Like Butter..

It feels like we're starting off pretty slow, but the reality of it is, by class 4, we have made the foundation of all of our cuisine (stocks - fonds), and have reduced those to a few different sauces. We made 6 sauces yesterday. Let me try to recount all of them...
-Sauce Espagnole (with bacon, mmm)
-Fond de Veau Lie (reduced, bound veal stock)
-Sauce Bechamel (reduced milk with a roux liaison)
-Sauce Vin Blanc (white wine and fish stock, a little heavy cream)
-Sauce Au Porto (port wine reduction with orange and lemon juices and fond de veau lie)
-Chateaubriand aux Champignones (wine, mushrooms, flames and sauce espagnole)

How's that for information retention? (I have verified with my recipes and I was mostly correct)
As the title of this post hints, it feels like the real foundation of these sauces is beurre (butter). At least 50-100 grams. And I feel like this will be a recurring theme in class. A lot of recipes begin with butter, include more butter and end with butter. I have to be careful with my taste testing, or the butter is going to reinforce my hips.

I learned a few of things aside from how to make these recipes. The first is, do NOT deviate from the recipe! The sauce bechamel is a creamy sauce that calls for a pinch (a tiny pinch) of cayenne pepper (as described, the amount that you can scoop up on the tip of your paring knife). Not knowing that Chef Tom was going to taste and critique each sauce, my partner and I thought a little more cayenne pepper would be the way to go. No no no. We are in culinary school to learn the classics. When we're done, or when we're at home, then we can deviate from the recipe and "kick it up a notch" (Does Emeril have the rights to that phrase?)


Next, my "factory edged knife" really is not sharp, and will take a lot more sharpening. Chef Tim(from the food handling class) attempted to grind away on it, but I have come to believe that it's still not sharp enough. So I only assume that when I use my steel (the long metal stick-on-a-handle) I am taking a dull edge and returning it to a previously dull edge.

And, by Level 3 we will be a lot more confident and familiar with the kitchen. George has proven this to me. Although he may be currently working in a real kitchen, and he may have a background in the kitchen, he was very confident. George is a level 3 student, who was making up a class from level 1. He is 21 (or turning 21... pretty young?!) and has decided to hone in on his culinary skills. Most importantly, he was my partner. This was a mixed blessing.

I say this because he was great as a partner since he knew what he was doing, and has made these sauces in further levels, despite missing the first lesson on them. He was good with the knife, and quick. Unfortunately, he was a little too quick. While I was running around the kitchen, looking for ingredients, he collected pretty much everything else, peeled and chopped things, and was already adding them to pots and pans. He was courteous and understood that I was a beginner, and he kept me in the loop as he did or was doing things, but I felt like I wanted to do more of it and be more hands on. He also was guiding and directing me, rather than being blind and clueless like I was. But he did show me that soon, I, too, will be quicker, more confident and know where everything is. Hey, this is only class four.

Speaking of which, I am sure that the one guy who has now missed 3 classes, is no longer taking the class, and the girl who missed one class was here. Still not a great start. I also found out that the test that we will be having on Saturday will be a 15 question multiple choice test. Not too shabby. No reason to not do well.

George, however, was only on level 3. He was by no means a chef, and our final results, which were usually considered final at his discretion ("Edwin, do you think this is done" "Um, sure?" "Yeah, me too"), were by no means great. All but our bechamel did pass final inspection, but the consistencies weren't all up to par. Sauces, stocks and glazes are all different. A sauce is not a gravy. It should be thick, but not too thick. I was getting conflicting feedback from the Chef. Some sauces were too thick, others were too thin. Flavoring was usually good (a bit on the salty side, but good). However, be sure you adjust final flavoring AFTER reduction is complete. You can put salt in but you can't take it out.)

Further development: I'm developing a few calluses on my fingers. I know one was from whisking the bechamel non-stop, and the other is where I hold the knife. I am transforming. Oh, I also need to mark my knives and other tools with nail polish so no one steals them. I am going to do some fun pattern if I can find the time. Maybe some crazy liger pattern. It might give my knives some magical attributes, and they'll cut the vegetables without my help.

As a final word, I'd like to refer back to interactions with my classmates. I sure hope none of them read this until at least 9 months from now, as it hints at (read: clearly states) certain feelings that I shouldn't be sharing publicly. Anyhow, the divide widens. I'm not sure if I'm here for a change of careers, or because I'm following my heart. If I did know, I would say so. I have been looking at food with a bit more scrutiny now, though that slightly dry store-made roasted chicken was still delicious. But as we were changing in the locker room, we had a diluted conversation about why exactly we were in this locker room. One reason offered was because college didn't quite work out. Its hard to argue against that when perhaps college did not work out for them. I will inevitably be taking a pay cut when I delve into cooking full time. College has taken me to decent paying, professional jobs with a lot of options (if I choose to take them). Not to mention the life friends I've made, the girl I met, my rugby team brethren and the level of maturity that it may have given me. In fact, it may have made me too mature for the machismo that usually infiltrates the kitchen (so I hear.. or maybe my girlfriend has done that to me ;), though I won't necessarily count it out if in the right company. I offered instead that perhaps graduate schools didn't work for us, as in we won't take it to that level to make the millions. Maybe that's more of my case. Who knows? Maybe after culinary school you'll see me start up the CLAA (Culinary Lawyers of America Association). Who knows (though I strongly doubt it).