Cooking Hiatus

I am taking a break from culinary school but will resume in the fall or winter. I have had an absolute blast with my class and chef instructors and it's great knowing what I was put on earth to do. Unfortunately sometimes life gets in the way and you have to make some sacrifices to keep your dream alive. And so it goes.

Thanks to Chef Brown, Chef Perez, Chef Reyes and all of the amazing chefs that I have met at Kitchen Academy. I've learned so much from all of you and can't wait to get back and finish up school and then set the culinary world on fire.

Thanks to Janet, Amy, Miriam, Shonna, Jennifer and everyone at Kitchen Academy for helping me out so much. You guys rock!

Thanks to my classmates;
Ricardo (It was great being your partner.),
Eddie (Stay away from cocktails that contain cobra venom.),
Chanell and Hazel (Can't wait to eat at Chanazel!),
K. (More than one person in class said my milkshake was better than yours but I won't mention any names. Good luck with the cookbook!),
Amy (So quiet but so talented!),
Janet (The smallest chef with the biggest heart!)
Lisa (You are amazing. Thanks for being so supportive!),
Joya (I can't wait to attend one of your catered events!),
Lauren (I can't wait to find out if you rock as hard as your food is tasty!),
Stephanie (The only person in class with a dirtier mind than me. Thanks for that!),
Julia (The speediest cook in class. Can't wait to see you on reality TV.),
Vicky (You know this is coming...You are the BOMB!),
Smackee Jackee (We met during orientation and I can't imagine class without you. Love your cooking and your spirit!)

I can't wait to see you all graduate (I will definitely be there) and then hit the real world running. You all are going to be great successes!

Thanks to all of my friends and family that have given me so much support.

A special thanks to Josh and Travis for letting me crash in their pad while going to school. You guys are amazing and I couldn't have gotten through these last three months without your interest, your encouragement and your support. I love you guys!

And finally an extra special thanks to Drew who gave me this opportunity to get a real glimpse of my dream and that glimpse has set me on the path to achieving it! I love you.

Check back in the fall to find out what finally happens on Day 61!

Day 60 - Finals Day 5

Today is the last day of finals. First up was Pork Schnitzel. You basically pound the pork tenderloin flat, bread it and then pan fry in a little bit of oil. I added anchovies, lemons and capers to the top. Both chefs liked the dish.

Next came Bouillabaisse with Rouille.

This came out great as well. I could have simmered for another 5 hours but I thought it came out pretty tasty. The last dish I present in PCA2 would be Lamb Shank Provencal.

This dish is pretty simple to prepare as well. It just takes a lot of time to braise. Lamb is another meat that people find gamey and unappetizing but it is really fun to take a tough or cheap cut of meat and turn it into something delicious. Both chefs thought my lamb came out great.

So at the end of the day we got our grades and an exit interview. Chef Reyes showed me my report card and I ended up with a 92.23 which is a solid A. He said that I was only 1 of 4 students in the class to get an A. He said Chef Brown grades really tough and I should take it to heart that I'm doing very well. Chef Reyes' only concern for me is that I need to get my head out of the recipe book and cook with my heart and my passion. Recipes are simply guidelines and do not have to be followed to the letter. I think the reason I do that is because I'm not familiar with a lot of these dishes and really want to use the book as a safety net but knowing that these incredible chefs have put this much faith in me, it'll be easier for me to take some risks and cook with my heart instead of my head.

I can't believe how far I've come in just 60 days of school. It's been an incredible journey and one I should have taken long ago. Next week is spring break and then we start day 61 in the baking lab. Our first day will be Pretzels and Whole-Grain Bread.

Day 59 - Finals Day 4

Today we had to present a 3 course meal. First up was Miso Soup. This is something I don't eat very often and the times that I have, I haven't found a consistent flavor. Therefore it was a little difficult for me to get the right combination of the Mirin and the Soy Sauce. But when I turned it in, the chefs both seemed to like it. Sorry there is no picture.

Next came Shrimp and Vegetable Tempura. This is a pretty simple dish. You clean the shrimp and cut the vegetables and then make a batter, dip and deep fry. This picture came out blurry but I'll show you anyway.

Chef Brown ate an entire half moon onion so I feel like this went over well too. Last came Pan-Roasted Duck Breast with Spiced Butternut Squash, Roasted Plums and Plum Gastrique.

It's scary how much I like making duck and making the sweet/sour gastrique. This is probably one of my favorite dishes to prepare because duck is not the easiest cut of meat to work with. It's very fatty and gamey and you really have to be patient with the cooking process for the skin to come out crispy and the meat to come out flavorful. Both chefs liked this dish so I feel like today was a pretty successful day.

Day 58 - Finals Day 3

Today we started with a knifecut practical exam. We are asked to cut carrots into small dice, medium dice, baton, julienne, brunoise and the ever popular oblique cut. You'll remember we did the oblique cut with the glazed carrots in my first week of training. It's amazing how long ago that seems. These cuts are almost second nature to me now which I guess is a good thing.


First up is Grilled NY Steak cooked medium with Sauteed Broccolini and Bordelaise Sauce.

The grill wasn't working so we had to pan fry them but it came out fine and the sauce was very yummy. Next up was a Grilled er Panfried NY Steak cooked medium rare with Red Bliss Smashed Potatoes in a Bearnaise Sauce.

This actually came out so nice that it got wrapped up and brought home for dinner. It's amazing how tasty you can make a potato by layering the components. All in all I think steak day went pretty well. Tomorrow is Miso Soup, Tempura and Duck.

Day 57 - Finals Day 2

Today we started with a final written exam worth 10% of our overall grade. It covers everything we've learned from PCA1 and PCA2. There is a product identification portion on the test as well as a herb and spice id section. I'm not positive, but I can't think of any question I got wrong. I sometimes get Paprika and Cayenne mixed up if I don't have them side by side but I'm pretty sure it was Paprika on the test.

The first thing today is fabricating a snapper. I've really gotten quite good at breaking down fish. Please make sure you invite me on your next fishing trip. :)

My first dish today was Sauteed Snapper with a Melange of Baby Vegetables and Fish Consomme.

I'm not sure this picture does this justice but it came out quite nice. I'm not a big fan of fish soup but I'm pretty sure the chefs approved.

Next came Salmon en Papillote with Fingerling Potatoes. Fennel, Olives, and Teardrop Tomatoes. This is a dish where you put everything layered in a parchment envelope and add some white wine. You put it in the oven and the wine steams everything so the fish and the vegetables all comes out very light and flavorful.

I made a little mistake on this. There is a sauce that is made from the juices in the bottom of the bag after cooking. I misunderstood and had to create an entirely new sauce (not pictured.) The new sauce came out fine but it wasn't as complex as the sauce should have been. I still think it went over okay.

Day 56: Finals Day 1

Today is our first day of finals. After we get all of the ingredients we need for the day, we're sent to our own stations with no recipes and no talking and asked to provide specific dishes. Today we also had to breakdown a whole chicken before we could start. We actually don't know how we do because the chefs aren't telling us anything until the end of the week. Even though I have a solid 92 coming into this week (which is an A), I'm still a little nervous about cooking without a net.

After breaking down the chicken and presenting it to the chef I got to work on my first dish; Sauteed Chicken Breast with Polenta, Sauteed Brussels Sprouts and Mustard Pan Sauce. Eeverything came out very nice. I sauteed the blanched Brussels Sprouts in bacon fat so they came out nice and crispy and added Mascarpone and Parmagiana-Reggiano to the Polenta.

I'm not sure what the chefs thought about it but I pretty much devoured it after I was done. I know a lot of poeple have a problem with Brussels Sprouts, but if you blanch them in boiling water and then cut them in half and crisp them up in some bacon fat, you might change your mind.

The second dish required today was a Sauteed Halibut with a Potato and Artichoke Gratin, Spring Onions and Fines Herbs Beurre Blanc. We had to fillet the fish and then get cooking.

I'm pretty sure I got the smallest halibut in the world so my fillet got kind of lost on top of the Gratin, but I was really happy how this dish came out. The Fines Herbs Beurre Blanc was probably the best I've ever made. I'm pretty happy with my cooking for today.

Day 41-55: Major Recap

So I'm trying to get completely caught up with my blog so this is going to be a quick recap of the last 15 days.

Over the last 15 days I've fabricated Salmon, Shrimp, Crayfish and Squid. I now feel like I could be a major food provider if ever cast on Survivor.

Throughout the last 15 days I've prepared Curries and Lambs, Potstickers and Spring Rolls, Lumpia and Dim Sum. On days 47 and 48 we prepared and served our Barbeque Buffet. There was Mac n Cheese, St. Louis Ribs, Santa Maria Tri-trip, Hush Puppies, Beer-battered Onion Rings, Baked Beans and all kinds of other delicious Barbeque foods. It came out great.

I've also learned how to make a lot of simple but tasty Hors d' Oeuvres and had a simple Tapas party on Day 55. Tapenades, Pates, Terrines and Gravlax along with cheese and sausage we had made the day before. Everything came out really nice.

Day 56-60 is our finals and then PCA2 will be over and we have a week off for Spring Break.

Day 37-40: Seafood and Steaks

Sorry for the long delay. The further along I got in the class, the further I got behind on the blog. But class has been a lot of fun. Here's a quick recap.

On Day 37 we fabricated lobster. Here's Chanell with her lobster.

She was a little afraid to cook the little guy but all in all she did a great job. I, of course had no problem making the little bugger into dinner. With it we made Grilled Lobster Tail.

On Day 37 we also made Grilled Pizza with Pesto, Proscuitto, and Buffalo Mozzarella. The dough for this is so easy to make that we've been making them here at the house just about every weekend.

The last dish on Day 37 was Grilled Quail with Israeli Couscous, Pomegranate Molasses, Pomegranate Seeds and Mint. Sorry no picture. It was nice to learn the quail, but it's such a greasy, gamey bird that I doubt I will cook it until I can find a way to improve on the flavor.

On Day 38 we fabricated shrimp and made a Bouillabaisse that contained clams, mussels, snapper, shrimp, scallops, lobster claws and knuckles and Rouille Toasts. Chef Brown liked mine so much that he stopped making the bouillabaisse he was making for his wife and took mine home to her. What a great compliment! It was also my first 20/20. We also made Seared Albacore Tuna with Black Rice, Maui Onion Confit and Tropical Fruit Salsa. This came out great but I really didn't care for the dirty black rice.

Day 39 was a lot of fun. All we did was grind chuck for hamburgers and grill steaks to learn how to cook to a specific doneness. I nailed every task. I guess this means I get to man the grill this summer! We all ate a ton of food today.

Day 40 was more grilled steaks with the addition of Bearnaise and Boredelaise sauces. Both of my sauces came out great although I'm not a big fan on the Bearnaise. It's basically Hollandaise with tarragon in it.

Day 36 - Salmon

Today we got to fabricate a salmon. These guys have a ton of meat on them. We only used a small portion and saved the rest for other dishes down the road. First up was Grilled Salmon Cakes with a Whole Grain Mustard Emulsion and Frisee Salad.

Chef Reyes said it was very tasty. Then came Grilled Salmon with Maitre d'Hotel Butter, Minty Peas and Mashed White Rose Potatoes and Sunchokes. Sunchokes are another root that can be peeled and boiled like a potato and combined with the White Rose Potatoes to add another dimension to the dish.

The potatoes and sunchokes came out great but I left them in a Bain Marie (a metal bowl left in a pan of water over a low flame) to keep them warm while I was preparing the salmon. Unfortunately the flame wasn't low enough and they got singed. I tried to present the better looking portion of the sunchoke potatoes but Chef Brown could tell by taste that they had burned. He thought everything else including the plating was great.

Day 35 - Snapper & Scallops

Today we did Snapper and I remembered to take pictures!

This is one of my favorite classmates K. If you'll remember she made the tasty Mixed Fruit Buckle dessert at the Mardi Gras Buffet last semester. As you can probably tell, she's more comfortable with fruit than she is with the snapper.

This is the snapper with it's head collared and it's guts pulled out.

And this is the snapper with the fillets removed. Fun, huh?

With the fillet we made Sauteed Snapper with a Melange of Baby Vegetables and Fish Consomme. I wasn't especially happy with the plating of the dish but Chef Brown said it was perfect.


Our second dish was Seared Scallops with Orange Buerre Blanc Sauce.

I really wanted this dish to come out great because every chef needs to be able to do a great job with scallops. They are a very popular starter. I nailed it. Chef Brown said the scallops we cooked perfectly and the sauce was well done. I actually went home and made this dish for my roomies Travis and Josh and they both loved it was well.

Day 33-34: Pork Chops and Sole

On Day 33 we cooked Pork Chops.

Our first dish was Sauteed Pork Chops with Carmelized Sweet Potatoes, Bacon, Braised Italian Kale and Romesco Sauce. Romesco sauce is used like ketchup in Spain and Portugal and is a very tasty and spicy sauce. It contains Ancho Chiles, Garlic, Almonds and Tomatoes. Chef Brown said my dish was perfect.

The second dish was Sauteed Roquefort-Stuffed Pork Chop with Savory Swiss Chard Bread Pudding with Wild Mushroom Ragout.

I made the Savory Bread Pudding with my partner for the week Stephanie. She's an awesome partner. I had never made a Savory Bread Pudding before and it was interesting. Chef Brown again thought everything looked and tasted great but this time he thought the ragout was very tasty but a bit too thick. I kinda liked the way it was presented but who am I to disagree?

Day 34 and we finally get to fabricate fish! I was planning on taking pictures of the whole process but of course in the heat of the lesson, I totally forgot. No worries though, on Day 35 we fabricate snapper so I promise to show you all the fun stuff then.

The first dish was Sauteed Sole with Fava Beans, Green Garlic, Caperbearries and Aioli. Fava beans are very similar to lima beans except they are a little more difficult to prepare. Besides pulling them out of the pod and then you blanch them and then you remove the outer casings of EACH bean. A very hands on preparation and that's why restaurants will charge you more for them.

My fillets were a little on the small side so they kinda got lost in the sauce. Chef Brown thought everything again tasted great but he wanted to see more color on the fish.

Next up Sauteed Sole with Potato and Artichoke Gratin, Spring Onions and a Fines Herbes Beurre Blanc.

Fines Herbes are always Parsley, Chevril, Chives and Tarragon. This dish came out tasty as well but Chef Brown wanted even more color on the fish. I felt it was such a delicate fish that too much color would over power the taste of the sole but tomorrow when we do snapper, he's gonna get color.

Days 31-32: Chicken and Pork

After much deliberation I've decided to keep on truckin'.

The second semester focuses on proteins, plating and the fabrication of every edible animal known to man. It's like they say in the culinary world, "If it's dumber than me and slower than me and tastes good; it's dinner!"

Our chef instructors for PCA2 are Chef Brown and Chef Reyes. Chef Reyes was my instructor from PCA1 and it's great having a familiar face with us. I've been told by many that Chef Brown is the best instructor in the school and that we are lucky he's our instructor. I couldn't agree more. He's very present in the kitchen. He's watching everything we do and doesn't let anything get by us. Chef Brown has over 25 years experience in the culinary world (and he's still 3 years younger than me!) and has taught PCA4 over the last 2 years. It's great having someone who knows what we're in for and can fully prepare us for the final semester. If you haven't picked up on it, I'm lovin' the Chef Brown thing.

Day 31 we fabricated chickens. Fabrication is the breaking down of a dead animal into parts used for cooking. We broke down Mr. Chicken into wings, thighs, breasts and legs. Our dish for today was a Sauteed Chicken Breast with Polenta, Sauteed Brussels Sprouts and a Mustard Pan Sauce. But we actually did two plates of it. One with an Airline Breast (the drummette bone still attached with the meat removed) and one with a supreme breast (boneless.) Chef Brown loved both of my dishes and only had a problem with the sauce. He thought it was a bit too thin. Sorry no pictures, I forgot my camera today.

Day 32 we worked with Pork Tenderloin and made two dishes. The first dish was Pork Schnitzel a la Holstein with Traditional Garnishes and Brown Butter. This is where we took two small portions of the tenderloin, pounded them flat and then breaded and pan-fried them. It was presented as a good sized appetizer. The traditional garnishes were chopped anchovies, capers, lemon supremes and parsley. Chef Reyes found it very tasty and had more than one bite.

The next dish was Sauteed Pork Tenderloin with Salsify Puree, Sauteed Apples with Golden Raisins and a Calvados Pan Sauce. Salsify is a root that has a light oystery flavor. You cook it just like you would a potato except you boil it in cream and milk instead of water. My dish came out very tasty and Chef Brown was very impressed with the plating. Too bad I remembered my camera but forgot to put a flash card inside. It was probably the best looking dish I've made so far. The sauce was still a bit thin though.

Tomorrow we have pork chops.

Days 25-30 Catching Up with Ya!

Sorry for the long break. Last week was a very emotional week with a lot of introspection but I'm happy to say I'm back on track and cooking better than ever. In a nutshell, this is what happened...

Day 25 (which was a Friday) was basically a lot more recap and I did just fine. Then on Saturday I volunteered to help out catering an event. This was the worst 6 and a half hours for me in this millenium. And those of you who know what I went through when I shattered my arm in 2004 will fully understand my meaning.

I won't go into too many details but this is a well respected catering company. They served horrible over-cooked/burnt food to 800 guests. The kitchen was disgusting, dangerous and unhealthy. I'm pretty sure if the health inspectors had visited, they would have closed the place down. Two of the senior chef and one of the junior chefs were riding me the entire time. I guess the volunteers were there solely to give the chefs a medium to vent their frustrations upon and not there to learn anything or help out. I worked my butt off for 6.5 hours and still felt like I was in the way the entire time.

So when I arrived at school on Day 26 (the first day of finals) my mind was racing with questions about my culinary future. Is this something I can do and do I really want to? The entire finals week I contemplated giving up. I talked to my counselor, chefs and friends and explained the situation and everyone told me to hang in there. One chef told me that this catering company was reknown for this type of behavior and mediocre food and to not let it get me down. But I knew at the end of finals week which is the end of the first semester, it was the perfect time to take a break from school if I was going to do it.

So I muddled through finals week with less enthusiasm than I had through the first 5 weeks. Some of the dishes came out terrible. I got a 60/100 on my burnt French Onion Soup and got a 75/100 on my Mashed Potatoes because I forgot to season them and there was a piece of carrot in it. I screwed up Mashed Potatoes! Geez! But other dishes shined. I got 100/100 on my Clam Chowder, Crepes Suzette, my Omelettes and pretty good scores on the other dishes. I ended the first semester and finals with an A. I was really happy with that. That gave me a lot of positive energy and gave me a lot to think about over the weekend.

Day 24 - Breakfast Recap

Today wasn't too exciting as we just recapped our breakfast dishes. Sorry no pictures today.

I got a perfect score on my Quiche Florentine, Quiche Lorraine, and my Eggs Benedict (Hal-andaise is still alive and well.) My Breakfast Platter that included Bacon, Scrambled Eggs, Eggs Overeasy and Potatoes O'Brien was great except Chef Perez wanted to see a bit more color on my potatoes. The last dish, French Omelet, needed to be a bit runnier. The French seem to like their eggs very runny.

So I have a feeling the blog is going to be a little boring until I start PCA2 on Day 31 but I'll try to add a little something to the blog each day.

Day 23 - Salads

Since the fever broke about 1:00 AM, I was happy that I was able to make it into school today. I started off the day with a recap of Risotto with Parmigiano Reggiano. I did a really good job on this dish. Chef Reyes said he would have liked a little more creamyness but it was good over all.

Next up came Cobb Salad. Did you know that there are little old ladies that pay $20.00 for this? Well that's what we were told anyway. It has so many ingredients that you could probably make 3 or 4 little old lady meals out of it so I guess it's not too expensive broken down that way.

Chef Perez said it was perfect. I haven't heard that for a while so it felt good to hear. Last came Caesar Salad.

Chef reyes said it tasted great but he would have liked the dressing to be a bit thicker and the croutons toasted a little longer. But all in all a good day.

Day 24 is going to be a recap of breakfast.

Day 22 - Sick Day and Recap

Well the cold that was coming on yesterday came in full force this morning. I was running a fever and couldn't really focus but I didn't want a 0/100 so I went to school and just tried to do my best. Today was all recap.

First up was Cream of Tomato Soup.

Chef Reyes said it was almost there but it needed more Bechamel to help with the taste, color and texture. But I'm pretty sure it was graded a 17 or an 18. Much better than a 0.

Next came French Onion Soup.

Chef Perez said too much pepper and he noticed I cut the onions across the ribs instead of with the ribs like I was supposed to. I'll chalk it up to the fever but again. I'm guessing it was graded a 17 or an 18 so I'm more than fine with that.

Last came Crepes Suzette.

Last time I did this dish I overcooked the sauce because I was mesmerized by the pretty blue flambe' flame but this time I nailed it. The only slight problem Chef Perez had was that he thought the crepes were a bit thick but other than that, spot on. I'm guessing it got a 19 or maybe a 20.

The Chefs let me leave an hour early so I could get to bed and Chef Reyes told me that if I needed to miss tomorrow he would give me a 50/100 instead of a 0/100 because he could tell I was really sick. As much as I appreciate it, I really want to get some more recap in.

Day 21 - Lots of Recap

I came home from class today with chills and a cold so I'm going to make this brief. Basically everything we did today was recap for next week's finals.

First was Smashed Potatoes with Roasted Garlic. The best part of this dish was roasting the garlic. It has a wonderful flavor. I got a perfect on this dish.

Next came Rice Pilaf with Brunoise Carrots.

These also came out great. They could have stood another minute before serving to absorb more of the chicken stock, but they tasted great.

Next came Glazed Carrots.

I was worried a bit about the portion size. I lost some of the carrots during plating and some during cooking. They are supposed to be al dente but about half were overcooked. So I presented this modest portion and Chef Reyes only had a problem with the amount of glaze. He wanted to see a bit more on the plate but everything else was perfect.

Last came Potatoes Gratin.

This is basically the Pommes Dauphinoise we made on Day 11 but this time it has a panko crust baked on top. Chef Reyes liked it a lot and called it "a hit."

The day ended with a knife sharpening demo and getting our grades from week 4. I'm happy to say that I got a 97/100. That is going to help my overall grade immensely.

Day 22 is more recap for our finals next week

Day 20 - Clam Chowder and Gnocchi

After the excitement of the Mardi Gras Breakfast Buffet it was hard to muster the enthusiasm for a regular class. But since it was New England Clam Chowder and Sauteed Gnocchi with Sage Brown Butter I was able to find a little bit of excitement. They are two of my favorite dishes.

First up was New England Clam Chowder. The interesting thing is I'm noticing many students are turning in their dishes before I turn in mine. You don't get any bonus points for turning things in fast. As long as they are in by the deadline, you're fine. So I always take my time and make sure each step is engraved in my brain and that I'm really happy with the dish before I present it. The result was another "outstanding" from Chef Perez.

When other students are moving on to the next dish, I always feel a little pressure to get things done faster. But as long as I keep getting "outstanding"'s, I'm going to use as much time as I'm allowed to get my dishes perfect. I also noticed that there was only one other grade of 20 on chef's grading sheet. I must be doing something right.

Next came Sauteed Gnocchi with Sage Brown Butter. Gnocchi is Italian for potato dumpling. You use a special Gnocchi paddle to shape the dumpling. My tasted great but Chef Reyes thought they tasted a little too doughy. This means that I added a little too much flour to the potatoes and it hid some of the potatoey flavor. The Sage Brown Butter came out great and the whole dish was pretty tasty.

The best news of the day was recieving my Week 3 grades. I was extremely nervous because I flubbed two dishes in Week 3. The Pommes Dauphinoise and the Steamed Rice. Even though it was my lowest score so far, it was still an A with a 91.2. That gives me a 3 week accumulative total of 92.75. I couldn't be happier. I'm working really hard so it's nice to see it's paying off.

Day 19 - The Breakfast Buffet

Today was our Breakfast Buffet and it was a great success. We chose a Mardi Gras theme and everyone had a blast. Hazel and I got great reviews on our Potatoes O'Brien. they tasted great but came out a bit mushy. Here's my partner Hazel stirring the veggies.

Joya did a great job with the decorations and K did an excellent job with flowers. K even brought in a 3 piece band that fit perfectly with a casual Mardi Gras brunch. They are a great musicians.

~~~~ Menu ~~~~

Omelets (made to order)

Crepes Suzette (made to order)

Bacon and Breakfast Sausage

Eggs Benedict and Florentine

French Toast

Potatoes O'Brien

Quiche Lorraine and Florentine

Savory Crepes with Mornay Sauce

Bread Pudding

K's Mixed Fruit Buckle

Orange Juice and Hybiscus Tea

We served over 200 people and many came back for seconds. Everyone seemed to be having a good time. I'm sorry there aren't any pictures of the actual event but I was selected as a runner and had very little time for anything but running. My job was to make sure the servers had nice full, warm pans of food so I would be running back and forth between the kitchen and the buffet line. It was the prefect role for me. I got to see and work with every aspect of catering an event. This is definitely a career path I'm considering.

I want to thank my friends Travis, Josh, Mike and Trevor who came to taste the food and they all said they had a fun time and had very few complaints. The concerns they did have I completely agree with. It was nice to share the things I've learned with my buddies and get real world feedback.

When I got home, Josh and Travis surprised me with a bunch of goodies to congratulate me on my first real kitchen experience. Thanks guys! That was really sweet and it meant a lot to me. The heating pad and chardonnay definitely helped me relax after the busy day in the kitchen.

Day 18 - Buffet Prep

Today we divided up into stations for our Breakfast Buffet for Day 19. Hazel and I were put in charge of the Potatoes O'Brien. The prep involved dicing 22 russet potatoes, 10 green bell peppers, 10 red bell peppers and 10 bermuda onions. Here is the half hotel pan full of the veggies.

We par-sauteed the veggies and parboiled the diced potatoes. The prefix "par" simply means we partially cooked an ingredient so that it will take less time to cook on the day of the event. On the day of the Breakfast Buffet we'll quickly deepfry the potatoes to give them a little crispiness and then finish by sauteeing them with the vegetables.

After we finished preparing the Potatoes O'Brien, I helped K with a dessert she was making. It's a homemade fruit breaded tart dish that looks absolutely yummy. I can't wait to try it tomorrow.

That's basically it for the prep day. It was a lot of work but very relaxed and fun. I'll have a lot more to write about on Day 19. The day of the buffet.

Day 17 - Crepes and Quiches

Crepes Suzette is very fun to make but I fell into the flambe trap. I was so enamored by the bright blue flame over my skillet that I allowed the Suzette sauce to over reduce into a gooey mess. Mind you a gooey but tasty mess, but a mess all the same. This is one of the dishes we're serving at our public buffet on Day 19 but I think I can handle the flambe now.

The last part of the day we focused on Quiche Lorraine and Quiche Florentine. These will also be served at the buffet on Day 19. Unfortunately because they are being served on Day 19 we didn't get the taste them but the Chefs said they looked perfect.

Day 18 will be a prep day for the Day 19 buffet so if we show up on time and work hard we'll get 20/20 for both days. I can use that.

Day 16 - Eggs

Sorry there are no pictures today. I left my camera at home. But honestly, you've seen everything we did today.

First was a Breakfast Platter that consisted of Potatoes O'Brien, Bacon, a Western Omelet and a French Omelet. A Western Omelet is your typical one fold semi-circular omelet that you see at Denny's. The eggs are fully cooked and there can be a little fried color on the sides. A French Omelet is folded in thirds and looks a lot like a blintze. It is usually a little underdone and there is no color allowed at all. It's supposed to be a little squishy.

Everything came out perfect and Chef Reyes was particularly impressed with my French Omelet. I guess other students had a little trouble with it but mine came out perfect. He even appreciated that I cut off the ends to give it a fancier look. What he didn't know is that I cut off the ends because on the second fold, my omelet came apart at the ends. I just trimmed off the parts that didn't look pretty. I guess the breakfast gods were smiling on me today. Maybe even chuckling.

The last platter we turned in today contained Scrambled Eggs, Sunny side Up, Over-Easy, Over-Medium and Over-Hard. One other element added to the platter is that we were not allowed to use a spatula (except on the scrambled.) The good news is I practiced flipping eggs all weekend and was successful on 9 our of 10 tries. The one that I missed however, made a huge mess and took me about 20 minutes to get the fried egg out of the oven dials, the oven door, the broiler door, the broiler pan, etc. But it was worth it because in class I made no mistakes at all. Everything came out perfect.

I'm pretty sure today was scored 20/20. The chefs mentioned before class that breakfast chefs tend to make a little more than some evening chefs because the breakfast foods are so specialized. They said if you are an early riser and are good at cooking eggs, that might be a great job to consider. I had fun today while others struggled so it might be a good fit for me. As everyone knows, breakfast is the most important meal of the day.

Day 15 - Eggs and Consomme

Both of our chef instructors were out today with the cold thing that has been going around so substituting for them were Chef Melanie a PCA2 instructor and Chef True who teaches the late class in PCA1. During the demo for Consomme (which is a very pure and refined chicken broth) Chef True gave us a couple of helpful shortcuts that made making it a breeze. Unfortunately I let it cook a little too long which reduced my Consomme to almost nothing.

Chef True said it tasted great and my brunoise carrots were cut perfectly, he'd just like to see a little more liquid in the bowl. Frankly, I would have liked that too.

Next came Eggs Benedict and Eggs Florentine. I did so well with the Hollandaise Sauce on Day 6 (which seems like a year ago) that I started calling it "Hal-andaise." I made the joke in class so now everyone is calling it Hal-andaise. Of course this put undue pressure on me to make an exceptional Hollandaise Sauce for the two visiting chefs.

Both dishes came out great. Chef True thought the sauce was a little salty for his taste but knows that Chef Reyes (our regular instructor) would have thought it was perfect. This picture was taken after the chefs tasted it so it looks a little sloppier than how it was presented.

Our final task of the day was to present a soft-boiled, medium-boiled and hard-boiled egg. This is just simply a matter of making sure the water is at full boil and watching the clock. 3 minutes for soft-boiled, 5 minutes for medium-boiled and 12 minutes with an instant ice water shock bath for the hard-boiled. I nailed all three.

So this brings me to the end of week 3. This is the halfway point of PCA1 and 1/10 of the way through the 30 week course. I have learned so much in these last three weeks. I can't wait to see what's coming next.

Day 14 - Grilled Vegetables and Bruschetta

I started off the day making a tasty Balsamic Vinaigrette. I used 3/4's of it to marinade my grilled vegetables and 1/4 to marinade my tomatoes that would go on my Bruschetta. Chef Perez was out sick today so we had a visiting Chef Watts who rated my dish. She is from PCA2 so she was a little tougher. She thought I should have cut the tomatoes smaller and I should have piled more on. The taste was great though.

While my veggies were marinading, I took the time to make some Santa Fe Sauteed Mushrooms. This was the first time we were asked to be creative and since I know Chef Reyes loves cayenne pepper, I made them as spicy as possible. They came out great.

Lastly I hit the massive school grill and grilled up asparagus, zucchini, squash, tomatoes and eggplant. Once finished I added some mozarella cheese, black olives, green olives and roasted bell peppers to make a Vegetarian Antipasti Platter. By the time this was finished, Chef Reyes had gone home sick (there is definitely something going around) and was replaced by Chef Melanie. She was also from PCA2 and she wasn't super happy with my grill work but she lightened up when she found out we weren't instructed to make a particular grill mark. She was happy the vegetables were cooked through and everything tasted great. Sorry I don't have a picture. I forgot to take one before grading and she butchered it while tasting it.

Day 15 will bring me to the end of my 3rd week and eggs.

Day 13 - Couscous, Baked Potato & Split Pea Soup

Our first dish today was Couscous with Brunoise Vegetables. Couscous is a very fine pasta and brunoise means that the vegetable are cut into tiny squares. Brunoise is a very precise and time consuming process that I have yet to master. Chef Reyes said the couscous was cooked perfectly and seasoned perfectly but he could see some rectangles in the vegetables that should have been squares. I really have to spend time outside of class to perfect my cuts.

Next came the simple Baked Potato with Compound Butter. Compound Butter sometimes called Hotel Butter is a butter mixture of Thyme, Parsley, Shallot, Garlic, Kosher Salt and Lemon. It is then chilled in a cylindrical shape and sliced. I really thought my butter tasted too lemony but Chef Perez said the potato was cooked perfectly and the Compound Butter tasted fine.

Last came Split Pea Soup. This is a pretty easy soup to make. It just takes about 2 hours to reduce down to it's final form. Chef Perez said it looked like it was supposed to but needed more salt. I added more salt and to me it tasted a bit too salty but I guess I'm still developing my palate.

All in all a pretty good day. I'm a bit under the weather at the moment so I'm happy that most things came out okay even though I was a bit out of it. Day 14 brings us to grilling and roasting vegetables.