There are many things about The French Culinary Institute that are very French. The cooking terms and techniques are French, many of the instructors are from France and most dishes contain "a little bit of butter," as one chef liked to say as she added an entire stick to the pan. Yet I didn't realize how American in nature The FCI was until I was interviewed by Veroni... Read More

After a nice week break from school, it is time for the next trimester to begin.  For the next three months I will not be in the culinary labs everyday, thankfully!

I will be taking:

Menu Planning and Cost Controls: Although I’m not entirely sure what the class will be like, but basically it is a math class to help you learn to pl... Read More

As an extra credit project for my Classical French Pastries Lab, I researched a fruit and nut that is fairly unheard of in the U.S. let a lone the northern hemisphere; the Pili Nut.

While I wont post all eight pages of the paper that I wrote, but I thought you might hearing about some of the interisting things I found out about this strange nut.

“I... Read More

Copious amounts of butter, even more salt, one second-degree burn and zero cuts. My experience at the French Culinary Institute in New York City has been all this and more. I haven’t regretted for a second my decision to drop my newspaper reporting job to learn the basics of classic French cuisine.

While I’ve enjoyed my chef’s tough critiques ... Read More

Now that it has been a few leftover-filled days past Thanksgiving, I'm sure most of you don't want to hear the words "turkey," "gravy" or "cranberry sauce" until November 2009. But in the spirit of excess that the holiday embodies, I had to share an oyster stuffing recipe that was a hit at our Thanksgiving table. Don't stop reading! It doesn't have to eaten along wit... Read More

When I moved into my dorm three months ago, I was surprised to see what we were equipped with in our kitchen.  Although I knew a kitchen in a dorm would be small, I didn’t know just how small it would be.  While we have a full sized refrigerator, a small sink, and even a garbage disposal, the stove and oven was less than remarkable. Ericka, my roommate, and I ... Read More

For about two months now, every person in the culinary building has been astir with talk of “the sanitation lady”.

Once every few years, a safety and sanitation’s expert visits each of the Johnson and Wales campuses and inspects them, letting us know what needs to be changed and improved.  Our Chefs would prep her coming by scaring us into cl... Read More

I wrote a piece awhile back about the best culinary remedies for the common cold. Back then, my coughing and sniffling was much helped by tea and chicken soup. The "starve a fever, feed a cold" maxim proved true for the cold, but what about the fever?

Luckily for the sake of culinary research and unluckily for my personal comfort, I was dealt a nasty flu last ... Read More

In my previous post, I detailed the beginning of my attempt to cook wild Canada Goose, a bird whose meat is tough, livery and difficult to make into a meal. I chose the confit method, marinating the breasts (and some fool-proof, emergency duck legs) in a spice rub overnight, and then cooked the meat in duck fat, garlic and thyme. My butcher didn't have enough duck fat... Read More

Pun fully intended, a goose is one tough bird. I'm not talking about the farm raised specimens offered at Whole Foods, perfect for a Christmastime roast. I'm talking about wild Canada Goose, shot instead of bought. A description of a food product that includes the words "fresh," "local" and "wild" usually means that the item will be of the highest quality. Fresh, loc... Read More