other interests (and finish writing my musical) this time around.

Due to the international student body I would say that most of us were really jet lagged. I looked down my row during our first practical to see peoples eyelids fluttering to stay open and chins propped up on hands. The heat from the ovens and stoves didn’t help much either.

I’m so excited about the recipes we’re cooking this time. They look delicious. We’re studying different regions of France and cooking regional dishes. Today the Chef demo-ed Goat cheese & ratatouille stuffed tomatoes, roasted cockerel with herb butter and jus, spring vegetables glazed, and oeufs a la neige with black current sauce for dessert. mmmm mmmm good.

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I am happy to announce that I graduated third in the class!!! I was surprised considering I missed one day and two practicals due to sickness. When you miss one day in the intensive classes it’s like missing three days.

Now it’s back to S.F. to see friends and family, eat at my favorite restaurants, and go running by the Bay. Can’t wait to eat a burrito or maybe some sushi or anything with spice in it. Paris is wonderful, but San Francisco will always be home.

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I woke up early this morning and ironed my uniform, had a cup of coffee, showered, put on make-up (I’ve been ragged lately), dressed smartly, put my grandmother’s locket on for luck, and went over my recipes one last time. As an actor & director I can tell you that there is a personal ritual to every opening night. I felt that today was more than a test, it was an opening performance. Going through my small rituals always helps to calm my nerves; once everything is in order then I know that I can focus.

Now you might be laughing at the triviality of this, but there’s nothing more humbling that staring at nine recipes wondering which one you’re going to get in the final and not wanting to waste all the money you’ve spent on a big fat “F”. Or even worse, being the only person to fail in the history of basic cuisine at Le Cordon Bleu. Or even worse, letting some twenty-somthing show you up, or even worse letting some sixty-something show you up. Or even WORSE having to tell your blogging community how lame you are!!!

The pre-cooking exam jitters are akin to waiting for your first entrance onstage muttering your first line like a mantra so you don’t forget it: “Okay, if I get the veal I trim the bone and then tie it and then sear…or if I get the dorade I gut it , skin it, and lightly fry it in olive oil– not butter….or if I get the duck (shit, I hope I don’t get the duck!) I whack off it’s legs then truss it, sear it, then stick it in the oven and turn a million turnips…or if I get the fish with that hollandaise sauce (jeez, hollandaise sauce is for eggs not fish) then I whisk the eggs until foamy and beat the living daylights out of them over a bain marie then drizzle warm clarified butter.”

I arrived early to study with my classmates, but it was difficult because everyone was so hyper with nervous energy. Normally when directing a production this would be the time where I bring everyone together and we do energy circle and focus… “Okay everybody, let’s stand in a circle and close our eyes, and I’m going to send around a squeeze, when you get it pass it on…”

After our study session we nervously settled into class for our very last three hour demonstration (before our final). It was probably the most delicious menu of all, but I’m afraid most of us were studying notes or or were too frantic to focus on the rack of lamb recipe with gratin potatoes, safron rice stuffed tomatoes, stuffed zucchini, turned carrots, something else, and oh yeah, baked Alaska (set on fire–so cool!). It was hard to concentrate knowing that in a short time we would be drawing our fate for our final test. Thankfully our great Chef Bruno served us a glass of champagne with our little meal which calmed down most of us (I’ll have to remember that the next time I direct a show). He also gave each one of us the customary two kisses for good luck. This really surprised some of the men in the class, but I don’t think any of the women complained.

After our last demo we put on our full uniforms and trudged upstairs to our cooking classrooms for our exam. I narrowed the nine recipes down to two based on data that I collected from other higher ranking Cordon Bleu members. “It must be the Dorade (fish) with fennel or the Duck– as long as it’s not the Blanquette de Veal in that icky thick cream sauce…” Just as I was thinking “Not the veal…” I was notified that it was going to be the Dorade and the Veal. Uggh…

But as luck might have it, I chose my fate last at the classroom door and thankfully pulled out a blue chip signifying the Dorade recipe. Neither recipe was easier than the other, but I don’t eat veal and I really didn’t enjoy making the blanquet de veau in the practical because you use 3rd category veal that is grissly and gummy and hard to prepare. It also has a long cooking time due to the toughness of the meat. The fish is tasty and fresh and uses South of France touches like OLIVE OIL (revolutionary here at L’Ecole de Beurre). There are a million little steps to prepare the dish in it’s beautiful pastis sauce, but the process is so much more enjoyable when you like the recipe.

Everything was off to a beautiful start until I realized that none of my burners were working. (Panic!) I was waiting for my fish fumet to boil– the secret ingredient to the sauce and the most time consuming. I kept moving onto other projects thinking that it was just taking time to heat up. Finally I told Chef Bruno that my stove wasn’t working. He went over re-turned on all the burners and voila!, they were heating up again. He quietly whispered to me in his broken English, “I have magic”. And I will happily acknowledge that he does. The man is extraordinary. If I didn’t already have three dads I’d gladly include him in my family because his passion for cooking and his joy of teaching makes the price of the class worthwhile.

I took my time in the exam and told myself that this might be the last chance I get to cook at Cordon Bleu for awhile, so I should enjoy it. I did enjoy it. It was fun. My Dorade with pastis sauce, julienned fennel and dill, lightly glazed tomatoes and chives was beautiful and tasty. I also knew that by finishing towards the end of the classtime my plate would still be warm for the incoming judges who taste and make notes on all the dishes.

I left my dorade with my number tag next to it along with the two Whitings (Merlans) that we had to fillet for the technical part of the exam. Cleaned my knives, cleaned my station, wished Chef Bruno a bon Soiree! and left to join mes amis for drinks at General Beuret. I think we all did pretty well overall. I guess I’ll have to wait until Friday to find out how I really did on both exams…

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I spent tonight studying with a new friend of mine, Josephina Lopez, who also happens to be a wellknown playwright/director/screenwriter/actress (author of Real Woman Have Curves). We went through the fifty recipes trying to decipher our chicken scratch and find photos to help jog our tired memories. We acted out french cooking words for each other over a few glasses of wine…blanchir, beurre manie, abattis, chiffonade…and on and on. I think my impression of offal was the most effective. The intensive classes are fabulous but you cook so many recipes in such a short amount of time that it all just seems like one big blur– une grande puree!

It has been fun. The comraderie, the international students of all different ages and backgrounds, the passionate tireless chefs, and the skills that we have learned in such a short amount of time– tres bien!

Well, tomorrow’s my written exam after a demonstration of chicken thighs stuffed served in a Madeira sauce with apples accompanied by a warm bacon and goat cheese salad entree with a dessert of chocolate mousse a l’orange. Can’t complain too much after tasting a menu like that…

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Martina is a haute couture fashion designer who is currently taking some time off to be a mommy. We covered everything from why Paris is stuck in the ’80’s to the more important question: is Paris the center of fashion?

She looks like a couture fashion designer: tall and thin with a short hair cut that lets her periwinkle blue eyes really stand out. Her skinny jeans and string tank top were casually cutting edge accessorized perfectly with a nouveau-punk loose fitting belt, tall black boots, and a little fox fur wrap. Simple but cool and tres fashionable. During the evening she brought up several valid questions about fashion and the future of fashion in Paris…

One of the most interesting facts I learned is that it is very hard for start-up couture designers to make a name for themselves amidst the huge fashion labels that dominate everystore and every street in Paris. These big fashion houses push the little fish out of business. She even started questioning the orginality of the big labels. One of her points that stuck with me the whole evening, was that most of the big fashion houses keep returning to previous eras for inspiration. Nothing is new. Hence the current 80’s trend. We debated over whether or not anything is truly new and whether fashion has just gone as far as it can so that past eras are emerging with a new twist. Nostalgia or longing for the past, like looking at your high school yearbook and remembering only the fun times (and not the bad). Or maybe retro style is reflective of a desire to go back in time when things were more…defined.

The night sped by and the conversation jumped from subject to subject, but one question I never got the chance to ask, was: where is the center of fashion if it’s not Paris? It’s can’t be America with our one-look-fits-all philosophy (although many USA labels are doing some creative stuff!). But I’ve been noticing that Turkey has some new styles that incorporate tradition with modernity and so does India, Shri Lanka, and Spain. Japan of course is a plethora of trends. These countries are trying to say something about their futures while respecting (or disrespecting) their pasts.

So the question remains….What is Paris trying to say about France through fashion? Is it still the center or is it merely surviving through past revived glory?

The post The Cutting Edge first appeared on Amy Glaze's Pommes d'Amour.

When I got in the taxi and gave him the address, the driver started screaming at me in French. He didn’t want to take me to the other side of Paris (he probably thought he was getting an airport fare). He then decided that he also didn’t want to take me to the address I’d given him– Metro Vaugirard. I always give the metro address because the tiny street that Le Cordon Bleu is located on is very difficult to find amidst several one way streets. Reluctantly, I give him the real address and call my husband to block out the incessant swearing and ranting.

As we near school he turns the wrong direction and then proceeds to get lost in a tangle of little streets (metro Vaugirard was in eyesight at one point). I gaze at the fare which is up to 21.80 euros. Normally a cab from the 17th to the 15th is around 10 euros. At this point I tell him to stop, “Arret!, Arret maintenant s’il vous plait!”. He doesn’t want to let me out, but finally stops (with the meter running) while I dig out the cab fare from my purse– fighting with him over the price.

Upset by the verbal abuse, I walk the remaining 3 blocks in tears with the taxi driver continuing to swear at me through his passenger window as he coasts down the street following me.

Once at school I hurriedly get my uniform on when I find out that my group doesn’t start until 12:30P.M.!!! 12:30– I could have slept in!!! My friends in the other group ask me to join them for the day so I seek permission from the administration. It would be easy to switch, both groups are small and I could have taken the place of one person who was absent. By switching I would be able to go home four hours early instead of waiting around in the 15th arrondissement with no money and nothing to do.

But no, I am in Paris where the idea of treating people individually, with individual needs is non-existant. I plead my case and the response I get is “You should have read the schedule”. I am a 32 year old woman and intellectually competent. “I did read the schedule, but the lettering is so small…” , “Yes, but we never allow switching…” This I know is a lie because I have been in class before when students have switched.

I sweetly tell the administrator that I will be stuck until 9:30 at night. She says she is “sorry” and ends the conversation. Now really, I pay A LOT of money to go to school. I am normally positive, supportive, and nurturing is it that hard to say “yes”?

But the day is not over yet. I sulk my way through my first few classes hoping not to annoy too many people with my negative energy. I get to my last 3 hour practical (making fish terrine with sauce, yummm, fish mousse anyone?), when in the middle of the beurre blanc sauce, I get a bloody nose. A BLOODY NOSE! I’ve never had a bloody nose in my life! I run to the bathroom and grab toliet paper. With paper stuffed up my nose I stare at my reflection in the mirror…. Why? Why me?

For the rest of the practical I run back and forth between my beurre blanc, fish terrine, and the bathroom. Thankfully my favorite chef was there to console me…”Vous etes fatigue”. “Yup, maybe I am tired”, I think to myself. I plate the frickin’ terrine and drizzle the beurre blanc all around and delicately place a tiny sprig of chevril inbetween the fish mousse slices. The chef grades my performance and gives me a: “Tres Bien!” and a “Parfait”. oh la la…maybe the day wasn’t too bad after all.

There are many things I miss about home: mexican food, affordable sushi, taxi drivers, and CUSTOMER SERVICE!

The post Cooking School Blues… first appeared on Amy Glaze's Pommes d'Amour.

When you go to cooking school or work as a chef you are in the business of creating beautiful tasty dishes from items that were previously alive. On the metro coming home from Le Cordon Bleu I was lost in thought pondering why we do this? Why do we bother to take so much time to prepare food? Why is there a need to make dead things beautiful and tasty? Obviously my last few experiences butchering animals have seeded my desire to understand haute cuisine motivation.

If you are a chef then you’re in the business of life and death. Of making dead things beautiful again and by doing so turning them into a work of art and extending their life in a new way. When the consumer eats a delicious meal he is digesting other lives that will in turn live on in him. Just like when we die, theoretically we become part of the earth that becomes fertilizer continuing our lives in a different capacity – the continuous life cycle.

But a chef briefly stops that cycle between life and decomposition and creates an experience dually in one person. If the meal is exquisite then the memory will remain as well as providing nourishment for the body.

We all have a desire to leave something to the next generation, a mark that says we won’t be forgotten, and great chefs do that through their brief magical incarnations of death to art to life.

Deep, I know….but I AM in the city of philosophy…et viola!

The post Food For Thought: A Philosophy on Cooking first appeared on Amy Glaze's Pommes d'Amour.

Today was another tough day. Give me a dead fish anytime and I’ll turn it into beautiful little fillets, but don’t give me anything’s that’s alive that I have to kill. I don’t want to be the killer, ya know? Once it’s dead then I can rationalize that some one else killed it, so I might as well cook it and not let it go to waste. I know this is hippocritical. And I can feel the burn already from all my vegetarian friends out there. I mean, if an animal is killed quickly and painlessly then it’s better than….

We made crab bisque today. Live crabs. We had to grab them carefully to avoid their pinchers, throw them into a saute pan of hot olive oil and crush them with the end of a rolling pin. Sounds straight up except that they don’t like to be caught. They like to run around on their little claws, clickety-clackety clickety-clackety out of the pot and all over the kitchen.

You’re probably thinking that Le Cordon Bleu is incredibly cruel, but in reality, for most of us carnivores out there, we just don’t like to think about where food comes from and how it is prepared. It’s the ole, “What I don’t know can’t hurt me”. Most of the recipes that we cook at LCB are old and time tested passed down for hundreds of years. The natural order to life (and death) in effect without guilt. However, being Californian I’m used to doing my hunting at Whole Foods Market where everything is organic, colorful, tasty, and dead.

Lately, I’ve been dealing with animal mortality and how I feel about it. How I feel about the fact that I deem some animals as killable and others I don’t. Working with veal and rabbit is very difficult for me, however chickens and fish do nothing to me emotionally. I can rip the tendon out of a chicken leg faster than you can say cock-a-doodle-do. But when I get a piece of veal, it really tugs at my heartstrings. Perpas it’s the nurturer in me that wants everything and everyone to be okay and looked after – or at the very least allowed to live freely up until death…et viola….Crab Bisque!

The post Crab Bisque first appeared on Amy Glaze's Pommes d'Amour.

Second week over in my basic cuisine course at Le Cordon Bleu whew-hoo! I’ve been having to deal with dead animals and how I feel about eating and cooking them. I’m not normally squeamish but the rabbit we had to butcher yesterday really made me question my carnivorism. If you’ve never seen a whole skinned rabbit it looks like it’s frozen in pain. Like someone caught it, ripped the skin right off it, and stuck it in a deep freezer. Legs outstretched and eyes forever caught in a moment of horror.

Years of cartoons flashed before me as I took my cleaver it’s neck. Elmer Fudd’s “kill the wabbit, kill the wabbit…I killed the wabbit” played in my brain like some twisted theme song. To make matters worse you can’t just cleave the neck off in one clean hack, you have to saw it a little bit and then smack down on the back of the cleaver otherwise you shatter the bone–and that could end up in your food.

Once I got the head (and eyes) off it was a little easier to cut up. It’s starts to look more like body parts and less like something that was happily munching up grain and grass the previous day. The nice thing about cutting up rabbit is that the muscle structure is well defined so it’s easy to take off the hind legs and forelegs. I can’t figure out how the forelegs are actually attached to the rabbit because there’s no joint to cleave through–it’s just held on by muscle. We also had to rip out the heart, kidneys and liver which are doll size. I skewered my rabbit’s inner parts on a fresh rosemary sprig to fry up and plate with the legs.

Once all the body parts were sectioned I seasoned them, rolled them in a little flour and browned all sides in preparation for Lapin au Mutard which is rabbit browned and then brushed with mustartd and baked with wine and cream. After the baking is done the rabbit is decanted, the pan is deglazed with more wine and the remains are strained and reduced for a decadent refined mustard/cream sauce. Serve up some petite fried potato rounds and toss with garlic and parsely et Viola! You have Bugs Bunny with potato chips gourmet style.

The post Life & Death at Cordon Bleu first appeared on Amy Glaze's Pommes d'Amour.

We’ve started learning technique for different cuts (paysanne, mirepoix, julienne, and brunoise) and the bases of different stocks (vegetable, fish, veal, and chicken). From every basic stock there are at least four different sauces that can be made. Each is prepared a particular way with a different thickening agent. We made fish stock today and I had to cut filets from whole fish and chop up the bones for the stock. The yuckiest part was popping out the eyeballs with the tip of a vegetable peeler. I pierced one right in the pupil and got black goo all over my fingers-blech! However, the end recipe– Filets de Merlan Bercy or Whiting fillets in White Wine Sauce– was delicious. The chef said mine was “Pas mal”! which really means VERY GOOD. You know these French chefs don’t hand out complements too often so I’ll take what I can get.

I’m looking forward to making Chicken stock and Poached Chicken with Supreme Sauce & rice ‘au gras’ tomorrow. I think we’re also making a cheese souffle. The best thing about these classes (besides the extraordinary chefs) is taking home everything I make and re-serving it to friends and family. Now all my friends and family get fat too–not just me!

If you’re curious about the recipes, we make many from their “Le Cordon Bleu at Home” book which has wonderful full menus and great pics on technique. Check it out at amazon for $33.00. I bought two copies for my parents and got all the LCB chefs to sign them– PAS MAL!!!

The post Basic Cuisine at Le Cordon Bleu first appeared on Amy Glaze's Pommes d'Amour.