Month: June 2015

Whenever anyone mentions “week 6” within the hallowed halls of Arizona Culinary Institute, you get the feeling that scary movie music and a Vincent Price voiceover are imminent. “So, you ready for WEEK SIX?” “Is it WEEK 6 already?” “God, you look like hell! Oh right, it’s WEEK 6!”

We went through the motions of WEEK 6 with expected trepidation; and, considering I’m such a whack job, more than expected. We were tested and graded every single day. Although Monday in the kitchen was simply the fabrication of a chicken and the construction of a Veloute, it wasn’t so simple as it was crucial to the continuation of our testing for platings on days 2 and 3. So basically, if you screwed it up, you were screwed!

Suffice it to say, Shi’s rendition of “The Patience Song” just before I pulled out my boning knife made all the difference. I took my time, picked a chicken with lots of skin on it and memorized the components and procedure for my sauce. Well, maybe with a little helpful banter from my classmates. My presentations to Chef weren’t all perfect 10’s, but I did my best and that’s good with me. Except for one thing, and this is for you, Ty. EFF CONSUMME!!!

On day 5 of WEEK 6, we were charged with the task of preparing French Omelets for 60 with sides of fruit, caramelized onion hash browns, bacon, sausage and salsa. As much as I adore preparing a meal for family and friends; nothing compares to the rush of working a line with a solid team and getting it done! We bantered, we sang song snippets, and fist bumped all day long! Chef was proud of us and that was the best bit of all.

Escoffier gave us the brigade system and our Captain worked hard to instill that sense of cohesiveness and team work in his Cereal Killers. More importantly, he gave us the liberty to be ourselves, to be creative, to express and fuel our passion. We 7 are all very different people from very different walks of life. But our love of food and dedication were one and the same. He was an amazing teacher and mentor, and will continue to be the lethithin that binds us.  (Yes, I spelled that wrong on purpose.)

I posted a pic of myself cleaning an oven on our last day and a childhood friend remarked, “You look like your 20!” Considering it was WEEK 6, that’s a helluva compliment. At the end of that day, I felt every inch my calendar age and then some. However, the youthful vibration and energy which emanates throughout those hallowed halls of ACI keeps me young at heart and if that shows through in a big ass smile whilst on the floor, cleaning an oven with steel wool, I’ll take that 20!!!

If I have to nappe a demi sauce in the next few months, it will be too soon. Weeks four and five took us into the mesmerizing macrocosm of meat and poultry. As much as I love a demi based condiment, the process of seasoning, tasting, seasoning and then tasting, tasting, and tasting again became a bit much. Nappe is the art of having the proper texture to lightly coat foods, not to mention getting you a passing grade from your Chef based on his scientistic and subjective palate.

At the end of the week, our last dish to present as an eye of round roulade style and a sauce, demi nappe. My mouth was worn out and I just couldn’t feel it. While presenting to Chef and he says something like, you’ve got 10 more minutes, reduce the shit out of this!  Nope!  I’ll take the 8. He then says, “I guess you’re just demied out!” Yep!  It’s pronounced (nap eh), which is so much more than appropriate. Demi sauces are food coma thus eliciting the question, “Looks like you’re ready for a nap, eh?”

We fabricated chickens; trimmed and pounded beef; prepared pork schnitzel with a poached egg, which rocked my world! We were all over the seafood in week 4; THAT was interesting. A few classmates were turning a little green whilst gutting their flounder, so I suggested they breathe through their mouths and cover up the viscera with a paper towel. We shucked some oysters (fun) and some clams (not fun); deveined shrimp; filleted a salmon and a seabass, and watched Chef demo a lobster. At least we didn’t have to do a demi. Hell to the yea!!

We are now gearing up for our last week of basics and I’m freaking out! Not so much on the written exams and practicals, (still studying my ass off), but for the anxiousness that’s hitting me hard as we prepare to bid adieu to our Captain and split into two separate groups for the remainder of our journey at ACI. On our first day of school Chef Macc said, “You’ll never forget me!” How right he is! Your Bascis Instructor becomes indelibly imprinted in your mind and heart ~ you take them with you always. He knows how we feel and has professed his adoration of us as a team and individuals.

With that, he’s upped his Maccism game to keep everyone light and smiley. Discussing the difference between roasting and baking (there isn’t any); Chef says, “Yea, I’m gonna’ roast my cookies today.” Out of the blue, “I think crabs taught me how to scream!” Finally, Tucson was mopping the floor and Chef stands in front of her and blurts, “I can lick harder than that!” Brought us to tears and we love him for it. Thank you, Chef!

When Chef told us that we’d be studying about and making sauces last week, you couldn’t slap the smile off my face or stop me from immediately opening my book to Chapter 8. Well, maybe not THAT much of a freak, but I did impart to our Captain that if he thought I had asked a lot of questions before, just wait until we delved into this little market basket.

I think it seriously kicks ass that in a mostly male dominated profession, the fact that the most elemental components (in my opinion) of cooking are the MOTHER sauces!  From the mother sauces come baby sauces, or small sauces ~ and they are soooo much fun! In case you’re interested, the mother sauces are: Bechamel, Espagnole, Tomato, Hollandaise, Veloute and Demi.  The easy way to remember these is a little phrase that goes thus:  BETH has VD.  We weren’t taught that Demi-Glace is a mother sauce, but it wouldn’t be funny or memorable if Beth only had V.

I LOVE SAUCES!  So basically, I was pretty much jumping up and down and pointing last week.  We made a brown stock and a white stock and then went to town!  The aromas emanating from the Basics Kitchen perfumed the entire school.  It’s like when you open the front door and get that first whiff of your moms’ spaghetti.  From these stocks we made those aforementioned MOTHER sauces which we transformed into Supremes and Allamendes, Marchand de Vin, Sauce Robert and Chasseur.  To our Bechamel we added sauteed onion for a Soubise and oodles of cheese for a Mornay.  How can we forget our Hollandaisse and Bernaise.  All I ate when I got home from school was fiber. God help me!!

It would be sacriligious not to mention the fact that from these beautifully prepared stocks come even more beautiful soups!  The race for my adoration between soups and sauces is neck and neck. Imaginary pots of stock sit on my shoulders and whisper “Make me into a soup!” “Make me into a Sauce!” They can be so irritating. However, as much as I adore those MOTHERS, I don’t think “Into the Sauce” would have been a good name for my company. Hits a little too close to home, if you know what I mean.  So, guess what we get to play with next? Chapter 9 ~ Understanding Soups!  God help Chef Macc!!