The Perfect Meal... Ends With a Drink!

This might have been the quietest day in the kitchen since the first week of our term. A bit of nervous tension in the room. We all could have used a drink afterward! But everyone did well.

I used a theme, "food of the gods," for my three courses. My first course was mushroom tortellini with walnut sauce. (An innkeeper shaped tortellini to resemble the navel of the goddess Venus, according to a myth.) Second course, pan roasted chicken and roasted root vegetables with chocolate vinegar. (Got the vinegar recipe from the book Real Chocolate by Chantal Coady.) Dessert was a banana pudding cream puff. Instead of a pudding, though -- the recipe I tried tasted too starchy to me -- I made a stirred creme brulee and put some bourbon in it. The 'legend' I found for bananas was that Hawaiian gods punished a boy for stealing bananas for their altar. I made a little "altar" out of sugar and put a slice of banana on it.

I did have a few mishaps along the way -- I ended up making the chocolate vinegar twice (I accidentally added salt when I meant to add sugar!), and I made the cream puffs twice because they didn't puff the first time. (Likely could have been the oven, according to the kitchen assistant.) I was really pleased with the feedback I got from the chefs, and to be honest, I'd do this again. I loved the experience.

It was so interesting to see how people used their $10 to come up with such creative and different dishes. Chris took my camera and got pics of just about everyone working in the kitchen.

At the end the chefs came into the kitchen, and said they thought everyone did a nice job. I was expecting more comment, and asked for even more feedback. "This will be the last time we'll get to pick your brains!" I said. Chef John smiled and shook his head -- "I'm just an e-mail away."

When I did my undergrad, I think I had senioritis the last semester of my sophomore year. But I really don't want to graduate this week. I have loved this experience and wish it didn't have to end.

But graduation is next for us. Tomorrow we start working on our graduation banquet, which will be Saturday afternoon.

Comments

[ann in nyc]

Wow, what an amazing menu. Creative and sounds delicious. I'm sure you did great.

ps. I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier -- thanks for e-mailing me the onion soup recipe!! It sounds wonderful. I need the proper bowls to pop back in the oven but I plan to make this, and soon. Thanks again.

[jo]

Hey that sounds great! NOw you know why I'm picking a year long course. I know that I wouldn't want it to end so quickly.

[J.T.]

Sounds delicious.

You accidentally added salt huh...had a block mate that used sesame seeds to pre garnish chocolate croissants. It tasted interesting...lol. The customers really ejoyed the ''special criossants'' that day.

[scott]

congrats, sounds like it went well!

random question that you, being the soon to graduate from culinary program, might be able to answer...

what's the proper way to clarify a consomme?

(someone on the amatuer gourmet question board asked about a clear stock; i answered that consomme was the solution, but then wasnt really sure the proper way to make one- the raft is eggwhites?)

thanks for sharing your new expertise!