FOOD
The Farm to Table Kitchen
Recipes - The Farm to Table Kitchen |
Week 1 [Where does your food come from?]: Honey Granola, Pan Toasted Nuts, Dukkah
Starting a new term in culinary school, called The Farm to Table Kitchen. This week, we made toasted pan nuts, which we then used to make Honey Granola and Dukkah.
Buy raw, unsalted almonds and peanuts, then cook until fragrant, tossing frequently to keep from burning.
Buy raw, unsalted almonds and peanuts, then cook until fragrant, tossing frequently to keep from burning.
Week 2 [What's in a label?]: Black Bean Burger, French Fries
Our farm to table assignment this week was a Black Bean Burger with French Fries.
The black beans were a delicious replacement for typical protein, which we blended with onions, tomatoes, jalapeños, corn meal, and all-purpose flour.
For extra crispy French Fries, cook them twice. Set your deep fryer to 325 degrees and cook the uniformly-cut fries until they are pale-straw in color and softened. Then refrigerate for a minimum of 2 hours. Next, deep fry them one more time at 350 degrees, then drain on a sheet tray and immediately hit them with a pinch of salt. Bam!
The black beans were a delicious replacement for typical protein, which we blended with onions, tomatoes, jalapeños, corn meal, and all-purpose flour.
For extra crispy French Fries, cook them twice. Set your deep fryer to 325 degrees and cook the uniformly-cut fries until they are pale-straw in color and softened. Then refrigerate for a minimum of 2 hours. Next, deep fry them one more time at 350 degrees, then drain on a sheet tray and immediately hit them with a pinch of salt. Bam!
Week 3 [Going whole hog!]: Basted Protein, Basted Root Vegetable
This week was all about basting... pasture-raised NY Strip Steak that was dry-aged; and a root vegetable, in this case, carrots with an oblique cut. A little rosemary, garlic, and craft butter to compliment the flavors.
Week 4 [Sustainability: Farming]: Arroz con Pollo, Etouffee
This week's culinary assignment was Arroz con Pollo and Etouffee.
Use Spanish chorizo in the Arroz con Pollo, which has been cured, and will add color as well as depth of flavor.
For the Etouffee, the secret is in the roux... take it all the way to the "dark chocolate" stage for Cajun cuisine.
Use Spanish chorizo in the Arroz con Pollo, which has been cured, and will add color as well as depth of flavor.
For the Etouffee, the secret is in the roux... take it all the way to the "dark chocolate" stage for Cajun cuisine.
Week 5 [Sustainability: Ocean]: Vegetable en Papillote, Fish en Papillote, Pommes Boulangere
For week 5 in my farm to table course we made a Fish and Vegetable Papillote, along with Pommes Boulangere.
The combination of lemon, butter, and shallots works incredibly well with the Salmon, and it may be my favorite preparation technique for fish thus far.
The combination of lemon, butter, and shallots works incredibly well with the Salmon, and it may be my favorite preparation technique for fish thus far.
Week 6 [Waste not, want not!]: Brown Butter, Gremolata, Cauliflower Steak, Cauliflower Gratin, Mornay Sauce
This week we made Cauliflower Steaks with Brown Butter and Gremolata; and Cauliflower Gratin with a Mornay Sauce (served with Bacon-Wrapped Pork Tenderloin).
Week 7 ['Tis the season]: Seasonal Soup, Seasonal Quick Bread
This week in culinary school it was seasonal soup and bread. I opted to make Butternut Squash Soup and Apple Bread. Consistency of knife cuts is key for an even cook.
Week 8 [Nose to tail cooking]: Cracker, Chicken Liver Pate, Mustard
This week in culinary school the theme was "nose to tail cooking", for which we made Chicken Liver Pate served with a home-made spicy Ground Mustard and freshly-baked Crackers.
Week 9 [Preservation: Produce]: Pickled Vegetable, Berry Jam, Creme Fraiche
We focused on preservation of produce this week, making a pickled vegetable (I opted for Cucumber), berry jam (Strawberry), and Creme Fraiche.
Week 10 [Preservation: Meat]: Gravlax, Latkes, Chicken Confit
Week 10 in our Farm to Table course was all about preserving meat. We made Gravlax, which uses a Nordic preservation technique to cure Salmon. The second dish was Chicken Confit, which utilizes an overnight curing process prior to cooking. Then we finished the week by making Latkes, which were garnished with the Creme Fraiche we made last week and the Gravlax.
Week 11 [What is farm to table?]: Fresh Maitre' Dhotel Butter, Farmer's Cheese, Sirnicki
For the full farm to table experience, we made our own compound butter and farmer's cheese, and then used those ingredients in Sirnicki (cheese pancakes).
With modern equipment, it's surprisingly easy to churn your own butter. With a stand mixer or food processor, whip heavy cream until it separates (4 to 6 minutes). pour in a little ice cold water, which will help the liquid (i.e., buttermilk) further separate from the butter. Next, squeeze the remaining water out of the butter, and remove the liquid from your stand mixer or food processor. Then return the butter and whip at low speed until the butter is smooth and creamy.
For cheese, heat half a gallon of whole milk in a stainless steel pot on medium-low. Stir occasionally to prevent from burning, until at a slight simmer. Stir in 1/4 cup of distilled vinegar, then remove from heat and let sit at room temperature. The curds and whey will separate. Line a bowl with cheesecloth, and pour the content from the pan into it. The whey will pass through the cheese cloth, and the curds will be captured. At this point, squeeze the cheesecloth tightly and firmly to get all the whey out. Store the cheese in the refrigerator until ready for use.
With modern equipment, it's surprisingly easy to churn your own butter. With a stand mixer or food processor, whip heavy cream until it separates (4 to 6 minutes). pour in a little ice cold water, which will help the liquid (i.e., buttermilk) further separate from the butter. Next, squeeze the remaining water out of the butter, and remove the liquid from your stand mixer or food processor. Then return the butter and whip at low speed until the butter is smooth and creamy.
For cheese, heat half a gallon of whole milk in a stainless steel pot on medium-low. Stir occasionally to prevent from burning, until at a slight simmer. Stir in 1/4 cup of distilled vinegar, then remove from heat and let sit at room temperature. The curds and whey will separate. Line a bowl with cheesecloth, and pour the content from the pan into it. The whey will pass through the cheese cloth, and the curds will be captured. At this point, squeeze the cheesecloth tightly and firmly to get all the whey out. Store the cheese in the refrigerator until ready for use.
Week 12 [Mystery box]: Spatchcock Chicken, Pan Gravy, Sautéed Zucchini, Potato Presse
For the last cooking assignment in culinary school, we were able to make anything we wanted. The requirements were to have a protein, sauce, vegetable, and starch served for two with identical plating. I opted for spatchcock chicken slathered in a home-made compound butter, served with a pan gravy, sautéed zucchini, and potato presse with gouda cheese.