First Final Exam!

My first ever exam when I started culinary school I was really really nervous because it was the first time we had to do it solo. While we were going through the whole module we were in a group although we each have stations to work at but we cook as groups .We were assigned 1 soup and 1 main dish each and I happen to be assigned to ..... tada.....

Corn and crab chowder for the soup!

That was really yummy and creamy and crabby heheheh. The guest loved it.

Then next came the main dish.

Chicken Blanquette a Lancionne

I believe I did well and I'm so proud of myself.

Let's talk about Food baby. Let's talk about you and Me!

Yup today is the day that I talk about the food that we whipped up while I was attending my culinary classes. It was quite an experience for me although I have been cooking a long time somehow when you have cooking lessons it's just different.

In class we discussed about culinary basics where knife skills , equipment knowledge and product knowledge is taught and I got the hang of it all. We also studied about every useful cooking methods. We talked and learned about salads,sandwiches,international cuisines and of course desserts which is my favorite. Well the salad not so much except when there is boiled egg and anchovies then I'm all for it. The reason why I don't like salad much was the use of olive oil, it wasn't me particularly but the baby sure don't like it lol. Now that baby is out I don't have a problem with olive oil and will probably eat a lot of salads.

For the international Cuisine class here are some pics:

For the garde-manger lessons here are some pics.

First things first!

The first thing we learned before we began cooking at the school was product knowledge and hence the identification of herbs and spices. Those were a lot of herbs and spices to remember but thankfully I am familiar with most of them so it wasn't that difficult for me when we had our practical exam. I practically aced it. I just got my grades yesterday for product knowledge and I got 1.1 so that is pretty awesome. A lot of my classmates found it a bit hard since they didn't really have much experience, some even don't really know how to cook. Most of them are from ages 17 and up. Here are some pics.

Aside from the herb and spices lessons we also went on a field trip to Rustans Banawa and checked out the produce there. It was really fun and we went on to SM and we had lunch at an eat all you can restaurant, now that was something else. Loved the food there and I ate a lot. Here are some pics of that event :

1 year of culinary done!

First of I would like to say hi to my friends and family hahaha this makes me sound like I'm on a television show greeting my family and friends well anyhow it has been a while since I have been here. I am finally done with my 1 year Certificate in Advance Culinary Arts. That was really a blast. The people I met are very good friends of mine now in fact most of them are going to be my baby's Godparents as I mentioned in my last blog that I was gonna be a mommy soon well that soon has already arrived but that would be in another blog. I'm gonna talk about my time spent in the culinary school.

Culinary School is both easy and hard. Easy because I already have a background in cooking well that is to say I have been cooking for family for a long time and it is hard because there are new things to learn and change. Now I am able to explain why the food I cooked before came out this way and that way. I not only took up culinary but we had a few weeks in Baking and Pastry class as well as F & B wherein we learned to mix some cocktails which I wasn't allowed to to drink since I was pregnant and that really sucked not that I am an alcoholic or anything but I do drink. I did however taste the cocktails via a teaspoon. Imagine that a cocktail drank with a teaspoon hahahaha. Under F & B we did learn to serve and set up tables and boy are those main dish plates super heavy. First 2 days my arms were sore as if i was lifting weights all week but I did get the hang of it and I had good grades too well not to brag about it but I am one of our chef's favorite student but shhhh don't tell the others I said so.

In culinary we learned cooking basics, knife skills and a little of butchery then we went on to cooking methods where in foods are grilled, steamed, roasted , pan fried or stewed. After that came International cuisine where we cooked some Greek, Indonesian, Italian, Moroccan, Chinese,Filipino and others. We would have 1 hour of theory in an air conditioned classroom which was a blessing since it's always hot here in the Philippines and the tuition is so high also that our comfort are thought of. Anyhow after the theory we would go up to our kitchen , go to our specified station for 3 hours and do some cooking or you could say apply all the theory we have done.

My classes are from Monday to Thursday and that is for 4 hours. Sometimes the time would vary depending on the classes. I experienced a lot while taking up this short course and I wouldn't change a thing of it. So that tells you all my journey into the culinary arts world. Watch out for some of the pics of the dishes we whipped up. Ta ta!

Food Monster and Yummy brownies!

I have been away for a while and now I'm back. I have been with food lately, I mean I have been eating and eating heheheheh. If there is a cookie monster I am a food monster. Well here is a recipe of one of the foods I've been eating. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup margarine/ butter softened
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
3/4 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
5 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup chopped nuts
6 Tbsp. powdered milk

Procedure: (8x8 square pan lined with wax paper)

- Preheat oven to 375 F
- Cream butter then add sugar.
- Add eggs one at a time and mixing well after each addition, add the vanilla then the flour and then the cocoa
- Blend in the powdered milk and lastly add the nuts
- Pour in pan and top with nut
- bake until toothpick/cake tester/knife inserted comes out with little crumbs.
- Let cool slightly and slice into squares.

Siopao

The vacation I had at my grandparent's place was just awesome. I don't remember any vacation there that went sour. It's all fun and the food are just to die for. I love my grandparents and I love how much they care for the family. We were all gathered there for my grandmother's 76th b-day and it was filled with fun, noise and food binge. From seafoods to vegies to meat, it was all there. That is why I am on a seefood diet when I see food I eat heheheheh. Well before I left their place always and I mean always cook siopao which is a chinese bun filled with meat inside. According to my grandmother she is getting old and she can't cook that anymore and yes she was the one who taught me how to make those. Of course I didn't forget to take pictures. Here they are:



Hmmm don't they just look delish? I made about 60 pcs.

Pork Belly Crispy pata style

At the party and I'm talking about my mom and stepdad's 12th anniversary we decided to have a BBQ party so everything was grilled from the pork BBQ to grilled pork belly and then there was the chicken and longaniza. Mom wanted something to be cooked different so I suggested Crispy Pata which was made from cooking the whole front or hind leg of the pork but then when I got to the supermarket all the patas where too big to fit my pressure cooker but I found another solution I simply chose Pork Belly since that was what we were preparing anyways. So I bought the belly bit it was lechon kawali style in the cut so it's a bit big. Here is how to cook this yummy dish but first the pic.

First you have to cook it in the pressure cooker to make it tender.Just follow the manufacturer's instruction for using it or if you don't have a pressure cooker you can boil it but it would take a while. Put all the meat in the pressure cooker with a lot of salt, yes you have to be a bit generous with the salt to make it tasty but you have to make sure it wouldn't be too salty either, remember you still have to fry them. After putting the salt, you must add crushed garlic then add bay leaf and crushed peppercorns. Add more peppercorns if you want it to be a bit spicy. That's all there is. Just cook it until it is tender (prick the skin with a fork to test.) Yes people there is skin and fat in this dish. The fats prevents the meat from being too dry like your eating leather not that I have tasted leather but that's what I heard people say if you chew on something hard. After it is tender you have to deepfry it in oil yes loads of oil but don't worry you can still use the oil for frying fish and other stuff. A word of warning though when you fry foods like this there will be a lot of bang and oil will be popping everywhere, the trick would be to have a handy pot cover. Don't worry you will get the hang of it eventually. Well as they say no pain no gain. hahahahahah.

Another thing too you can cook cut out pork belly like this but omit putting bay leaf and peppercorn just the garlic and salt. It would be very crispy and yummy. These dishes would go well with vinegar. You dip it and then crunch crunch as you bite into it.. Hmmm just thinking about it makes my mouth water. So enough of this... I have to remember my diet.

Hotcake (Pancake)

I don't know if it is just with my family but we eat hotcake mostly snacktime in the afternoon rather than at breakfast. I've experimented with hotcake recipes trial and error you could say. So far everybody loved this particular fluffy recipe specially the foreign visitors we have. I hope you guys would try them too. For fluffy pancake batter is thicker.






Ingredients: makes 20 pancake (like the size in the photo)

1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 1/2 cup cake flour
6 tsp. baking powder
2/3 cup sugar
2 whole eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup milk
1 cup water
1 tsp. salt
6 Tbsp. melted margarine or butter

Procedure:

* Sift together flours, baking powder, sugar and salt. Set aside. Mix milk and water
* Beat eggs , add the vanilla and then add the milk and melted margarine. Mix well then add the flour and mix well until lumps disappear.
* cook as you would regularly. Stir once in a while as you cook.

NOTE:
According to my sister she cooks the pancake and then freezes them, when she needs it she would just pop it in the microwave and it turns out as if you just cooked it. Thicker batter would make fluffier pancakes. You can also add mashed bananas or cinnamon. Just experiment. Happy eating. If you don't have cake flour all purpose flour would be ok too. With the milk you can use fresh milk or evaporated. You can omit the water and use 2 cups of milk if you like.

My Lola's Rose peanut candy

My mom wanted to eat the family's rose peanut candy so she told me to make it. It takes a lot of effort to make this dessert. First you have to buy raw peanuts then roast it just like the pic above then after roasting you have to peel it and grind it and then add the other ingredients and then cook it. Here comes the most difficult and tiring part of this dessert. I would get blisters from stirring this because you have to cook it and not stop stirring until the oil of the peanut comes out. It is sort of like peanut butter but thicker and as it gets thicker it gets heavier to stir.I would always remember this dessert. No wonder my grandma would not always make this hahahha I know now the reason for that so when it is cook you must first let it cool a little bit then from this :

It will become this:

Isnt it pretty? I'm sure when my sister reads this blog her mouth will water.