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Wednesday, January 09, 2008
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Currently Reading
The Sharper Your Knife, the Less You Cry: Love, Laughter, and Tears at the World's Most Famous Cooking School
By Kathleen Flinn
see relatedWeek Two
This week's dish does not come from a cook book, but a memoir. I found the recipe in "The Sharper Your Knife, the Less You Cry" by Kathleen Flinn (p.200). It is one woman's journey through every level of Le Cordon Bleu cooking school. The author is a journalist by trade, but followed a life long dream of culinary exploration and greatness (she was encouraged by the love of her life) after being downsized from her corporate job. The book is really well written. I laughed, cried, and for lack of nothing less cliched- I was inspired. Through her writing, one can easily imagine yourself studying in Paris. Her descriptions of the food, the chefs, new friends, and local merchants lead one towards also wanting to walk in her shoes. The book is divided into sections based on the three different courses one must complete in order to receive a diploma. Every chapter ends with a recipe. I want to cook most of them in the next year. However for tomorrow night we will choose only one. In french, we are making Filet de Bar au Lait de Coco et Epices Douces. In english, Sea Bass with Coconut Milk and Oriental Spice Sauce. I will let you know how it goes.
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Currently Reading
Discovery of a Continent Foods, Flavors, and Inspirations From Africa
By Marcus Samuelsson
see relatedWeek One
So we made it through week one. My review is late, because Thursday we make the second dish.
I made Chicken-Peanut Stew from "Discovery of a Continent: Foods, Flavors, and Inspirations from Africa" by Marcus Samuelssom (see currently reading, p.147). The recipe requires onions, carrots, two scotch bonnet chilies, fresh ginger, bay leaves, chicken, peanuts, tomatoes, potatoes and spinach. I could not find scotch bonnet peppers, so I substituted with habaneras. I have a friend who is Jamaican, and that is what he suggested. I was really impressed by the spicy flavor that they added. It was not just hot. I plan on cooking with them again. The recipe required that we toast the peanuts, blended them into a paste, and then add them to the stew. We also boiled the vegetables and pureed them. Everything was added into the same pot.
The final result was good- but not great. I felt as though there was something missing from the recipe. I felt it needed more salt, and a little pepper to help with the spice flavor. In addition, the peanut flavor could of been much stronger. I would add more of them. The directions told us to serve over rice. However, we ignored that advice because there are potatoes in the recipe. Both my husband and I agree that the rice would of complimented the dish.
Monday, December 31, 2007
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Ready or not, here we go
This time is different.
I have this habit of having a lot of grand ideas. Last year I wanted to move to the Caribbean with my husband to live a lower paced life and raise little island children. Last month I looked into applying for the Le Cordon Bleu cooking school in Paris. Needless to say, neither one of these has happened. It is not because they are bad ideas, but because I have not put my money where my mouth is. I have a habit of this.
This time is different.
This week I begin my culinary journey- an idea that I am sticking with. I might have tried to back out of it, if it had not been for the support from my friends, family, and those of you out in Xanga world. Each new person who heard my idea or read my blog raised my level of excitement. Each person who commented helped to firm my commitment to my plan. I received four cookbooks this holiday season. My coworkers stated that I cannot cook any meals on Friday or Saturday because leftovers will not last until Monday. As I begin this year, all I can say is thank you. Thank you for your support and excitement. It has made all the difference.
This time is different.
Friday, December 28, 2007
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Recipe Questions
I have now whittled my first recipe selection down to two. I am leaning towards the choice below. However, I have some questions about the recipe.
I found this recipe in the cookbook, "Discovery of a Continent" by Marcus Samuelsson. The book was a gift from my cousin. It highlights recipes from the African countries that Starbucks gets all of their coffee from (yes, it was bought there). In the book there is a recipe for Chicken Peanut Stew. It has Scotch bonnet chilies, ginger, peanuts, tomatoes, and spinach to name just a few ingredients. It calls for "two cups of unsalted peanuts." It never clarifies if they are supposed to be roasted or boiled. In the recipe, I have to pan toast them. Am I supposed to get raw peanuts?
Has anyone cooked anything similar and has some ideas? What type of peanut do people think will work better?
Wednesday, December 26, 2007
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First Recipe?
The holidays are now over, and my attention has turned to the new year and the challenge in front of me. I have been scouring the recipe books with excitement and anxiety over choosing "the first" recipe. I have harassed the people I know with my neurotic nature- should I make something easy to give myself confidence, or something challenging. If I fail at challenging, then I have no where to go but up. Or should it be something in the middle ground? I know I am putting too much analyzing thought into it, but I cannot help it.
What level of dish should I take on first?
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