Today - Sushi and Beef, 2 Busy Classes

Classroom 1: Sushi

It's all about the rice - sweet, sticky, glutenous, zushi rice, sushi rice

Nigiri Sushi: little fingers of rice topped with wasabi and a filet of raw or cooked fish or shellfish; Generally the most common form of sushi

Maki Sushi: rice and seaweed rolls with fish and/or vegetables. Most maki place the nori on the outside; some (California) place the rice on the outside

Other Terms:

Anago: salt water or conger eel [Unagi: fresh water eel]

Bonito: also known as Skipjack tuna

Daikon: giant white radish, grated as garnish to sashimi

Dashi: basic soup and cooking stock made with kombu and bonito flakes
Fugu: puffer fish, considered a delicacy; contains large amounts of poisonous tetrodotoxin; in Japan only licensed fugu chefs are allowed to prepare

Gari: vinegared or pickled ginger; sushi garnish

Hamachi: yellowtail tuna [amberjack]

Hijiki: black seaweed; tiny threads

Mirin: sweet rice wine used for cooking

Miso: soy bean paste

Nori: sheets of dried seaweed used in maki

Tobiko: flying-fish roe

Uni: sea urchin

Sashimi: raw fillets without rice

Shoyu: Japanese style soy sauce

Tofu: bean curd

Toro: fatty tuna, O-Toro considered finest grade

Wakame: dried lobe-leaf seaweed in long, dark green strands

Wasabi: Japanese horseradish [not true horseradish but functions as such]

Classroom 2: Meat Fabrication

Today's class was focused on fabricating an entire short plate as well as a full leg (round)

Lots of knife skills practice.

Utilized cuts; skirt steaks, brisket and short ribs as well as inside and outside rounds, eye of round, and knuckle.

Table Settings

Culinary instruction includes consideration of front of the house considerations. No matter how well the food is prepared, if the service function comes up short the customers expectations will not be met.

Todays exercise involved the creative use of themes, props, colors and arrangement to set tables with a flourish.

Sandwiches Plus

Sandwiches are special when you work it from scratch: grind your own burger, prepare the garnishes and dressings.

Made Reubens, Clubs, Assorted Wraps, with Chipotle Mayonnaise, 1000 Island Spread and others

Pasta Perfect

Todays lesson included a variety of pastas and Italian-style hors d'oeuvres, including Prosciutto and melon and grilled lollipop lamb chops.

A VARIETY OF PASTA NAMES: just a small sampling

Acini de pepe ("peppercorns")

Agnolotti (half moon ravioli)

Anelli ("little rings")

Arancini ("little oranges" - for soups)

Bocconcini ("small mouthfuls" - 1/2 inch tube, rigatoni style)

Bows (may be Farfalle - "butterflies")

Bucati ("with a hole")

Bucatini (pierced hollow pasta, thinner than spaghetti)

Cannoni ("cannons" - large tubes)

Capelli d'angelo ("angels hair")

Capellini ("fine hairs")

Cappelli di pagliaccio ("clown's hats")

Cavatelli (short curled noodle)

Chitarra (cut using a "guitar" cutter)

Ditali ("thimbles")

Ditalini ("little thimbals")

Elbow (what, you don't know your pasta from your elbow?)

Fettuccine ("small ribbons")

Funghini ("little mushrooms")

Fusilli ("twists")

Gemelli ("twins" - look like two thin pieces of spaghetti twisted together like a rope)

Linguine ("small tongues")

Macaroni (generic term for hollow or pierced pasta)

Mafalda (broad noodle with ruffled edges)

Mezzani ("medium" - middle sixed macaroni)

Mostaccioli ("small Moustaches")

Nastrini ("ribbon" or "tape")

Pappardelle (broad noodles)

Pasta Fresca (fresh pasta)

Pasta Verde (green pasta)

Pastina ("tiny dough")

Penne ("pens" or "feathers")

Perciatelli ("small pierced" pasta)

Rigati ("grooved")

Rigatoni (large grooved tubes)

Rotelle ("small wheels")

Rotini ("tiny wheels")

Vermicelli ("little worms")

Vongole ("clam shells")

Ziti ("bridegrooms")

Brunch Project

New Curriculum Addition:

With the new program students get a chance to produce a full brunch;

Todays included:

• Poached Eggs Bearnaise
• Smoked Salmon Platter
• Corned Beef Hash
• Blueberry Blintzes
• Chayote and Orange Salad
• Frozen Cappuccino
• Cinnamon French Toast

Another Garde Manger Presentation Day

Presentation mirrors from todays Garde Manger Class.

Very nice aspic technique.

In classical cuisine aspic preparation called for an extremely gelatinous stock, commonly based on calves shank and feet added to the stock. More common today is the use of powdered or leaf gelatine to re-enforce a clarified stock. This gives us color, strength and shine.

Origin of aspic use was as means of preservation. Today we use it for presentation.