I throughy enjoyed the culinary interim!
During the last few days we continued to sample cheeses and chocolates. On the last day of class, our daily chocolate tasting was of the mystery chocolates we tasted at the beginning if the course.
#1 : sweet chocolate smell, soft mouth feel, mellow chocolate taste throughout, kinda tart after taste.This could be dove or Hershey's milk chocolate because it is so sweet and tastes like milk chocolate
#2: floral, vanilla chocolate smell, very subtle cinnamon taste, mellow chocolate taste throughout.
#3: nice sweet and chocolate smell, wonderful smooth taste, full and chocolaty, this tastes like a hight cocoa percentage than the other 2.
Next, Dr. Sloan polled the class on which mystery chocolate we liked best. 17 voted for #1, 8 voted for #2 and 5 voted for #3. On the first day of class, 17 voted for #1, 3 voted for #2, and 0 voted for #3. When I looked back at my notes from the first day, I saw that my taste didn't change. From the beginning I preferred the Schaffenberger.
Next Caroline G gave a presentation on liquid smoke
I had no idea that liquid smoke wasn't just chemicals. It's actually condensed smoke mixed with water. I liked how she prepared samples for us using tofu. The different smokes tastes drastically different.
I learned so much from this interim. I will use the knife skills and cheese making techniques in the future. I liked everything we did in class, except for most of the mystery chocolate tastings. My tastes have definitely changed since the beginning of interim. I didn't know how much I loved cheese until the tastings. I also found that I really liked the versitility of an egg. I really liked learning recipes an how to cut up a chicken.
There was nothing that I really didn't like about the structure of the course. I loved it!
Sunday, February 5, 2012
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Friday, January 27th 2012
Today we did our daily chocolate tasting, cheese tasting, and
Our daily chocolate tasting of the best of the Varietals. Amedei Porcelana 70%, Amedei Chuao 70%, Amedei 9 75%.
Amedei Porcelana : subtle chocolate smell, good snap, wonderful bite but coffee/ burnt after taste. Nutty.
Amedei Chuao: strong chocolaty, earthy smell, good snap, very astringent, light and smooth chocolate taste. Very different from the Porcelana.
Amedei 9: Chocolate, earthy smell, good snap, nice initial chocolate taste, kinda reminds me of a better version of Hershey's chocolate.
We were also given chocolate covered coffee beans I don't think I've ever had these before, but they're pretty good. It's like chocolate covered caramels. I like the crunchy consistency, but I can do with out the small grinds getting stuck between my teeth.
The international team talked about their performance yesterday. We all thought they did a great job.
Tom and Callie gave a presentation on British food They did a really good job! I loved Tom's accent. I really didn't know much about British food before this presentation. I'm excited to try British food at a restaurant.
Josh and Gaston did a presentation on wild game. It was really interesting. I was excited to get to taste wild game. The venison had a mild gamey taste. When we compared it to beef, I liked venison a lot better than the beef. The rabbit meat tasted a lot like chicken. It's alright tasting, very flavorful. When we compared the flavor to chicken, it was about the same. The duck meat is very gamey, I really liked that about it. I will definitely order wild game at a restaurant if I ever get
Next, there was a presentation on risotto I didn't know that risotto was such a debated and popular dish. I didn't know it came originally from India, but made it's way to America from Italy. I loved the fact that they prepared risotto for the class. The desert risotto was very interesting sweet with salty, and the Parmesan risotto was good and cheesey.
Next we did our final cheese tasting.
Taleggio:smells like spoiled milk, taste really tangy and like spoiled milk, very soft mouth feel, this would probably be good with wine or fruits.
Morbier Raw Milk: smells musky and buttery, a really tangy like cheddar, creamy mouth feel,
Chimay: nice subtle smell, chemically salty taste, very pungent, tangy.
I really didn't like these cheeses. Gouda was by far my favorite cheese that we tasted.
Our daily chocolate tasting of the best of the Varietals. Amedei Porcelana 70%, Amedei Chuao 70%, Amedei 9 75%.
Amedei Porcelana : subtle chocolate smell, good snap, wonderful bite but coffee/ burnt after taste. Nutty.
Amedei Chuao: strong chocolaty, earthy smell, good snap, very astringent, light and smooth chocolate taste. Very different from the Porcelana.
Amedei 9: Chocolate, earthy smell, good snap, nice initial chocolate taste, kinda reminds me of a better version of Hershey's chocolate.
We were also given chocolate covered coffee beans I don't think I've ever had these before, but they're pretty good. It's like chocolate covered caramels. I like the crunchy consistency, but I can do with out the small grinds getting stuck between my teeth.
The international team talked about their performance yesterday. We all thought they did a great job.
Tom and Callie gave a presentation on British food They did a really good job! I loved Tom's accent. I really didn't know much about British food before this presentation. I'm excited to try British food at a restaurant.
Josh and Gaston did a presentation on wild game. It was really interesting. I was excited to get to taste wild game. The venison had a mild gamey taste. When we compared it to beef, I liked venison a lot better than the beef. The rabbit meat tasted a lot like chicken. It's alright tasting, very flavorful. When we compared the flavor to chicken, it was about the same. The duck meat is very gamey, I really liked that about it. I will definitely order wild game at a restaurant if I ever get
Next, there was a presentation on risotto I didn't know that risotto was such a debated and popular dish. I didn't know it came originally from India, but made it's way to America from Italy. I loved the fact that they prepared risotto for the class. The desert risotto was very interesting sweet with salty, and the Parmesan risotto was good and cheesey.
Next we did our final cheese tasting.
Taleggio:smells like spoiled milk, taste really tangy and like spoiled milk, very soft mouth feel, this would probably be good with wine or fruits.
Morbier Raw Milk: smells musky and buttery, a really tangy like cheddar, creamy mouth feel,
Chimay: nice subtle smell, chemically salty taste, very pungent, tangy.
I really didn't like these cheeses. Gouda was by far my favorite cheese that we tasted.
Thursday, January 26th 2012
Today we ate an Indian meal
I was very skeptical of the Indian teams menu choice. They decided to make Naan bread, Aloo Gobi, Basamati rice, Mango Lassi, and a chicken dish.
The Naan bread was wonderful. It was very soft and it was wonderful aroma and texture. The Aloo Gobi reminded me the most of authentic Indian food. It had just enough spice and the vegetables mixed very well together. Next, the Basmati rice was delicious with the Aloo Gobi and chicken sauce. I took the sack of rice with me to my apartment and I'm excited to cook it. The chicken dish was a bit watery and not as spices as I would like it to be. I really liked the way the chicken was cooked. The Mango Lassi was a wonderful desert to go along with the heavy foods and sauces of the previous dishes. I loved that it had a very light taste and wasn't too sugary.
Overall I was really impressed with the Indian team and I thought the lunch went really well.
I was very skeptical of the Indian teams menu choice. They decided to make Naan bread, Aloo Gobi, Basamati rice, Mango Lassi, and a chicken dish.
The Naan bread was wonderful. It was very soft and it was wonderful aroma and texture. The Aloo Gobi reminded me the most of authentic Indian food. It had just enough spice and the vegetables mixed very well together. Next, the Basmati rice was delicious with the Aloo Gobi and chicken sauce. I took the sack of rice with me to my apartment and I'm excited to cook it. The chicken dish was a bit watery and not as spices as I would like it to be. I really liked the way the chicken was cooked. The Mango Lassi was a wonderful desert to go along with the heavy foods and sauces of the previous dishes. I loved that it had a very light taste and wasn't too sugary.
Overall I was really impressed with the Indian team and I thought the lunch went really well.
Wednesday, January 25, 2012
Wednesday, January 25th 2012
Today we did our daily chocolate tasting, cheese tasting, and cinnamon tasting,
Our daily chocolate tasting was of El Rey chocolates. The Bucare is 58.5%, Mijao is 61%, and Gran Suman is 70% I'm a big fan of El Rey chocolate so I was excited to taste these.
Bucare: good chocolate smell,good snap, wonderful smooth chocolate taste throughout, no real after taste.this is my favorite!
Mijao: light chocolate smell, harder than the Bucare, nice mouth feel, a bit more chocolate taste than Bucare
Gran Suman: no chocolate smell, fruity and bitter taste, ok mouth feel, sweeter than the other 70% chocolates, more palatable than other 70% chocolates.
I really like El Rey chocolates!!! They are very sweet and smooth.
The international team set there menu today. We found out that Dr. Dunlap will be joining us for lunch. I must say, as I saw them struggling to comprehend the complexities of the Indian dishes they will be making I began to get concerned. I wish them good luck tomorrow.
Dr. Sloan gave us a short lecture on taste complexities and mixings. I thought it was really interesting how there is a science to coupling tastes: sweet with bitter, sour with salty, etc. to bring out flavors.
Next we did a cinnamon tasting. Obviously we didn't want this to turn into the cinnamon challenge with people throwing up and choking, so we combined the cinnamon with sugar and put the mixture on croutons in order to do the taste test.
Ceylon not an extremely fragrant, kinda flowery, very mellow bite, nice pleasantly cinnamon taste that mixes well with the other flavors.
Chinese Cassia kinda earthy smelling, tastes like big red, good strong cinnamon taste. Bit of an after taste.
Saigon Cassia this smells a lot like big red, very subtle cinnamon taste, no bite or after taste at all
Korintje Cassiathis smells like potpourri, very deep cinnamon flavor more so then the previous, kinda spicy,.
We learned that ceylon is the only "real cinnamon" while the cassia's aren't true cinnamon because they don't come from a cinnamon plant.
Next we watched a video on how blue cheese is made while we did a blue cheese tasting
Valdeon:very chemically smell, strong bite, nice flavor profile and long after taste , very musty.
Stilton: strong and chemical smell, salty, very mellow blue cheese taste compared to the Valdeon.
American: nice subtle smell, Spicy, tangy, kinda thick, my favorite by far.
Cambozola: it smells earthy/ moldy smell, creamy, very much like the soft cheese/ brie, taste like what I would assume garbage tastes like.
I'm super excited to eat Indian food with Dr. Dunlap! Hopefully the food turns out great...
Our daily chocolate tasting was of El Rey chocolates. The Bucare is 58.5%, Mijao is 61%, and Gran Suman is 70% I'm a big fan of El Rey chocolate so I was excited to taste these.
Bucare: good chocolate smell,good snap, wonderful smooth chocolate taste throughout, no real after taste.this is my favorite!
Mijao: light chocolate smell, harder than the Bucare, nice mouth feel, a bit more chocolate taste than Bucare
Gran Suman: no chocolate smell, fruity and bitter taste, ok mouth feel, sweeter than the other 70% chocolates, more palatable than other 70% chocolates.
I really like El Rey chocolates!!! They are very sweet and smooth.
The international team set there menu today. We found out that Dr. Dunlap will be joining us for lunch. I must say, as I saw them struggling to comprehend the complexities of the Indian dishes they will be making I began to get concerned. I wish them good luck tomorrow.
Dr. Sloan gave us a short lecture on taste complexities and mixings. I thought it was really interesting how there is a science to coupling tastes: sweet with bitter, sour with salty, etc. to bring out flavors.
Next we did a cinnamon tasting. Obviously we didn't want this to turn into the cinnamon challenge with people throwing up and choking, so we combined the cinnamon with sugar and put the mixture on croutons in order to do the taste test.
Ceylon not an extremely fragrant, kinda flowery, very mellow bite, nice pleasantly cinnamon taste that mixes well with the other flavors.
Chinese Cassia kinda earthy smelling, tastes like big red, good strong cinnamon taste. Bit of an after taste.
Saigon Cassia this smells a lot like big red, very subtle cinnamon taste, no bite or after taste at all
Korintje Cassiathis smells like potpourri, very deep cinnamon flavor more so then the previous, kinda spicy,.
We learned that ceylon is the only "real cinnamon" while the cassia's aren't true cinnamon because they don't come from a cinnamon plant.
Next we watched a video on how blue cheese is made while we did a blue cheese tasting
Valdeon:very chemically smell, strong bite, nice flavor profile and long after taste , very musty.
Stilton: strong and chemical smell, salty, very mellow blue cheese taste compared to the Valdeon.
American: nice subtle smell, Spicy, tangy, kinda thick, my favorite by far.
Cambozola: it smells earthy/ moldy smell, creamy, very much like the soft cheese/ brie, taste like what I would assume garbage tastes like.
I'm super excited to eat Indian food with Dr. Dunlap! Hopefully the food turns out great...
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Monday, January 23rd 2012
Today we did our daily chocolate tasting, we watched a video on cheese, cheddar cheese tasting, olive and olive oil tasting.
We sampled 4 chocolates made by the same company using cocoa from different locations. They're all 75% chocolate. We're comparing: Caracas Trinitario, Madagascar Criollo, Venezuela Trinitario, Indonesie Criollo. Here's what I thought about the chocolate
Caracas Trinitario has a very chocolate/ earthy smell, hard to break, wonderful initial chocolate taste and full chocolate flavor throughout, bit of a sharp after taste.
Venezuela Trinitario has a very chocolate/ earthy smell. Hard to break, very astringent.
Madagascar Criollo No real smell, lighter brown than all the rest. Taste like mayonnaise! Very long on the palate. I really, really don't like this!
Indonesie Criollo no smell, very full flavor like coffee/ and very smokey. I imagine this might be what weed smells like.
next we did a mystery chocolate tasting he slipped us a 100% chocolate! It was as horrible as ever. It had a very nutty taste and was really dry and has a weird mouth feel.
The team cooking Indian food made their menu and it looks great! I'm really excited to eat on Thursday.
Next, Dr. Sloan talked to us about the incredible, edible, egg. he made a really interesting flow chart on all the ways eggs can be manipulated and varied to create new dishes. It only take a few small adjustments to go from a cream anglaise to a clustered to ice cream.
Olive oil tasting:
Bertoli: light olive oil taste, buttery.
L'Estornell: stronger olive taste than the previous.
Masserie di Santeramo: very leafy tasting.
Bandia a Coltibuono: fruity, kinda apple tasting with a bit of spice.
We played a matching game to try to assign the olive oils to the category they are said to be in.The class was all over the place in voting. I think I matched every olive oil incorrectly.
Olive tasting
Kalamada: kinda scribbled looking black olive, very salty, good full flavor and flavor profile.
Queen: very big and green olive, very vegitabley tasting, nice and fresh.
Nicoise:small grayish black olive, very nutty/ boiled peanut taste, wonderful. this is my favorite.
Manzavilla: small light green with pimiento in the middle, soooooo salty, light peanut taste, tangy.
Ripe Black: small greenish grey olive, nice earthy taste.
The crowd favorite was the Nicoise :)
Next we learned about the Umami taste receptor. Before Dr. Sloan's lecture, I didn't know how to describe or characterize the taste. I learned that MSG is the chemical equivalent of natural umami. Then we learned the MSG in Chinese food is not really harmful and it's found in every day foods.
The video on farmhouse cheddar was wonderful: I felt my mouth watering from the very first images of the cheese. I never realized how much I loved cheese until I took this course.
Cheese taste test on various aged cheddars:
Kerrygold: good, full cheese smell, nice and dense, sharp and tangy, nice after taste.
Cabot: full cheese smell, very sharp, very tangy, a bit crunchy, nice after taste.
Bour's Head: no real smell, nice light taste, kinda meaty/ savory/ smoked taste, no real after taste.
Vermont Farmstead: very nice fruity and cheese smell, Great wine
Ike flavor, a bit of spice, nice flavor profile, good fruity after taste.
I think the oldest cheese is kerrygold, the second oldest is Cabot, the youngest is Bour's head and second youngest is Vermont. It turns out that I guessed correctly for the youngest cheeses and flip flopped the older cheeses.
OMG I LOVE CHEESE!
We sampled 4 chocolates made by the same company using cocoa from different locations. They're all 75% chocolate. We're comparing: Caracas Trinitario, Madagascar Criollo, Venezuela Trinitario, Indonesie Criollo. Here's what I thought about the chocolate
Caracas Trinitario has a very chocolate/ earthy smell, hard to break, wonderful initial chocolate taste and full chocolate flavor throughout, bit of a sharp after taste.
Venezuela Trinitario has a very chocolate/ earthy smell. Hard to break, very astringent.
Madagascar Criollo No real smell, lighter brown than all the rest. Taste like mayonnaise! Very long on the palate. I really, really don't like this!
Indonesie Criollo no smell, very full flavor like coffee/ and very smokey. I imagine this might be what weed smells like.
next we did a mystery chocolate tasting he slipped us a 100% chocolate! It was as horrible as ever. It had a very nutty taste and was really dry and has a weird mouth feel.
The team cooking Indian food made their menu and it looks great! I'm really excited to eat on Thursday.
Next, Dr. Sloan talked to us about the incredible, edible, egg. he made a really interesting flow chart on all the ways eggs can be manipulated and varied to create new dishes. It only take a few small adjustments to go from a cream anglaise to a clustered to ice cream.
Olive oil tasting:
Bertoli: light olive oil taste, buttery.
L'Estornell: stronger olive taste than the previous.
Masserie di Santeramo: very leafy tasting.
Bandia a Coltibuono: fruity, kinda apple tasting with a bit of spice.
We played a matching game to try to assign the olive oils to the category they are said to be in.The class was all over the place in voting. I think I matched every olive oil incorrectly.
Olive tasting
Kalamada: kinda scribbled looking black olive, very salty, good full flavor and flavor profile.
Queen: very big and green olive, very vegitabley tasting, nice and fresh.
Nicoise:small grayish black olive, very nutty/ boiled peanut taste, wonderful. this is my favorite.
Manzavilla: small light green with pimiento in the middle, soooooo salty, light peanut taste, tangy.
Ripe Black: small greenish grey olive, nice earthy taste.
The crowd favorite was the Nicoise :)
Next we learned about the Umami taste receptor. Before Dr. Sloan's lecture, I didn't know how to describe or characterize the taste. I learned that MSG is the chemical equivalent of natural umami. Then we learned the MSG in Chinese food is not really harmful and it's found in every day foods.
The video on farmhouse cheddar was wonderful: I felt my mouth watering from the very first images of the cheese. I never realized how much I loved cheese until I took this course.
Cheese taste test on various aged cheddars:
Kerrygold: good, full cheese smell, nice and dense, sharp and tangy, nice after taste.
Cabot: full cheese smell, very sharp, very tangy, a bit crunchy, nice after taste.
Bour's Head: no real smell, nice light taste, kinda meaty/ savory/ smoked taste, no real after taste.
Vermont Farmstead: very nice fruity and cheese smell, Great wine
Ike flavor, a bit of spice, nice flavor profile, good fruity after taste.
I think the oldest cheese is kerrygold, the second oldest is Cabot, the youngest is Bour's head and second youngest is Vermont. It turns out that I guessed correctly for the youngest cheeses and flip flopped the older cheeses.
OMG I LOVE CHEESE!
Saturday, January 21, 2012
Friday, January 20th 2012
Today we did our daily chocolate tasting, cheese tasting, vinegar tasting, and experimented with miracle berries tabs to suppress the sour taste
We sampled 3 chocolates from Santander: 53%, 65%, 70%. Here's what I thought about the chocolate
53% chocolate has a very chocolate smell, good snap, and full chocolate flavor throughout. A lot sweeter than the other two
65% I like this less than the 53%, it still had the same characteristics of the 53% but it had a weird initial taste. Chocolate taste and the after taste wasn't too bad.
70% is really smooth. It still has the smell and snap of the others but the after taste is very full and the after taste wasn't too bad.
Caroline B. and Allie presented a power point on food blogs I was really surprised to know that the popularity of food blogs started with a woman named Julie cooking through Julia Child's cook book. I did notice with the popularity of food blogs the popularity of cooking shows has increased as well.
What makes a good food blog? Good photography, good writing, good recipes!
The "every man attitude". Make it accessible to everyone.
I was surprised to learn that people can make blogs their jobs!
They had a really good presentation.
Michael and Kevin presented a power point on Whiskey
This presentation gave me a sence of appreciation for the time and artistry needed to make a good whiskey. The production process is really complicated and complex. Each step is paramount to the taste and quality of the product.
I learned that bourbon is whiskey.
I really liked that they had us do a smell test. I think they all smell the same for the most part. #2 smelled really sweet, and #1 smelled like sharpie marker. I really enjoyed their presentation.
Caroline G. and William presented a power point on Carolina BBQ
I feel like this "issue" or "debate" has been done. It's like beating a dead horse. I was born and raised in SC but I think all types of BBQ are good in their own way. It was really cool to learn about Maurice's BBQ sauce is the "Mustard base BBQ sauce" standard. You can almost taste the racism in each bite... I'm not kidding.
Chris and James presented a power point on beef cuts
I liked their visual aid to help show us the different regions of a cow. I didn't know that marbleing is how the USDa grades meat. I'm really glad I learned the grading scale so that I can try to get the better stuff. The scale is: Prime, Choice, Select, Standard, Commercial, Utility, Cutter, Canner.
Aften and Jenna presented a power point on tea
It was really cool to see how tea was made. I've always wondered if it was the same process of coffee, but the process is pretty different. I learned that tea is the second most consumed beverage in the world after water. I didn't know there was just one 'tea plant' and it's the climate and processing that creates the variety. I really like the way that teas smell! I kinda felt bad for Tom because he was put on the spot to be the authority on British tea drinking because he's from England.
Vinegar tasting
Red wine vinegar: it's soooo sour and tart! It's a lot like taking a shot of alcohol and I feel it burning all the way down the throat.
Apple sider vinegar: I can definitely taste the apple, a lot more palatable
Balsamic Vinegar: a lot sweeter than the rest. Lingering after taste. I feel like I'm about to have heart burn or something.
Cheese taste test on hard cheeses:
Parmesan: pungent kind of chemically cheese smell, very course, grainy, pleasant taste very much like the canned Parmesan cheese I put on spaghetti.
Pecorino: smells like very pungent cheese, very chalky, very salty, kind of a spice to it, it has a goat milk taste. We found out it's made from sheep's milk. this solidify's my dislike for all things that come from Goats or Sheep.
Myzithra: looks like chalk, doesn't really smell like anything, very dry and grainy, it has an earthy taste kinda like alphalpha sprouts, not very cheese like.
miracle berry tabletsthey looked like smarties, and tasted like berries. They gave us a lemon and a lime to taste after we ate the tablets. The lemon and limes tasted sooooo good! They tasted like candy. Balsamic vinegar is really sweet and good! The red wine vinegar is palatable! This is really weird!
We sampled 3 chocolates from Santander: 53%, 65%, 70%. Here's what I thought about the chocolate
53% chocolate has a very chocolate smell, good snap, and full chocolate flavor throughout. A lot sweeter than the other two
65% I like this less than the 53%, it still had the same characteristics of the 53% but it had a weird initial taste. Chocolate taste and the after taste wasn't too bad.
70% is really smooth. It still has the smell and snap of the others but the after taste is very full and the after taste wasn't too bad.
Caroline B. and Allie presented a power point on food blogs I was really surprised to know that the popularity of food blogs started with a woman named Julie cooking through Julia Child's cook book. I did notice with the popularity of food blogs the popularity of cooking shows has increased as well.
What makes a good food blog? Good photography, good writing, good recipes!
The "every man attitude". Make it accessible to everyone.
I was surprised to learn that people can make blogs their jobs!
They had a really good presentation.
Michael and Kevin presented a power point on Whiskey
This presentation gave me a sence of appreciation for the time and artistry needed to make a good whiskey. The production process is really complicated and complex. Each step is paramount to the taste and quality of the product.
I learned that bourbon is whiskey.
I really liked that they had us do a smell test. I think they all smell the same for the most part. #2 smelled really sweet, and #1 smelled like sharpie marker. I really enjoyed their presentation.
Caroline G. and William presented a power point on Carolina BBQ
I feel like this "issue" or "debate" has been done. It's like beating a dead horse. I was born and raised in SC but I think all types of BBQ are good in their own way. It was really cool to learn about Maurice's BBQ sauce is the "Mustard base BBQ sauce" standard. You can almost taste the racism in each bite... I'm not kidding.
Chris and James presented a power point on beef cuts
I liked their visual aid to help show us the different regions of a cow. I didn't know that marbleing is how the USDa grades meat. I'm really glad I learned the grading scale so that I can try to get the better stuff. The scale is: Prime, Choice, Select, Standard, Commercial, Utility, Cutter, Canner.
Aften and Jenna presented a power point on tea
It was really cool to see how tea was made. I've always wondered if it was the same process of coffee, but the process is pretty different. I learned that tea is the second most consumed beverage in the world after water. I didn't know there was just one 'tea plant' and it's the climate and processing that creates the variety. I really like the way that teas smell! I kinda felt bad for Tom because he was put on the spot to be the authority on British tea drinking because he's from England.
Vinegar tasting
Red wine vinegar: it's soooo sour and tart! It's a lot like taking a shot of alcohol and I feel it burning all the way down the throat.
Apple sider vinegar: I can definitely taste the apple, a lot more palatable
Balsamic Vinegar: a lot sweeter than the rest. Lingering after taste. I feel like I'm about to have heart burn or something.
Cheese taste test on hard cheeses:
Parmesan: pungent kind of chemically cheese smell, very course, grainy, pleasant taste very much like the canned Parmesan cheese I put on spaghetti.
Pecorino: smells like very pungent cheese, very chalky, very salty, kind of a spice to it, it has a goat milk taste. We found out it's made from sheep's milk. this solidify's my dislike for all things that come from Goats or Sheep.
Myzithra: looks like chalk, doesn't really smell like anything, very dry and grainy, it has an earthy taste kinda like alphalpha sprouts, not very cheese like.
miracle berry tabletsthey looked like smarties, and tasted like berries. They gave us a lemon and a lime to taste after we ate the tablets. The lemon and limes tasted sooooo good! They tasted like candy. Balsamic vinegar is really sweet and good! The red wine vinegar is palatable! This is really weird!
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Thursday, January 19th 2012
Today Team B cooked for us!
Team B was given the tasked incorporate cheese into all of the dishes they made. There menu was as follows: apple salad, eggplant, cheese lasagna, cheese rolls, and Tiramisu.
I must admit, I was apprehensive about having a meal sans meat, but I soon found out that it was very filling a satisfying. I guess it gives me ideas on how to make a very good vegetarian meal for a friend of mine.
When we arrived in the kitchen that morning, it smelled great! I saw them putting the finishing touches on our meal. I was excited to eat.
Pastor Malambri of St. James church and Coach Young came to eat with us today. the salad and mustard dressing was ok. I couldn't eat the apples due to allergies and I'm not a fan of goat cheese. The cheese rolls were to die for! I was pleasantly surprised to find little onion bits in the rolls. It added a nice contrast to the sweetness of the bread and cheese. The eggplant was wonderful. I really like how the tomato sauce, matzarella, and eggplant were separated until ready to eat. That made the eggplant remain crunchy and not mushy and gross. The cheese lasagna was wonderful. The tiramisu was a bit soupy due to the lack of time to refrigerate it, but is was wonderful none the less.
Overall, I would give Team B an A. All of the dishes were done really well. It's a bit hard to compare team A to team B because what we made was so different than what they made. They get a D for cleaning after themselves. The rule is the team that doesn't cook cleans up after the team that does cook, * granted the cooking team doesn't leave a big mess. When team A cooked we didn't leave dishes for team B to wash unless food was served from them. Team B, on the other hand left to only the dishes that they served from but dishes they just didn't want to clean.
I took a package of left over lady fingers so that I could make tirimisu in my apartment.
Team B was given the tasked incorporate cheese into all of the dishes they made. There menu was as follows: apple salad, eggplant, cheese lasagna, cheese rolls, and Tiramisu.
I must admit, I was apprehensive about having a meal sans meat, but I soon found out that it was very filling a satisfying. I guess it gives me ideas on how to make a very good vegetarian meal for a friend of mine.
When we arrived in the kitchen that morning, it smelled great! I saw them putting the finishing touches on our meal. I was excited to eat.
Pastor Malambri of St. James church and Coach Young came to eat with us today. the salad and mustard dressing was ok. I couldn't eat the apples due to allergies and I'm not a fan of goat cheese. The cheese rolls were to die for! I was pleasantly surprised to find little onion bits in the rolls. It added a nice contrast to the sweetness of the bread and cheese. The eggplant was wonderful. I really like how the tomato sauce, matzarella, and eggplant were separated until ready to eat. That made the eggplant remain crunchy and not mushy and gross. The cheese lasagna was wonderful. The tiramisu was a bit soupy due to the lack of time to refrigerate it, but is was wonderful none the less.
Overall, I would give Team B an A. All of the dishes were done really well. It's a bit hard to compare team A to team B because what we made was so different than what they made. They get a D for cleaning after themselves. The rule is the team that doesn't cook cleans up after the team that does cook, * granted the cooking team doesn't leave a big mess. When team A cooked we didn't leave dishes for team B to wash unless food was served from them. Team B, on the other hand left to only the dishes that they served from but dishes they just didn't want to clean.
I took a package of left over lady fingers so that I could make tirimisu in my apartment.
Wednesday, January 18th 2012
Today we did our daily chocolate tasting, cheese tasting, and talked about
We started off class talking about what we cooked yesterday. Dr. Nawatka had high praises for us. Once again we have set the bar very high for team B to try to meet.
Our daily chocolate tasting was of South American Pralus Chocolate. All of them are 75% chocolate
Columbie: smells kinda flowery and chocolate. Very brittle snap. Good full chocolate taste and mouth fill. Pleasant after taste.
Chuao: smells just like the Columbie. Brittle snap. Lighter initial chocolate flavor than the. Columbie. More bitter than the Columbie but same mouth feel.
Fortissima: smells just like the Columbie. Brittle snap. Very chunky mouth feel. Just as bitter as the Fortissma. Ok after taste.
Bresil: smells just like the Columbie. Brittle snap. Mellow chocolate taste. Choppy mouth feel. No real after taste.
Based off of our tastings, I'm starting to realize I'm more of a milk chocolate fan than a chocolate fan. I love the initial chocolate taste but I really don't like the bitter taste that comes with them. All of the favors had a very long finish. When we looked up the prices and details, we saw that these chocolate are very expensive. $80 a pound or more.
Some of the descriptors on the website were as follows:
Columbie: from colombia, coffee taste, astringent.
Chuao: from venezuela, earth tones.
Fortissima: from Ecuador, woody.
Bresil: from brazil, strong nose, good aromatic balance.
next we tasted a mystery chocolate
It has a very strong smell, like spice and earth. Good snap. I can taste the black pepper taste, sweet taste kinda like ginger, good mouth feel.
We were told it has pink pepper corn which is much milder than black peppercorn. I believe this pepper with chocolate is very cultural.
Team B got their menu today. I'm not to impressed with the level of difficulty or variety. I know their theme is "cooking with cheese" but there is no meat in sight. I'm an omnivore and I expect to get veggies and meats at every meal! Once again, we're dong eggplant. I'm not excited about the menu to say the least. One problem with Team B's desert choices is that they require 6 hours of refrigeration but they only have 3 hours in the kitchen. I suggested that one or two of the team members get the ingredients from the instructor and cook it tonight.
Dr. Sloan showed us a really interesting website called fine cooking.com. This web site has a feature called "create your own" where you can hand choose what tastes you would like and it tells you how to make it.
We also did a salt taste test
Of course we didn't want to put a mouthful of salt in our mouth to taste, so we used cucumber and bread to indirectly sates them. I learned thatit's not really where the salt is from that gives it a characteristic taste, but the dissolve minerals that give it the taste. All salt is NaCl.
Maldon on cucumber: looks like regular table salt, kinda clumped together. It tastes like every day salt. I'm not really sure what it does for the taste. I think there are more favors than just salt and cucumber.
Kavai Guava Smoked on cucumber: looks like light brown seeds. This tastes very different than the previous salt. I definitely taste other "mine rally" flavors.
Black diamond on cucumber: looks like black flakes. Tastes a lot like the first salts.
Fleur de sel on bread with butter: looks like very chunky white table salt. Very pungent salty taste. It my be very salty because of the amount of salt I got in the bite.
Moleka Red on bread with butter looks like red seeds. I liked the way this salt brought out the butter and bread tastes much better than the previous salt.
Sel Gris on bread with butter: looks like very large chucks of table salt. I really like the way this salt brought out the flavors in the bread. It's not too salty.
We're going to use these salts tomorrow to flavor our meals to see if we can taste the difference. I don't think it's that big of a deal, so I don't think I will invest in more exotic/expensive salts in the future.
Cheese tasting- simi-hard cheese tasting
Asiago: sharp cheese smell, wonderful cheese taste, milky after taste. Kinda hard. This is my favorite of the three.
Raclette: smells like it has gone bad, very sharp taste but it reminds me of American processed cheese. Very creamy.
Cheddar: very hard, bitter and sharp cheese taste. Weird after taste. Smell is subtle.
We started off class talking about what we cooked yesterday. Dr. Nawatka had high praises for us. Once again we have set the bar very high for team B to try to meet.
Our daily chocolate tasting was of South American Pralus Chocolate. All of them are 75% chocolate
Columbie: smells kinda flowery and chocolate. Very brittle snap. Good full chocolate taste and mouth fill. Pleasant after taste.
Chuao: smells just like the Columbie. Brittle snap. Lighter initial chocolate flavor than the. Columbie. More bitter than the Columbie but same mouth feel.
Fortissima: smells just like the Columbie. Brittle snap. Very chunky mouth feel. Just as bitter as the Fortissma. Ok after taste.
Bresil: smells just like the Columbie. Brittle snap. Mellow chocolate taste. Choppy mouth feel. No real after taste.
Based off of our tastings, I'm starting to realize I'm more of a milk chocolate fan than a chocolate fan. I love the initial chocolate taste but I really don't like the bitter taste that comes with them. All of the favors had a very long finish. When we looked up the prices and details, we saw that these chocolate are very expensive. $80 a pound or more.
Some of the descriptors on the website were as follows:
Columbie: from colombia, coffee taste, astringent.
Chuao: from venezuela, earth tones.
Fortissima: from Ecuador, woody.
Bresil: from brazil, strong nose, good aromatic balance.
next we tasted a mystery chocolate
It has a very strong smell, like spice and earth. Good snap. I can taste the black pepper taste, sweet taste kinda like ginger, good mouth feel.
We were told it has pink pepper corn which is much milder than black peppercorn. I believe this pepper with chocolate is very cultural.
Team B got their menu today. I'm not to impressed with the level of difficulty or variety. I know their theme is "cooking with cheese" but there is no meat in sight. I'm an omnivore and I expect to get veggies and meats at every meal! Once again, we're dong eggplant. I'm not excited about the menu to say the least. One problem with Team B's desert choices is that they require 6 hours of refrigeration but they only have 3 hours in the kitchen. I suggested that one or two of the team members get the ingredients from the instructor and cook it tonight.
Dr. Sloan showed us a really interesting website called fine cooking.com. This web site has a feature called "create your own" where you can hand choose what tastes you would like and it tells you how to make it.
We also did a salt taste test
Of course we didn't want to put a mouthful of salt in our mouth to taste, so we used cucumber and bread to indirectly sates them. I learned thatit's not really where the salt is from that gives it a characteristic taste, but the dissolve minerals that give it the taste. All salt is NaCl.
Maldon on cucumber: looks like regular table salt, kinda clumped together. It tastes like every day salt. I'm not really sure what it does for the taste. I think there are more favors than just salt and cucumber.
Kavai Guava Smoked on cucumber: looks like light brown seeds. This tastes very different than the previous salt. I definitely taste other "mine rally" flavors.
Black diamond on cucumber: looks like black flakes. Tastes a lot like the first salts.
Fleur de sel on bread with butter: looks like very chunky white table salt. Very pungent salty taste. It my be very salty because of the amount of salt I got in the bite.
Moleka Red on bread with butter looks like red seeds. I liked the way this salt brought out the butter and bread tastes much better than the previous salt.
Sel Gris on bread with butter: looks like very large chucks of table salt. I really like the way this salt brought out the flavors in the bread. It's not too salty.
We're going to use these salts tomorrow to flavor our meals to see if we can taste the difference. I don't think it's that big of a deal, so I don't think I will invest in more exotic/expensive salts in the future.
Cheese tasting- simi-hard cheese tasting
Asiago: sharp cheese smell, wonderful cheese taste, milky after taste. Kinda hard. This is my favorite of the three.
Raclette: smells like it has gone bad, very sharp taste but it reminds me of American processed cheese. Very creamy.
Cheddar: very hard, bitter and sharp cheese taste. Weird after taste. Smell is subtle.
Tuesday, January 17th 2012
I had a wonderful time cooking today
When we arrived at the kitchen, bright and early, Dr. Sloan had already cut up the beef to make the beef stock. He Waited to cut up a whole chicken in order to show us the techniques he uses. After he finished he asked if anyone wanted to cut up the second chicken. Nobody was really willing to do it, so I reluctantly volunteered. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. The worst part was having to hear the bones and cartilage break. Once all of the meet was separated we began to make beef stock, light chicken stock, and dark chicken stock by boiling the meats separately with water and onions.
While the stocks where boiling we were given the option to bake two stuffed chickens with potatoes. The first chicken was stuffed with a mustard based mixture and the seconds chicken was stuffed with a chipotle mixture. The mixtures were put under the skin of the chicken to make the skin crispy and incorporate the flavors into the meat. We placed the potatoes under the chickens in a separate chamber so that the juices from the chicken could drop down and cook the potatoes.
When the stocks were finally done, we decided to make beef barley soup, chicken and rice soup, and chicken and dumplings soup.
I worked with James and Caroline G. to make the beef Barkley soup. Here's our recipe:
2 TBS olive oil
1 Onion chopped
4 Carrots chopped
16 oz. oc mushrooms sliced
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
2 qt. of fresh beef stock
2 1/2 cups of chuck roast cooked and cubed
1/2 cup of pearl barley
salt and pepper
Use a Dutch Oven to heat 1 TBS of the olive oil. Add onions and carrots and sautè (5 minuets). Add the other TBS of oil and mushrooms. Cook for 5 minuets.
Add the beef stock, meat, thyme and barley to the Dutch Oven. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and let simmer 1 1/2 hour or until barley is soft. Salt and pepper to taste.
Next, we decided to use left over cheese: Gouda, Manchego, and Havarti and panera bread to make grilled cheese sandwiches to accompany the soups.
After about 3 hours of cooking, we were all ready to eat! First, I tasted the roasted chickens. I really like the zest of the mustard chicken and the spice of the chipotle chicken. I don't think I've ever had an apatizing chicken and dumplings soup,but the one we made was excellent. The beef and barley soup was wonderful and the meat was very tender. The chicken soup was wonderful as well. We had a really successful time in the kitchen.
When we arrived at the kitchen, bright and early, Dr. Sloan had already cut up the beef to make the beef stock. He Waited to cut up a whole chicken in order to show us the techniques he uses. After he finished he asked if anyone wanted to cut up the second chicken. Nobody was really willing to do it, so I reluctantly volunteered. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. The worst part was having to hear the bones and cartilage break. Once all of the meet was separated we began to make beef stock, light chicken stock, and dark chicken stock by boiling the meats separately with water and onions.
While the stocks where boiling we were given the option to bake two stuffed chickens with potatoes. The first chicken was stuffed with a mustard based mixture and the seconds chicken was stuffed with a chipotle mixture. The mixtures were put under the skin of the chicken to make the skin crispy and incorporate the flavors into the meat. We placed the potatoes under the chickens in a separate chamber so that the juices from the chicken could drop down and cook the potatoes.
When the stocks were finally done, we decided to make beef barley soup, chicken and rice soup, and chicken and dumplings soup.
I worked with James and Caroline G. to make the beef Barkley soup. Here's our recipe:
2 TBS olive oil
1 Onion chopped
4 Carrots chopped
16 oz. oc mushrooms sliced
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
2 qt. of fresh beef stock
2 1/2 cups of chuck roast cooked and cubed
1/2 cup of pearl barley
salt and pepper
Use a Dutch Oven to heat 1 TBS of the olive oil. Add onions and carrots and sautè (5 minuets). Add the other TBS of oil and mushrooms. Cook for 5 minuets.
Add the beef stock, meat, thyme and barley to the Dutch Oven. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and let simmer 1 1/2 hour or until barley is soft. Salt and pepper to taste.
Next, we decided to use left over cheese: Gouda, Manchego, and Havarti and panera bread to make grilled cheese sandwiches to accompany the soups.
After about 3 hours of cooking, we were all ready to eat! First, I tasted the roasted chickens. I really like the zest of the mustard chicken and the spice of the chipotle chicken. I don't think I've ever had an apatizing chicken and dumplings soup,but the one we made was excellent. The beef and barley soup was wonderful and the meat was very tender. The chicken soup was wonderful as well. We had a really successful time in the kitchen.
Sunday, January 15, 2012
Monday, January 16th 2012
I will not be in class today in observance of Martian Luther King, Jr. Day.
I can't wait to cook on Tuesday
I can't wait to cook on Tuesday
Friday, January 13th 2012
Today we did our daily chocolate tasting, cheese tasting, sugar and honey tasting, and listened to a lecture by Dr. Nowatka
Here's what I thought about the chocolate
62% chocolate has a very chocolate smell, good snap, and full chocolate flavor throughout
70% I like this better than the 62%, it still had the same characteristics of the 62% but it's still a better chocolate taste and the after taste wasn't too bad.
82% is really bad. It still has the smell and snap of the others but the after taste is very bitter and lingers for minutes.
High quality filled chocolate: horrible. It's a flavor rich of chocolate and spicy. It was composed of banana, cyan, etc.
We received a cheese cook book called: Cheese Essentials by Laura Werlin. Just flipping through the pages, I'm really excited to cook some of the recipes on my own.
Dr. Nowatka presented a power point on sensation and perception.
I've never had any psychology classes so I was really interested in her lecture. I didn't know that there weren't specific regions or points in the brain that control things like taste or sight. I really do believe that experiences and not beans/DNA that make a person who they are. Sensation is taking in a stimulus, en perception is the body's response to it. There is a bottom-up approach and a top-down approach. Expectations taste perceptions.
Sugar Taste Test:
Dextrose: this is not very sweet to me. No after taste. Not very grainy. Powered sugar consistency
Fructose: this is very sweet to me. Lingering after taste. Grainy consistency.
Sucrose: table sugar, disaccharide. This is a little bit sweeter than the plain fructose.
very grainy consistency.
Honey TasteTest:
Buckweat: way darker than the others, very over powering tangy taste in the beginning then nice pleasant after taste. Tobacco. smells like animals! Wtf
Wild flower: very woody taste, very very strong initial flavor, then ok after taste .smells clean.
Orange blossom: this smells like honey, very mellow initial taste and after taste. This is my favorite.
Tupelo: smells woody, woody and kinda citrusy/tobacco flavor.
The honey defiantly had a complex flavor profile. It really reminds me of an ever lasting gobstopper the longer the honey stays in my mouth the more it changes.
Cheese taste test double cream cheeses:
Brie: very subtle cheese taste, thick outer covering and nice soft inside, kind of earthy tangy taste,, complex flavor profile, sweet and milky towards the end.
Camembert: smells like chees but also like it's gone bad, tastes like it's been smoked with pork, thick outside covering and soft creamy inside, not my favorite.
Both are ok on bread.
Here's what I thought about the chocolate
62% chocolate has a very chocolate smell, good snap, and full chocolate flavor throughout
70% I like this better than the 62%, it still had the same characteristics of the 62% but it's still a better chocolate taste and the after taste wasn't too bad.
82% is really bad. It still has the smell and snap of the others but the after taste is very bitter and lingers for minutes.
High quality filled chocolate: horrible. It's a flavor rich of chocolate and spicy. It was composed of banana, cyan, etc.
We received a cheese cook book called: Cheese Essentials by Laura Werlin. Just flipping through the pages, I'm really excited to cook some of the recipes on my own.
Dr. Nowatka presented a power point on sensation and perception.
I've never had any psychology classes so I was really interested in her lecture. I didn't know that there weren't specific regions or points in the brain that control things like taste or sight. I really do believe that experiences and not beans/DNA that make a person who they are. Sensation is taking in a stimulus, en perception is the body's response to it. There is a bottom-up approach and a top-down approach. Expectations taste perceptions.
Sugar Taste Test:
Dextrose: this is not very sweet to me. No after taste. Not very grainy. Powered sugar consistency
Fructose: this is very sweet to me. Lingering after taste. Grainy consistency.
Sucrose: table sugar, disaccharide. This is a little bit sweeter than the plain fructose.
very grainy consistency.
Honey TasteTest:
Buckweat: way darker than the others, very over powering tangy taste in the beginning then nice pleasant after taste. Tobacco. smells like animals! Wtf
Wild flower: very woody taste, very very strong initial flavor, then ok after taste .smells clean.
Orange blossom: this smells like honey, very mellow initial taste and after taste. This is my favorite.
Tupelo: smells woody, woody and kinda citrusy/tobacco flavor.
The honey defiantly had a complex flavor profile. It really reminds me of an ever lasting gobstopper the longer the honey stays in my mouth the more it changes.
Cheese taste test double cream cheeses:
Brie: very subtle cheese taste, thick outer covering and nice soft inside, kind of earthy tangy taste,, complex flavor profile, sweet and milky towards the end.
Camembert: smells like chees but also like it's gone bad, tastes like it's been smoked with pork, thick outside covering and soft creamy inside, not my favorite.
Both are ok on bread.
Thursday, January 12th 2012
I had so much fun cooking today!
Team A had a very challenging menu to prepare today. We were given the tasked incorporate chocolate into all of the dishes we made. Our menu was as follows: Coke cake, eggplant, mole, salad, baked beans, flanksteak. My partner Miya and I were put in charge of making the Coke cake and salad.
I must admit, I was apprehensive about having chocolate in every course, but I soon found out that many of the recipes only called for coco nibs. One member of team A decided to bring his grille in order to grille the flank steak as opposed to bake it.
When we arrived in the kitchen that morning, we all knew what we needed to do in order to finish by noon. Miya and I immediately started to prepare the Coke Cake batter. It was a fairly straight forward recipe, but time consuming. Once we finally got the cake into the oven we moved onto to icing. We taste tested both the batter and icing and they were both delicious!
Next we moved onto preparing the salad. Once again, recipe was strait forward but time consuming. While pealing the pares, I was able to use the knife skills I learned yesterday from the instructional video. The most difficult part of the salad was making the dressing and trying to keep the oil and vinegar portions of it evenly distributed. We taste tested the spinach leaves with the pares and dressing and it was great.
Once team B and the other guests arrived we finally got to eat our creations. Every thing was splendid! The only dish I tasted chocolate in was the cake! Our guests from the church were very pleased.
I think team A worked really well together, and managed to pull together a great meal. When ever a member of team A needed help, another member always offered assistance. We didn't get in each other's way even though there were 12+ people in the kitchen at any one time. Over all, I believe team A "threw down the gauntlet" and set the bar really high for team B to "try" to meet.
Team A had a very challenging menu to prepare today. We were given the tasked incorporate chocolate into all of the dishes we made. Our menu was as follows: Coke cake, eggplant, mole, salad, baked beans, flanksteak. My partner Miya and I were put in charge of making the Coke cake and salad.
I must admit, I was apprehensive about having chocolate in every course, but I soon found out that many of the recipes only called for coco nibs. One member of team A decided to bring his grille in order to grille the flank steak as opposed to bake it.
When we arrived in the kitchen that morning, we all knew what we needed to do in order to finish by noon. Miya and I immediately started to prepare the Coke Cake batter. It was a fairly straight forward recipe, but time consuming. Once we finally got the cake into the oven we moved onto to icing. We taste tested both the batter and icing and they were both delicious!
Next we moved onto preparing the salad. Once again, recipe was strait forward but time consuming. While pealing the pares, I was able to use the knife skills I learned yesterday from the instructional video. The most difficult part of the salad was making the dressing and trying to keep the oil and vinegar portions of it evenly distributed. We taste tested the spinach leaves with the pares and dressing and it was great.
Once team B and the other guests arrived we finally got to eat our creations. Every thing was splendid! The only dish I tasted chocolate in was the cake! Our guests from the church were very pleased.
I think team A worked really well together, and managed to pull together a great meal. When ever a member of team A needed help, another member always offered assistance. We didn't get in each other's way even though there were 12+ people in the kitchen at any one time. Over all, I believe team A "threw down the gauntlet" and set the bar really high for team B to "try" to meet.
Wednesday, January 11th 2012
Today we did our daily chocolate tasting, cheese tasting, and talked about food photography
We started off class talking about spices, and our thoughts on the cookies we baked yesterday. A lot of other groups ran into some problems while preparing their recipes. Overall, we all had fun baking yesterday and the cookies turned out well.
Our daily chocolate tasting was of white chocolate from the same makers of the milk chocolate we tasted in class on Monday.
Green and Black: doesn't really smell, good snap, very creamy/buttery taste.
El Rey: smells like chocolate, good snap, very smooth mouth feel, very chocolate taste, no lingering after taste.
Michel Cluizel: no smell at all, weak snap, very light taste, no after taste.
Amedei: no smell, a lot like the Michel Cluizel.
Based off of our tastings, some people have changed their opinions on white chocolate for better or worse. I decided that I really like El Rey chocolate.
We also broke up into cooking teams. I got into team A and we will be cooking with chocolate tomorrow. Our menu will be as follows: Coke cake, eggplant, mole, salad, baked beans, flanksteak. My partner Miya and I have been put in charge of making the Coke cake. Then we'll be cooking with soups and stocks on Tuesday.
Mark came to talk to us about food photography.
He brought a lot of cook books to show us the details and care needed to create an appetizing picture. I had no idea of the amount of time and detail required to make food look irresistible. I really enjoyed his in class demonstration of how to take an effective and alluring picture.
We also watched a knife skills video
I learned a lot of really useful techniques from the video. Hopefully I can use them in my apartment kitchen and in the kitchen tomorrow. I really would like to make a tomato rose once my knif skills get up to par.
Cheese tasting- soft/ simi-hard cheese tasting
Harvarti: very strong cheese taste like cheddar, soft texture
Gouda: very pleasant cheese taste, not as strong and over powering as the Harvarti.
Manchego: this was very dry and kinda grainy, very good cheese taste, no real after taste. This is my favorite.
Fontina: too much cheese taste, very strong like Havarti.
Today we talked about Steve Jenkins and how he is the very opinionated authority on all things "cheese".
We started off class talking about spices, and our thoughts on the cookies we baked yesterday. A lot of other groups ran into some problems while preparing their recipes. Overall, we all had fun baking yesterday and the cookies turned out well.
Our daily chocolate tasting was of white chocolate from the same makers of the milk chocolate we tasted in class on Monday.
Green and Black: doesn't really smell, good snap, very creamy/buttery taste.
El Rey: smells like chocolate, good snap, very smooth mouth feel, very chocolate taste, no lingering after taste.
Michel Cluizel: no smell at all, weak snap, very light taste, no after taste.
Amedei: no smell, a lot like the Michel Cluizel.
Based off of our tastings, some people have changed their opinions on white chocolate for better or worse. I decided that I really like El Rey chocolate.
We also broke up into cooking teams. I got into team A and we will be cooking with chocolate tomorrow. Our menu will be as follows: Coke cake, eggplant, mole, salad, baked beans, flanksteak. My partner Miya and I have been put in charge of making the Coke cake. Then we'll be cooking with soups and stocks on Tuesday.
Mark came to talk to us about food photography.
He brought a lot of cook books to show us the details and care needed to create an appetizing picture. I had no idea of the amount of time and detail required to make food look irresistible. I really enjoyed his in class demonstration of how to take an effective and alluring picture.
We also watched a knife skills video
I learned a lot of really useful techniques from the video. Hopefully I can use them in my apartment kitchen and in the kitchen tomorrow. I really would like to make a tomato rose once my knif skills get up to par.
Cheese tasting- soft/ simi-hard cheese tasting
Harvarti: very strong cheese taste like cheddar, soft texture
Gouda: very pleasant cheese taste, not as strong and over powering as the Harvarti.
Manchego: this was very dry and kinda grainy, very good cheese taste, no real after taste. This is my favorite.
Fontina: too much cheese taste, very strong like Havarti.
Today we talked about Steve Jenkins and how he is the very opinionated authority on all things "cheese".
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
January 10th 2012
Today we finally got to bake!.
We had so much fun baking today. There were 10 groups of two and each group had a different cookie recipe. Miya and I made thick and chewy chocolate chip cookies. We had to double the recipe to make enough for the entire class and we even got to take some home. When Miya and I were making the cookie batter, we thought we messed up on the measurements. We were very apprehensive when we started to portion out the cookie batter. Dr. Nowatka came over and tasted our cookie batter and assured us it was very good. The cookies looked really good when they came out of the oven and tasted even better!
My favorite cookie was our chocolate chip cookies! I only had a bite or two of the other cookies. They all tasted really good. I guess homemade cookie always taste better than store bought, because I can't stand peanut butter cookies from the store but these peanut butter cookies were great. I'm not a fan of oatmeal rains cookies, but the plain oatmeal cookies were awesome! I loved their chewy and sweet. I really liked the crumbly, soft, and a bit grainy texture of the sugar cookies.The snickerdoodles and butter cookies were great as well.
The triple chocolate cookies were very delicious. I really needed a glas of milk to counter act the some what over powering chocolate taste. They had a cake-like texture and a very rich, cocoa aftertaste. They smelled like a box of cocoa powder. I don't think I could eat more than one of these cookies, but I still enjoyed the small amount.
We had so much fun baking today. There were 10 groups of two and each group had a different cookie recipe. Miya and I made thick and chewy chocolate chip cookies. We had to double the recipe to make enough for the entire class and we even got to take some home. When Miya and I were making the cookie batter, we thought we messed up on the measurements. We were very apprehensive when we started to portion out the cookie batter. Dr. Nowatka came over and tasted our cookie batter and assured us it was very good. The cookies looked really good when they came out of the oven and tasted even better!
My favorite cookie was our chocolate chip cookies! I only had a bite or two of the other cookies. They all tasted really good. I guess homemade cookie always taste better than store bought, because I can't stand peanut butter cookies from the store but these peanut butter cookies were great. I'm not a fan of oatmeal rains cookies, but the plain oatmeal cookies were awesome! I loved their chewy and sweet. I really liked the crumbly, soft, and a bit grainy texture of the sugar cookies.The snickerdoodles and butter cookies were great as well.
The triple chocolate cookies were very delicious. I really needed a glas of milk to counter act the some what over powering chocolate taste. They had a cake-like texture and a very rich, cocoa aftertaste. They smelled like a box of cocoa powder. I don't think I could eat more than one of these cookies, but I still enjoyed the small amount.
Monday, January 9, 2012
January 9th 2012
Today we received our contraband chef hats, aprons, and kitchen towels.
Our daily chocolate tasting was of milk chocolates:
Green and Black: very smooth mouth feel, I can kinda taste the milk in it, no pungent after taste.
Michel Cluizel: smooth mouth feel, I taste a lot less milk in this one, has a bit of an after taste.
El Rey: has a snap when I bite into it unlike the others, it has a really delightful kinda fruity taste, pleasant after taste. I liked this one the best.
Amedel: smooth mouth feel, more chocolate taste than milk chocolate, no real after taste.
We also did a triangle test to determine if it was possible to distinguish between Coke and Pepsi
What's a triangle test? You're given three cups, and two of the three are the same and you have to identify which cup is different.
Before we performed the test, I swore I could distinguish between Coke and Pepsi! When I did the test and made my choice, I was right! I could even distinguish which one was Pepsi and which one was Coke.
We also did a soft cheese taste test
With goat cheese: I've actually visited a goat farm and I'm very familiar what goat milk products taste like. I really don't like lamb's meat and the taste of lamb is always a tell tale sign of goat cheese. We ate lemon then ate the goat cheese to see how tart/sour it is compared to other cheeses...
Feta cheese: very good, salty, a lot more dense.
Farmer's cheese: basically tastes like sharp cheddar, very good.
I really enjoyed the Alton Brown video on chocolate chip cookies!!!
Dr. Sloan suggested we look up "Alton Brown shop lifting". Here's the link: It's hilarious!
http://arstechnica.com/civis/viewtopic.php?f=23&t=298182&p=6622919#p6622919
Our daily chocolate tasting was of milk chocolates:
Green and Black: very smooth mouth feel, I can kinda taste the milk in it, no pungent after taste.
Michel Cluizel: smooth mouth feel, I taste a lot less milk in this one, has a bit of an after taste.
El Rey: has a snap when I bite into it unlike the others, it has a really delightful kinda fruity taste, pleasant after taste. I liked this one the best.
Amedel: smooth mouth feel, more chocolate taste than milk chocolate, no real after taste.
We also did a triangle test to determine if it was possible to distinguish between Coke and Pepsi
What's a triangle test? You're given three cups, and two of the three are the same and you have to identify which cup is different.
Before we performed the test, I swore I could distinguish between Coke and Pepsi! When I did the test and made my choice, I was right! I could even distinguish which one was Pepsi and which one was Coke.
We also did a soft cheese taste test
With goat cheese: I've actually visited a goat farm and I'm very familiar what goat milk products taste like. I really don't like lamb's meat and the taste of lamb is always a tell tale sign of goat cheese. We ate lemon then ate the goat cheese to see how tart/sour it is compared to other cheeses...
Feta cheese: very good, salty, a lot more dense.
Farmer's cheese: basically tastes like sharp cheddar, very good.
I really enjoyed the Alton Brown video on chocolate chip cookies!!!
Dr. Sloan suggested we look up "Alton Brown shop lifting". Here's the link: It's hilarious!
http://arstechnica.com/civis/viewtopic.php?f=23&t=298182&p=6622919#p6622919
Friday, January 6, 2012
January 6, 2012
Today we started class by tasting Scharffen Burger chocolate at different temperatures and some that have been set out.
Here's what I thought:
76C dark chocolate: snap- loud, slate like, look- dark,dull taste- very mellow at first, then strong coco after taste
76C Milk Chocolate:snap- no snap because it was partially melted, look- dull, taste- nice and mellow throughout, after taste- no real after taste, subtle
Dark chocolate that's been breathing for 2 hours: snap- slate like, look-dull, taste- very subtle, nice a chocolaty throughout after taste- not as bad as the heated dark.
Milk chocolate that's been breathing for 2 hours: snap- slate like look- Dull, taste- it tasted completely different than the heated milk chocolate, after taste- none.
Dark chocolate room temp: snap- slate like,look- dully, taste- very strong, after taste- lingering
Milk chocolate room temp: snap- slate like, look- Dull, taste- subtle but different than the other "states". after taste- none
I really enjoyed the informational video on chocolate.
Cheese:
We prepared "ricotta" cheese in class today to taste fresh cheese.
Real ricotta is made with whey but we used curd.
We then taste tested cheeses here's what I thought:
Store bought ricotta: very dull taste, milky
Ours: a lot saltier, less milky.
No chetel : tastes like regular cream cheese
Motxarela: is the most densse, jelly like. Very light chees taste.
Mascarpone:lighter cream cheese taste , a lot smoother.
Some funny quotes from today:
"cooking doesn't eliminate intoxicants"
"pathogens that cause spoilage need not be the same pathogens that causes intoxication or infection and vice versa"
What is FAT TOM?
Food, acid, time, temp, oxygen, moisture
Raw food goes in the highest part of the fridge! Chicken at the bottom beef over chicken."
I need to apply this to my apartment refrigerator.
Here's what I thought:
76C dark chocolate: snap- loud, slate like, look- dark,dull taste- very mellow at first, then strong coco after taste
76C Milk Chocolate:snap- no snap because it was partially melted, look- dull, taste- nice and mellow throughout, after taste- no real after taste, subtle
Dark chocolate that's been breathing for 2 hours: snap- slate like, look-dull, taste- very subtle, nice a chocolaty throughout after taste- not as bad as the heated dark.
Milk chocolate that's been breathing for 2 hours: snap- slate like look- Dull, taste- it tasted completely different than the heated milk chocolate, after taste- none.
Dark chocolate room temp: snap- slate like,look- dully, taste- very strong, after taste- lingering
Milk chocolate room temp: snap- slate like, look- Dull, taste- subtle but different than the other "states". after taste- none
I really enjoyed the informational video on chocolate.
Cheese:
We prepared "ricotta" cheese in class today to taste fresh cheese.
Real ricotta is made with whey but we used curd.
We then taste tested cheeses here's what I thought:
Store bought ricotta: very dull taste, milky
Ours: a lot saltier, less milky.
No chetel : tastes like regular cream cheese
Motxarela: is the most densse, jelly like. Very light chees taste.
Mascarpone:lighter cream cheese taste , a lot smoother.
Some funny quotes from today:
"cooking doesn't eliminate intoxicants"
"pathogens that cause spoilage need not be the same pathogens that causes intoxication or infection and vice versa"
What is FAT TOM?
Food, acid, time, temp, oxygen, moisture
Raw food goes in the highest part of the fridge! Chicken at the bottom beef over chicken."
I need to apply this to my apartment refrigerator.
Thursday, January 5, 2012
First Day!
Mystery Chocolate Tasting
We taste tested three pieces of chocolate that looked identical but tasted drastically different.
The first chocolate that we taste tested had a very over powering flavor. From the very first bite it was very bitter and the bitterness lasted long after I swallowed the piece. The majority of the class chose this piece to be their favorite of the three we tasted today, but it was my least favorite.
The second piece of chocolate had a mellow "initial" taste when I first bit into it. Then it had a very strong, bitter, after taste.
The third, and last, piece of chocolate had a mellow taste throughout. I liked this one the best. Dr. Sloan consequently revealed to us that the third piece of chocolate was the most expensive of the three. I guess I have expensive tastes...
Hodge Podge Chocolate Tasting
I'm a real chocolate lover, so I was excited to try different bits and pieces of chocolate. After about the 3rd or 4th piece we tried, however, I felt like we were doing Chocolate "Fear Factor"! I didn't even want to swallo some pieces like the 100% cocoa.
Jello Teate Test
I thought it was really cool that color has such and effect no perceived taste!
Seed Tasting
I already knew that if you held your nose and didn't breath through your mouth you couldn't taste anything..... I should try it next time we do Chocolate Fear Factor!
I'm really excited about this Interim!!!
We taste tested three pieces of chocolate that looked identical but tasted drastically different.
The first chocolate that we taste tested had a very over powering flavor. From the very first bite it was very bitter and the bitterness lasted long after I swallowed the piece. The majority of the class chose this piece to be their favorite of the three we tasted today, but it was my least favorite.
The second piece of chocolate had a mellow "initial" taste when I first bit into it. Then it had a very strong, bitter, after taste.
The third, and last, piece of chocolate had a mellow taste throughout. I liked this one the best. Dr. Sloan consequently revealed to us that the third piece of chocolate was the most expensive of the three. I guess I have expensive tastes...
Hodge Podge Chocolate Tasting
I'm a real chocolate lover, so I was excited to try different bits and pieces of chocolate. After about the 3rd or 4th piece we tried, however, I felt like we were doing Chocolate "Fear Factor"! I didn't even want to swallo some pieces like the 100% cocoa.
Jello Teate Test
I thought it was really cool that color has such and effect no perceived taste!
Seed Tasting
I already knew that if you held your nose and didn't breath through your mouth you couldn't taste anything..... I should try it next time we do Chocolate Fear Factor!
I'm really excited about this Interim!!!
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