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 :)

Cheese and Pasta...Yup

Anyone who knows me knows that I am obsessed with pasta to an astounding and rather unhealthy degree.  And cheese. CHEE-EE-EE-EE-SE. Oh how I love you. While living in Italy, I seriously consumed anywhere from 3-5 pasta dishes per day, with perhaps a pound or two of fresh mozzarella/parmigiano/burrata in between (to balance out my food pyramid, of course.) I seriously must have broken some sort of record. It was the only thing I ate, and my classmates were horrified. 


After moving back to the United States of American Cheese and Atkins, I fell into a deep, dark depression. It was no longer possible (or acceptable) to behave in such dietary antics. Pasta wasn't everywhere, and cheese was orange and came in zip-lock bags. I was all alone. Sigh. Fortunately, after a few months of reintroducing my body to the other food groups, I was able to get over my lost love and go back to only needing it about once or twice a week. 


But now, at the FRENCH Culinary Institute, I am reminded of my depressed days, as no one seems to show any regard for Italian cuisine -- which, to me, trumphs all contenders. However, on one glorious day, we paid tribute to the greatest flavor in the world: cheesypasta (that's right -- one word). We had a cheese tasting, cheese making, and pasta making. I was literally hugging the sheets of dough as they transformed into spaghetti and getting choked up as I hand pulled my mozzarella. Needless to say, flavor cheesypasta is the reason why I am in this industry.

stinky, moldy, gorgeous cheese tasting

my mozzarella cuties

warm, fresh mozz, WOWWWW

sheep's milk ricotta

mushroom risotto

slow cooked bolognese sauce

rolling love

rolled love

gnocchi love

spinach love

gnocchi in a brown butter basil sauce

ricotta ravioli bolognese

spaghetti cacio pepe