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| Picture from here. |
Okay so it sounds
better when it's pronounced 'oignon brûlé', but a
burnt onion is a burnt onion which is… apparently a cool way to color stock.
But we'll get back to that in a minute.
A
student from another class showed up for a demonstration or practical I
believe, so we got to watch Chef Loving work his magic. It was a Fish Velouté?
Or whatever he pronounced he got to taste it and I swear to you it tasted like
memories. I know I've never had it, but the flavor was so familiar… I just
couldn't remember where I remembered it from. It obviously had wine in it, so
maybe I'm just a crazy drunk and it reminded me of my favorite Chardonnay
(kidding- I only really like sparkling wines).
In that part of class, we learned about Bouquet Garni
(bo-KAY gar-NEE), Sachet d'Épices (sa-SHAY DAY-pees), Mirepoix (meer-PWAH), and our
buddy, the Oignon Brûlé (uh-NYON broo-LAY). They add flavor to stocks,
sauces, and soups and each have their own standards. The Bouquet Garni is
usually a sprig of thyme, a bay leaf, a couple of leek leaves, and parsley
stems, all wrapped around a celery stalk with string. Add that in your soup,
stock, or sauce and take it out when it's infused. The standard sachet is
parsley stems, a sprig of thyme, a bay leaf, cracked peppercorns, and possibly
a garlic clove wrapped in cheesecloth and infused in the same way as bouquet
garni. Next is the burnt onion. You cut an onion in half or quarters and
literally burn the heck out of it (okay, 'char' it) in a dry skillet. Cook it in your stock or sauce for a
long time and the color will look nice and the flavor will be delicious, but it is mostly for color. Lastly
is the mirepoix. We learned the standard will always be two parts onion, one
part carrot, and one part celery. The onions can be intermingled or
interchanged with leeks, the carrots with parsnips, and the celery with celeriac.
There are different formulas, including an Asian and a Cajun one with different
ingredients, but the onion family ratio is usually still the same.
During our small
breaks, one of the girls in front of me turned around and we discuss our
worries about the course. She was just as nervous as I was about how to fit in
the time for school and work. Here is basically the schedule I have to work
with:
Each 'plan' is a
rotation for the semester, each class
one at a time for five weeks at a time. It looks intimidating, but I'll find a
way...
- Equipment Identification and Usage
- Herb and Spice Identification
- Knife Cuts
- Sauce and Stock Making
In six more weeks, I
hope to master this material and focus my energy on preparing for both the
practical and the written exam.
Chef Musto was very
nice. He told us the real about the industry and basically inspired me overall.
Sitting in that class I knew that it was what I wanted to do. He told us that
the education was worth it. He said don't let a chef tell you not to go to school
and just work under him. That way, you most likely won't make more than $15 as
a chef. He told a story of how he was offered a big promotion at a restaurant,
but he would have to quit school. He refused, and one of his friends accepted
the offer. He didn't hate, she said she was living the life, condos, she drove
a Porsche, she was fancy. But then he said, what happens if they have to let
you go? What do you have to fall back on? Education is important.
Lastly, he spoke to
us about climbing the ranks in the culinary world as far as credentials. This
is what made me want to at least attempt to become a Master Chef. There's
Certified Culinarian, Sous Chef, Chef de Cuisine, Executive Chef, Personal
Chef, etc, but the top is Master Chef and Master Pastry Chef. The requirements
are pretty
steep, but I want to work to get to
that point!
And that was the
first day! I'm excited to find out what we learn tomorrow and I hope you are
too! In the mean time, enjoy these videos we watched in class.
If these don't inspire you, I don't know what else will!
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