Another class at kitchen table

Earlier today I had a class at kitchen table cooking school (again) and we made recipes with dough I, enjoyed it quite a lot. It taught me how to make dough from scratch. So after I made the dough I put it in an automatic bread maker. Then once flattened I put it through another attachment that enabled me to cut the pasta.
Then to make the pizza margarita I took the same dough as the pasta except I had made it with yeast then I kneaded it to perfection and flattened it until it was around six inches all around. Than I topped it with the toppings of my choice and baked.
I then made crepe Suzette which is essentially really thin pancakes with an orange sauce. I ate it all and loved it!

the secret art of omelette making

This morning I made five omelette using a step by step instruction from Julia Child's book From Julia Child's Kitchen. First I cracked two eggs, one of which I cracked with such force, that it almost immediately exploded in my face covering me with yolk (That delayed me quite a bit).

I then beat the egg with a fork in a metal mixing bowl quite thoroughly until it all
looked like yolk.Before I pored it in I put in a tablespoon of butter on the pan and swirled it around until it completely covered the entire surface of the pan. You know the butter is ready when there is no froth remaining (or not much). I waited a few seconds until a film of coagulated egg formed.
Then to spread the egg completely I lifted the pan up and shook it side to side for a few seconds.
Then I jerked the egg. I lifted the pan up and jerked it to and fro and when it was close to the rim I gave it an upward jolt to flip it.

It was delicious! My dog enjoyed the one that I dropped on the floor.

ace cooks minestrone

• 3 cups reduced-sodium vegetable or chicken broth
• 1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 1 (15-ounce) can white (cannellini or navy) beans, drained
• 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
• 1 celery stalk, chopped
• 1 cup onion, chopped
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon dried sage
• 2 bay leaves
• Salt and ground black pepper
• 2 cups cooked ditalini pasta
• 1 medium zucchini, chopped
• 1 medium summer squash, chopped
• 2 cups fresh swiss chard cut into ribbons
• 4 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
• Basil sprigs, garnish, optional (we used freeze dried instead for a money saving tip)

Peeling carrots is none too easy when you have a dull peeler but clean and peel vegetables as necessary.

Onions burn.... need I say more? Apparently so. Add some olive oil to a pot and add carrots, celery and onion. When soft add broth, tomatoes, and beans, thyme, sage, bay leafs and 1/2 t. each salt and pepper.Cover and cook on medium for 30 minutes.

I then sliced chard into ribbons with my knife.
Add the chard, zucchini and squash and stir, then let cook for 15 more minutes. Before serving add cooked pasta (gluten-free for mom) and top with Parmesan cheese and freeze dried basil (no fresh in winter).
The finished product was divine although I needed to cut the vegetables into much thinner pieces and add much more liquid and beans. I made this meal for my mom and she thought it was magnificent so on that note, Bon' Appetite

Julie and Julia

Based on two true stories

Directed by: Nora Ephron

2003 Columbia pictures industries

Julie And Julia is a movie and book about french cooking however I will be doing a synopsis about the movie.

The film Julie And Julia is a movie that is split in half. One half involves Julia Child’s (Meryl Streep) and how she is attempting to get her now popular book The Art of French Cooking published and it takes her to America. The other half involves Julie Powell (Amy Adams) and her attempt to make every recipe in The Art Of French Cooking (by Julia Child’s) in one year and blog about it.

What I discovered from the film is that Julia Child’s wrote a french cookbook that I would like to make recipes from and that Julia Child’s made french cooking accessible to Americans.

Interview with Sam Milligan

How long have you been cooking?

All my life, but 10 years professionally.

What was the first thing you remember cooking?

Whatever was easy growing up, but my first professional dish was a carrot soup.

How did you become interested in cooking?

I liked the creativity involved in the culinary world, plus everyone has to eat so I knew I could always find a job anywhere in the world.

What is your favorite recipe?

Braised short ribs, anything braised is awesome.

Would you suggest cooking as a job to others?

Cooking is a skill everyone needs no matter what job they choose. As a job, it can be tough, but follow your heart and any job is worth it.

Do you enjoy cooking?

I love what I do and I know that wherever my professional life takes me, I will always find time to cook.

When you were growing up did you have a cooking mentor? If so, who?

The chef at my first professional job was my culinary mentor, but the work ethic my grandfather taught me was the most invaluable thing I learned growing up.

What type of cooking do you enjoy most? (ie, American, Italian, French, Japanese etc.)

Japanese, there is a beauty in the simplicity and artistry.

What is the hardest part of cooking?

cooking is an art and the hardest thing is to listen to people judge what you worked hard to prepare.

Where did you go to school for cooking?

Culinary school of the Rockies, I was able to study in Avignon, France for part of my education.

class at Kitchen Table Cooking School

Recently I took a class on knife skills at the Kitchen Table Cooking School, I made chicken parmigianno, a mixed green salad with a tangy vinaigrette, caramelized onions with sauteed bell peppers and carrots and for desert a panna cotta. The meal I made took me three hours to make but it was well worth it. I enjoyed it quite a lot. It taught me basic knife skills , and I think it gave me much more confidence in the kitchen.

pasta with cream and chive sauce

I recently got back from a trip to the mountains and I had, for one of the dinner meals, pasta with sour cream and chive sauce. When I got back I decided to make it. It contained pasta with a creamy chive sauce it was a quick meal that didn't take much effort, only about thirty minutes to make and reaped a lot of rewards as you can see on the expression on my younger brother's face. In all fairness the pasta in the mountains was nothing compered to my rendition of the dish but my own version wasn't the best either and it could use a lot of improvement. Next time, I would improve it by making far more sauce or less pasta, as it was quite dry.

Here I am making the roux. A roux is a type of base that you use to make a sauce. It contains equal parts flour and butter, which, depending on the length that you cook it, it gets darker and thicker.

Interview with Chef Joe Wrench

Head Chef Of: Three Tomatoes Catering, Joe Wrench

How long have you been cooking?
I have been cooking since the age of 14 for almost twenty years now.

What was the first thing you remember cooking?
The first thing I remember cooking was spaghetti on Fridays and my mom spending all day working on it using the kids to make sausage and meatballs.

How did you become interested in cooking?
Well I’ll tell you what, I became interested in cooking back when I was younger working with my Italian uncle from Queens and watching him in action making his customers happy. I liked the atmosphere of the restaurant he owned, it made me feel like I was doing something. I think as a young person having a knife in my hand and having fire, heat and chaos all around me it made me feel comfortable.

What is your favorite recipe?
Wow, you know what I love, wild pheasant and elk, red wine and reduction sauces with marinara sauces, Italian food but lately I’ve been interested in innards such as kidneys and livers chicken feet and off the wall food.

Would you suggest cooking as a job to others?
No! I think this is a field that chooses you it is not an easy life style. It’s the love. It’s a thing you have to be dedicated to.

Do you enjoy cooking?
I love it !! There really isn’t much I’d rather do.

When you were growing up did you have a cooking mentor? If so, who?
I did have a cooking mentor, earlier in my life it was my mom, later on it was my uncle Geno Cammarta, as of now I still have my mother as my mentor but still have many silent mentors such as some of the top chefs that there are still today

What type of cooking do you enjoy most? (ie, American, Italian, French, Japanese etc.)
I trained in French cooking {la cordon bleu}. I love French food and French technique but as of lately I was a Japanese sushi chef and I loved it but I think right now my favorite food is pacific rim cuisine I moved to Denver a year and a half ago from Maui .

What is the hardest part of cooking for you?
I think the hardest part of cooking for me is: it’s hard on your hands, listening to other people’s opinions but the hardest part is the life style. It’s about being responsible. It is such a demanding job on your body mind and soul. It takes a head strong person to keep all those in line.

Were did you go to school for cooking?
After college I went to CCA (California Culinary Academy) in San Francisco for a 18 month program after that in order to finish my degree I had to get an externship and that was in Maui HI.