i really can’t believe this class is almost over! we only have one week left and then i’ll be finished with all the cooking classes of culinary school [sad day!], with only three non-cooking classes remaining before i get my degree. i’ll be graduating a year from now in december of 2016, which still sounds far away, but i know how fast time flies these days! thinking about being done with culinary school is bittersweet… bitter because i love love love the cooking classes… especially this one – i’ve learned SO much and really feel like this class has helped bring my cooking to a new [and more confident] level. and sweet because i can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel; the light being allllllllll that free time that i’m going to have when i’m no longer going to school AND working a full-time job. and that’s going to feel amazing.
i don’t remember if i’ve described how my international cuisine class works on this blog, but basically our school has a restaurant run by the culinary students that’s open to the public. the servers are students in the dining room service class [which i’ll be taking next fall], the first two courses are prepared by the international cuisine class or the american regional cuisine class [depending on if it’s dinner or lunch], and there are baking & pastry classes that make breads and desserts for the meal.
so for our class, we serve dinner on tuesday nights, and we have prep days on monday nights to prepare for tuesday’s meal. we each get assigned a week to be head chef and a corresponding country, and we have to plan a menu around that country’s cuisine, test the recipes and revise them to serve 100 people, create a production schedule for monday and tuesday of our week, assign jobs to classmates, order ingredients, provide instruction to classmates, and supervise the prepping and plating of the menu items. it’s actually pretty nerve-wracking, but a really, really great experience. i was assigned to sweden, but my week was in the second half of the semester, so i’ll include photos from my meal in part 2. i was grateful/relieved that it all went smoothly and turned out well! and i was actually impressed with every single meal of the semester. all my classmates did an exceptional job. and the very best part of the class is getting to sit down together and eat after the guests were served [we always made enough for leftovers!]. this is one class that i’m really going to miss.
week 1: GREECE
{greek salad: fresh romaine, tomato wedges, cucumber, red onion, kalamata olives, and feta cheese, topped with a lemon vinaigrette}
{on the left, the other appetizer – dolmas: ground beef, ground lamb, white rice, onions, mint, parsley, and oregano, wrapped in grape leaves and served on a bed of tzatziki sauce and a greek-style pico de gallo. on the right, the entree – braised lamb topped with roasted tomato & almond basil sauce, served with sauteed spinach and orzo pasta.}
{and the desserts! on the left, incir compost tuiles: fresh figs topped with lemon, served on an almond honey wafer and drizzled with honey walnut glaze. on the right, ekmek ktaifi: layered custard dessert with pistachios, cream, butter, and orange cinnamon glaze.}
week 2: UNITED KINGDOM
{making sausage!}
{the UK dinner had a casual, more pub-like feel.}
{beet salad with goat cheese: roasted golden and purple beets, peas, goat cheese, and toasted pumpkin seeds, served on a bed of arugula and drizzled with white balsamic vinaigrette}
{on the left, the soup – broad bean & bacon soup: a creamy soup made with fresh lima beans, sweet onions, and green peas garnished with crumbled bacon. on the right, bread for the table, plus pub cheese: a blend of cheddar, cream cheese, irish beer, horseradish, dry mustard, parsley, and cayenne.}
{on the left, the entree – bangers & mash with onion gravy and brussels sprouts: housemate veal and pork sausage served with pomme puree, caramelized onion gravy and roasted brussels sprouts. on the right, one of the desserts – warm chocolate almond pudding with vanilla bean glaze.}
{the other dessert – rhubarb pie with creme chantilly. i was in pie heaven!}
week 3: MEXICO
{i love how many of my classmates brought in different foods or would make things on the side for the class to try. on the left, one of the guys brought in this fruit, called mamoncillo, for us to taste. it’s sort of like a cross between a lychee, a grape, and a lime. it was soooo good – tangy and sweet! i think i ate about 20 of them… and on the right, my friend cristina, the only other female in the class, is from mexico, and she was the head chef of this meal, so all her dishes were very authentic and really really good. she was always bringing in interesting things for us to try as well. and she had some neat ingredients for her meal. those are the garnishes for her soup – zucchini blossoms, queso fresco, roasted corn, and epazote.}
{on the left, the appetizer – tostada de ceviche: raw fish cured in citrus juices, onions, tomatoes, and cilantro. served on a corn tostada and garnished with avocado, green onions, and cilantro coulis. on the right, the soup – sopa campesina: a savory soup with a base of chicken stock, zucchini, chipotle peppers, and zucchini blossoms. garnished with roasted corn, queso fresco, and epazote leaves.}
{the entree, chiles en nogada: roasted poblano peppers stuffed with ground beef and pork, fruits, nuts, and spices, bathed in a creamy goat cheese walnut sauce and topped with pomegranate seeds.}
{the desserts! on the left, pastel imposible: a silky, caramel-topped crowning layer of flan on top of a luscious layer of chocolate cake. on the right, pastel de tres leches: a sponge cake soaked in three different kinds of milk, topped with whipped cream, strawberry sauce, peaches, strawberries, and toasted coconut.}
week 4: AUSTRALIA
{the first appetizer – curried sweet potato soup with coconut milk, garnished with croutons and parsley}
{on the left, the salad – chickpea, spinach, & avocado salad with feta cheese, dressed with red wine vinaigrette. on the right, the entree – dijon marinated lamb racks with grilled butterflied shrimp, garlic mashed potatoes, and green beans with macadamia nuts.}
{the desserts – on the left, lamington: an australian dessert made with sponge cake covered in chocolate sauce and coconut, served with strawberry sauce. on the right, peach melba: peach ice cream served with fresh raspberry sauce and almonds.}
week 5: ITALY
{some amazing bread that cristina brought me… she made it in her wood-fired oven! so delicious.}
{on the left, making polenta, and on the right, pork loins!}
{i loved the bow napkin.}
{on the left, the soup – escarole & bean soup: fresh garlic, italian sausage, cannelloni beans, and a hint of red pepper, topped with a slice of parmigiano-reggiano cheese. on the right, the salad – antipasti salad: fresh romaine, artichoke hearts, roasted red bell peppers, red onions, salami, mortadella, and kalamata olives, topped with a red wine vinaigrette.}
{the entree – maiale in agrodolce: frenched pork chops basted in a balsamic vinegar sauce, served with a creamy polenta and sautéed kale with toasted pine nuts and golden raisins.}
{desserts! on the left, italian cream cake. on the right, chocolate ravioli with white chocolate sauce and raspberry sauce.}
week 6: FRANCE
{making savory bleu cheesecakes}
{this meal was served banquet-style, and there were no choices of appetizer or dessert. this was the beautiful place setting.}
{the salad – butter lettuce with a slice of roquefort cheesecake, topped with toasted walnuts and served with a tiny little cruet of tarragon vinaigrette at each place setting.}
{on the left, the entree – chicken coq au vin, served with gratin dauphinoise [half moons], glazed carrots, and haricot verts, and garnished with roasted pearl onions, sautéed mushrooms, bacon, and parsley. on the right, the dessert – mixed berry cake: vanilla sponge cake topped with blueberries, blackberries, and strawberries [along with some kind of custard filling + a blueberry topping].}
week 7: KOREA
{on the left, the soup – calamari, shrimp, chicken, carrots, cabbage, and leeks in a ginger-garlic fish broth. on the right, the salad – surimi, asian pears, and cucumber toped with a spicy mustard vinaigrette.}
{halfway through the semester, we started having to make two entrees instead of one to give the guests a choice, and this was actually the week that this started. these photos are from the pre-service meeting with the servers, and for some reason the head chef combined the two entrees onto the same plate in this photo on the left, and i didn’t get a photo of each of them by themselves. but the entrees were two different types of korean BBQ: beef ribeye marinated in garlic, ginger, and asian pears, and pork marinated in chives, onions, and garlic. served with kimchi and steamed rice! on the right, one of the desserts – panda and coconut cream swiss roll with strawberries and mango.}
{and the other dessert – chocolate mochi ice cream with chocolate ganache, garnished with strawberry and kiwi.}
delicious stuff, right? oh what fun this class is!