Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Let’s talk about Food! One of my favorite subjects. Some of you know that I have been taking some culinary classes, and last night I attended a fantastic 4 hour class on Soups & Sauces. Loved it.
Those that know me, know that I love to make bacon wrapped beef tenderloins and what goes with that? Béarnaise Sauce. Last night, while learning how to make hollandaise sauce, I asked the Chef about Béarnaise sauce. Using fresh tarragon, we then put a twist on it, using a burgundy wine to enhance the flavors.
We (plural because there were 12 of us in class) also made three kinds of soups: French Onion, Mushroom Sherry, and Creamy Roasted Tomato & Basil Soup. The T&B was clearly my favorite and fun to make. We roasted some of the tomatoes, and even used some canned tomatoes. One of the lessons we learned was to create something with what you have on hand. If you can’t get fresh tomatoes in Wisconsin in February, you make do with your pantry stock.
We also made a cranberry chutney, an excellent alternative to canned jellied cranberries you might find on the Thanksgiving table. I wanted to learn alternatives, so I added diced apples to my concoction. Pineapple, mango, raisins, dates, and many other fruits can be used. Once you learn the base, you can let your imagination fly. That’s my style.
Another cool thing about the class was to learn culinary terms such as chinois, bain marie, emulsions, and sharp knives. A spotted the first aid kit as soon as I entered the kitchen. Moraine Park Technical Institute in Fond du Lac has a really incredible culinary program. A recent addition allows up to 20 students to learn/cook at the same time. It’s that large. Video cameras capture those things you don’t want captured. (while cooking)
Oh, the pics. Wisconsin is known for its Friday Fish Fry’s. I think it’s a law that you have to eat cod, haddock or perch on Friday, and I have no problem with that. This particular photo was taken at Wendt’s On the Lake, an excellent place for perch, a few weeks ago. Pete, Sharon, Cathy, and myself are seen enjoying the condiments that compliment perch. (aka: Bloody Mary’s with a beer chaser)
The other photo is one of my favorite meals at home: Bacon Wrapped Beef Tenderloin on the grill served with ….. Béarnaise Sauce, before I knew how to make it from scratch.
Let’s talk about Food! One of my favorite subjects. Some of you know that I have been taking some culinary classes, and last night I attended a fantastic 4 hour class on Soups & Sauces. Loved it.
Those that know me, know that I love to make bacon wrapped beef tenderloins and what goes with that? Béarnaise Sauce. Last night, while learning how to make hollandaise sauce, I asked the Chef about Béarnaise sauce. Using fresh tarragon, we then put a twist on it, using a burgundy wine to enhance the flavors.
We (plural because there were 12 of us in class) also made three kinds of soups: French Onion, Mushroom Sherry, and Creamy Roasted Tomato & Basil Soup. The T&B was clearly my favorite and fun to make. We roasted some of the tomatoes, and even used some canned tomatoes. One of the lessons we learned was to create something with what you have on hand. If you can’t get fresh tomatoes in Wisconsin in February, you make do with your pantry stock.
We also made a cranberry chutney, an excellent alternative to canned jellied cranberries you might find on the Thanksgiving table. I wanted to learn alternatives, so I added diced apples to my concoction. Pineapple, mango, raisins, dates, and many other fruits can be used. Once you learn the base, you can let your imagination fly. That’s my style.
Another cool thing about the class was to learn culinary terms such as chinois, bain marie, emulsions, and sharp knives. A spotted the first aid kit as soon as I entered the kitchen. Moraine Park Technical Institute in Fond du Lac has a really incredible culinary program. A recent addition allows up to 20 students to learn/cook at the same time. It’s that large. Video cameras capture those things you don’t want captured. (while cooking)
Oh, the pics. Wisconsin is known for its Friday Fish Fry’s. I think it’s a law that you have to eat cod, haddock or perch on Friday, and I have no problem with that. This particular photo was taken at Wendt’s On the Lake, an excellent place for perch, a few weeks ago. Pete, Sharon, Cathy, and myself are seen enjoying the condiments that compliment perch. (aka: Bloody Mary’s with a beer chaser)
The other photo is one of my favorite meals at home: Bacon Wrapped Beef Tenderloin on the grill served with ….. Béarnaise Sauce, before I knew how to make it from scratch.
No comments:
Post a Comment