My last 2 days of Seafood were interesting. Monday we did Crustaceans after just practicing some basic fillet cuts. We picked crab meat and then went over everything from lobster to crab to scallops. It was a pretty easy day overall and the tasting was pretty excellent. Tasting was just a few types of crabs as well as lobster and scallops so even though it was 8am it was pretty good.
Then today was the big day... Finals Day. We had to shuck 300 oysters on the half shell for a kitchen and since we had 8 people the Chef made it a race... 37 a piece. I came in second! Then we took the 10 questions ID Final where he pulled out 10 fish, had us name them and some other facts about them. It was decently easy. Finally we had a quick 20 minute lecture and tasting. Today's tasting... Caviar and Smoked Fish. A plate of 10 caviars and some smoked fish which probably was $75 of food on the plate per person. Most of the caviar wasn't too bad, it isn't fishy like you'd imagine and they all have distinct flavors. I will say the most interesting one was the $99 per oz... thats $1600 per pound! It tasted like creamy pumpkin pie which is so strange but weirdly good. The smoked stuff just tasted like either smoke or what it was cured in. Last but not least was the written final. 40 questions and terribly easy. I did very well overall in the class.
Right now I'm still in the process of getting this frisbee team going and it's finally coming into form. Other than that, Meat starts tomorrow at 6:30 which is a nice change from 5am but it still pretty early. I'll be sure to report on how butchering meat occurs.
Stay Classy.
Chef Werblin
ps. Guava Glazed Ribs for dinner... might be the best thing I've eaten here.
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Can You Say Sleep Deprivation?
Yea it's bad. 4 hours a night just doesn't cut it for me. Luckily class is entertaining enough to keep me awake. Thursday was the next family of fish, the Bass family. We did our usual, ID and some cutting to practice and then we shucked... and shucked and shucked and shucked. We had 700 oysters that got delivered and all needed to be shucked so with the 9 people in my class we each had to do 40-50 to get a jump on it. Let me tell you, shucking oysters is hard as hell. Once you get the hang of it, it's not that bad but it is insanely tiring. After my arms were thoroughly shucked out we had tasting and lecture. I figure since tasting is most interesting I'll go ahead and talk about that.
First we tasted a Wild Striped Bass which are large fish, it was very meaty and a bit sticky but all in all pretty good. Then we tried the Hybrid Striped Bass which is the farm-raised version of the wild that is much smaller and much less delicious. It kind of tasted like top-soil, actually that's exactly what it tasted like. Then we tried Vermillion Snapper, not terribly delicious but meaty, it would probably be good breaded and with a lot of sauce. Next were the "high activity" fish that are rich and flavorful. First here was Swordfish which I had never had before. For not being a "fish" person I really enjoyed it, very tender and moist, pork-like almost. Then Tuna, Yellowfin, not Bluefin because Bluefin are about to be extinct thanks to the friggin Japanese. It was very meaty and filling but has a metallicy blood-taste that is similar to red meat. Last we tried an expensive, expensive little anchovy. They were packed in oil in a big container that sells for a very large amount of money apparently but our chef let us taste them. Now when people think anchovy they think little gross brown things that go on pizza and are awful. Well let me tell you, these "Boccaronas" were amazing. basically salt and vinegar little fishies without a fishy taste. So good. An interesting day.
Friday was our Mollusks day. We cut a few fish each and then did our shucking, clams and oysters. We each did 1 clam and 3 oysters... then we ate them... raw... at 8am. Now I've only had clams once and they were cooked and it wasn't my favorite thing not because of taste but because of texture. But since I go to a school for food I'm expected to taste everything. The raw Quahog (most popular, also known as "Steamers") clam was gross, pretty much a gooey blob of saltwater. The oysters weren't awful. There are 3 types, Western (Pacific Coast) and then Northern and Southern (Atlantic Coast). They were a combination of briny and salty with different fat levels. None exceptional, although I thought the Southern one was better. After clean-up we tasted cooked mollusks. First was a blue mussell, surprisingly I enjoyed it. Next was a wellfleet clam, relatively small but actually one of the best things we've eaten in this class. Finally just Bay and Sea Scallops. If you've ever had them you know Sea Scallops are way better and if you like them, they're excellent, which they were.
The usual for the rest of the day. Lunch, nap, dinner and then weekend fun. So far its been a nice relaxing Saturday. I woke up late, had lunch, through a frisbee around for a bit and then did some homework and paperwork I had to get done before I head out tonight.
I know I said this once but I'll do it again. If you like hot sauce buy a bottle of Sean's Boo-Yah online (only $8). This stuff is fantastic.
Chef Werblin
ps. I've been thinking of team names for school... CIA Main Course. Tell me that isn't an awesome name.
pps. here's some pictures
First we tasted a Wild Striped Bass which are large fish, it was very meaty and a bit sticky but all in all pretty good. Then we tried the Hybrid Striped Bass which is the farm-raised version of the wild that is much smaller and much less delicious. It kind of tasted like top-soil, actually that's exactly what it tasted like. Then we tried Vermillion Snapper, not terribly delicious but meaty, it would probably be good breaded and with a lot of sauce. Next were the "high activity" fish that are rich and flavorful. First here was Swordfish which I had never had before. For not being a "fish" person I really enjoyed it, very tender and moist, pork-like almost. Then Tuna, Yellowfin, not Bluefin because Bluefin are about to be extinct thanks to the friggin Japanese. It was very meaty and filling but has a metallicy blood-taste that is similar to red meat. Last we tried an expensive, expensive little anchovy. They were packed in oil in a big container that sells for a very large amount of money apparently but our chef let us taste them. Now when people think anchovy they think little gross brown things that go on pizza and are awful. Well let me tell you, these "Boccaronas" were amazing. basically salt and vinegar little fishies without a fishy taste. So good. An interesting day.
Friday was our Mollusks day. We cut a few fish each and then did our shucking, clams and oysters. We each did 1 clam and 3 oysters... then we ate them... raw... at 8am. Now I've only had clams once and they were cooked and it wasn't my favorite thing not because of taste but because of texture. But since I go to a school for food I'm expected to taste everything. The raw Quahog (most popular, also known as "Steamers") clam was gross, pretty much a gooey blob of saltwater. The oysters weren't awful. There are 3 types, Western (Pacific Coast) and then Northern and Southern (Atlantic Coast). They were a combination of briny and salty with different fat levels. None exceptional, although I thought the Southern one was better. After clean-up we tasted cooked mollusks. First was a blue mussell, surprisingly I enjoyed it. Next was a wellfleet clam, relatively small but actually one of the best things we've eaten in this class. Finally just Bay and Sea Scallops. If you've ever had them you know Sea Scallops are way better and if you like them, they're excellent, which they were.
The usual for the rest of the day. Lunch, nap, dinner and then weekend fun. So far its been a nice relaxing Saturday. I woke up late, had lunch, through a frisbee around for a bit and then did some homework and paperwork I had to get done before I head out tonight.
I know I said this once but I'll do it again. If you like hot sauce buy a bottle of Sean's Boo-Yah online (only $8). This stuff is fantastic.
Chef Werblin
ps. I've been thinking of team names for school... CIA Main Course. Tell me that isn't an awesome name.
pps. here's some pictures
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
My Body Hates Me
So this is how my day goes until next Tuesday... 4:15 alarm goes off, get up and ready for class, in class at 5am until 11am, quick lunch, shower for 20 minutes to stop smelling like fish, nap until 4pm, dinner, homework, sleep again.
My sleep schedule is so off that come Tuesday my body won't know what to do.
Anyway, yesterday we had our actual chef for our fish class. We started out at 5am with usual pre-class duties like getting ice and removing fish for ID and Fabrication. We scale the fish (take the scales off) which I must say is the worst thing ever since scales are literally in every crevasse of your uniform and body. After that we do an ID for the day and go over the families of fish (Salmon/Trout, Cod, Bass, Flatfish, Misc). Then for the first time we pulled out our knifes and started to cut. We each did 3 flounders which yields 12 fillets. This is a flat fish and requires a flat cut method that isn't terribly hard once you get the hang of it. Although the chef said we did well, all of our fillets were pretty butchered for the most part. This kitchen provides fish to the entire school and every other kitchen in the school so if we mess up, they don't get fish... we don't mess up. We then clean-up and are in the lecture room from 9am-11am. Probably the strangest part of my day aside from waking at 4am is tasting. We taste everyday and since we start so early and are in lecture by 8:30-9am, that's when we taste. So yesterday we tasted 5 flatfish. First was flounder, it was flaky and pretty tasteless. Next was Dover Sole which is a pretty prized fish that is quite expensive and tastes like butter. Third we tried Turbot (pronounced Tur-bo) and it was interesting with a firm texture and almost milky taste. Next we tried Halibut which was firm but not terribly flavorful and lastly, we tasted Skate which is a ray. Easily the most interesting because it was extremely soft and kind of tasted like vegetables... I know, weird.
After a lazy night of homework and tv it was time for bed.
4:15 again. Awesome. In class at 5am and then scaling and getting ready for ID. We had a bunch of new fish today and after our ID we learned our new cuts and practiced. Salmon/Trout are almost all soft-boned and require a very easy straight-cut method. Basically all other round fish are hard-boned and require the much harder up-and-over method. We practiced both and my straight-cuts are pretty god because they are easy but both of my cuts came out pretty well. After clean-up we went to the lecture room for tasting... 11 kinds of fish at 8:30am, bleh. First taste, Atlantic Cod which is literally flavorless. Then Haddock which most people know as a fish and chips type fish. Next was Hake which was kind of crab-tasting but very fibrous. Then we tried Pollock (fun fact, Pollock is the fish used for almost all commercial fish, Filet O' Fish and generic fish consumption), its not very good otherwise. Cusk was next and it was gross, chewy and flavorless. The next batch is all Salmon and Trout so they all have strong flavor. First here was Atlantic Farm-Raised Salmon which is the salmon most people think about when they eat salmon, no one will ever see a wild Atlantic on their plate. It was ok, kind of sticky. Next was a better salmon, Coho (Silver) and this was less greasy and much cleaner in flavor. Then Arctic Char which is trout, it was my favorite and was briny with a mild salmon flavor. The next two Trouts, Steelhead and Farm-Raised Rainbow were both pretty good but the Farm-Raised was sticky and firm.
The rest of my day was my standard de-smellifying and sleeping before homework and hainging out. Only 2 more days till the weekend and I can't wait.
Chef Werblin
My sleep schedule is so off that come Tuesday my body won't know what to do.
Anyway, yesterday we had our actual chef for our fish class. We started out at 5am with usual pre-class duties like getting ice and removing fish for ID and Fabrication. We scale the fish (take the scales off) which I must say is the worst thing ever since scales are literally in every crevasse of your uniform and body. After that we do an ID for the day and go over the families of fish (Salmon/Trout, Cod, Bass, Flatfish, Misc). Then for the first time we pulled out our knifes and started to cut. We each did 3 flounders which yields 12 fillets. This is a flat fish and requires a flat cut method that isn't terribly hard once you get the hang of it. Although the chef said we did well, all of our fillets were pretty butchered for the most part. This kitchen provides fish to the entire school and every other kitchen in the school so if we mess up, they don't get fish... we don't mess up. We then clean-up and are in the lecture room from 9am-11am. Probably the strangest part of my day aside from waking at 4am is tasting. We taste everyday and since we start so early and are in lecture by 8:30-9am, that's when we taste. So yesterday we tasted 5 flatfish. First was flounder, it was flaky and pretty tasteless. Next was Dover Sole which is a pretty prized fish that is quite expensive and tastes like butter. Third we tried Turbot (pronounced Tur-bo) and it was interesting with a firm texture and almost milky taste. Next we tried Halibut which was firm but not terribly flavorful and lastly, we tasted Skate which is a ray. Easily the most interesting because it was extremely soft and kind of tasted like vegetables... I know, weird.
After a lazy night of homework and tv it was time for bed.
4:15 again. Awesome. In class at 5am and then scaling and getting ready for ID. We had a bunch of new fish today and after our ID we learned our new cuts and practiced. Salmon/Trout are almost all soft-boned and require a very easy straight-cut method. Basically all other round fish are hard-boned and require the much harder up-and-over method. We practiced both and my straight-cuts are pretty god because they are easy but both of my cuts came out pretty well. After clean-up we went to the lecture room for tasting... 11 kinds of fish at 8:30am, bleh. First taste, Atlantic Cod which is literally flavorless. Then Haddock which most people know as a fish and chips type fish. Next was Hake which was kind of crab-tasting but very fibrous. Then we tried Pollock (fun fact, Pollock is the fish used for almost all commercial fish, Filet O' Fish and generic fish consumption), its not very good otherwise. Cusk was next and it was gross, chewy and flavorless. The next batch is all Salmon and Trout so they all have strong flavor. First here was Atlantic Farm-Raised Salmon which is the salmon most people think about when they eat salmon, no one will ever see a wild Atlantic on their plate. It was ok, kind of sticky. Next was a better salmon, Coho (Silver) and this was less greasy and much cleaner in flavor. Then Arctic Char which is trout, it was my favorite and was briny with a mild salmon flavor. The next two Trouts, Steelhead and Farm-Raised Rainbow were both pretty good but the Farm-Raised was sticky and firm.
The rest of my day was my standard de-smellifying and sleeping before homework and hainging out. Only 2 more days till the weekend and I can't wait.
Chef Werblin
Monday, August 23, 2010
3 Weeks New
So this weekend was my BIRTHDAY WEEKEND! It was pretty awesome. Saturday we woke up and went to the Hudson Valley Rib Festival. Tons of famous rib vendors selling tasty delicious food with amazing bbq sauces. I tried a few and then walked around and checked out some of the other vendors. Easily the best one was a hot sauce guy called Sean's Boo-Yah sauce. He had 3 heats I tried, Not-So-Hot, Sorta Hot and Real Hot. I ended buying a bottle of the Real Hot because it was so amazing and the best I've ever had.
Saturday night we went to the Drive-In movies and paid a whopping $5 for two movies, The Expendables and Dinner For Schmucks. The Expendables was ok, lots of gun fire and yelling in a rambo-style thing. Dinner For Schmucks was terribly disappointing, a few cheap laughs but not the constant laugh, insanely funny movie I had so hoped for. I guess for $2.50 a movie it was worth it. Sunday was a rainy, crappy day and the family came for my B-Day to have lunch and see the campus which they couldn't do because it was gross out. After they left I did about 2 hours of homework and passed out around midnight.
Today was... interestingly awful. Up at 4:15am, at class at 5am.... no one's there... obviously. Another few people showed up and we sat around until 5:30 when a chef strolls in and tells us our normal chef isn't here today and he'll be filling in. After he explicitly states we won't need our knives today we know this is gonna be long and not fun. We learned about the fish kitchen and watched him demo how to do the 2 cuts for Round Fish and 1 cut for Flat Fish. After a little clean-up we had a 2 hour lecture while the 8am class started in the kitchen... that chef didn't stop yelling the entire time we were in lecture and it was crystal clear to hear.We got out around 11am.
I'd say the best part of the day was when the TA and Chef told us about how our actual Chef will be a yelling machine. I can't wait until tomorrow when he expects us all to know how to somewhat do these cuts and we can't because we've yet to touch a knife. Oh, by the way, every other class did cutting today except for us... I shoveled ice. Good day. I tried to nap when I got back and slept for an hour before there was enough noise in my room to drown out 20 crying babies. I woke up, did some more homework, got dinner and now I'm taking a break for the homework and writing this.
Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day. I can't wait till we are done with Seafood and Meat.
Chef (not so sure anymore) Werblin
ps. I used to enjoy cooking
pps. The other chef we listened to yell today made roughly 3 people cry and I quote "Who do you think you are? You're nobody and you're going nowhere"... great way to teach... and this is supposed to be the best culinary school in the country/world.
Saturday night we went to the Drive-In movies and paid a whopping $5 for two movies, The Expendables and Dinner For Schmucks. The Expendables was ok, lots of gun fire and yelling in a rambo-style thing. Dinner For Schmucks was terribly disappointing, a few cheap laughs but not the constant laugh, insanely funny movie I had so hoped for. I guess for $2.50 a movie it was worth it. Sunday was a rainy, crappy day and the family came for my B-Day to have lunch and see the campus which they couldn't do because it was gross out. After they left I did about 2 hours of homework and passed out around midnight.
Today was... interestingly awful. Up at 4:15am, at class at 5am.... no one's there... obviously. Another few people showed up and we sat around until 5:30 when a chef strolls in and tells us our normal chef isn't here today and he'll be filling in. After he explicitly states we won't need our knives today we know this is gonna be long and not fun. We learned about the fish kitchen and watched him demo how to do the 2 cuts for Round Fish and 1 cut for Flat Fish. After a little clean-up we had a 2 hour lecture while the 8am class started in the kitchen... that chef didn't stop yelling the entire time we were in lecture and it was crystal clear to hear.We got out around 11am.
I'd say the best part of the day was when the TA and Chef told us about how our actual Chef will be a yelling machine. I can't wait until tomorrow when he expects us all to know how to somewhat do these cuts and we can't because we've yet to touch a knife. Oh, by the way, every other class did cutting today except for us... I shoveled ice. Good day. I tried to nap when I got back and slept for an hour before there was enough noise in my room to drown out 20 crying babies. I woke up, did some more homework, got dinner and now I'm taking a break for the homework and writing this.
Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day. I can't wait till we are done with Seafood and Meat.
Chef (not so sure anymore) Werblin
ps. I used to enjoy cooking
pps. The other chef we listened to yell today made roughly 3 people cry and I quote "Who do you think you are? You're nobody and you're going nowhere"... great way to teach... and this is supposed to be the best culinary school in the country/world.
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Last Week of B Block!
This is a monumental week in my culinary college career. I finally get to finish these 4 classes and move on to kitchen activities... and it's my birthday on Friday so that makes it all the better. This week has been terribly boring because we are just finishing up and reviewing for the finals in each of the 4 classes (2 tomorrow and 2 Friday).
The food for the last few days has been pretty solid. A few boring things such as burgers, chicken sandwiches, etc, but a few very good meals too. I had an Antojitos Platter yesterday for dinner which consisted of 3 types of Quesadillas (Chorizo and Potato, Mushroom and Cheese, Peppers and Onions and Cheese) served with Red Salsa, Tomatillo Salsa and Rice. It was fantastic. Today I had another Southern American/Mexican inspired lunch as well. A sampler platter that had an Empanada, a Chorizo, Pickled Onion and Queso Blanco Tostada, and a Chicken and Rice thing in a Corn Husk with Guacamole and 2 Salsas. Again, fantastic and delicious. Most of the food that comes out of the Mediterranean Cuisine kitchen is excellent.
Oh and the other day I had fresh Ravioli stuffed with Cheese, Herbs and an Egg Yolk topped with Brown Butter and a touch of Balsamic Vinegar. I'm not a huge egg person but even I enjoyed all of it together.
Easily the best day of Product Knowledge happened this morning too. We had our last learning class (final on friday, a practical of 20 produce items from the whole 6 weeks) and we did Dairy/Nuts. I tasted nearly 20 cheeses today and it was paired with a whole variety of Nuts and some extra fruit we had leftover. It was an awesome day. Turns out there are 6 categories of cheese. Fresh (we tasted Feta, Goat Cheese, Cheese Curd and Mozzarella), Soft Cheese - Rind Ripened (tasted Brie and Camembert but also Limburger is included), Semi-Soft Cheeses which were my favorite (Fontina, Monterey Jack, Morbier - so good!, Tallegio and Muenster), Hard Cheeses (Cheddar, Gouda, Provolone, Manchego, Aged Dry Jack), Grating (Parmigiano, Asiago, Romano, Grana Padano) and finally Blue Cheeses which aren't really for me (Gorgonzola, Roquefort, Stilton and all the stinky ones). Either way it was an awesome class.
My personal favorites were the Morbier, Brie, Fontina, Monterey Jack, and Aged Dry Jack. If you get a chance to try new ones then you absolutely should.
Unfortunately for me the next two days are dedicated to studying and attempting to get a Frisbee team going at this school (I've got a big meeting today with the Dean of Student Activities). This weekend should be a blast though.
Chef Werblin
ps. Mountain Creek Waterpark... google it
pps. For those who watch Top Chef, Bryan Voltaggio was here talking and doing a demo last night. I couldn't go but my friends told me it was amazing. He has a restaurant in Frederick, MD called Volt so take a look.
The food for the last few days has been pretty solid. A few boring things such as burgers, chicken sandwiches, etc, but a few very good meals too. I had an Antojitos Platter yesterday for dinner which consisted of 3 types of Quesadillas (Chorizo and Potato, Mushroom and Cheese, Peppers and Onions and Cheese) served with Red Salsa, Tomatillo Salsa and Rice. It was fantastic. Today I had another Southern American/Mexican inspired lunch as well. A sampler platter that had an Empanada, a Chorizo, Pickled Onion and Queso Blanco Tostada, and a Chicken and Rice thing in a Corn Husk with Guacamole and 2 Salsas. Again, fantastic and delicious. Most of the food that comes out of the Mediterranean Cuisine kitchen is excellent.
Oh and the other day I had fresh Ravioli stuffed with Cheese, Herbs and an Egg Yolk topped with Brown Butter and a touch of Balsamic Vinegar. I'm not a huge egg person but even I enjoyed all of it together.
Easily the best day of Product Knowledge happened this morning too. We had our last learning class (final on friday, a practical of 20 produce items from the whole 6 weeks) and we did Dairy/Nuts. I tasted nearly 20 cheeses today and it was paired with a whole variety of Nuts and some extra fruit we had leftover. It was an awesome day. Turns out there are 6 categories of cheese. Fresh (we tasted Feta, Goat Cheese, Cheese Curd and Mozzarella), Soft Cheese - Rind Ripened (tasted Brie and Camembert but also Limburger is included), Semi-Soft Cheeses which were my favorite (Fontina, Monterey Jack, Morbier - so good!, Tallegio and Muenster), Hard Cheeses (Cheddar, Gouda, Provolone, Manchego, Aged Dry Jack), Grating (Parmigiano, Asiago, Romano, Grana Padano) and finally Blue Cheeses which aren't really for me (Gorgonzola, Roquefort, Stilton and all the stinky ones). Either way it was an awesome class.
My personal favorites were the Morbier, Brie, Fontina, Monterey Jack, and Aged Dry Jack. If you get a chance to try new ones then you absolutely should.
Unfortunately for me the next two days are dedicated to studying and attempting to get a Frisbee team going at this school (I've got a big meeting today with the Dean of Student Activities). This weekend should be a blast though.
Chef Werblin
ps. Mountain Creek Waterpark... google it
pps. For those who watch Top Chef, Bryan Voltaggio was here talking and doing a demo last night. I couldn't go but my friends told me it was amazing. He has a restaurant in Frederick, MD called Volt so take a look.
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Do Vegetarians Eat Animal Crackers?
The last few days have been pretty boring to say the least. Monday was just class again. Product Knowledge is still interesting because we do so many food groups each day. Monday was Peppers, Tomatoes and Pods (peas and such). Other than that Monday was very boring except for dinner which was from Americas. It was Southern cuisine so I had a BBQ Plate which was a Pulled Pork sandwich, hush puppies, and braised collard greens. The sandwich and greens were good but the hush puppies (usually a delicious food item) was absolutely terrible.
Tuesday I woke up nice and early and did a little practicing for my Rick Bayless Presentation in Gastronomy. Needless to say I KILLED IT! We rocked the presentation, had all our stuff down pat and easily answered all questions... I expect nothing less than an A. Lunch was not for me at all so I won't even bother explaining it (salmon again). But dinner was quite good from the Skills 3 kitchen (the third installment of "basic" cooking in the first semester). It was Beef Tenderloin with Potatoes Au Gratin and Corn, amazing. All of it. Whatever sauce was on it was awesome too. One of the best meals I've eaten here.
Today I had PK again and this time we did Herbs, Pears and Apples. Lunch was banquet but check this... I don't have to go to banquet anymore. Although to you all this seems ridiculous, why wouldn't I want a usually delicious 3-course meal everyday, it is tedious and time-consuming. So I can now eat wherever. Dinner wasn't bad, Roasted Herb Chicken with Potatoes, Onions and Mushrooms.
It was flavorful all around but the chicken was dry which is kind of a turn-off. I'll be posting lots of picture now of all my food.
Tonight was a fun, laid back night starting with a little tennis to get the legs pumping and then relaxing and messing around in the girl's room (that's how I'll refer to the room we all hang out in most of the time) until I returned to study a bit before bed.
2 quizzes tomorrow and 2 quizzes Friday... study, study, study.
Get ready for the weekend!
Chef Werblin
ps. I've been looking up all these "Fests" to go to around here and it's damn exciting. Garlic Fest, Buffalo Wing Fest, Rib Fest so if you live decently close to or in NY and want to get information ask me because all of these are inexpensive and well worth the drive.
Tuesday I woke up nice and early and did a little practicing for my Rick Bayless Presentation in Gastronomy. Needless to say I KILLED IT! We rocked the presentation, had all our stuff down pat and easily answered all questions... I expect nothing less than an A. Lunch was not for me at all so I won't even bother explaining it (salmon again). But dinner was quite good from the Skills 3 kitchen (the third installment of "basic" cooking in the first semester). It was Beef Tenderloin with Potatoes Au Gratin and Corn, amazing. All of it. Whatever sauce was on it was awesome too. One of the best meals I've eaten here.
Today I had PK again and this time we did Herbs, Pears and Apples. Lunch was banquet but check this... I don't have to go to banquet anymore. Although to you all this seems ridiculous, why wouldn't I want a usually delicious 3-course meal everyday, it is tedious and time-consuming. So I can now eat wherever. Dinner wasn't bad, Roasted Herb Chicken with Potatoes, Onions and Mushrooms.
It was flavorful all around but the chicken was dry which is kind of a turn-off. I'll be posting lots of picture now of all my food.
Tonight was a fun, laid back night starting with a little tennis to get the legs pumping and then relaxing and messing around in the girl's room (that's how I'll refer to the room we all hang out in most of the time) until I returned to study a bit before bed.
2 quizzes tomorrow and 2 quizzes Friday... study, study, study.
Get ready for the weekend!
Chef Werblin
ps. I've been looking up all these "Fests" to go to around here and it's damn exciting. Garlic Fest, Buffalo Wing Fest, Rib Fest so if you live decently close to or in NY and want to get information ask me because all of these are inexpensive and well worth the drive.
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Weekends are Supposed to be Relaxing, Right?
So Friday was a day dedicated to quizzes, exams or whatever you want to call them. I woke up nice and early (8am) to study for PK. Our quiz had 20 MC questions based on everything we've learned and a 10 question practical on the produce we've gone over. It wasn't too bad considering I had to know Lettuces (Cabbages, Cooking Greens, etc), Mushrooms, Stalks, Tubers, Onions, Roots and so on... a lot of produce. Anyway after that I made my way to banquet for my lunch. Lunch was good but something we've eaten before, Pork Loin with Yucca Cake, Chayote, Tomatillo Salsa and Chorizo Stuffing. The pork was much better this time and the salsa again was excellent. The other 3 were just ok, Chayote has a strange flavor and the Yucca and Stuffing weren't stellar. I took a nice nap that afternoon before I destroyed my Math Quiz. Dinner was the always delicious Taco Bell at the mall and the night was a fun night of hanging with my friends in the dorms.
Saturday I slept in and then met with my group to work on my Rick Bayless Project. To be honest the rest of my day was a blur of sleeping inside and outside (it was so nice outside) before our adventure. Now when I say adventure I don't mean a planned adventure. We heard about this really good diner about 25 minutes away but on the way we got lost/my GPS sucks and took us so far out of the way. We finally arrived and as it so happens, the place was pretty excellent. HUGE portions for reasonable prices. The only downfall was this Cannoli Cheesecake that they're famous for was discontinued this past week so we decided to keep going back and complaining until it's re instituted. We got back and watched a movie until sleep time (2am... big mistake)
Yet again I made the trek home at 8:30am for my Grandma's surprise birthday party and surprised she was. It was a very nice brunch buffet with lots of family and friends. Another long drive home and I was able to relax, about time. A little nap, some tv and some friend time before bed. Another week goes by and I get closer and closer to the kitchen, which by the way is Seafood Identification and Fabrication... at 5:30 AM!!!! I'm gonna be a zombie. For anyone that isn't a morning person like me but wakes up early, tips would be appreciated for me to stay alive (besides coffee and red bull).
Chef Werblin
Saturday I slept in and then met with my group to work on my Rick Bayless Project. To be honest the rest of my day was a blur of sleeping inside and outside (it was so nice outside) before our adventure. Now when I say adventure I don't mean a planned adventure. We heard about this really good diner about 25 minutes away but on the way we got lost/my GPS sucks and took us so far out of the way. We finally arrived and as it so happens, the place was pretty excellent. HUGE portions for reasonable prices. The only downfall was this Cannoli Cheesecake that they're famous for was discontinued this past week so we decided to keep going back and complaining until it's re instituted. We got back and watched a movie until sleep time (2am... big mistake)
Yet again I made the trek home at 8:30am for my Grandma's surprise birthday party and surprised she was. It was a very nice brunch buffet with lots of family and friends. Another long drive home and I was able to relax, about time. A little nap, some tv and some friend time before bed. Another week goes by and I get closer and closer to the kitchen, which by the way is Seafood Identification and Fabrication... at 5:30 AM!!!! I'm gonna be a zombie. For anyone that isn't a morning person like me but wakes up early, tips would be appreciated for me to stay alive (besides coffee and red bull).
Chef Werblin
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Work, Work,Work
So much work! Yesterday started with my first Product Knowledge class after the break, we talked a bit about our experiences over the break and then dove right into our next topics... Onions and Tubers (Potatoes). It was interesting and we tasted roasted cippolini onions as well as roasted fingerling potatoes. Lunch ended up being from Cuisines of Asia and it was China Day. I had Braised Pork Belly with Bok Choy and Rice. It was excellent, something I could eat all the time. After a little break I met with my Gastro group to continue research on Rick Bayless (as it turns out it's really tough to find info on the guy which is weird since he's pretty famous). After an easy math class, we headed to dinner where I had Pasta with Bacon, Peas and a Shallot Cream Sauce. The pasta was undercooked and kind of hard but the sauce was delicious. After dinner was pretty boring, homework and hanging out before bed.
Today I once again had the class I enjoy least, bright and early, and it didn't disappoint. She did seem kinda mad when she realized no one had watched the videos for homework but since we couldn't "discuss it" we got out nice and early. Lunch was back to banquet for our 3-course meal and the menu consisted of Tomato Salad with Fontina Cheese and Watercress as an appetizer. Pretty good, I'm not a huge fan of plain tomatoes but all together it was tasty. The entree was Meatloaf with Creamed Corn, Mashed Potatoes and some sauce. Something they have served before and it was all still very good. Finally dessert was a Strawberry-Rhubarb Cobbler which was fantastic, probably my favorite type of cobbler. Then against my better judgment I skipped Food Safety, hopped in my car at 4pm and drove 3 hours home to play in my semi-final summer league frisbee game. I played pretty well (covered the mvp of the league most of the game) but we lost 15-12 and so I had a 5 1/2 hour car ride for a loss which was extremely disappointing. I got back safe and saw my friends before retiring to my room to study for my 2 quiz/exam type deals tomorrow, one in PK and one in Math.
After I bang out those quizzes I'll be free to relax this weekend.
Chef Werblin
Today I once again had the class I enjoy least, bright and early, and it didn't disappoint. She did seem kinda mad when she realized no one had watched the videos for homework but since we couldn't "discuss it" we got out nice and early. Lunch was back to banquet for our 3-course meal and the menu consisted of Tomato Salad with Fontina Cheese and Watercress as an appetizer. Pretty good, I'm not a huge fan of plain tomatoes but all together it was tasty. The entree was Meatloaf with Creamed Corn, Mashed Potatoes and some sauce. Something they have served before and it was all still very good. Finally dessert was a Strawberry-Rhubarb Cobbler which was fantastic, probably my favorite type of cobbler. Then against my better judgment I skipped Food Safety, hopped in my car at 4pm and drove 3 hours home to play in my semi-final summer league frisbee game. I played pretty well (covered the mvp of the league most of the game) but we lost 15-12 and so I had a 5 1/2 hour car ride for a loss which was extremely disappointing. I got back safe and saw my friends before retiring to my room to study for my 2 quiz/exam type deals tomorrow, one in PK and one in Math.
After I bang out those quizzes I'll be free to relax this weekend.
Chef Werblin
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
I'm Back!
So I'm finally back and all moved in to school. Yesterday consisted of a relaxed day of just unpacking and catching up with all my friends about breaks and listening to crazy stories. Today was a thrust into reality again with class at 9:15 (Gastronomy... bleh!). Turns out the next week will consist of a decent amount of homework because of the ridiculous group projects we have to do. After Gastro was lunch at K16 (for those who don't remember its the main production kitchen that has 5-6 options for lunch and dinner everyday). Since new students have 2 days of orientation just as I did 3 weeks ago, we don't have our 3-course banquet meals again until Thursday. For lunch I had Pasta Pomodoro with Fresh Mozzarella and Arugula. I enjoyed it but I really like arugula and its peppery taste and it paired well with the fresh cheese and light tomato sauce.
After lounging around some and completing some homework, I made my way to another lecture in the oh-so-stimulating topic of food safety. After wanting to rip out my eyeballs with my knives we had dinner. Dinner was also at K16 and was pretty good too, London Broil with Chimichurri Sauce and Mashed Potatoes. Chimichurri sauce is a favorite of mine that's made with oil, vinegar, parsley, garlic, usually jalapeno, onion and some salt and pepper sometimes food-processed together or just whisked together. In this case it was put through a food-processor and came out very nice. Most people bolted right away for Writing class but I stayed with a friend and relaxed and chatted.
After a brief tennis match to get the legs moving, I did a bit more homework and continued to watch a few episodes of some shows I'm catching up on (Modern Family and How I Met Your Mother) before going to hang in a friends room. That was the last stop of the night before hitting the books one more time before bed.
It feels great to be back and only 3 more weeks until I'm finally in a kitchen! Since there's a new crop of students starting, we are now not the lowly new kids who know nothing and that is pretty excellent.
Chef Werblin
ps. Live to eat, don't eat to live
After lounging around some and completing some homework, I made my way to another lecture in the oh-so-stimulating topic of food safety. After wanting to rip out my eyeballs with my knives we had dinner. Dinner was also at K16 and was pretty good too, London Broil with Chimichurri Sauce and Mashed Potatoes. Chimichurri sauce is a favorite of mine that's made with oil, vinegar, parsley, garlic, usually jalapeno, onion and some salt and pepper sometimes food-processed together or just whisked together. In this case it was put through a food-processor and came out very nice. Most people bolted right away for Writing class but I stayed with a friend and relaxed and chatted.
After a brief tennis match to get the legs moving, I did a bit more homework and continued to watch a few episodes of some shows I'm catching up on (Modern Family and How I Met Your Mother) before going to hang in a friends room. That was the last stop of the night before hitting the books one more time before bed.
It feels great to be back and only 3 more weeks until I'm finally in a kitchen! Since there's a new crop of students starting, we are now not the lowly new kids who know nothing and that is pretty excellent.
Chef Werblin
ps. Live to eat, don't eat to live
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