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Better Late Than Not At Any Time

Well, aren't I a bit dilatory?  I could offer a hundred excuses on why I've not posted for a few weeks, but I won't waste your time.  I just haven't posted here...that's all.

What's new:

I'm still enrolled in culinary arts school.  I've just finished the third week of the second term.  My 4.0 GPA first term was enough to land me on the President's List, and I'm motivated to keep that streak alive.

Second term looks like this:

Garde Manger
Cold Food Principles
Culinary Nutrition
Food Service Lab 2
Introduction to Business


The classical culinary arts definition of the French phrase "Garde Manger" is something along the lines of "food produced in the cold kitchen".  This broad interpretation includes: salads, salad dressings, cold sauces and soups, sandwiches, charcuterie (cold meats), condiments, pickled and marinated foods, vegetables, fruits, cheeses, pates and terrines.

So yeah, the first six weeks of this class has been and will be productive.  Every day I and my classmates are preparing a recipe out of our textbooks.  The first week was vegetables, and I tackled:

Roasted Garlic Crostini
Stir-fried Asparagus and Shiitake Mushrooms
Brussel Sprouts in Pecan Butter
Butternut Squash Puree
(As you can see, none of these dishes were "cold" dishes...per the definition of Garde Manger, but alas...)

Week two was Salads and Salad dressings: Chantilly sauce, Orange and Pineapple Salad with Boiled Dressing, Endive, Apple, and Gorgonzola Salad, and Mango Chicken Chutney Salad.

Next week is Hors d'oeuvres, and I've got Rumaki!

I can't say I'm learning a lot (although some, mostly from mine and my classmates' mistakes), but it's great that the first two and a half hours every morning fly by because we're doing something!

Culinary Nutrition is the class that is blowing my mind right now.  I've done my share of reading about food and health: Gary Taubes, Marion Nestle, Michael Pollan, etc. etc.  But the pure straight up fact and science behind nutrition (and our messed-up choices) really amaze me...and I hope to share my insights soon.  Our instructor had us do this fabulously visual lab on the sugar, sodium, and fat found in ordinary food.  Sometime I will duplicate it and post about it here...it's too awesome not to. 

Hm.  Yeah...well.  I think my holiday eating will look a little different this year.

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