Advanced cooking class: Vegan day

Last week, our advanced cooking class was an all vegan challenge. We were given mystery baskets and only allowed to cook under vegan guidelines. My team, also known as team 1, was given daikon, firm tofu, bean thread, shitake mushrooms, dried Chinese shitake's, Vietnamese spring roll wrappers, popcorn shoots, carrots and baby bok choy. This mystery basket made me really happy that I did my externship at Buddakan. Here is what we came up with. 

The dumpling folding process. Filling on the right, raw finished product on the left. We filled the dumplings with seared mushroom, bean thread and firm tofu, plus garlic, scallion and mushroom soy

A take on Liang Pi or "cold skin" noodles from xi'an, China. We made these noodles out of the vietnamese fresh spring roll wrapper. The sauce was made with a chinese shitake broth, sesame oil, chopped cilantro, fresh thai bird chili, mushoom soy, sugar and lemon juice. Its fresh, spicy, umami all in one package. These were quite tasty!

The steamed dumpling over some bok choy, sauteed in shao shing wine, garlic and shallots. 

The final plate. Down at the end is a vinegary slaw made with pickled daikon, carrots and popcorn shoots. All vegan, all delicious. 

Its good to be a CIA student

I was having lunch the other day in Farquarson hall at the CIA. As I peered to the back of the dining hall, I could see the brightly colored confections gleaming at me from afar. I had know idea what the occasion was and I still don't really know. This sort of thing just happens at the CIA. A pastry class will  set up a beautiful display and offer all sorts of treats. Occasionally the garde manger classes will do the same thing, minus baked goods, plus mini empanadas and cold soba noodle salad. I got to photograph  (and eat) some of the things I saw. Just thought I would make the world jealous of CIA life. Enjoy!

Delicious Cake

 I dont know what to call these things, other than delicious and visually appealing. They had macarons on top!!

 Like I said earlier, I'm not really sure what the occasion was, but it must have been important. Even the strawberries dressed up.

Product Review: Chip Peddler Chips

I got in contact with a company called Chip Peddler out of Durango, Colorado. I was intrigued by these chips because they are organic and the guy who sells the potato chips is also growing the potatoes. I have learned a lot about organic food since I started at culinary school. What really interests me about organic food is the flavor difference. In some produce, its obvious. A tomato doesn't taste like a tomato anymore because it is grown with chemical based fertilizer, sprayed with chemical pesticides, picked green and then ripened with ethylene gas so it looks red on your burger. When you try an organic tomato, it tastes better. usually sweeter, more flavorful, better texture. I wanted to see, will organic potato and corn chips taste any different than what Frito Lay is pumping out? Here's what I found.

 Ok, organic chips taste better, fact. These were the best sea salt and vinegar chips I have ever had. The vinegar was pretty subtle, a nice alternative to the mouth puckering mass produced stuff. They were also thicker and crunchier than most other brands. I was a big fan of these.

I don't usually pay attention to this kind of stuff, but how cool is the art on the bag, right?It just made me like this guy's products even more. Usually, I hate Lime flavored tortilla chips. Tostito's with lime is the worst offender for me. That stuff tastes like its made in a chemical plant. These were really nice though. The lime tasted like real lime and the chips tasted like the freshly fried chips on the table at a Mexican restaurant. The bag was empty in about 2 minutes. 

 Sea Salt and Vinegar

 So maybe it's not the perfect potato, but it's a natural potato, defects and all.

 Lime Tortilla chips

Not only were the chips great, but the chip peddler himself was a really nice guy. We talked a little bit through email and he is a cool dude. Check out his life of cycling and making organic chips while giving back to the world. 

www.chippeddler.com

Im back peeps

I haven't posted in a while but I can explain, I swear. I believe this gap in posting is due to a recent lack of blog worthy material in my life as well as some good old fashioned procrastination. Anyway, I have continued to take pictures since my last post and I have some interesting things to share.

In June I will be going to Spain with my school for a food, wine and agriculture trip. We will be doing site visits every day of different food producers and vineyards. In preparation for the trip, we are doing some site visits local to the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY. This week's visit, Sprout Creek Farm in Poughkeepsie, NY. Sprout Creek Farm is a small non for profit organization founded by 2 nuns. They have animals ranging from cows to chickens to goats. They are mostly known for being a creamery that produces incredible cheeses, which I had the pleasure of sampling. Here are some photos of my day on the farm.

                                                    Freshly made cheese, unripened

 Cheese being brined in a bath of salty whey. I believe they said it had a salt concentration of 24%

 Some bloomy rind cheeses, the gooey stuff, ripening away. Plus me!

The ripening room, quite a smell!

The basin where fresh milk from the farm is turned into curds and whey.

A baby hamburger, I mean um, cow.

The friendliest kid I've ever met

These sheep don't bathe, it was obvious.

The boss man of the chicken coop

I had a great time at Sprout Creek Farm. Everyone there is really friendly and the tour was really interesting and interactive. The cheese from this place is on par with french cheese. They have over 20 kinds that they produce from both cows and goats milk. As for the animals, they really made my day. At one point I was cornered by 4 goats who chewed on my pockets and butted their heads at me. I was laughing very hard. Thanks Sprout Creek Farm!