Day twenty-six: Made Thai curry mussels and practically ate the entire batch myself
Yes! Last day of fish cookery (well, yesterday was the last official day because today was supposed to be a surprise day but, surprise!, the surprise was one more day of, you guessed it, fish cookery) and I got to make the last seafood I most wanted to make but had not had an opportunity: [...]
Day twenty-five: A delight, a disappointment, and a recipe development
The end of fish cookery. Almost. And it ended with my biggest delight and greatest disappointment. At least when it comes to fish. Let me explain.
Day twenty-four: From fetal to fine
The day started with me in a fetal position on the bed. See, like all the woman in my family, I tend toward anemia. It’s a fairly minor problem, but it is exacerbated by the fact that I’m not a big meat eater. Of course, with all the beef cookery we had been doing, this [...]
Day twenty-three: There is no “I” in team
I have a great work ethic. See, I run my own business. And, I learned that it pays to get the job done, done properly, and done on time. If not, I would have starved to death long ago. But a lot of people don’t have my work ethic. Which is why I never like [...]
Day twenty-two: Where I get crabs
Today, we cook crabs: A king crab leg, a soft-shelled crab, and a dungeness crab. And, just for fun, we also cook shrimp. And if you want to cook any of these, I’ll tell you how (and, guess what, it is insanely easy).
Day twenty-one: This is why culinary school is so wonderful
Ever have one of those days when you just don’t want to get out of bed? Today was one of those days. I mean, it’s been gray and rainy for the last three days and, through out it all, the husband has been away on business. So I had to drag myself, all but kicking [...]
Day twenty: Culinary school midterm exams
Home, after a bit of a grueling day. See, today we had our second term mid-term exams. It consisted of two parts: First, a series of practical exams. Second, a written test. And I’m going to tell you about both so if you want to test yourself, this is your chance.
Day nineteen: Foie gras, osso bucco, and disappearing clarified butter
Today, I tried my first-ever foie gras. Ditto osso bucco. You know my rant and rave about people taking my prepared ingredients? Well, you’ll never guess who was helping themselves to my mise en place today.
Learning what culinary school has to teach
I am always struggling to improve the speed and accuracy of my knife cuts. I work hard to make sure I have a perfect mise en place. And I’ve been struggling to get faster. At everything. But, after watching how the fast cutters managed to cut so quickly yesterday, I decided to pay attention to [...]
