http://www.chef2chef.net/culinary-student-blogs Culinary Student Blogs Fri, 06 Nov 2009 21:33:22 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en It is almost at the end of the fall trimester here at Johnson and Wales, and I can't believe how fast the past three months have been going! Taking online classes is so different and a bit difficult for me. I just try to keep a positive attitude ... http://www.chef2chef.net/culinary-student-blogs/2009/11/06/no-more-taboo-talk/ Finally. Eleven weeks into the semester. We did something I've never done before in my life. We scaled and filleted a whole fish. I was on cloud nine, ten and eleven. The menu: Potato and Leek Soup (pureed soup, thickening method) Salmon en Papillote with vegetables julienne and couscous (parchment technique, filleting, knife skills) Some students ... http://www.chef2chef.net/culinary-student-blogs/2009/11/03/finally-some-real-meat-i-mean-fish/ I was in the grocery store earlier this week, buying the usual things, and also on the lookout for fall recipe inspiration; I wanted to take some Halloween/fall photos of gourmet caramel apples, and experiment with my new candy thermometer a little bit. Next to the apples I found the most ... http://www.chef2chef.net/culinary-student-blogs/2009/10/29/im-an-unemployed-food-writer/ At the end of the last block of classes, after we had finished Basic and Classical Cakes, my group of baking and pastry students took our 2nd Term Practical Exam, of which we had been terrified for many months. This is the test that evaluates the baking and pastry students' ... http://www.chef2chef.net/culinary-student-blogs/2009/10/28/baking-like-lightning-or-how-i-passed-my-practical/ I can't even remember what we made in class last week - it was that uneventful. And this week, we made appetizers. Strike that. We didn't make, but rather, rushed through appetizers. What a mess. What I do remember is that I did not learn anything new between last week and ... http://www.chef2chef.net/culinary-student-blogs/2009/10/28/mid-semester-slump/ I can't believe that it's almost Halloween.  Just today the neighbors set up about 8 carved pumpkins on the front door step.  The Halloween costume stores are littered about town and Target's Halloween area is slowly become sparse.  I love Halloween, passing out candy to the kids and dressing up and ... http://www.chef2chef.net/culinary-student-blogs/2009/10/23/pumpkin-chuckin/ I've heard restaurant chefs say it a million times during interviews: what works on the job, doesn't always work at home. They have favorite dishes they create in the restaurant, but because of the equipment available at the restaurant, they can never duplicate the dish the same way at home. That ... http://www.chef2chef.net/culinary-student-blogs/2009/10/21/what-works-in-school-doesnt-always-work-at-home/ If you have not heard about this year's flu season and the rising number of people who have contracted the swine flu (or H1N1), then you might be living under a rock. We all know the importance of sneezing into your elbow, staying home when you are sick, and ... http://www.chef2chef.net/culinary-student-blogs/2009/10/20/berry-clean/ Fingres crossed the stress I've experienced over the last few months will count towards "paying my dues" in the industry as I make my way through culinary school and figure out the next phase of my career. To recap, culinary school is something I've always wanted to do. I went to art ... http://www.chef2chef.net/culinary-student-blogs/2009/10/19/the-sacrifice-and-paying-dues/ Today was the first day I did not enjoy class. Everyone, everything was off. Classmates were cranky, four people burned themselves (one severely), and the atmosphere was full of tension. The menu: Coq au vin (braising) Rice pilaf (pilaf technique) Grilled vegetable stack (grilling) Caesar salad in parmesan cups (plating techniques) Chef asked our group to ... http://www.chef2chef.net/culinary-student-blogs/2009/10/12/kiss-my-coq-au-vin/