A bitter-sweet Thanksgiving pie

Its that time of year again! Thanksgiving day is when we gather around dinner table with our families and feast upon a meal fit for kings. As I sit here on the couch, full and lazy (from my Thanksgiving meal) typing this blog I think about all things I’m thankful for. I’m thankful for my family and friends, my website and all my followers, and being healthy and happy. This holiday, as always I get asked the same question “ will you be cooking Thanksgiving dinner?’ and I always say “ NO, this is the one day I let my mother and my grandmothers have”.  I did get to make the desserts though. I made a pumpkin pie with a maple meringue topping, a Deep-Dish Apple pie, and my parents anniversary cake (chocolate with a raspberry filling). I started with the pumpkin pie on Wednesday, which was fairly easy since it was a “no-bake”. On Thanksgiving morning I made the deep dish apple pie. Because of this pie I officially hate pies, well maybe just for today. Everything started out fine; I first made the filling (spices, citrus, juice and apples) and then came the dough which I had made the day before. The dough was now hard because I had left it in the refrigerator over night.  So I left the dough out on the counter for a while to soften as I proceeded to make the ganache and sugar lace for my parent’s cake. By the time I got to the dough it was too soft! There was no time to put it back it in the fridge for so I did what I had to do and I rolled it out. Five times I rolled the dough, and that was just the bottom! Then I rolled out the top, four times!! My head was going to explode. Fortunately with the help of my dad we pieced it together and the pie came out beautifully. When people look at it they’ll think what a pretty pie it is and how good it tastes, but little do they know that under that sweetness lays a bitter side. In the end everything turned out alright. No matter how frustrating things can get while cooking or baking, don’t let it bring you down just take a deep breath and never give up.  The chocolate Raspberry Ganache Cake was fabulous, if I say so myself. All of this got done just in the nick of time to carve the turkey and begin to eat.   After the meal we’ll all sit back and unbutton our pants and have coffee, cake, and pie (the perfect ending to a Salamon Thanksgiving).

A little history; the first Thanksgiving was celebrated at the site of Plymouth plantation in 1621 with the pilgrims and Indians.  There were dishes such as yams with marshmallows, cranberry, dressing (which is stuffing in a casserole), corn of the cob, mashed potatoes and of course the magnificent delectable, crispy skin, turkey!  A growing trend with turkey these days is deep frying it… Special equipment is used to lower the turkey into a giant deep fryer.Experts say that 46 million turkey’s are consumed by Americans on during the holiday (poor turkeys). Isn’t it great to know that on these special holidays people from near and far are brought together by a meal. Whether your eating, talking, singing or laughing, it’s food that brings us together.  Well, take in the smell of the turkey roasting in the oven, the mashed potatoes and spices from the pumpkin bread because it only comes once a year. From JeremyCooks.com I hope you and your family’s have a wonderful Thanksgiving. Keep on Cooking!

A dinner for 400

 Have you ever cooked a dinner for 400 people? Well if you haven’t, let me be the first to say, its a lot of fun but you definitely work up a sweat. Stonebridge Country Club (where I work) just had their grand opening after months of renovations. The dinner served 400 people! That means 400 seats, plates, and dinners. The dinner was on a Saturday night but the preparation began the day before. Right after school I changed into my chef clothes (kind of like a superman quick change) and headed over to the club. When I walked in it seemed as if everything was in fast-forward, everyone was moving quickly.  I was put right to work, I counted all the salads, plated the desserts, and marinated all the chicken for the skewers. That night I made sure I slept really well because I was in for an early wake up. I started preparing some of the appetizers such as mini Lobster Pot Pie’s, Clam’s Casino, Monte Crisco sandwich’s (served over tiny mugs of tomato basil bisque) and, and Foie Gras (goose liver). Did you know that Foie Gras is goose liver that’s produced by force-feeding the goose until it explodes (inhumane right?). Anyway it’s been banned in California and over a dozen countries in Europe except France (go figure?). Early in the evening we began to plate the dinners, half of which would be heated in the giant ovens, and the rest would be made on the line. The dinner that evening consisted of Beef Tenderloin, Potatoes Gratin, Tourne Carrots, and a Spinach Soufflé. I also helped out with making the crab cake balls with “mama” a woman from the Caribbean who is extremely sweet and Chris who has worked the Four Seasons Hotel. I learned how to clean a white fish (who knows when all have to use that skill) and practiced more of my bruniose (basic knife cut measuring 1/8 inch × 1/8 inch × 1/8 inch.) and a julienne (A basic knife cut measuring 1/8 inch × 1/8 inch × 2½ inches.). When  the guests began to arrive, Randy (executive chef) put me out on the floor as a server. I served the Foie Gras and the Monte Cristo Sandwiches. The best part of the night was working the line. “ I need two filets” calls the chef “ where are my filets!” he shouts again”. Eager to give this try I shouted, “ yeah, where are his two filets!” everyone quickly looked at me and then turned back to their jobs. After the dessert was served the staff began to clean up and breakdown the kitchen. I gave Randy (Executive Chef) a handshake and said my goodnights to everyone. It was definitely loads of fun and in the end I was really tired and ready for a good night’s sleep.

Working the Line

Finally, after months of waiting I’m back in the kitchen…the professional one that is. I’m now working again at Stonebridge Country Club (it was closed for renovations). All I can say is that it looks awesome. Its got a modern, Zen style, look to it. Chef Randy (executive chef) definitely puts me to the test. I trimmed the ends off of hundreds of green beans, scooped 300 balls of ice cream, and worked the line and much much more. In the end he was very impressed and offered me an internship. I was so excited but at the same time my legs killing me from working from nine in the morning to midnight. Now that I’m back I’m thrilled and doing what I love. All the waiters and chefs are extremely nice and fun to be with and I’m definitely learning a lot. My first day back I worked a wedding and my second day back I worked the Halloween Ball. Last Saturday I got to brunoise (knife skill) 10 red bell peppers and in return received a callus on my index finger (ouch!), but I take pride in it as a mark of my hard work. I also prepared the mierpoix (carrots, onions, celery) and chicken for the chicken potpie, I seared the duck breast, prepared the appetizers, fanned the strawberries, made the onion marmalade and more. The best part of the whole day is working the line. The line is literally a“ line of chefs” that assemble the food as fast as they can to get the orders out. Dishes are banging, people are shouting, and your hands are burning from the insanely hot plates (I like to wear layers of latex gloves. In the end, it’s a great experience and it’s just the beginning of many lessons and adventures to come at Stonebridge.
Keep On Cooking!!!

Falling into Autumn

Well, it my favorite time of year again, Autumn! The harvest moon fills the night sky, the smell off turkey in the air, the leaves have turned colors and a sense of comfort comes about. Fall includes the months of September, October, and November and they produce one of the greatest vegetables of all time…PUMPKIN! A pumpkin is in fact a member of the squash family. once the seeds and fibers have been removed, the flesh is eaten cooked, often a soup, in a gratin or as a puree, it is also used as pie filling sometimes mixed with onion, especially in northern France. In southern France, the pumpkin or Citrouille (as the French call it) is harvested from the months of October to December and keeps through winter. The Pumpkin can be used for a variety of things like pumpkin soup, pumpkin pie, pumpkin gratin a la Provencal, pumpkin bread, and the list goes on. In The spirit of Fall I’m providing you guys with a treat, of Pumpkin bread. Its warm spiced flavor is perfect for this time of year. Enjoy and Happy Autumn!!!

Pumpkin Bread
INGREDIENTS:
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup pumpkin purée*

1/2 cup olive oil
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup water
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 Cup Golden Raisins

* To make pumpkin purée, carve into the pumpkin removing the stalk on top, then remove the seeds and pulp, lie face down on a foil or Silpat lined baking sheet. Bake at 350°F until soft, about 45 min to an hour. Cool, scoop out the flesh. Freeze whatever you don't use for future use. Or, if you are working with pumpkin pieces, roast or boil them until tender, then remove and discard the skin.


METHOD:
1 Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Sift together the flour, salt, sugar, and baking soda.
2 Mix the pumpkin, oil, eggs, 1/4 cup of water, and spices together, then combine with the dry ingredients, but do not mix too thoroughly. Stir in the nuts and raisins.
3 Pour into a well-buttered 9x5x3 inch loaf pan. Bake 50-60 minutes until a thin skewer poked in the very center of the loaf comes out clean. Turn out of the pan and let cool on a rack.
Makes one loaf. Can easily double the recipe.

2 words: School Lunch

Here we go again; The scene always seems to be the same, the old lunch lady in a har net scooping a pile of what seems to be a concoction of mud on to your tray. Then when you sit down the lunch picks it self up and walks off your plate (gross, right?). Well it’s really not that way but what is true is that school lunches often seem less then appetizing. A lot of the times it seems the food has been frozen and thawed out for your eating enjoyment. Candy bars, chips loaded with salt, and soda, it’s not healthy and its definitely not considered food to me. Being a food snob I can’t even look at my friends when they eat this stuff. It doesn't even look good but then again some people eat to live but I live to eat. My mom often packs me a PB & J, pretzels, and and orange. Well, even though the classic PB & J will always be dear to my heart, it doesn't have to be that way. Until congress passes a law about the quality of school lunches here are some tasty alternatives.

Turkey Waldorf:
Take a whole wheat wrap and place turkey, provolone, sliced red onion, watercress, dried cranberries and a celery stalk (sliced thin) in the center. Fold one end of the circle up on to the mixture and then starting with one end roll the wrap away from you. Once done tuck in each end.

OM & N: a new twist on the classic PB & J
Take 2 slices of wheat or multigrain bread . Spread Nutella on one slice and orange marmalade on the other. Close the sandwich and viola!

Roast Beef on Ciabatta
Cut a pice of ciabatta to an appropriate length. Spread basil aioli ( in the recipe section of the website) on either side. Place your roast beef on, then sliced red onion and a small bunch of spring mix. Enjoy!

Grilled vegetable: allow extra preparation time
Prepare the pesto ( in recipe section). Slice a whole wheat baguette in half lengthwise and lightly toast. Heat a grill pan on medium heat (if you don’t have a either you can just saute). Thinly slice 1 small zucchini, 1 small yellow squash and 1 portabella mushroom. Brush each slice with olive oil and season with salt and pepper and place on your grill until even burn marks form on each side. Spread some pesto on the inside of your baguette, then place however many vegetables as you like on your sandwich. Crumble goat cheese or tear your mozzarella onto the sandwich. Finish with some cracked pepper and wrap in parchment paper ( to catch the juices) and store in fridge.


With lunches try to pack different fruits with your lunch. Although apples and oranges are good, be a little ambitious. Nectarine, mango, avocado or whatever your wild side desires. Create your own trail mix using different kinds of nuts, raisins, dried fruits, honey wheat pretzels or whatever you would like.

Some storing tips: to keep your lunch moderately cold, freeze a small water bottle overnight and stick it in next to your lunch. To find out more information on how to get REAL FOOD in schools check out the link below.
http://www.slowfoodusa.org/index.php/campaign/time_for_lunch/

Chile in my Chocolate

Goodbye Godiva, hello exotic chocolate candy bars. Bacon, Wasabi, Mushrooms, and other spices all infused into one 8 x 3 inch candy bar. I bring this up because I recently took a trip to Whole Foods where I came upon Vosges Haut-Chocolat. It’s a brand that specializes in exotic candies. Ranging in flavors from all the above its definitely an experience. I was told by the cashier that the bacon and chocolate was the most popular but they were out of them (I guess she wasn’t kidding). So I chose a Red Fire Bar. Mexican ancho and chipotle chilies, Ceylon cinnamon, and of course dark chocolate (55% cacao to be exact). As I gazed upon the box on noticed the dried chipotle chiles, the tall cinnamon sticks and one quaint little chocolate square all pictured on a sleek white background. I knew I was in for something good. I then turned the box over and read:

HOW TO ENJOY AN EXOTIC CANDY BAR: 

-SEE
-SMELL
-SNAP
-BITE
-SENSE

Well I guess my inner chocoholic took over, I just ripped open the package and took a bite ignoring the directions. At first I didn’t taste anything except chocolate. But a moment later I tasted cinnamon, and then… chilies. The flavors ran up and down the back of my throat giving a fiery “zing” to it. Fortunately it was a mild heat so I wasn’t in desperate need of water although I did take a sip (wimpy, I know). I can’t wait to try another flavor especially the bacon and the next time you’re out in a candy store or Whole Foods look for something new and exciting to try. You never know… you just might like it.

Interview with a Restaurant/Food Critic and the importance of a good Roasted Chicken

This past week I had the chance to interview a  Food Critic. Mostly you just hear about chefs and restaurants but did you know that there are hundreds of other culinary related careers out there. Food critics, food stylists, photographers, food writers, taste testers, and the list goes on. I thought it would be really interesting to see how a Food Critic performs his job. Below is my Q & A with Food Critic Bill Ciatra who writes for multiple papers, magazines and web sites including Florida Table magazine which I now blog for.

Where you always a writer?

I’ve always enjoyed writing. I majored in journalism at San Francisco State and I worked for wire services (reporting on city council, state senate, etc.)

Where you always interested in food and culinary?

I really started getting into food and wine in the late 70’s and 80’s when Sonoma County (California) was going through a “wine revolution”. I used to tour the wineries and that’s when I really started to develop a liking for food and wine.

At what point in your life did you become a food critic?

I started working at wineries such as Sebastian Vineyard. I also got a job as a line cook because it was hard to find a journalism job, so I gained a lot of experience working in the kitchen. I also went to various restaurants with my wife. All this led to my job in the mid 80’s when I edited Wine & Spirits Magazine. In 1987 I became a freelancer and wrote for anybody that wanted me. Since then I’ve written for Bon Appetite as well as Broward (Broward County Florida) and Miami newspapers. I am now also the Miami-Keys editor of the Zagat Guide, I’ve written over 600 reviews

Do you remember your first critique?

Yes, it was August 9, 1987 and I was pretty jazzed about it.

Do you let the restaurant know your coming? Do you stay anonymous?

I usually make reservations under a different name. Being a food critic limits your social time because if restaurants start to realize who you are you could be exposed.

Do you take notes when you’re tasting?

I keep a tape recorder in my pocket

What makes a good restaurant? What’s your favorite restaurant?

80% good food, 19% good service. There’s so many restaurants I enjoy. I like Café Boulud, Nobu (good sushi), Key Fisheries, Mustards Grill, Backstreet. Also the French Laundry (Thomas Kellers restaurant in Napa) is an unbelievable, one time experience.

How do you decide what to order from the menu?

You should order what the restaurant is known for, its specialty, if it’s a steak house order the steak. You should also order a range of things, fish, poultry, and items with different prices. If a restaurant can produce a good Roast Chicken, Tarte Tatin (a type of apple tart), or Caesar Salad its likely to have good everything. It’s a good test of the kitchen

Do you have a favorite dish?

When you’re a Food critic you have to like everything

How do you evaluate the food? Is there a system or scale? 

There’s no scale, but you have to look at what the restaurant is trying to do. If the food costs more money you’re going to expect a good experience. I judge the freshness and quality of the ingredients, if the dish is prepared and seasoned properly. Ask yourself “ does it make sense in your mouth. Some chefs think they’re creative and put ice cream with ham, I just label it as stupid. If a chef can produce 3 dozen perfect roast chickens then you can say you’re a good chef. The mark of good food is if the chef can crate a complex dish and it makes sense.

What advice would you  give to someone who would be interested in becoming a food critic?

You have to love it, and you’ve got to want to do it. Its not a lot of money starting out and people get tired of it, it can be a hard way to make a living. It helps to have hands on experience like I did in the past working in a kitchen.

This was a really interesting interview and I definitely learned a lot, thanks Bill. By reading this you can now go to a restaurant and give it a try, apply what you’ve learned and who knows maybe you’ll be the next big food critic. Remember if a restaurant can produce a good roast chicken your in for a treat.

...............Keep on cooking!

Meat Market - South Beach

 
 These past few weeks have been crazy for me! Between the culinary competition, school, the website, and interviews, I have barely had any time to sit back and relax (although I’m definitely not complaining). Last week along with my camera crew I went to film the first Cookisode™ with a chef. We traveled to South Beach in Miami and met with Executive Chef Sean Brasel of Meat Market.

The restaurant is a steak house but “bringing it to the next level” as Chef Brasel puts it. When you walk into the restaurant you would not think of it as a steak house but rather a cool and “chic” place to dine. With its sleek and modern decor, its no wonder why its a hit in the Miami Beach scene with both diners and critics.

The Crudo Bar at Meat Market

                                             The main dinning area at Meat Market

     

However a restaurant and it’s Chef doesn’t get a great reputation based on its looks, its about the food. Meat Market’s menu offers dishes like White Truffle Kobe Tartar, Cedar Paper Wild Salmon, or a 16-ounce ribeye steak. One of their most popular appetizers is Ceviche which is a cold appetizer of fish (almost any kind), herbs, lots of seasoning and lemon and lime juice for it’s acidity (this is it’s most important ingredient, keep reading to see why). If you like sushi you will definitely love Ceviche (however Ceviche is cooked, not raw). Chef Brasel started out by setting up his station in his small  but very organized kitchen. (it’s amazing that no one kept crashing into each other). He then proceeded to gather his ingredients. Bay scallops (yum), scallions, chiles, limes, chives, oranges, etc... He asked me to juice and zest the limes for the scallops. 

Chef Brasel preparing Ceviche with me listening carefully

  

The interesting thing about Ceviche is that it’s cooked in a way that you wouldn’t normally think of. The acidity from the lime juice “cooks” the scallops, and when I say cooks I mean the acidity tightens the proteins within the scallops so they are no longer raw. (it’s really cool to watch the slimy raw Scallops turn from grey to a beautiful white). We segmented oranges and juiced them. Next we cut the chives paper thin, then our scallions and finally skinned and sliced the chilies. Chef Brasel added multiple seasonings ranging from sweet to spicy. He added vanilla bean to it rather then vanilla extract (used in baking) because the bean adds a totally different sweetness to the Ceviche and is not as strong as extract. He also added a spicy chili sauce (like sriracha) to the ceviche. In the end the Ceviche tasted superb, it was light, sweet and spicy, the scallops were tender and definitely not slimy. You just wanted to sit on the beach and have more.

Chef Brasel  giving me a few tips

I also picked up a few tips from Chef Brasel while I was there. Always season with salt and pepper last so you don’t drown out the other seasonings, keep your space organized and clean, and definitely wear the appropriate attire. My appearance wasn’t exactly chef like, my t-shirt was hanging out of my chef jacket and I wasn’t wearing the appropriate pants or shoes. I was wearing jeans and converse sneakers trying to look cool, after all, I’m only 15. I will definitely be better prepared for our next Cookisode™. Thanks again to Chef Brasel for volunteering his time to teach me and my audience great techniques and in the end an amazing dish. The next time your in Miami, make sure you stop by Meat Market and try some of Chef Brasel’s amazing creations.

 Me and Chef Brasel after we finished preparing the Ceviche

Make sure to go and check out my Cookisode™ and watch Chef Brasel and I make the Ceviche, while he also teaches me some new culinary skills and techniques. Hopefully by watching it you will gain some new vocab, skills and a new found liking for Ceviche. Keep on cooking!

Silver!!!! Not Bronze...

These past couple of days I’ve been sick at home. I lay around the house and eat food up in my room while blowing my nose and throwing an endless amount of tissues into the trash basket. I was watching Jamie at home (greatest cooking show on TV) when I received a peculiar email. The email read Good/Bad news from Steve Sitnick (Chef Judge) from the culinary competition.

(actual email)

“Hi Paige and Jeremy,

I have some good news and some bad news.
The bad news is that your bronze medals need to be returned.  The good news is that they will be replaced with SILVER medals as the final scores were incorrectly tabulated.  Your final total was 33.87, which falls into the silver medal category.  I will be happy to send you the replacement medals as soon as you can return the bronze medals.

I apologize for the mix-up but I am happy that it was an upgrade to what you received before.”

As you can probably imagine, my heart stopped beating! I jumped up out of my bed and ran as fast as I could to the nearest phone to let everyone know. I’m feeling much better now!

The Greatest Feeling

 This is a short blog entry, but I feel the need to share it with you. Lately,  Jeremycooks has been gaining a lot of notoriety and in return I’m receiving emails from teens like you.

Every time my phone goes BING! I cant wait to see who it’s from. People tell me how great the site is and how cool it is to finally have a website for teens who love food. It is truly the greatest feeling and I thank all of you that have sent these emails
and support the site.

In the near future Jeremycooks will introduce the TCN  (Teen Chef Network) where teen chefs can communicate with each other from all over, and then I hope you will feel the same way as I do each time I hear from one of you.

You guys are the best!
Keep on cooking!!

Bronze!!! And it feels so good!!!

 

I apologize for having this posted a couple of days late, its just been crazy with the start of school. The competition was this past Saturday (the 22nd). What a thrilling experience!!! It was 2 hours and 30 minutes from start to plating. The competition is part of the annual ACF
(American Culinary Federation) Salon. It was a category F which is a two person team. I teamed up with my awesome friend from West Boca, Paige Desimone. Paige is  a Junior at WBHS and she is quite the teen chef. We had been practicing since July. Every Monday and Tuesday we would come into the West Boca Kitchen with Chef Hall ( our coach and head of the culinary academy) and practice techniques. The objective was to execute a 3 course regional ( native to FL) menu. The menu was as follows           

The Menu

Everglades Shrimp Salad

Spring mix with seasoned shrimp,

Tomato Concasse, Diced Florida Avocado

Dressed in a Key Lime Vinaigrette and served with an Herb Sea

Salt Cracker

      Sauté Snapper with a Grapefruit Butter Sauce

Fillet of Snapper covered in a Grapefruit Butter Sauce

and served with Tourne Potatoes, Sauté Spinach, and a Trio of Vegetable

Coconut Panna Cotta

Topped with a Tropical Fruit Salsa and served with Lemon Madeleine’s

30 Minutes for Set-up

(We had to bring everything)

  

Creating Salt Crackers for the salad

 

 Paige prepares the Dessert Plates, while I turn to check the stove
 

For the last 5 weeks my goal was to master the technique of filleting a snapper and well, I’m not sure if I have actually mastered this technique but I did a really great job of it. Lets say that there were many and I mean MANY snappers in my refrigerator. I had enough carcasses to make plenty of fish stock. I also deveined shrimp, made  herb sea salt crackers, cut and sauteed the vegetables and made the Panna Cotta. Paige sautéed the shrimp, piped the chocolate, tourned the potatoes ( which were marvelous), cut all the fruits, supremed the grapefruit and made the madeleines. When we first entered the room we were incredibly nervous and having the floor judges watching our every move didn’t help. There was a moment in the competition when a floor judge walked right up to my fish, picked it up, and inhaled its fishy odors. The pressure is on as they smell your cutting board to make sure its sanitary, measuring all your knife cuts, etc. 

Working on fillets with two judges looking over my shoulder

 

The Salad

  

There were four teams in the kitchen, each had their own work station. Each team starts off with a gold medal. Points can be deducted as you proceed. They check for sanitation, team work, food storage and technique. Two hours and 35 minutes later it was over.When it came time for the judging I almost passed out. Its incredibly intense to have your food critiqued by master chefs who know just about everything culinary. They had only a few criticisms and alot of good things to say. After us, they critiqued the 3 professional teams ( thats right, Paige and I were the only High School student team!). To our surprise we were both awarded a bronze medal! This was one of the greatest culinary experiences I have ever had. I definitely recommend you try a competition with your local ACF chapter or even if it’s a recipe contest. It’s okay if you don’t win something your first try ( hey, we weren't expecting to win anything) it’s all about the experience, learning new techniques and having FUN! Thanks to everyone who supported Paige and I, especially our parents, who shopped for ingredients, drove us to practice and kept us cooking. Well I'm off  to clean the dishes..... Keep on Cooking!

 Plating the Snapper

Happy Birthday Julia!!!

So yesterday I slaved over a stove for 9 hours for the birthday party of a lifetime, the only thing is, the guest of honor would not be attending. If you haven't read my blog on Julia Child I would suggest you do. It’s August 15, 2009 and Julia Child would have been 97 today. She died in 2004 at the age of 92. Some might remember her as the French Chef on TV (way before I was born) or the woman who wrote Mastering the Art of French Cooking, but to me she was an inspiration. 

Julia wanted to change the way a home cook cooks (no TV dinners for Mrs. Child). Julia didn’t just change home cooking, she also built a bridge between the average person and the professional chef. I thought about what she had accomplished and her undeniable passion for food, and that inspires me. It’s that passion that is driving me to bring a generation of teen chefs together.

All of the dishes I made were from Julia’s book. On the menu today were six dishes (really 5, but I’ll get to that later), 9 hours of preparation and lots of butter! I started off with a French vinaigrette for a basic field greens salad. Then started the Petitis Chaussons Au Roquefort (Pastry turnovers with Roquefort Cheese). This was definitely a hit, even though I used blue cheese as a substitute. I then made a Tarte Aux Pommes (apple tart) and I made the dough from scratch.  Afterwards I made the esteemed Coq Au Vin (pronounced -Coco Van) which is a decadent stew of chicken in red wine (3 cups to be exact) with onions, mushrooms, and bacon. Next up was Ratatouille (sound familiar?) which is a delightful Eggplant casserole- with tomatoes, onions, peppers, and zucchini. The aroma from the Ratatouille filled the kitchen and I was soon thinking about Provance just like Julia said it would. The final dish was risotto but time had run out, so that would have to wait until next time. I had just enough time to clean up, look presentable and greet my guests, eight of my close friends (all teens).

My friends and I sat down to dinner and made a toast to Julia. We had some wonderful French bread and enjoyed the rest of our meal. It was like Julia was there with us (there was a place setting just for her), watching my friends and I enjoy the wonderful food. My friend Matt who never eats vegetables said he loved the Ratatouille and would not have eaten it any other way. Seeing my friends try new dishes and talking about the meal made it all worth while.  So thanks Julia and Happy Birthday!

Bon Appetite!

Practice makes perfect

    Sharpen your knives!!! I’m entering my first culinary competition this month. The competition is being held at the Florida Culinary Institute on August 22nd. I have entered the Category F competition, which is a two person team. I'm working with my awesome friend Paige Desimon from West Boca. We’ve been practicing for the past couple of weeks and things have been crazy. We’ve created a regional menu meaning its Florida inspired. 

We have fish, tropical fruit, and classical techniques. Supposedly the key to this competition is techniques. If you’ve mastered a technique such as tourneying a potato or filleting a fish you keep your medal. At the beginning of the competition you start out with a gold medal (how awesome is that) however, if you should make mistakes you are deducted points and move farther away from your gold medal. The panel of judges consists of teachers and master chefs (it’s nerve wrecking). Everything counts from your uniform to cleanliness. So far Paige and I are the only student team in the competition going up against 3 professional teams. Forget what you know about Iron Chef or Chopped, this type of competition is the real deal. There’s no secret ingredient, no room for accidents and 2 hours. There are other competitions on the same day known as the ACF Salon. Well that’s all for now but I’ll fill you in as the competitions gets close  ( 2 weeks!!!). LET THE COUNTDOWN BEGIN!

Julie & Julia. Passion. Ambition. Butter

                           The “REAL” Julie Powell               The “REAL” Juilia Child

I AM MARKING MY CALENDAR!!! Those were the first words out of my mouth when I saw the Julie & Julia movie trailer online. I read the book which was incredible. It’s about a nearing thirty year old Julie Powell, who has a monotonous secretarial job in New York City. One day Julie decides to change her life by cooking her way through 524 recipes in Julia Child’s celebrated Mastering the Art of French Cooking. The catch: she must cook all the recipes within one year. It is during this year that Julie gains a new  perspective on her own life, which is now filled with livers and omelets.

                                       Amy Adams as Julie Powell in “Julie & Julia”

The movie  coincides with My life in France written by Julia Child.  I have yet to read My Life in France but I plan on it before the release of the movie (if I can finish my summer reading for school first). What I do know is that the book tells of Julia Child and her adventures in France. Before she wrote Mastering and starred in her own television cooking show The French Chef, Julia Child had no clue about cooking or France. Shopping in local French markets, attending Le Cordon Bleu, Julia weaves the story of her rise to fame.

                                       Meryl Streep as Julia Child in “Julie & Julia”

The movie is directed by Nora Ephron who wrote and directed Bewitched  and Sleepless in Seattle. If I had the chance to talk to both Julie and Julia, I would thank them for being an inspiration to me. When I was in eighth grade my english class was assigned a project to write a paper on someone who is not living, yet is an inspiration to you. Without hesitation I chose Julia Child. Along with the essay I made her renowned Coq Au Vin,  Riz A L’orientale (vegetarian rice bowl) and Mousseline Au Chocolat (chocolate mouse).  As soon as I told my teacher I was cooking for my project she decided to tell other teachers who then told their students and so on...There were many mouths to feed.  I want to thank Julia, first for getting me an A on my project, but most importantly being an inspiration. Lastly I would like to thank Julie, I never truly understood what a blog was until I read her book and I probably would of never been inspired to write one myself.

Julie & Julia cooks its way to theaters August 7

                           Two Great books I would recommend for anyone interested 

                                                        in Food or Cooking.

Leftover Pasta.

 

OK, how many people have leftover pasta in their fridge... tons of people! Whether it’s Penne, Linguine, the ever so popular Spaghetti, its in a container on a shelf in your fridge. What to do with it though? You could create just another typical pasta dish (which there’s no problem with that, I do it), but how about frying pasta. I wanted something new to do with my leftover pasta so I searched for a recipe and (as always) Jamie Oliver came to my rescue.  Frittelle di Spaghetti ( spaghetti fritters) was a dish I’ve always stopped to look at in Jamie’s Italy, but I’ve never actually made it. Its simple, real simple, but it does require a longer/stringy type of pasta ( Spaghetti, Angel Hair, Linguine). The following is my recipe for Frittelle di Spaghetti since I added and took away some things from the original. You also might want to consider the measurements of my recipe depending on how much leftover pasta you have or you can make a fresh pot of pasta, both works!

Remember be creative as you want, the following seasonings are just suggestions:

1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 1/2 cups Pecorino Ramano, grated
 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
 Salt and pepper to taste
1/4 pound of pasta
2 tablespoons olive oil
A Pinch of Sea salt

In a large bowl  mix all the ingredients until well blended. Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium high heat. Then, using a fork, add piles ( as big or as little as you like) of the spaghetti mixture to the pan and fry until golden and crisp on both sides. Once finished frying drain them on a paper towel. Sprinkle with sea salt and serve.

If you do anything different with your leftover pasta let me know and post your comments below.