New Orleans Buffet

My least favorite part of the entire year has to be those desolate, frigid winter months after the holidays and before spring. What are you even supposed to do with yourself? After Christmas and New Years is over I pretty much lay in my bed, thrash and whine all day about how awful winter is and how humans are not built to survive such arctic tundra conditions. That has been the pattern for most of my life...until a little something called Mardi Gras graced me with her presence. I'm fairly certain that some GENIUS back in the day probably felt the same way I did in those miserable months and decided to throw the biggest, longest, most fun party known to man to ease the icy pain (Ash Wednesday, Lent, Easter...eh unrelated.) And now, thanks to that guy, I actually look forward to this time of year. 

My first trip to New Orleans was three years ago, and it was pretty much the greatest weekend of my life. I won't get into the specifics/antics, but I truly believe that New Orleans is the greatest city in the country. So much personality, charm, liveliness and THE BEST FOOD. I admit, my friends got a little annoyed at me when I insisted on going 20 minutes outside the city to THOROUGHLY researched hole-in-the-wall restos in the middle of bead wars and parades, but the food was definitely worth it. 

Luckily I was able to channel my NOLA passion when my Level 4 group decided on the theme of New Orleans for our buffet. We made different types of sausages, breads, and all the classic and traditional robust Louisiana dishes. Aside from eating wonderfully all week, it was also great practice learning how to scale recipes for many people, cost the food, order ingredients, and plan out the timeline of nearly 15 dishes. 

FYI: Po' Boys > Frigid February.

veggie flower basket

fried oyster and bacon po'boy on freshly baked rolls

blackened catfish po'boy with shredded lettuce and remoulade sauce

ok this is gross... blood sausage eek.

fainting at the pig blood.

spicy shrimp, avocado and toasted almond salad

jalepeño cornbread

firey coleslaw

seafood jambalaya

alligator sausage

"dirty" rice with chicken liver and pork

"alligator cheesecake"
(cream cheese based quiche with alligator sausage
adapted from Jacques-Imo's in NOLA)

spiced buttermilk fried chicken

crawfish etouffee

"Café Du Monde" beignets

bread pudding with freshly baked Challah
and white and dark chocolate with warm bourban sauce

pecan pie

<3 lisa, the little foodie.

Level 4

I have spent every day of the last 3 months in a classroom, with my own personal stove, a teacher demonstrating correct techniques, and a single serving recipe to execute. Safe, fun, and pretty calm. This is probably why the first day of level four, when my group of 6 and I were responsible for feeding the entire school, was complete and utter chaos. 

Level four consists of a rotational program where the class splits in three groups and spends seven days in each section. The first phase, "Family Meal," consumed my life as we spent every minute preparing lunch for 300 students and employees. As soon as lunch was over, we began tasks for the next day's meal. Alas, I soon became Carpal Tunnel Tammy/Exhausted Eileen. 

 Elise prepping some veggies

 chaos captured

 we make abouttttt 12 of this size pans for each dish
(starch, protein, salad, vegetable)

The next stage in the rotation is "Production" and is pretty much where fun and creativity come to die. Since the FCI has the restaurant L'Ecole attached to it (I begin working there in level 5), the students in level four help out with butchering, stock making, and other large prep jobs that allow the restaurant to run smoothly. I guess this has been a great experience learning how to do things like fillet a 40 lb. fish and make 200 lbs. of veal stock, but this has also been absolutely draining...let's just say heavy lifting is not my strong suit. 

 fish to be butchered before 11 am

 fun bonding sesh with my trout

I wish you could really understand the pure girth of this fish head.
Bigger than mine by far. Also, we are asked to remove the eyeballs because it makes the fish stock cloudy. DISTURBIA / helllll no.

my lovely teammates helped me out. yes those are eyeballs.

100 lbs. of chicken carcass by 10 am. Stock fun!

lot's o' stock

making 3 gallons of mayonnaise with
 an immersion blender the size of a jack hammer

making gorgeous sausage

The final stage, which I am currently in is "buffet." Each group chooses a theme and has 7 days to prepare about 15 dishes for our class and all of the chefs in the school to enjoy. AMAZING; we are able to cook anything we want and practice techniques that we have never previously tried. Mine is next Monday, so I will post about it then, but for now, this is the previous group's buffet. Their theme was street foods from their hometowns, and I was really abnormally excited to stuff my face with everything from lamb kabobs from Turkey to hot dogs from Chicago. Here are a few highlights...

fresh spring rolls from the Philippines

crab cakes from Maryland

lamb kabobs from Turkey

seafood paella from Spain

homemade hot dawgs from Chi town

freshly baked warm hot dog buns

all the fixin's including from scratch pickles, ketchup and mustard!

best moment of life

whole roasted suckling pig...also disturbing. also delicious.

mini vanilla custard tartlets with fresh fruit

homemade pretzels dipped in chocolate and crushed candy canes

apple turnovers

 <3 lisa, the little foodie

Thanksgiving Treats

Although Thanksgiving doesn't quite go in the culinary school department, I thought a post about the holiday strictly devoted to food (and I guess pilgrims, American Indians, giving thanks...yada yada yada, all technicalities) was appropriate. I am always excited for the Thanksgiving meal because it is the one time a year that my family gets together and doesn't eat Italian food. Now, don't get me wrong, I adore Italian food (see: cheesypasta, below), but sometimes starchy, heavy, buttery all-American fare provided in unnecessarily large portions for 3 days straight really hits the spot around this time of year. As my best friend J put it in a 7 pm text, "I'm rolling around the carpet burping and moaning." What's a better sign of a successful holiday?  I'm sure you all agree. 

cooking with cute mom and angry sister

ricing, whipping and mashing the potatoes. S did not like this job.

beautiful herb butter turkey:
how to: first, brine your turkey for 36 hours
next, liberally rub herb compound butter in between
the skin and the flesh before roasting.
warning: this is disgusting.
cook the turkey at 450 for about half hour
 to get that skin nice and crispy.
Then lower the heat to 350 and
cook until the breast is at 155 degrees.
Let big bird rest for 30 minutes.
Then cut off the legs and dark meat
and roast with pan juices until the meat is at 165 degrees,
about 20 minutes more. 

sugar and salt cured ham with maple glaze

roasted yams whipped with butter and maple syrup
topped with mini mallows.
I will always love these. sorry I'm not sorry.

piping hot buttermilk biscuits from scratch

mom's famous stuffing. ciabatta, walnuts, chestnuts,
sage, sausage, & mushrooms

stuffed 'shrooms

creamy, decadent brussel sprout and cauliflower gratin
with toasted bread crumb and pine nut topping

the lightest, creamiest whipped potatoes from scratch

the beautiful table

my beautiful plate

my beautiful family :)