Culinary School of Fort Worth - Week 5 - Starches

Another week with no pictures. Too, busy. But boy, were we in 'Carb Heaven'! I had no idea there were so many ways to cook starches.

"Potatoes, grains (corn, rice, wheat and others) and pastas are collectively known as starches. Some of these foods are vegetables; others are grains. Starches are, for the most part, staple foods that define a cuisine and give it substance. All are high in starchy carbohydrates, low in fat and commonly used as part of a well-balanced meal.

Today's chefs are rediscovering traditional and ethnic dishes that rely on grains seldom used in typical American food service operations. Pasta, made from a variety of grains in numerous shapes and flavors and accompanied by countless sauces and garnishes, now regularly appears on many menus alongside the ubiquitous potato prepared for many classic and modern dishes."

We made mashed potatoes four ways; boiled russets, steamed russets, boiled waxy (red) and steamed waxy. If you want the most potato flavor, steam your potatoes. Generally we don't choose that method simply because it's faster to simmer them. If you ask me what one of my favorite foods is, I will answer you the same way I did in second grade. Mashed potatoes. And being from Idaho, I think mine always taste the best~

We deep fried russets and waxy. Russets are definitely what we are used to in French fries. But I have to say that waxy potatoes hold their shape better. Either way, they are yummy! Pass the fry sauce, please!

We made grits and polenta. What are grits you ask? Can you tell I'm not from the south? They are made by grinding dried hominy, (which is a type of dried corn that has been soaked in hydrated lime or lye. Huh?) These tiny white granules are most likely served as a hot breakfast cereal usually topped with butter or cheese. Polenta is made from cornmeal. Used like mashed potatoes. You can also wait for the polenta to cool (gelatanize) and cut it into shapes and fry or bake.

Corn on the cob: We boiled it, we steamed it, we roasted it with the silk on and roasted it with the silk off. The best tasting corn was the steamed corn and the roasted corn with the silk off. The silk left on left too much of a earthy taste on the corn.

Rice. We made long grain rice in a rice cooker, we simmered it on the stove, we simmered it in the oven (a cool restaurant trick) and we made risotto. Risotto, is....a gift of love. Stir, stir, stir until the threads of the starch in the rice are creamy. Add some cream, some Parmesan, and whatever else sounds yummy, close your eyes and....sigh. Heaven on a plate.

Rice pilaf on the stove and in the oven. We made a delicious Indian rice pilaf. Use the restaurant trick and free your stove top by putting it in the oven.

We made fresh fettuccine noodles. Easy. Yummy. I'm definitely going to try this at home.

Have you ever eaten spaetzle? It's a mixture similar to pancake batter and pushed through something similar to a grater, dropped in boiling water. Little tiny dumplings appear which are then sauteed in brown butter. Mmmm. Different, but Mmmmm.

We soaked and cooked butter beans. A quick way to do beans is to par boil them for 10-15 minutes. Discard the water (which contains all the 'gassy' stuff) and return to the pot and boil at least 60 minutes, or until done.

And last, but not least, we cooked whole oat groats and quinoa (keen wah). These can not only be a delicious breakfast, but can be used in the place of rice as well.

Now you know why I didn't get a chance to take any pictures. At the end of the day, we had a giant tasting of everything to compare and contrast.




Carbohydrate heaven. I just wanted to go home and take a nap. It was a fun day.

Culinary School of Fort Worth - Week 4 - Major Cooking Techniques, Part II

Another week a little outside my comfort zone at the Culinary School of Fort Worth.

It's been a while since I've done anything that makes me a little nervous . I'm even getting used to speaking in front of groups of adults with my current calling in the stake Primary. (Which is pretty easy, since I love these women!) And nothing will cure the fear of public speaking like being given 3 minutes notice that you're the next speaker at a ward conference!! (FOR REAL!! Note to self: NEVER show up anywhere with a Stake presidency member without a few profound thoughts or a quote or two in your back pocket.)

On Thursday, we were put into 3 groups. Daniel and I were our own team of two, while the other two groups had 3 people in them. After an hour of lecture and review we were turned loose in the kitchen to make 5 plates that consisted of 3 components; a protein, (pork chop, Cornish hen, 3 chicken drumsticks, 2 very thin slices of flounder and a beautiful piece of fresh cod), a vegetable, a starch, or a sauce. Whatever our imagination could think of. We had full use of everything that was in the walk-in refrigerator and pantry. It was like being a kid and walking into the biggest toy store you could imagine and being so overwhelmed you couldn't pick out anything! After a few minutes of planning, we began. We started with our Cornish game hen, which we knew would take the longest due to roasting. Next we began the braise for the 3 chicken drumsticks, which would take nearly as long as the roasted hen. As these two dishes were in process, we moved on through the remainder of the plates. I thoroughly enjoyed this challenge. I wish we didn't have the constraints of time, though. It did take just a little of the fun out of it.

Our finished plates consisted of 1) Braised chicken drumsticks plated with roasted root vegetables (carrots, parsnips and red potatoes) seasoned with fresh rosemary. Yummy! 2) Roasted Cornish game hen, served with rustically mashed potatoes and steamed broccoli. Good! 3) Grilled pork chop with sauteed spinach flavored with garlic and fried shoestring potatoes. Beautiful! 4) Seared terriyaki marinated Flounder served over a bed of steamed rice with a garnish of tropical fruit salsa. And 5) Pan-fried Cod served with french-fried sweet potatoes and haricot verte (that's green beans for all of you who didn't take high school French). Delicious! Not only did the food have to be cooked properly, but the plate needed to look fabulous. Color, texture, height, and of course, flavor played a role in our score. I'm not sure how we did over all. We were pleased with our results and the chef did tell us we had the best sides of the day. Whew!!! Glad that's over. It was crazy from the moment we walked into the kitchen until we walked out the door. Thus, no pictures this week. Just open up your favorite food magazine and pretend that that's the one I did this week. You'd probably be close! (In my dreams!!!)

One thing I learned this week, is that just like playing a beautiful musical instrument takes many, many hours, and maybe even years of practice and hard work, so it is with being a great chef. It takes just as much work, time, practice and dedication to develop this wonderful talent. Those who make it look easy have got us all fooled!! It is harder than it looks to get everything right. Which is a testament to those we know who let us share in the enjoyment of their culinary talents. One friend comes to mind right away. Krista Morrison. There's a girl who definitely knows how to cook!! She makes it look easy and everything she cooks always tastes fantastic. And she is so giving with her talent. In fact, just this weekend, I witnessed her sharing her talent with a group of women we were privileged to serve this Saturday at our Stake Relief Society Day To Shine event, benefiting the women who are helped by the Battered Women's Shelter of Fort Worth. These women were hosted at our church. They received free haircuts, manicures, pedicures, financial and legal counseling, free childcare, a wonderful lunch and a special program about Hope. When it was time for the event to end, the women were told they were welcome to gather their favors of which there were hygiene kits and homemade blankets. Then I saw Krista. Almost unnoticed by most of us, she was carrying beautiful baskets full of freshly baked homemade bread packaged lovingly to be given away to these wonderful women we had spent the morning and early afternoon with. I was so touched. She was blessing the lives of these women with her own special talent. I don't know about you, but nothing says love, like the smell and taste of homemade bread. Thanks, Krista for inspiring me. Not only with your culinary talents but your giving heart as well!!

Culinary School of Fort Worth - Week 3 - Major Cooking Techniques

I was so busy, this is the only picture I managed to take.

This is after I had eaten half of my assignment as a mid-morning snack.

It was Hell's Kitchen meets Mary Poppins. (Meaning all the pressure, without the 'sailor talk'.) The first two weeks of Culinary School were a cake walk compared to this week's class. After an hour lecture, we made our way to the kitchen where we were instructed to get our knives out for a knife skills test. Our task was to take one onion and julienne half of it and small dice the other half, with one carrot batonnet half of it and julienne the other half, take one potato and small dice half of it and batonnet the other half, slice one mushroom, and small dice half a pepper, all in 5 minutes!!! Wow, I finished everything except the last bit of my green pepper. I took way too much time on my carrot. Each one of our cutting boards was inspected for the correct cut and for accuracy and precision. I kept thinking of my poor kids everytime they're handed a pop quiz. The shoe was finally on the other foot.

Next, we drew numbers and were put in a group that was either in the dining room kitchen or the big kitchen. As we assembled in our group, we were handed a paper and told to 'go for it'. What?!? We had 1 hour and 15 minutes to individually grill the perfect chicken breast and zucchini, bread and pan fry a beautiful piece of cod, bread and deep fry a chicken tender, onion rings and French fries, braise two chicken legs and roast a small roast and batonneted carrots. As each item was finished, I presented my item to the Chef to be critiqued for look, color, seasoning and finally taste. Talk about pressure!

One thing I learned is to season your items first. For example, salt and pepper your raw chicken breast or fish, then grill or pan fry. The heat will sear in your chosen seasoning. You should never see salt on top of a dish. Who knew?


Next we traded places with the other group and had the same amount of time to individually; shallow poach a piece of salmon, deep poach an egg, simmer 1 cup of rice and boil 1 cup of pasta, steam 2 shrimp and carrot, blanch a cup of broccoli, saute 2 shrimp and onion and finally sear a chicken cutlet. Whew. It makes me tired just thinking about it!


It was so much fun to really cook. I learned that I have much to learn. But luckily, my happy family will be the recipient of many, many practice sessions in my own kitchen.

Culinary School of Fort Worth - Week 2 - Mise en Place and Stocks

Another fun day at the Culinary School in Fort Worth...

What is mise en place, you ask? It's French for, "everything in it's place." It's a routine of getting everything ready before you start your tasks. Ultra-organizing your kitchen workspace, preparing all the ingredients, gathering your necessary tools, readying your oven or stove; just about anything that will make the process of preparing a dish easy and efficient. A good lesson to be reminded of, not just in the kitchen but in every aspect of our lives.

Today we learned all about stocks. Amazing. You know that little box or can you grab when you want to cook a soup or make a flavorful rice dish? Well, that's not really stock. It'll do in a hurry, (which is most of the time), but if you've got a free afternoon and you're just folding laundry, make your own stock. I promise it'll be better than that boxed stuff any day!

There are two kinds of stock. (No, not chicken or beef.) White Stock, made with raw, uncooked bones and vegetables and Brown Stock, made with roasted bones and roasted or sauteed vegetables. Most stocks use a mix of vegetables called mire poix, which is a mixture of 50% chopped onions, 25% chopped celery and 25% chopped carrot. Also a bouquet garni is tossed in. Classically, it is a little package of thyme, parsley, bay leaves and peppercorn, wrapped in cheesecloth (or a coffee filter) and left in the stock to impart its flavor.

Here's how to make the perfect stock. First, place either cooked or raw bones in the bottom of a large stock pot. Cover with about 1 1/2 gallons of cold water. Bring to a simmer. (Not a rolling boil, then a simmer, just a simmer.) As the water simmers, skim all the 'crud' off the top. Continue doing this until there is no more 'crud' gathering at the top. (Approximatley an hour.) You want to make sure your stock is just at a simmer instead of a rolling boil because you want to keep the stock as clear as possible. A seasoned chef is never satisfied with anything but the clearest of stocks. A simmer insures that all the 'crud' in and around the bones that didn't rise to the top, stays undisturbed. When you can't skim off any more 'crud', add your fresh or roasted mire poix and bouquet garni. Then, simmer, simmer, simmer. You know how it goes; the longer the better. Ideally, a few hours later, take your stock off the stove, carefully remove the bones and vegetables. Carefully strain your stock into a large container. You may want to strain it twice. Place your carefully strained stock in the sink, surrounded by ice. Fill up the sink with ice and let it cool. When the stock is cool. Refrigerate.

Notice there was no salt added. This is on purpose. Let's suppose you season your stock perfectly. The next day you need demi-glace, which is stock reduced by half. If we had seasoned our stock, it would be over-salted when reduced. Reducing simply concentrates the flavors that already exist. Note to self; only salt the end product of whatever you're adding stock to. It'll be perfect.

White stock - simmering.

Brown stock - large roasted veal bones coming to a simmer.


Sauteing the mire poix to add to the Brown Stock

Straining the finished stock.

Our finished stocks cooling in the sink.

This was the delicious lunch they prepared for us. Gumbo and a savory cheesey pastry thing.
I wish I knew the name of it. It was all delicious.

BONUS: Clarified Butter

What is clarified butter and what is it used for? Clarified butter is butter that is slowly melted, thereby evaporating most of the water and separating the foam of milk solids on top from the yummy golden liquid that lies underneath. Because the milk solids have been removed, clarified butter has a higher smoke point and can take higher temperatures than regular butter. (It's won't burn near as fast as regular butter.)

Clarified butter and the milk solid foam that has been removed.

We tasted the milk solid foam. It tastes very much like warm sour cream. Sour? Yes, sour. (Funny, since it came from melted butter which is not sour at all.) Our instructor is experimenting with what to do with the milk solids. She added powdered sugar to it and whipped it. It tasted very close to cream cheese frosting. Yummy!

Our finished clarified butter.


ANOTHER BONUS: French Fries

While waiting for our stocks, we practiced our knife skills. I thought I'd share how much of a potato gets put aside (well, trashed) to make the perfect batonet (Bat-0-nay) sliced potatoes.

A whole Idaho Russet
(There's not a better potato on the planet!)

A perfect batoneted potato. 1/4" x 1/4" x 2".
Everything underneath my knife is 'trash'.

Now close your eyes and picture the most beautiful, crisp, tender and perfectly salted French fries that you've ever tasted. Yep. That's what we made! I wish you could have had some! All I needed was Arctic Circle's Fry Sauce.

Next week: Major Cooking Techniques

Culinary School of Fort Worth - Week 1 - Knife Skills

What a fun day! Today was my first 'real' class at the Culinary School of Fort Worth. It was actually fun getting ready early this morning, dressing in my uniform, packing my book bag and driving unrushed into Fort Worth on a beautiful, crisp morning. There are seven other students in my class. I am looking forward to getting to know them better.

We spent the first part of the morning discussing sanitation and food safety. Did you know the danger zone for food is between 40 and 140 degrees? Or that food needs to be reheated to at least 165 to be safe? Most things not heated to at least 140 degrees might lead to a food bourne illness? Moral of the story: Be careful of cross-contamination, keep cold things cold and hot things hot. (Oh, and wash, Wash, WASH your hands!!)

The rest of the day was spent learning knife skills. We were each given a gorgeous set of Wusthof knives; a 3"paring, a 6" boning, an 8" chef and a 7" off-set handled bread knife. SHARP!!! (But, oh man, did they cut good!!!) We learned the correct way to hold a knife. You know how you point your index finger down the knife? Don't do that! All the fingers are wrapped around the handle of the knife. Your other hand is cupped like a claw and you use your knuckes as a guide. And just like there is follow-through in tennis, you follow-through with a cut on the board with a slight slide forward. We practiced our knife skills on a potato, carrot, celery and finally an onion. We learned how to julienne (1/8" x 1/8" x 2") , small dice (1/4" cube), battonet (1/4" x 1/4" x 2") and brunoise (1/8" cube) these vegetables.

I couldn't get over the waste that occurs in a professional kitchen. They kept reminding us that 50 pounds of potatoes only cost them $11, so it was okay to waste half the potato making a perfect rectangle. (Okay, if you say so...) My task this week is to buy 5 pounds of potatoes, carrots and onions and practice my knife skills? Can you say "Vegetable Soup"?

Next Week: Mise en Place and Stock

Our small diced potatoes, sliced celery, and julienned carrots

It was time to take a break and my classmate Brandon and I stayed and finished julienning our carrots because I didn't want them to go in the trash.

The White Board with the terms and dimensions.

My new friend and classmate, Monica, helping herself to the lunch they had prepared for us. It was fabulous French onion soup, melted Parmesan cheese on toasted baguette and fresh fruit. Yummy!

(Don't laugh at the hat!) My new friends, Robin, Bella and Monica.

Move Over Martha

Okay, I admit it. I am a closet "Foodie". I think the employees at Central Market know me by name. It's where I choose to 'kill time' or get an instant 'pick-me-up'. I love looking at the beautiful fruits and vegetables and wonder what I could make with them. I love to meander past the incredible fish and meat counters and anticipate the smell of crisp Applewood smoked bacon, or the taste of a perfectly grilled New York strip steak. And who would have thought that chicken could taste so different when it is organic and air-chilled? Their bakery is truly a carbohydrate addict's worst nightmare! The beautiful breads and pastries remind me of being in Paris, where you can make an unforgetable meal out of a simple, fresh baquette and beautiful hunk of cheese.

I cannot leave any grocery store without buying one of the latest cooking magazines. (Don't ask me why I just don't subscribe to them?) And I count down the days when a new cookbook is due out from one of my favorite TV chefs (Ina, Giada and yes, Martha just to name a few). I live vicariously through these talented chefs. I admire them for pursuing their personal passion and sharing it with all of us. They look like they are having fun doing what they love to do.

Here are a few quotes from one of my new favorite entertaining books - The Gathering of Friends: "When someone comes to your home and sits at your table and breaks bread with you, your relationship is forever changed." "To women everywhere who are part of this grand sisterhood, who derive great pleasure from hearth and home, there is something wonderful about carefully preparing and sharing a meal with another." "Food is a love language." I believe this. Think of the last time you shared a delicious, memorable Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner with your loved ones. You know that a beautiful homemade birthday cake always tastes better than a store bought one. Remember the last time a neighbor or your sweet Visiting Teachers came by with their special Raspberry Bars or Snickerdoodles? Or a faithful Home Teacher dropped by with his coveted homemade toffee because he was just thinking about you? Think about the feelings of gratitude that overwhelmed you when that first, delicious, homemade meal was delivered after the birth of your last baby? Or how honored you were to serve and share a special meal with the missionaries. You know there was a thankful mother somewhere in the world grateful for your willingness to feed her son while he is on the Lord's errand. Who can forget the intoxicating smell of your mother's freshly baked homemade bread as you walked into the house from a long day at school? Yes, food truly is a love language. It has the ability to help us make special memories. It also has a way of helping us recall fond memories from our past.

One of my personal goals is to become a really good cook and share this language of love with those whom I love and adore. I would also like to be a better entertainer and table-scaper (is that a word?) So instead of just wishing, I actually enrolled in a 14 week course at the Culinary Institute of Fort Worth. Tonight was our orientation. After doing some last minute paper work, we took a tour of the facility; the pantry, freezer, work areas, ovens, stoves, dish and utensil areas and dining rooms. We tried on our new uniform and received our textbooks. I am so excited! (and a little nervous). This is not just your average cooking class. This is FOR REAL! Homework, required labs (Sunday brunch, special events etc.), uniforms, knife kits - the works!

I want to thank my handsome husband for always supporting my dreams. I'm excited to share this Language of Love not only with him, but all of you!

A real chef's coat, chef pants, and textbooks.

The Culinary School of Fort Worth, located on Camp Bowie Boulevard above the La Madelaine restaurant. (I promise, they're not offiliated with the Papparotti's Wine Room.)

The door the culinary students enter. (Not the main entrance.)