Don’t Get Saucy with me. . . .Okay, a pretty cheesy joke but this was the week we talked about sauces! And speaking of cheesy- the mother sauce you might use for a cheese sauce? Bechamel! Oh, I could go on and on because this week at the NEACA (Natural Epicurean Academy of Culinary Arts) we were stuffed in so many ways with useful new information and with delicious bites of so many recipes that we worked on in labs or that were demonstrated for us by our Chef Instructors. I will try to organize my thoughts and tell you about some of this weeks highlights and challenges here at Natural Epicurean in the eclectic, if steaming hot city of Austin.
Highlights and Challenges for Week 2:
We started the week off with Knife Skills 102. We filleted a red pepper, worked on our mincing, dices, julienne, and Brunoise. it was a lot more enjoyable for me than Knife Skills 101 due solely to the fact that I’m feeling a little more at ease and comfortable with my very sharp chef knives. I appreciate the tool much more than I ever have at home. There’s still a lot of practicing to be done but it’s exciting. It’s kind of how I feel with all of the labs and hands-on opportunities I’ve had at school so far the last two weeks. It’s exciting, but it also shows how practice plays a key role in getting to perfect. It sure is hard to wait for that “perfect” to come. It is easy to really want to be good at these things already (e.g. plating, knife skills) but I’m going to try to remember to enjoy the journey in getting there.
In Demos/Labs this week we covered:
Stocks: An unthickened flavored liquid usually made with mirepoix, aromatics, and cold water that is essential for soups, sauces, braised, poached, and many other dishes and recipes
Sauces: used to add moisture, flavor, and richness to a food. Usually made of a liquid, a thickening agent, and flavors and seasonings
Wet-Cooking Methods: Method using a liquid or steam to cook the food. Ex: Boiling, Steaming, Poaching, Blanching, Pan-Steaming, or Stewing
Dry-Cooking Methods: Method using oil, fat, radiation of hot air or metal to cook. Ex: Sauteing, Stir-Fry, Frying, Broiling, Roasting, or Baking
I really enjoyed getting in the kitchen for labs and giving some of the things we’ve learned a try. Sauce day was really fun. The tomato sauce was my favorite and felt like a yummy summer dish. I really enjoyed working with my teammates this week. We seemed to mesh well and it was fun to work on the recipes with them and to practice our kitchen brigade roles. It was also challenging in some ways. When you have 3 different students working on 3-5 different recipes in a set amount of time things can get a little crazy. We all wanted to be part of each recipe and so I felt a little all over the place and it was hard to decipher which steps you should be in charge of. I had a hard time focusing and remembering small things by the end of the week. I think this will get clearer as we go along.
It is also challenging to be working in the heat. I swear it does funny things to your brain and makes focusing difficult. When I worked as a server through college I was always amazed at the heat the line cooks were able to work in for hours at a time. The only thing hotter than cooking over a hot oven and hot range is perhaps being inside the hot oven or in the pot on the range! I think just being conscious of this and working to maintain a good attitude during those heat-filled moments can really help though. And in a few months it will cool down outside and won’t be so extreme.
Another highlight was when my classmate and I took the mats outside to clear the floor for mopping and a restaurant patron from Snooze next door walked by and said, “Excuse me ladies.” So you are thinking, what are you talking about? We wear professional chef coats and checkered baggy-ish pants and little chef caps all of which is a bit bulky and maybe not exactly flattering so we were just so happy that he knew we were LADIES! I’m just kidding, mostly. It’s nice to feel like a real chef at school and the uniforms help us feel that way while also offering protection for hot splashes or spills. It gave us a good laugh though.
We had our first exam Friday and I can’t believe we are done with the Fundamentals portion of our Quarter! It is that feeling where time is going by so fast but it also feels like you’ve come so far because it has been so information-dense. Friday afternoon we were able to talk about our Externship hours and what some of the Natural Epicurean Alumni are doing now. It is fun to envision what we will be doing just 6 months from now and down the road. It makes me giddy to think about all the opportunity that will present itself. This is such a neat and up and coming field to be involved with and it is something that can truly improve the quality of life for individuals and communities!
Food for Thought:
One of the types of starches you can use as a thickening agent is called Kuzu (also known as Kudzu or Kuzuko) Root Starch. This could be a more natural option to more traditional starches because it is less processed than potato or cornstarch. In addition to being less processed Kuzu Root has medicinal qualities. From MindBodyGreen: . Kuzu starch is most commonly used to treat minor indigestion and the symptoms of the common cold, but it can also be used as a remedy for constipation, to stimulate appetite and to calm hyperactive children or minds.
On a Personal Note:
We were given the keys for our final apartment this Friday and can’t wait to get settled and unpacked! Our lives have been a bit more chaotic than we hoped the last two weeks with all the moving from the apartment we now refer to as Stinkville to our temporary accommodations. Little Plate has been adjusting wonderful to our new Texan’ life now that she hasn’t been having to breathe in the smokey pollution from the first week. She already likes Mr. Plate more (his words, not mine). It is so fun to come home and jump in one of the three pools near our apartment. Little Plate might have to be referred to as Little Fish after our time here. Mr. Plate has been amazing. He has really stepped up to the plate. . . hahaha. But really, he’s been so sweet to help iron my uniform, keep up on the paperwork and household chores, and to play with Little Plate so that mom can study and get her homework done. I’ve really appreciated his help.
Also, we are trying to get out and see as much of our area as we can. This week we went to Free Food Truck Friday, explored the Wheatsville Coop Grocery Store, and went to Bubblepalooza at the Long Center downtown. Mr. Plate said that living here is like being on a cruise but on land because there is so much food all around and events to attend if you want to. He pinned it on the head with that observation.
Some of our Favorite Austin Event Websites:
Loves!
Ashley