So I left my job a couple months ago and have been deciding what to do next. While I decide, my dad suggested I do a culinary course – and that sounded like a fantastic idea to me. So much to learn!
I had my first day today and in order to fully remember what I have done (we have assessments at the end of each week), I thought it best to write down some of the new things that I learn throughout the 3 months.
Since it was the first day, it was a beginning with a lecture on food safety and knife techniques (my knife techniques suck, so maybe I can get better!).
Then we had a few salads that we wanted to make – Cobb, Olivier and Caesar. So we had to make all the ingredients and the dressings.
Quick breakthrough include cutting up the potato and carrots in the parmentier form (basically 1 cm x 1 cm) – boil until al dente and then to the chiller!
We also had to pan fry and oven a chicken breast, cut up a tomato in a way to get rid of the skin (difficult) and the seeds and pulp and dice up a bunch of other ingredients.
For the dressing, we had to learn how to make mayonnaise. Cue my right arm HURTING for all that whisking. Mix up an egg yolk (after we pasteurised it), with mustard and then add in the olive oil until it thickens. Mixed in vinegar (just a splash, to help lighten the colour), and some salt and a bit of lemon. Once it was thick enough, we added in water to make it for of a dressing consistency.
Using half the mayonnaise, we then made caesar salad dressing (which I’m typically not a fan of, but this was good). Cut up a couple of capers and a coronation (if you want anchovy), mix it all together and then add in LOADS of grated parmesan. That’s what makes it good.
Then we made a vinaigrette. Easy peasy. Oil, vinegar, mustard, salt. Whisk whisk, done.
Then we plated it all! Took pictures and ate it.
Good first day:)
PS. I have pics but my computer isn’t loading them right now!! Annoying, will add soon 🙂
Eating With Ayla 