Culinary Agoge

Pre-Baked Batch from March 7, 2009

My sister Ashley is over so I have a victim for my cooking attempts.  I’ve had some practice with making muffins which I think are pretty good so I decided to try something that I felt comfortable with while making minor changes to gain more understanding. I created chocolate chip and walnut muffins using Alton Brown’s Old School Muffins recipe (I’m Just Here for More Food: Food x Mixing + Heat = Baking). I started by setting up my work area, pre-heating the oven, and getting out my ingredients when I realized I was almost out of yogurt. I contemplated going to the local store to get more, but decided that if I did not have enough I would substitute milk for the missing amount to see what happened. Luckily I had just enough for the recipe (after scraping the sides of the container for every last drop), so the substitution lesson will have to wait for another day.

I combined my wet ingredients first with my whisk and then immediately combined my dry ingredients in my food processor which is efficient and dramatically adds to the fluffiness of the batter and ultimately that of the end product. I then put the dry ingredients in a bowl and worked the wet ones in with a silicone spatula. This was much easier to do being more comfortable with the process and what the batter should look like. Before filling the muffin tin, I worked in mini-chocolate chips and whole walnuts into the batter. They were easier to work in than the blueberries and it was much easier to get an even mix. Uniformity was something I had a problem with with my previous batches. Once the extra bits were mixed into the batter I filled my tins and placed them into the oven as usual.

The cooking time was about the same for this batch but I noticed a distinct change in the end result. While on the surface all appeared to be the same as my previous batches the, they were not as fluffy and moist. This batch differed in two ways from previous batches. I used vegetable oil instead of corn oil. This is really what the recipe called for, so I wanted to see what effect that would have on taste and texture. Secondly, instead of blueberries

Baked Batch from March 7, 2009

I used mini-chocolate chips as mentioned. Substituting the chocolate for blueberries undoubtedly had an effect on the water content. I can’t say how the difference in oil had an effect. I do feel that the chocolate is a nice compliment to the dough taste and mixed with walnuts is a good combination. I thought using the mini-chocolate chips would create a more uniform batter, and I was right on that, but I think using larger chips would allow more chocolate to come through. This was verified by Ashley and is a change that can be made based on taste.

Baked Batch from March 7, 2009

For my next batch I will try the corn oil again to see if I can detect any difference in taste and texture. This will help me finalize my recipe preference for future batches for myself and others.

Cambridge School of Culinary Arts

This evening was the start of my in-class learning as outlined in my self-created course of study. I arrived early, eager to discover what exactly was on the agenda for my first lesson. I walked into what was a small classroom that flowed directly into a kitchen. Can it really be true that it has been 7 years since I sat in a classroom as a student? I signed in and found a seat as the class shuffled in.

The smell was unexpected, not pleasant, but not unpleasant either. It was the smell of “sterile”. This was not my mother’s kitchen, but an unemotional and unbiased place of learning that begins each day with a blank slate allowing its occupants to transform it as they see fit with their creations.

We began with the basic knives as the Chef instructor, a recent graduate, explained their names and use. She started with the Chef’s Knife, followed by the Bread Knife, the Boning Knife, the Filleting Knife and finally the Paring Knife. Before moving on to our stations we were shown a Japanese and regular mandolin and discussed the basics of sharpening and honing our knifes on a honing steel. The Chef’s Knife and the Paring Knife would be our instruments for this evening’s lessons.

We washed our hands and walked over to a station where we would find a plastic cutting board, knife, apron and towel. I peered around the room looking at my classmates, wondering what their backgrounds and reasons for joining this class were. The lesson began.

We started off with zucchini and a julianne cut, moving on to carrots and cube cuts, parsley, chives and mincing, onions, garlic and dicing and red peppers, mushrooms and slicing. We used the paring knife to slice wedges out of oranges and lemons. With each item we cut, our confidence grew and things became clearer. Each slice, dice and cut produced some of the building blocks for future meals as well as our knowledge.  Steadfast repetition surely will transform this conscious task into an unconscious relex.

The class was a great beginning and I look forward to next week where we explore the preparation and use of eggs, a key ingredient in cooking and a much enjoyed staple of my diet.

Heat, is a captivating account by Bill Buford of his journey from amateur to professional in the culinary world.  The book spans his entrance into the unknown at Mario Batali’s three star restaurant Babbo in New York city to his excursions to work with some of the finest chefs (including Marco Pierre White) and cooks in the world to gain an understanding of what food is and finally to work with tradition steeped culinary artists and tradesmen to understand what it represents beyond a briefly enjoyed source of nutrients, seeking to understand it’s essence.

I started reading it and wondered where it was taking me and what was going on. The immediate entrance into the life of a professional cook and the feelings associated with it are immediately felt not only through the writing, but the experience that is conveyed through it as your eyes pass over every word. As a reader I immediately felt what Buford was going through, reading terms that were unfamiliar, trying to understand cooking techniques that I have never used, trying to learn different stations, the pecking order in the kitchen, how meals were made and how recipes were created from a few simple ingredients . I found myself immersed in a new culture trying to keep up, every step of the way learning something new all with a very steep learning curve. Other new entrants into the world of cooking traditionally attend culinary school and gain an understanding of the kitchen and its tools. They become comfortable behind the line and working with others all before ever setting foot in a live do it now and do it right or go home environment. What Buford notices is that what tends to be missing from a formal eduction is an intimate understanding of food.

Buford starts with learning food and its preparation. Over time he gains mastery of the line at Babbo and other kitchens as once impossible tasks become practically effortless, part of his blood and soul. As he gains acceptance and transitions from a temporary worker getting his feet wet to a trusted and integral part of the team at Babbo he goes through a transformation. Preparing food is no longer something that must be learned but an extension of who he is and how he sees himself in and how projects himself to the world.

As I stated, a fascinating angle that the book takes is the breaking down of food to its roots and history learning from the masters. Buford follows the example of Batali and other great chefs and travels to Europe to understand how food is made by locals and their ancestors. He sets out to learn where it came from and why people make the food they do, learning about their past and how it is revealed and passed down from generation to generation, a form of history. He’s so obsessive with his learning he seeks to understand the smallest detail such as when eggs were introduced into the making of pasta. This education in contrast to a formal course of study is what allows one to understand food.

While in Italy he reflects that “without my fully realizing it, my mission had changed. When I’d begun this whole business-what I’d come to regard as my excursion into the world of the professional kitchen-I’d been a visitor. I’d been a tourist, and, like many tourists, I’d been able to throw myself into my journey with such abandon because I knew it would end. At Babbo, I seemed to endure abuse much more easily than others because this wasn’t my life. Now I wondered: had I stayed too long?” The desire to dig deeper and deeper into the roots of cooking and history become all consuming. His passion growing each and every day.

I hope that as I continue down this path of learning I am able to achieve enlightenment just as Buford has with the same passion and conviction that he was able to. Transforming from the desk drone to the passionate student is truthfully detailed in his account and yet through all of the abuse and sacrifice reward and peace are found in his life.  I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and can see myself reading its pages over and over reliving the adrenaline-rush filled moments followed by those of learning and understanding all while meeting interesting people along the way. This is a must have for amateurs and professionals alike.

As a follow-up to part one of my post, I also made a French-style omelette following the instruction of  the late and great master chef, Julia Child. While I was researching material to study at the beginning of my culinary odyssey, I came across a clip of Julia preparing a basic omelette on her classic show The French Chef.

Watching Julia Child cook brings back wonderful childhood memories stored in the deep recesses of my memory banks. Memories of baking cookies and cakes with my mother and maternal grandmother are the first to arrive, but quiet evenings parked in front of the tv watching in awe as she transformed simple ingredients into culinary masterpieces don’t take much longer to follow. That is the essence of French cooking as I have come to learn and is what she excelled and bringing to and teaching the American public about. I decide to use this clip as my inspiration for my breakfast.

I have what I would call an egg addiction. I love eating eggs, and if I had the time to cook them, read if only I got up early enough, I would eat them every morning.

Attempting to emulate Julia Child

I heated up my pan on high heat, tossed in some butter and as it began to bubble dropped in my whisked eggs. The eggs had been whisked in a bowl with a bit of salt and pepper. As the eggs began to cook and coagulate I shook the pan as depicted and within twenty seconds had my meal ready to serve and neatly folded onto a plate. I had never made an egg this way and it tasted great. I wish I had folded it a bit more and seasoned with some salt to bring out the flavor, but I guess this means I’ve left more room for improvement for next time.

Pre-baked Batch from March 1, 2009

Well rested and hungry I awoke with a desire to experiment in the kitchen. I had previously created blueberry muffins using Alton Brown’s Old School Muffins recipe (I’m Just Here for More Food: Food x Mixing + Heat = Baking) and decided to test my creative abilities. This time I resolved to make blueberry walnut muffins figuring that adding that extra crunch from the walnuts would enhance the overall texture while also allowing them to contribute to the subtle bun enjoyable flavor.

Having previous practice with this recipe I felt a lot more composed especially after learning from my experience with mise en place. I set out my bowls, utensils, ingredients and recipe for reference after preheating my oven and greasing the muffin tin.

This time I also added a bit of vanilla extract and used a spatula to mix the batter instead of my hands. I wanted to get a fluffier batter that would hopefully result ina fluffier texture after baking.

Baked Batch from March 1, 2009

Baked Batch from March 1, 2009

The muffins were placed into the oven for exactly 20 minutes. One thing I did notice was that the batter was not mixed as evenly as before but the result was a wonderful muffin equal to if not better than the previous batch with the walnuts as an added bonus.

I had a minor issue getting the muffins out of the tins and onto the cooling racks, when I bumped the racks an caused them to split apart, with one of the muffins falling through and cracking as can be seen in the picture. This was a minor disappointment in an otherwise perfect baking experience.