MID-ATLANTIC WEEK: Day 2

We're still the the mid-atlantic for this post. I have class 2 days a week so from now on you'll see a day 1 and day 2. This is day 2. We made braised short ribs, rice pilaf, glazed carrots, and sauteed spinach. I again, ate well on this night. The ribs were so soft and fell right off the bone. I had the pleasure of making the ribs. I was scared at first because i didn't want to mess up the main part of the dish but i'm glad i tackled it and did a good job. As Julia Child says "Don't be afraid."

Here's the infamous Waldorf Salad. It was so good. I ate all of mine plus another plate. It has red grapes, celery, green apples, mayo, lemo juice, walnuts, and cranberries. I didn't think i'd like the celery in it but it gives it a nice earthly tone and helps cut down the acid from the apples and lemon juice. Very tasty Salad!

Here we have the Vichyssoise. It's so fun to say it. Normally this soup is served chilled but here in American, we like our soups hot. Just a little bit of trivia for you about this soup, it was invented by Chef Louis Diat at the Ritz Carleton Hotel in New York City. It is a leek and potato based soup. It was also very yummy!

HERE'S THE WHOLE SPREAD. AS YOU CAN SEE, WE HAVE QUITE A NICE DINNER IN CLASS. IT'S A FULL 3 COURSE MEAL. MY PARENTS ARE ALWAYS HAPPY WHEN I BRING LEFT OVERS HOME WITH ME.

Here's one of my teammates Brian enjoying his ribs. We all chowed down! I can clearly see that my attempts to lose weight are just not going to happen when i'm eating like this 2 nights out of the week. oh well!

MID-ATLANTIC WEEK: Day 1

This week we focused on the Mid-Atlantic Region of America. We made "Shaker-Style" Turkey Cutlets & gravy with mashed potatoes, green beans, and spaghetti squash. Let's just say i ate very well on this night. The turkey wasn't dry and the gravy...one word WOW! It truly was a very delicious and amazing dish.





Next we have my personal favorite, Cream of Tomato and Basil Soup. I had the pleasure of making this and i had a lot of fun. I don't usually care for tomato soup but this recipe was edited by our chef and the tweaks her made to it made the whole thing absolutely yummy! I'll attach the recipe below because it is definately too good to not share with you.

Here we have another yummy salad... can you see why i say this is my favorite part of the class. You truly get to be creative with you veggies. It's an egg, cucumber and tomato salad with a very great vinegarette that has green onion garlic olive oil, and red wine vinegar. My mouth is watering just thinking about it.

HERE'S THE WHOLE SPREAD. I TRIED TO BE DRAMATIC AND DO IT THE PICTURE AT A WEIRD ANGLE BUT I DON'T THINK I DID IT QUITE RIGHT.

Cream of tomato and basil soup:

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 1/2 cup chopped yellow onion

2 carrots, unpeeled & chopped

1 tablespoon minced garlic (about 3 cloves)

4 lb. tomatoes coarsely chopped (about 5 large)

1 1/2 teaspoon sugar

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 tablespoon sherry win vinegar (this gives it a little kick)

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves

3 cups chicken stock

1 tablespoon kosher salt

2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

3/4 cup heavy cream

Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium-low heat. Add the onions and carrots and saute for about 10 minutes, until very tender. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes, sugar, tomato paste, basil, chicken stock, salt, and pepper and stir well. Bring the soup to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer, uncovered, for 30 to 40 minutes, until the tomatoes are very tender. Puree the soup in a blender until very smooth. Add the cream to the coup. Reheat the soup over low hear just until hot. Add the sherry wine vinegar and serve with basil lease and/or croutons for garnish.

American Cuisine: New England

NEW ENGLAND WEEK!!!!

How do you feel about corned beef? I wasn't too sure how i felt until we made this dish. It's called New England Boiled Dinner. My dad loves corned beef and cabbage (which is underneath the beef holding it up) and he also loves horseradish. We made horseradish sauce which is what is on top of the beef. It was a pretty tasty dish!

Next, of course, is the Clam Chowder. I've never made it before so i was thrilled to try it. It actually turned out really good. I had to take some home with me I liked it so much. I loved the bacon garnish on top also. As i always say, "Everything is better with bacon."

Here is the Mesclun salad with tomatoes, red onion, and zucchini. The dressing was a very delicious vinegarette. Salads are probably my favorite thing to make because you get to shape and compose them however you want. I really liked the tomato petals. This semester is going to be so fun. My instructor is amazing and i have a really great team to work with.