FOOD, FOOD, AND MORE FOOD

I am learning tons of stuff in this program.  The chef is on us every moment.  She is an unbelievable perfectionist.  I love it!  By the way, I got her name wrong.  It's Adeline, not Emeline.  It's okay though, she calls me Shirley.  Really, I've been called worse, much worse. 

On Tuesday evening we worked on three labor intensive dishes.  Like I've said before, the components of these dishes are being prepared throughout the class.  They're not made one at a time.  At one point, it all comes together. Some parts of a dish take longer than others.  The prime example is the sauce.  We started with Lobster Corks with Coral Mustard.  The lobsters that we used are blue before they're cooked.  They are considered to be more tasty than other varieties.  These lobsters are caught off the coast of England and Scotland.  I referred to "lobster murder" on my facebook page.  It was.  Nothing like ripping the front legs and claws off while the lobster is still alive.  Then, acording to Adeline's directions, you just twist the tail and pull it off too.  No wait, it gets better.  After that you jam your chef's knive into its head and slice it right down the middle; just more Paris glamour.  And when you thought it couldn't get any more wierd; as I was browning the body parts that we weren't actually eating (head, small legs, and whatever else which couldn't actually identify) the legs were jumping around in the pan.  That is just WRONG.  I thought that France was a bad place to be a duck.  Apparently that's not the only animal that better run and hide!  Nonetheless, I adore the fact that every sauce we've made seems to include cognac.  You gotta love that, not to mention the aroma!  Well, it's certainly light years more pleasant than some of the other things that I've come in contact with in this program.  You can just imagine.  Anyway, the final product was divine!

Next came Ballontine of Poultry, Foie Gras and Truffles.  We deboned a Bresse Chicken (special breed from southwest France) spread it out and layered it with chicken mousse, truffles, foie gras, pigeon livers, duck tenders, duck livers.  After that, I can't remember.  When we were done, we rolled it up, tied it tightly, browned it on the burner, and roasted it in the oven.  After it was roasted, we rested it, and then pressed it with a pan full of heavy cream boxes.  It then had to sit until the next day, as this is a two day process.  I don't usually enjoy such dense, heavy food, but in this case, I'll make an exception.  We served it with homemade croutons, a field green salad, and a light vinaigrette.  Delicious.  It's most like a pate en croute, (quite chunky) not the smooth creamy pate that I usually buy in the grocery store.  I saved the whole bird, as my French class has decided to have a party tomorrow, and everyone wants me to bring something that I've cooked at Escoffier.  Since it's served cold, it works. (details to follow)

Each and every ingredient that we use in this program is the very best; the freshest produce, meat, poultry and seafood.  I love that.  Food is more about the ingredients, not the cooking.

The third and final dish prepared that evening was a fresh foie gras terrine.  As I mentioned before, we deveined the foie gras, carved it up, seasoned it, put it in the terrines and poured port wine and cognac over it.  We baked it, but have not finished it.  We're doing that Friday night. 

On Wednesday we made Bocuse de Or.  Basically that's duck tenderloin wrapped in cabbage with more cabbage as the side.  It's REALLY GORGEOUS, but not really my "cup of tea".  Next came Turbot "au gratin" with shellfish coulis.  I've really gotten into making these sauces, particularly the shellfish sauces.  It's a skill that translates to lot's of dishes.  The turbot, the WHOLE TURBOT was on the table when I got there, which meant that I had to fabricate that bad boy.  It worked out well, and was delicious.  Yet again, I had to pull the claws and tail off of some poor animal.  In this case it was crayfish.  The French call these particular crayfish "red feet".  They were key to making the sauce and made an attractive and yummy garnish. 

Lastly, a dish that isn't in our notebooks, is one that Chef Adeline wanted to teach us, Scallops with Orange Walnut Butter.  We braised some endive slices and chilled the rest in water for a fresh garnish.  It's clearly my favorite dish that we've cooked so far.  In addition to learning how to shuck fresh scallops (completely different than the way you handle oysters), the sauce was unbelievable (and I have the secret).  We cook so much scrumptious food, and our instructor really expects us to take it home.  I just can't eat most of it, and frankly, I get tired of looking at it.  I really lose my appetite.  Ironically, down the block from the back door of the Ritz is a spot where five or six homeless people sleep in the alcoves of a building.  Since I had four containers of gourmet food, it just seemed like a good idea to give it to an elderly man who was sleeping in the rain on the street.  He smiled and thanked me.  I plan to do that for the rest of the week.

On another subject, the folks in my French class are completely terrific.  They're fun, down to earth, and so very interesting.  Each one of them brings something special to the mix.  When Elodie, our beloved instructor, found that I was a chef studying at Escoffier, she asked if I could bring some food in on the next Friday (tomorrow) and we would have a party.  She'd bring the wine.  This has turned into quite the event.  EVERYONE is bringing something; cheese, salad, baguettes, wine, beer, chocolate, and more.  We're leaving the school and going to one of the student's apartment.  Being a part of this particular class has been the real highlight of this trip.