Everything in the TM bowl, the dough was fantastic to work with; the hardest part was ensuring the little head on top was done properly and would sit straight up. No guarantees… they are all in my little pans purchased from Dehillerin in Paris. Rising, for the second time, in their cute little shapes. and voilà! They still look perfect and are ready for the oven!

But I know better. They all looked this perfect in Paris, this past summer, at my bread making Atellier at Le Cordon Bleu. Yet, only the teacher’s came out of the oven “with its head on straight”!

I held my breath, and every one of mine was manifique! I was overjoyed. Look at that colour!

Pretty good crumb, too.

So, let’s revisit my lesson at Le Cordon Bleu in July of 2010. Chef Walters had saved some dough from a previous class and had it brought out of the fridge at the end of the day when we were asking questions. We were  small and efficient class, so had some extra time. Lucky us!

He started to work the dough, but it was too cold, so he just cut it into individual portions. Most only took one. Everyone was offered more. I took three.

He had us warm the dough in our hand and go through the (by now memorized) way to fold the dough like an envelope after flattening it; then roll it into a ball with your hand cupped. Now, the tricky part: making the adorable little head. At this class, so few were successful, as you will see. Thus, my proud smile and wagging tail at the beginning of this post when I so proudly presenting my own homemade brioche: head standing tall!

You can see how Chef Walters uses his baby finger to etch out about 1/4 to 1/3 of the dough ball. Then, continuing to use the side of his hand with gently and even pressure, he forms what looks like a bowling pin. He did it over and over exactly the same way. But, before we had at it, he showed us how to tuck in the head to get it to stand up straight. You can see above that he has plopped the dough into the form and then uses his forefinger to nestle the head into the ball, upright.

Below, he has completed one side.

In slow motion, he will do the other side.

Do you see how he aims at a 45 degree angle and pushes the space in under the head. He repeats this all around the head and then it sits on top, happily.

You will see it nestled in position, below, right.

This is Chef Walter’s brioche, above. Mine are below… well, his is, too.

Seeing the student brioche forms, and comparing it to my own pan, had me really astounded at how well he had taught us. I was afraid when I began. Not afraid to fail, just afraid I would not learn how to do it better… and then maybe be too discouraged to want to make them again.

This is the Chef’s. He said it was “OK”. He wasn’t happy. I thought it was a masterpiece… but, I do understand. Richard Bertinet’s brioche that he demonstrated for us leaned over when baked. I love the charm in that, too.

He was very happy with the crumb in these, and that might help you to understand why I was so pleased with the crumb in mine! Below are my oven ready brioche… just for a little last minute comparison!

I cannot wait to make them again. I have, actually, a few times, since this… and I am thrilled at how easy they are to make, now that I know how!

Richard Bertinet’s Brioche Recipe (from Crust) adapted for the Thermomix (by moi, above)

Ingredients:

• 500g white bread flour
• 50g sugar
• 15g fresh yeast
• 10g salt
• 350g egg (@6 large eggs)
• 250g unsalted, cold butter
• egg wash: 1 egg beaten with a pinch of salt prepped one hour before it is needed

Instructions:

1. Weight the butter, and cut the butter into small cubes
2. Lightly grease the brioche tins (or muffin tins) with butter
3. Scale flour, sugar, yeast and salt into TM bowl; combine for 5 seconds at speed 4-5
4. Scale in the year; combine for 5 seconds at speed 4-5
5. Scale in the eggs; combine for 30 seconds at speed 4-5 using the spatula through the hole in the lid to keep the dough close to the blade
6. Knead the dough for 5 minutes on the interval speed
7. After 2 minutes of kneading, add the butter through the hole in the lid during the next 30 seconds; continue to knead until the time is up
8. Very lightly dust the work surface with flour; empty the dough completely from the TM bowl onto the lightly floured surface; form into a ball
9. Place ball into a lightly floured bowl, cover with a cloth and rest the dough for two hours
10. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface with a scraper (see my Bertinet post for how to do this) and fold; reform into a ball
11. Replace into the lightly floured bowl and let it rest over night (or 12 to 14 more hours) in a cool place 10-12°F (not a fridge)… (I confess. I did not do this part. I went straight to #14.)
12. Preheat the oven to 400°F
13. Remove the dough from the cool place to a room temperature space for an hour
14. Place dough on lightly floured surface and divide into 15 70 gram portions and follow the instructions above to form into a brioche
15. Place into buttered tins; cover and rise for 2 1/2 more hours
16. Prepare egg wash an hour before needed: cover each with egg wash and bake for 10 to 15 minutes until dark golden
17. Remove from tin and place on wire rack to cool

Christian Stinner’s Thermomix Brioche Recipe (as adapted from the Australian Thermomix Cookbook)

Ingredients:

• 150g sugar
• 440g milk, warm
• 10g yeast
• 5g salt
• 80g soft unsalted butter
• 650g  flour
• 1 egg

Instructions:

1. Scale sugar into the TM bowl; pulverize 3 seconds at speed 9
2. Scale milk, yeast, salt, butter, flour and egg into the TM bowl; mix to combine 10 seconds at speed 7
3. Set dial to closed lid position and knead for 3 minutes at interval speed
4. Remove dough to a lightly floured bowl covered with a tea towel; proof until double in size (about 60 minutes)
5. When risen, heat oven to 200°C or 400°F
6. Place dough in a buttered bread or brioche tin(s) or weigh dough into 50-60g portions and form into individual brioche (as pictured above)
7. Let rise again to nearly double in size; brush with an egg wash and sprinkle with sugar, etc, if desired
8. Bake in hot oven until golden brown and sounding hollow when tapped; about 20-25 minutes for whole brioche and 15-20 minutes for individual ones

Thermomix Brioche Recipe for large “one loaf” brioche form (which is the one I used the second time and it was also fantastic, but a very sticky dough)

Ingredients:

• 215g flour
• 6g salt
• 10g dry yeast
• 3 eggs
• 25g castor sugar
• 40mls milk
• 135g soft unsalted butter

Instructions:

1. Place milk in TM bowl and heat on 37°C for 3 minutes on speed 1
2. Add all other ingredients and mix on speed 5 for 5 seconds
3. Turn lid to “locked lid position” and knead for 5 minutes on interval speed
4. Place mixture in a lightly floured bowl and rise to double in size
5. When risen, heat oven to 220°C or 425°F
6. Place dough in a buttered bread or brioche tin and let rise again to nearly double in size
7. Brush with an egg wash and sprinkle with sugar, etc, if desired
8. Bake in hot oven until golden brown and sounding hollow when tapped; about 20-25 minutes for whole brioche and 15-20 minutes for individual ones

Note: This is a very sticky dough and would be very difficult to form individual brioche with, but it makes an incredibly rich and delicious brioche!

Tip:  Sprinkle with Demerara sugar, or dried fruit and nuts before baking

And, in case you think I showed you the only one that turned out…. no, no… no. They all did!

I confess. I was right beside her in the above photo, but cut myself out of it, as I too often do…. and, this is not about me. It is about Bal. Just look at the Paneer Pakora below. Is your mouth watering. It tastes even better than it looks.

Bal is a valiant woman. I, too, was a single woman raising my children for many years on my own. I know how hard it is. But her story is so much more than that. And it is a story well worth listening to. It is a story that seems unbelievable when you meet Bal, but then you look into her eyes, and you know it is true.

Bal Arneson is the author of Everyday Indian and apparently very famous in India and the US, she told us with a twinkle in her eye! Honestly, I had never heard of her before, and I am a Food Network Fan! She is the host of the Food Network’s recently launched “Spice Goddess” where she demystifies cooking with Indian spices and shares some of the special dishes prepared in her village.  She believes that meals can be healthy and nutritious without compromising flavour!

Originally from a small village in Punjab, India, Bal Arneson learned how to cook from her elders when she was just seven years old, over coals in a small clay pit. She was up in the middle of the night to milk the cows and the bison, do the laundry, prepare the meals for the day and do what women do in her village for their honourable (and sleeping) men. She was cooking by seven, and making the full family meals by nine years old. This entailed forming coals for the cooking pit from cow and bison patties every morning. “Oh, yes! I would make the best patties!”

Bal had a tenacious and independent spirit that thirsted for knowledge and believed in equality. When her brothers would climb the trees, she would climb the trees. When they would laugh and romp and play, she would laugh and romp and play. However, every time she did anything her brothers did, she was beaten. Every time. It didn’t stop her. But, itwas difficult to understand. Why? Why? Why? She would ask and none of the answers made any sense to her.

When she was twelve, she was pulled out of school. “That is it.” her father said. “You have done all you are to do.” her mother said. Why? Why? Why? She would ask and none of the answers made any sense to her. She has so many chores as she was growing older and more able and they needed her to do this work. Finally, after so much begging on her part, she was allowed to continue her schooling – but, only after all of her chores were done. There was no compromise for her.

And her fate? To be married to a young (well, not so young) man living in Vancouver who went back to India to get her. When she was 20, Bal immigrated to Canada and soon after, had a little girl. “A little girl? What is the matter with our ugly daughter in law?” Girls were shunned and she was to produce a boy! It was not until a few years later that she learned about genetics and chromosomes and understood it was he who orchestrated this daughter, not she! Truly! It is hard to believe she was so naive.

She ran away. She did not want her daughter to go through the life she had. “They are all crazy.” was the comment she repeated many times about her family.

She returned to school, cleaning houses during the day and going to school by night. She now has her Masters in Education and was working with autistic children very successfully in Vancouver until one day she was flipping channels and came upon a Michael Smith show. “What is he doing there? I can do that? That looks so easy!” So, she wrote to him, and told him her story.

By now, she was remarried to “a white guy” and had a wonderful and satisfying life. Suddenly, she is on a whirlwind back and forth from Vancouver to New York where her office and studio is. She has just launced a line of spices, though she only every uses one or two.

She was glowing, and funny, and bitter, and bright. Her food was light and lovely and as bright with flavour as she was with humour. She has really turned me on to Indian cooking, and hopefully, as you read about my time with her, she will do the same for you!

I snuck in early, as usual, after my incredible Kitchen Tour (to be posted) of JPL Kitchens and the wonderful “small” breakfast and found this set up. I chuckled as I saw her trying to nourish herself in between planning!

I had no idea what this was, but I certainly should have: paneer!

Drawing on the culinary knowledge she gained in India, as well as her own natural talents gained from her time in Canada, Bal would regularly cook up healthy, quick, and delicious dishes for family and friends. It was not long until Vancouver’s food community took notice of her incredible talent. Cooking stores and local television stations began asking her to share her tricks for making healthy Indian dishes. After giving numerous cooking classes, making several television appearances, and inspiring many newspaper articles, Bal’s recipes were in such demand that she decided to write a cookbook.

In Everyday Indian, she shares her recipes and her fresh approach to food and cooking which fit so well with today’s busy, health-conscious lifestyle. With a successful career in cooking and food, and support from many well-established companies like Denby and Cuisinart, Bal feels like she’s come a long way from her childhood in India. Though she rants (and rightfully so) about her crazy family and the discrimination and shunning she has suffered just by being herself, and a woman, it is clear that the food from her home gives her much pleasure. She speaks of her mother’s food with such warmth it is really difficult to understand that warmth is not also attached to feelings for her mother. But, it is not. It is for the food. And, there is the dancing. The music and the dancing clearly gave her joy as a child and she carries that with her, and shared it with us this day.

What are all these spices and herbs and aromatics: ginger, garlic, fenugreek leaves, onion, cayenne pepper, cumin, coriander…. I am not sure what all of them are!

Sitting silently, I looked up, and there she was chatting with her Chef for this session (below). Absolutely gorgeous. The night before was the Grand Ball and she had danced up a storm there. She already had my admiration.

And, then she began.

Words of Bal Arenson during this session:

• This is all about healthy Indian food without butter or cream and without a long list of spices (without butter and cream was her reoccurring mantra)
• We have been cooking like this for centuries, since ancient years, in the Punjab
• And I want to say something special about women here: we don’t survive, we thrive
• However, modern day women in this society…you’ve screwed yourself double! We do it all and our other job begins when we come home!
• Have any of you had corporal punishment: hello yes, every day! That was my life as a child.
• Grade 8: that was it for my education, or so they said.
• At home, I was so surpressed
• I would work with the cow dung to make make patties and the patties were used for bbq pit
• We got up every day at 4:30 to milk the cows and bison
• We were all done around 10-11; then too hot and it was siesta time (I miss that here!)
• I had to get up and do all the work and iron my brother’s turbans
• However, I was the first girl in my mom’s side who went to school and did grade 10; then I got to 12… then did first year of college… I knew I would be handed off to a husband and then I would be handed off to slavery for the rest of my life
• I was born into slavery
• When I left my first husband the first thing I did was shave my pits! Indian women are hairy!
• I came here by an arranged marriage by the age of 18 and as soon as I gave birth to my daughter they said,  “This ugly daughter in law can give brith to only daughters….” Later on, I took biology and discovered it was the sperm that decided gender!
• My culture suppressed me and I didn’t want my daughter to experience what I was going through, so I ran away with my daughter and went to a shelter for one night only. I called my mom at the village and she said, “You have brought us so much shame!” She is crazy. Why should I serve my brother first just because he has a penis?  I was always questioning and always beaten. So, I was rejected and said, “OK, fine. You guys are all crazy and that’s it.”
• I wanted my daughter to see me as a strong independent woman and rejected welfare as I had been dependent all of my life upon someone. Thus, I would clean homes and at night I would learn English… and now I have my masters in education and work with children in autism and am on the Food Network! There was only one chef picked from all over north America to for food tv network in the US and they picked me!
• I am the first Indian show and it is called The Spice Goddess and it is doing above average (more than Rachel Ray)! I am the Spice Goddess, people!
• I launched my 100% certified organic spice line and a percentage will be going back to my village to support woman and children there
• I was just interviewed by Canadian Home Journal and the woman asked me, “What was your biggest indulgence after moving here?” My answer: maxi pads! Truly!
• I will be on the NBC today show next month with Matt Lauer and they want me to be a CBS monthly guest with Katie Couric! I just met her a couple of weeks ago!
• I don’t tell you these things to brag; I tell you because if you dream a dream and work to make it happen, it will.

• So, here I am cooking and sharing what I learned from my great grandma in the village
• You will peer through a window into my culture
• I like to begin with yoga and meditation, and if we had more time, that is exactly what we would do
• Then some cooking with a break into a Ballywood dance followed by more cooking; that would be my perfect class
• Back home, woman weren’t allowed to exercise; only through yoga
• My great aunt would take us (the girls and women) to a room and take us through guided meditation and yoga every day; other woman in the village would come, too
• I have learned to let mother earth or mother nature take care of you; let go of your control and let it take care of you: the energy will take care of you
• Everyone: stand up on one foot then the other, breath in, and out, and in, and out…. ah! there. Now, sit back down and let’s begin.

Let’s Make Paneer:

• Cheese was a privileged food to have in my village (Valerie: how come? Bal: how come you only have turkey at Christmas?)
• It is a food associated with celebration to me though we had plenty of milk at home all of the time, we only made paneer for celebrations
• Or the birth of the boy; then paneer was made
• Then it was made into paneer
• When I interviewed with Canadian Living and was telling them that we dug up a pit to cook in with cow dung patties I made myself, they asked me, “What is your favourite appliance?”
• How am I supposed to answer that? At home, we had one clay pot that was used for everything!
• We also had one knife, well….not a knife, more like a machete!
• So I just answered, “I cooked in a pit for 20 years of my life and made amazing food so don’t worry about what my favourite appliance is. I just need a pit and a pot.”
• I just got back from New York as a judge for Iron Chef America and they told me I was the new “Paula Abdule”!
• For paneer, I use regular milk: whole milk or 2% (not skim)
• The milk is boiling and I am now adding vinegar
• See? It has only been 5 seconds and the cheese has already separated
• You now need cheese cloth or regular tea towel and a strainer (Valerie: just like making yogurt cheese)
• Press it with something really heavy to get all of the whey out and leave it for 20 minutes
• Boil milk for paneer on low to medium heat, not high or it might burn

Above she is pouring the milk onto the strainer lined with cheese cloth. Below, she moves it into a block shape and wraps it up.

Below, it is wrapped tightly in a rectangular shape.

Bal places a heavy can on top of her paneer to squeeze all of the whey out of it.

She is the most entertaining and expressive story teller! She mesmerizes you with her beauty and her tenacity.

Let’s Make Pakura

• I still have the philosophy of a village woman; I still believe that anything that is in a jar with a lid on is made like that to add shelf life and I stay away from anything in a jar, or canned or bottled

• Health benefits of Indian food are amazing if cooked authentically
• Chick pea flour, marsala, salt, Spanish paprika (sweet), Fenugreek leaves (take the dried leaves in your hand and crush them)
• Batter needs to be nice and fluffy and crispy ( so there is no BP and no soda)
• Add yogurt (to add fluffiness) and water
• In my village we made many trips to hand pump to get water all day long; we would start the barbeque pit with cow patties to heat the water You would never waste water after all that work
• This was your bucket for your hair and your body and that is all you got and you respected that bucket and used it wisely

• Look at the consistency of this pakura batter; it should be similar to pancake batter
• Think about it: you could dip shrimp in it, or vegetables, or chicken fingers, or fish and chips! All would be so delicious in this batter!
• Dip paneer in, cover it, and place it to the side

• Regardless of your number and your religious beliefs, or how you grew up: hold on to what you believe in
• If you are a woman, no matter what culture you belong to, you are screwed!
• “Why do we have to go through all of this hardship? Because we can!”
• See? Look at this beautiful pakura! It is not even spicy, just very aromatic

Let’s Make Chutney to go with our Paneer!

• I love mango; I use it for every thing
• We use this for ketchup; I make individual chutneys with all kinds of berries instead of ketchups
• I will make Mandarin orange ones when I go home; I use whatever is in season
• Today, we add mangoes, onions, pineapple juice: I like the acidity of pineapple, but we need liquid and salt and masala (masala is a mixture of spices)
• Each household has their own different recipe for masala according to the palate of that house; that is what each of you have to create for your house; it is good for 5 – 7 days
• Indian Food is natureopathic and so good for you
• Himalayan  food is part of the culture is re aso spiritual
• Food should be accessible; it is precious, it is spiritual, it should be honoured and revered
• Garam marsala is one thing that my mother made: she was crazy, but she made the most amazing food ever – not because of her long list of spices, or that we had cream or butter, but because she had a good masala: tumeric powder ( don’t get it on your clothes) and garam marsala is all you need
• Don’t follow my recipe, follow your own palate and make another one for your palate
• Coriander, cumin, cardamom, cinnamon – that is the base
• Chat marsala is the same with the cumins and corianders, but also has dried mango powder and dried pomegranite powder
• The recipe on food tv network and in my new cookbook (Valerie: that we all got the day before as a free gift at lunch)
• I use chat marsala for vegetable dip or fruit dip
• (Valerie: Bal blended all of the Chutney ingredients for a few seconds and it was done )
• Woman weren’t allowed to eat meat in my village; it was only for men (but, I tried goat curry and man it was good)
• I was a vegetarian, so lentils and beans and seasonal vegetables was what I ate
• By the time I was 7 I was cooking and by the time I was 9 I was cooking full meals
• Yes, master master master because with every mistake, I got slapped

I was not expecting this to be as light and lovely and bright and gentle as it was. I did not expect to want to jump up and make this food as soon as I got home, but that is exactly what I felt after tasting this. The paneer is heavy. I do find paneer dense and heavy. What do I have to compare it to? Bocconcini. But, it is nothing like Bocconcini, either, to me. It is paneer: a dense curd. And, with this delicate batter, so flavourful! Someone asked, “Can you add herbs to paneer?” Bal, “Yes, of course, and many things as you can imagine and they will all be delicious.” I am making paneer!

And the chutney? Four words: EX-TRA-ORDIN-ARY!

Let’s Make the Chickpea Dish!

• I always use grape seed oil because you don’t taste anything, it doesn’t produce any chemicals and it cooks at high smoke point, no flavour
• In go the Garlic and ginger
• The key to Indian food is not a long list of spices: just no butter, no cream and only 20 minutes in the kitchen – then get out!
• So what to do when you have your 20 minutes?
• On medium heat, add a little oil and fry the ginger and garlic until it is almost brown
• Toast the masala to release the essential oils; sprinkle in the cumin seed and toast it
• Sprinkle in the Spanish paprika and the fenegeek leaves; then mix
• Prawns and coconut milk with this would be great, wouldn’t they?
• Or, add tuna right on top, remove from the heat and you have the amazing tuna
• Now, add tomatoes and take another pan: add oil to it
• Add tomatoes and add chick peas to first pan
• Slice fresh paneer, with basil, tomato, and lemon and salt
• Fry the paneer in the second pan so that the bottom is browned and then it can go on a cookie sheet and stay in a freezer for 3 to 6 months
• Now the fried paneer went into the chick pea mixture
• Always start with a half a teaspoon of a spice or herb, then you can add more, never butter or cream
• Add a few spices and toast them first and you will have dinner in 20 minutes

The recipe for the chick pea dish did not have paneer in it. Was it better with paneer? Absolutely!

This is a bit of a wet toasting, but Bal actually had each spice in its own section of the pan tossing gently for about a minute before mixing them all together.

Has she adjusted to her new environment, or what? Bal, you almost do not look comfortable with a frying pan in your hand. It is clear you know what you are doing, but you have climbed so far out of that pit in your village it is truly difficult to imagine you there…. except for your stories.

…and your passion.

I was wondering if we would get to eat the FRESH paneer, and yes we do! It will be the one in the chick pea dish!

I was mesmerized. It was like magic before my very eyes that she was able to make this in 20 minutes. But, I saw it, and she did. Now I will. (You watch!)

Bal is captivating. She blends her humour with her horrors to effectively I found myself actually laughing, often, about her childhood and young adult mis-adventures. But, really, they were not funny. That is the beauty of Bal. She weaves her story around you and through you and you don’t even realize how strong and valiant she is until the fabric of it rests upon you, and you feel it.

Valiance is a character trait that is very hard to come by. I have come by it, though, in some of my women friends, and I value it. The picture below makes me smile.

There is a poem by Duncan Campbell Scott that I recite when I think of these valiant women. And she dances.

And we dance.

And she feeds us…

body and spirit…

and we eat,

together.

The Forsaken
I
Once in the winter
Out on a lake
In the heart of the north-land,
Far from the Fort
And far from the hunters,
A Chippewa woman
With her sick baby,
Crouched in the last hours
Of a great storm.
Frozen and hungry,
She fished through the ice
With a line of the twisted
Bark of the cedar,
And a rabbit-bone hook
Polished and barbed;
Fished with the bare hook
All through the wild day,
Fished and caught nothing;
While the young chieftain
Tugged at her breasts,
Or slept in the lacings
Of the warm tikanagan.
All the lake-surface
Streamed with the hissing
Of millions of iceflakes
Hurled by the wind;
Behind her the round
Of a lonely island
Roared like a fire
With the voice of the storm
In the deeps of the cedars.
Valiant, unshaken,
She took of her own flesh,
Baited the fish-hook,
Drew in a gray-trout,
Drew in his fellows,
Heaped them beside her,
Dead in the snow.
Valiant, unshaken,
She faced the long distance,
Wolf-haunted and lonely,
Sure of her goal
And the life of her dear one:
Tramped for two days,
On the third in the morning,
Saw the strong bulk
Of the Fort by the river,
Saw the wood-smoke
Hand soft in the spruces,
Heard the keen yelp
Of the ravenous huskies
Fighting for whitefish:
Then she had rest.

The rest of the poem can be found here.

The traditions of Bal’s homeland live within her and she shares all the goodness she has chosen to retain. The rest, she has left behind, and she is clearly facing a wonderful new beginning as the new “Celebrity Chef on Food Network Television”! “I am the Spice Goddess, you know!” she announces with a wink and a twinkle and that ever-so-charming graceful wiggle that only Bal owns.

Paneer Recipe

Ingredients:

• 4 litres of 2% milk
• 1/2 cup plain white vinegar
• one 20 inch square piece of cheesecloth

Instructions:

1. Bring milk to a boil over medium heat in a large pot
2. Add vinegar; stir until mixture separates into solids and liquids
3. Drain the mixture through a sieve and a cheesecloth
4. Wrap the curd with the cheesecloth; place in a sieve and place a heavy weight on it
5. Let the water drain from it completely for 20 to 30 minutes
6. Remove cheese cloth and cut into small cubes; use immediately or store in a covered container for up to 5 days

Note: Pan frying with a skiff of oil helps to keep the paneer cubes from falling apart: cook with grapeseed oil over a medium hot pan until golden and do the same on the other side. This will freeze and thaw very well; wrap tightly for the freezer.

Paneer Pakura Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 cup chickpea flour
• 1 tsp (or more) fenugreek leaves
• 1 tsp Chana Masala
• 1/2 tsp Spanish paprika
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup (approx) water
• 1 pound paneer
• 2 tablespoons grapeseed oil

Instructions:

1. Mix first five ingredients together in bowl; add enough water to give the mixture the consistency of a thin pancake batter (see photo, above)
2. Cut the paneer into rectangles and dip into the batter to thoroughly cover entire piece
3. Heat oil over medium-high heat in non-stick pan; fry paneer on both sides until golden brown
4. Serve immediately with chutney

Fresh Mango Chutney Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup pineapple juice
• 1/4 cup red onion, chopped
• 1 tablespoon fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1 teaspoon Chat masala
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (approx.) mango, cubed

Instructions:

1. Place all ingredients, except the mango, into a food processor and blend until the consistency of a paste
2. Add mango; process until coarsely chopped
3. Chill well before serving

Note: this will keep three to five days in an air-tight container in the fridge

My Mother’s Chickpeas Recipe

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons grapeseed oil (high smoking point, and no flavour imparts from it)
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped garlic
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped ginger
• 1 tablespoon cumin seeds
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh tomatoes
• 1 green chili, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons Chana masala
• 1 tablespoon Spanish paprika
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups cooked chickpeas (or one 14 ounce can, drained and rinsed with fresh water)
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• (Bal also threw in the fresh pan fried paneer, and tossed it with this recipe before serving)

Instructions:

1. Place the oil, onion, garlic and ginger in the frying pan over medium high heat and cook for three minutes; move aside and add cumin seeds to toast for one minute
2. Move ingredients in the pan to toast all other spices for a minute in their own space inside of the pan
3. Stir in the tomatoes, chili and salt; reduce heat to medium low and cook for 5 minutes, stirring regularly
4. Add the chickpeas and cook for another minute; turn the heat off and cover the pan with the lid to sit a few minutes before serving
5. (Bal also threw in the fresh pan fried paneer, and tossed it with this recipe before serving)
6. Garnish with a sprinkle of cilantro
7. Serve with brown rice or Papaya Chicken

Note: Chickpeas take a long time to cook, so I usually make a big pot, and freeze them. I soak them overnight in hot water and boil them the next day for an hour, or until they can be crushed easily with a fork, then package and freeze.

Beavie didn’t meet Bal. He was mad at me when he saw her photos!

I awoke the the second morning in the mountains to a beautiful blue sky and a ray of sun sneaking through the window dancing around the floor of the room. I could see I would miss the tour of the kitchen this morning. Tomorrow.

The brisk air was revitalizing! Coupled with the feathery clouds circling the mountain rearing its peak to the warm fingers of the sun, I found myself dancing my way to the lodge.

This breakfast was not a repeat of yesterday’s.

The variety and unexpected delights were somewhat overwhelming. The brass stands that the chaffing dishes rested in were stunning.

I was disconcerted by the cereals. Everything else was so wholesome and lovingly prepared.

Ah! A little oatmeal was my choice of morning nourishment today. If yesterday was any indication of what was ahead, every session would probably included eating something again. This would be plenty!

Me and some of my table mates.

Heading out, still early, to get that front row seat, I saw the fruit and bars again beside the door to pocket in case you may be hungry later in the day. That made me smile.

And it was tempting. The bars looked really good!

I was the only one in the room where Chef Brett Yasukawa would be presenting the sushi making session. I like being first and I was really looking forward to this session because the word was out, “This is is a great session and you must go!”

It was clear this was to be a hands on session. Wonderful! This is so necessary, particularly with sushi. I have definitely tried my hand at it before. That is why I am here!

I snooped around “politely”, eyeing all the curiosities in the front of the room.

Beavie was just posting for me when suddenly Chef Yasukawa was there! This day, many did come to the session early. I was glad I had secured my “eager beavie” front row seat.

Chef Brett Yasukawa, 40, started in the industry at age 15 as a dishwasher. By his 17th birthday, Brett secured a sushi apprenticeship in Palo Alto which he completed. Graduating from the California Culinary Academy in 2000, Brett was also leading the opening team of Chinois and Spago Las Vegas for Chef Wolfgang Puck. After mastering his craft as a Sushi Chef, Brett traveled through the United States working with the famous Nobu restaurants in Beverly Hills, New York and Nobu Las Vegas which was awarded One Michelin Star. Restaurant Yasu, Brett’s namesake, opened its doors in 2007 to San Jose. Taking on apprentices of his own. With the window of opportunity opening at the famous ‘Tonga Room’ at The Fairmont San Francisco also in 2007, Brett became the Executive Restaurant Chef. Brett is now taking time to explore his personal passions outside of the kitchen while still consulting for restaurants.

“My style of cuisine is derived by old school methods but translated into a new form of uniqueness. It is not “fusion” food in any shape or form. I don’t force flavors together to create a theme. I learned traditional Japanese methods and express them through a 4th generation Japanese American’s eyes. It is simply how I cook.”

In the worlds of Chef Brett Yasukawa:

• Greetings, all! I am from CA and this is my first time in Canada
• As a Chef at the Fairmont in San Fran for a number of years; once you walk through the doors, you all become family. You are all part of the fairmont family here, and I want you tofFeel at home here, please…
• This is not a classroom; think of it as a fun dysfunctional sushi session and I am the captain! (Valerie: you needed to be there to see his wicked grin!)
• I am a Japanese trained sushi chef

I love sushi and have since one of my principals took me for lunch and had me try it. It is so delicate and pure. There is nothing like the texture or mouth feel of sushi.

• My sensei told me the most important thing about sushi is the rice
• It is so important to measure and take care of it
• I am going to demonstrate somethings and talk to you about the rice Upper right photo is the best brand of Japanese sushi rice)
• Then we will have a sushi pow-wow and you will all get up and roll your own. You don’t have to, but you will have the opportunity.
• The one thing I want to show you is from A to Z
• I will show you how to fix it and put it on a nice platter for a nice presentation so you can have great parties with sushi everywhere!

(Beavie is concerned: Sushi everywhere! Yikes! )

Making RICE in the worlds of Chef Brett Yasukawa:

• When making sushi, everyone can have great fish, but not great rice
• Treat every single grain of rice like it is your wife: my sensei told me that
• Handle it softly, massage it, make sure it’s wet and never hang it out to dry (Valerie: lots of giggles here, for sure!)
• As sushi is so simplistic, the elements have to be precise
• Costco carries Kokuho Rose rice which is “OK”
• Better rice is: Tamanishiki (photo above in the lower right corner of the 6 small photos); it is a short grain rice and a little more expensive. This is better for restaurants and TWICE as good for home cooks, so if you find it, buy it as the bag is big and you will have it for awhile (Valerie: Chef Brett actually sent me an e-mail after CIN telling me he was in Edmonton, and had found this rice over at T and T!)
• Most rice comes from the USA; Sacramento Valley is growing more rice for Japan than Japan does, now
• Rice pots and rice cookers are great and here are the recommended brands (you cannot break them!):
  • Panasonic
  • National

He passed around the two different kinds of rice you can use for sushi, and has clearly made his preference clear: the short grained Tamanishiki.

Making Rice Recipes as told by Chef Brett Yasukawa:

1.     Wash three cups of rice:

• measure each perfectly level into the cooker (room temperature water) and do what sensei said: wash and massage this rice 5-7 times FIRST and do it all at one time and do not leave out one grain
• strain out every single bit of water each time you wash it; this is a very important step to having good sushi rice

2.     Three cups of water:

• measured exactly
• wipe all grains of rice from the sides of the pan and submerge them in the water (or you might break your tooth on one of those hard little forgotten grains)

3.     Cook for 35 minutes, not 30 as in the recipe in the CIN book that has been provided to attendees

• soak  for 10-15 minutes in the water to warm up the grains before you push on the start button
• do not play peek-a-boo once you have started the cooking process: no peeking or the steam and the heat will pop out

4.     Test your rice: (do a trial batch to get used to the batch or kind of rice you are using: there may still be moisture in the grain, etc.)

• Elevation and relative humidity also affect your rice; you will need more water to cook the rice than in Hawaii (only @ 1/8^th of a cup more, for example)
• Take notes so you know what you did and what to do next time

There is no doubt about it: Chef Yasukawa takes his rice very seriously. I had NO idea that preparing the rice was so labour intensive and that cooking it was so precise.

5.     Sushi Vinegar: Make your own Amazu (all recipes follow at the end of this post):

• One part rice wine vinegar , sugar and salt (recipe is in the CIN book given to attendees and at the bottom of this post)
• Amazu will last forever in the back of your cupboard, so once you make it, you will have it
• OR, use it in things like: salsa, sandwiches (oil and vinegar); make a spicy mayo (Hellman’s, Amazu, and Saracha all mixed together: yum)

6.     Pour Amazu into the Hot Rice:

• The temperature of the rice must be hot as that is necessary for the amazu to absorb into the rice
• Use a rice paddle or a spatula to break up the rice (discard all sticky balls)
• Spread it out onto a sheet pan as you fluff it up (do not force sticky balls, discard them)
• In 5-10 minutes flip it over ; and in 5-10 more minutes flip it over again (still watch for sticky balls and discard them as they appear)
• DO NOT OVERMIX you rice

7.     Texture of Rice (is so important):

• A guy I was working with had me test his rice: “Here, try this” …as I picked it up, it held its shape, but in my mouth it dissipated and I could taste the texture and flavours etc.: that is how it should be
• Not the time when he went : “Here, try this”… and had a tight sticky ball that he could throw across the room and it would hold its shape and stick to the wall on the other side

How to eat sushi (an answer to a question from the crowd):

• turn the sushi over and dip the FISH in the sauce, not the rice
• enter it into your mouth the same way so the fish hits the palate first and the rice dissipates
• there are a lot of untrained sushi makers “out there” : they are just sushi rollers…. They do this: but you must have a light hand and a soft touch to ensure it holds its shape but will dissipate

• push the rice along the edges for your “super glue”; never water as the nori will dissolve
  • ichi togarshi  – means one spice
  • shichimi togarshi – means 7 spices

If you study the photos of Chef Yasukawa handling the rice, you can see how gentle he is with it. I had many more photos to study that these, and I was reminded just how carefully he worked with each roll: it was as though he was honouring the rice and the process of the food preparation. (Or, it could have been the influence of the Scotch at the bar the night before as he had quipped about that!)

Later, he explained that this kind of roll is much more difficult to make than an inside out roll as you cannot fit as much into this roll.

He was careful to point out how important it is to cut each piece with a clean cut using a very sharp knife and so that all are exactly the same height when displayed.

The spicy mayo went onto the plate and then he plated his rolls. What is in the bowl? Crab!

He topped each roll with a generous dollop of crab and a bundle of micro-greens. Stellar. And really delicious! The sauces and the sprinkles to actually add a sparkle to the flavour profile of each toll.

Now, it is our turn. He had volunteers join him at both sides of the table. What to do. Take notes or get my hands in the food. I started to take notes, but couldn’t stand it. I will definitely be getting my hands in the food second round.

• buy good nori: it is either wrapped in blue or silver (photo below )
• check the packaging to ensure the little silk pack inside it is dry, not wet (the little pouch the comes in food to keep it fresh); it should feel like little mini-marbles, not like one big lump (below, right)

Rolling Sushi as told by Chef Brett Yasukawa:

1.     Nori: place the shiny and smooth side on the cutting board; rough side up

2.     Loosen your rice (fluff it up): grab it with your finger tips (snowball size); see pictures below

3.     Place the rice across the top of the nori, then take it from the top and move it down: do not press it down; do not touch it too much

4.     Hands in and out of the water: only use your finger tips

5.     Bring the rice down across the nori: don’t press down, press across

6.     Turn the nori over with the rice side facing the table

7.   Place your filling on the nori

8.     (You must work on a moist cutting board, but not a wet cutting board) This is the most important part: roll it over gently, don’t push, and just tuck it under very carefully to ensure there is no space left inside.

Watch the delicate touch.

As Chef Yasukawa was helping others, I see there is a set up for us to enjoy the fruits of our labours already. Yum.

9.     Take the albacore and put one in the middle and one on each side on the diagonal of your roll, leaving a space in between and going over the edges

10. Take a slice of avocado and again and place the thin slice in between the albacore

11. Lay plastic wrap over the roll about ¼ of the way down

12. Throw rolling mat on top; use your thumb at the back of the roll and the mat (closest to you) and apply just a little pressure toward the roll; Then, with your index fingers on top, and the others around the roll, using a very light touch, but enough to shape the roll. Remove the mat.

Watch this series of movements as Chef Yasukawa takes us through the shaping of the roll using the mat.

Cutting Sushi

1. Leave the plastic wrap on the roll to cut it. Also, use the back part of your knife as it the least used and you need a very sharp knife to do this properly.
2. Use the back part of the knife to cut as that is usually the sharpest, leaving the wrap on, at a 45 degree angle, gently slice it down : six slices (you want avacado and fish on the top of each)
3. Reshape gently with the mat after slicing
4. Place and add sauce and seeds

He has cut each piece to include both the albacore and the avocado on each.

And a swirl of spicy mayo, some black sesame seeds and some tiny red roe: stunning!

My turn!

I mean: our turn! Wash the board and my hands… prepare my snowball of rice.

Place it across the top of the rough side of the nori (smooth side down) and gently move the rice down across the nori: to not pull it or press it.

The Inspector approves.

Turn it over and place fillings on top: cream cheese, turkey and cucumber. I was surprised by the choice of cheese. I thought a cardinal rule was to never serve cheese and fish together. I asked Chef about this and he shrugged and said that he had just thought up this combination. Essentially: if it tastes good, why not? It was delicious.

Turn to tuck in leaving no space inside. I found it easy to do this, but could see I didn’t have enough rice on the outside. He assured me it was fine.

This time, lovely salmon for the top.

Plastic wrap over the salmon.

Gently use your thumb up against the mat to move it into place.

With both hands, forefingers outstretched, others wrapped around the mat, gently shape the roll.

I got tail flapping and eager applause from my Beavie!

Voilà! (I would say it in Japanese, but I don’t know how!)

We did not slice our own sushi this day. Something else to look forward to!

Do you see the outstretched arms and sense the terror?

Neither of us could believe how gorgeous this roll was.

This one had Maple Terriaki Glaze and Cranberry Jus on top of each (the jus was made with cranberries, orange juice and sugar) for the Salmon Sushi and Hijiki (black seaweed) for garnish.

Notes about Sushi:

• Can be made up to (but no more than) 5 hours ahead
• use regular Kikoman soya
• Chef doesn’t even eat ginger with sushi to clean his palate

I cannot believe he is actually 40! Chef Yasukawa was great fun. His lively attitude, hands on approach and warm family atmosphere made this class a huge hit for me.

I popped the other one in my mouth on the way to my seat!

Holiday Surf and Turf Roll Recipe:

A smoked slamon and turkey roll with Maple Teriyaki Cranberry Jus

Ingredients inside the roll:

• smoked turkey
• cream cheese
• avocado
• kaiware spice sprouts (we didn’t use these and I didn’t ask about them)

Ingredients outside the roll:

• smoked salmon
• black and white sesame seeds
• kaiware spice sprouts (you will see that we didn’t use these)

Ingredients for the Maple Teriyaki Sauce:

• 3 parts teriyaki sauce and 1 part maple syrup (adjust ratio depending upon the flavours of the two ingredients you select)

Ingredients for the Cranberry Jus:

• puree whole cranberries, strain with fine strainer
• add sugar to taste and a dash or orange juice is it is too thick

Making Japanese Rice Recipe:

Ingredients:

• 3 cups Japanese short grain rice
• 3 cups water
• 1 rice cooker
• 1 strainer

Instructions:

1. Wash rice with room temperature water, running your fingers through it to lightly scrub the grains; drain thoroughly and repeat a minimum of three times
2. Use the strainer to discard all excess water from the washed rice
3. Add three cups of water, ensuring all rice kernels are immersed in the water, and not sticking to the sides of the pot
4. Cook: do not lift the cover for 35 minutes; this will enable the heat and moisture to develop perfect rice
5. See continuation: Making sushi rice, below, if necessary

Notes about Rice:

• Slightly more water will be required at higher elevations, or if the rice is from an older harvest (maximum to 1/4 cup more)
• Take notes when you cook your rice as it may be from an older harvest when you purchase it and you will not know until you cook it and then you will have to adjust the water amount for the next time
• Recommend that you use a Japanese rice cooker: panasonic or national
• Tamanishiki short grain rice is the best brand to use

Amazu Recipe:

Ingredients:

• 21/2 cups Japanese rice vinegar
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 3/4 cup kosher salt

Instructions:

1. Combine ingredients together and store

Making Sushi Rice Recipe:

Ingredients:

• 3 cups uncooked Japanese rice
• 6/10 cups of Amazu

Instructions:

1. After the Japanese rice has been cooking for 35 minutes, take the cover off and evening pour the Amazu over the rice
2. Using a spatula, empty the rice onto a sheet pan lightly mixing the Amazu into the rice
3. Break up and remove any rice balls
4. Do not comer this
5. Cool for 5 minutes on one side
6. Turn over and cool for 3 minutes on the other side
7. Reserve in a bowl with a damp towel or a few layers of damp paper towel covering the top

Notes about Sushi Rice:

• Adding the Amazu after the rice cools will result in the vinegar not absolrbing into the rice kernels
• Makig rice over the recommended amount in the rice cooker will result in cooking times over 35 minutes
• Over mixing the rice will result in mashed, broken grains that is too sticky to handle

“Christmas in November” from Yasu on Vimeo.

Make sure you check out the link above. Chef Yasukawa made it of his Christmas in November experience, and it rocks!

WHEW! There is something fishy going on around here! I'm sure glad smoked Beaver is not a delicacy!

As most participant of the Christmas in November event are women, the JPL team has done some work on their program to attract more men. Personally, I think the food and the accommodations are a deal, without a session. So, gentlemen, this is a conference for you if you don’t want to attend a thing. Come along, enjoy the scenery, go to the sessions that interest you, or just do some major communing with nature and meet us at the table at meal times and at the bar after dinner every night. This is definitely a place for men, too. And, to that end, I decided to attend this session to write about it so that all of the men who didn’t bother to come will get a little window into what they are really missing, as well as the fact that I really wanted to spend more time with Executive Chef Derek Ingraham. I was impressed with his warmth and openness the first evening and knew there would be plenty I could learn from him.

I arrived at the nick of time fresh off the gold cart with apple cider on my breath from Michael Smith’s session, but there was plenty of room in the great room space of the spacious Gardner’s Cottage. I found a little table with a plug in and a seat n the front as if I had called ahead! While there was still some idle chatter, I asked for a picture of our two presenters.

Schiralli Agencies is featuring Auchentoshan Classic, Glen Garioch Founder’s Reserve and Bowmore Legend malts. With 20 years culinary experience under his belt at the age of 37, Derek Ingraham is one of the youngest Executive Chefs within Fairmont Hotels & Resorts.  Derek’s vast experience ranges from menu development and cost controls to colleague training and recruitment. He is talented, passionate, and highly driven with a heartfelt dedication to ensuring his team thrive. And, most importantly he is passionate about using local produce, evident in the beautiful pieces of Spring Creek Ranch beef. I am not a Scotch drinker at all, but Vanja loves his single malts. Are you reading this Vanja? Let’s see if I took good enough notes for you!

But, first, wouldn’t you ask this man if you could get a closer look at his “skunk”? I did, and he posed unabashedly so that I could capture the perfect pic. Can you see Beavie’s shock? Beavie was about that close to this skunk, too. Let’s just say that while David Gordon from Schiralli Agencies in Edmonton has his skunk, I have my Beaver! Oddly enough, he is actually looking for a tail. I think that would definitely complete his outfit. He explained that a colleague has a different animal as aptly positioned in front of his kilt, and that he had a tail when he turned around. Now, that would be FUN! Maybe I am a Scotch drinker!

But, before we get to that, over to the island to start with the beef. I am all for that, too!

In the words of Derek Ingraham while preparing the Skirt Steak:

• These are cuts of beef people don’t usually use: brisket and skirt steak
• The Skirt Steak is down on the stomach in the animal; these are typically very tough cuts of meat, but the tougher the cut, the better the flavour
• Everyone is crazy about tenderloin as being the prime cut of beef, but it has the least flavour of any cut; that is why is is historically served with a rich sauce or some veal jus (Valerie: this was new information to me, and I am so into knowing that!)

• These tougher cuts must be cooked slow and low to melt the fat (Valerie, see the chart below for the brisket); the lower and slower, the better
• You must slice against the grain to have a tender cut of meat
• Cut the skirt steak into pieces, first

Dry Rub

• Use ingredients that your palate enjoys in your dry rub; get to know flavour and the kinds of ingredients in a dry rub, then make it to suit your taste buds
• Taste buds are like finger prints; there are no two the same
• Use really good ingredients in your dry rub

• (The smoked sea salt he really likes to use was passed around so we could all bury our noses in it, and it was smoky and I want my own!)
• Use a bigger salt with a tougher cut of meat: kosher salt is good
• Course ingredients in your rub as they help to break down the tendons
• The following are the foundation ingredients of a dry rub:
  • Smoked paprika
  • Chili
  • Dried oregano
  • Cumin
  • Brown Sugar

• Dried rubs are good for 6-8 months made with dried herbs

• Mix all ingredients together, and lay out just enough for a couple of the steaks on cutting board
• Rub meat right into it; keep your meat the  same direction as tendons and place on BBQ the same way so when you go to cut you are actually cutting against the grain (as you can sometimes no longer see it once it is cooked)
• Let meat sit in fridge for 3-4 hours; the moisture in the fridge liquefies the spices and herbs and then the dry rub marinates well
• If you marinate it longer, it will not make a difference

In the words of Derek Ingraham while preparing the Brisket:

• This cut again is best cooked, low and slow: the one on the barbecue that you will be tasting later has been out there 12 hours at about 200º F
• You can cook it at 225ºF up to 20 hours… etc… (Valerie: see the chart under the recipe, below)
• Tenderloin is the least flavourful though it is the most tender; thus the sauces that always pair with it
• I use (the following) in my marinade:
  • Big Rock Beer: Cleopatra (made in Calgary) or a Guiness
  • brown sugar
  • shallots
  • parsley
  • garlic
  • peppercorns, and
  • Canadian Whiskey
• Every 3-4 hours flip the marinating brisket and leave it for 24 hours in a wet marinade for a big piece of meat
• Finish it with a barbecue sauce of your choice: buying a bottled sauce that is basic and cheap and take it home and add brown sugar and onions and herbs and spices or whatever to it (Valerie: I add chipotle and horseradish to Cattle Boys sauce when I don’t have time to make my own)

Isn’t this a beautiful brisket? I cannot wait to get one from Spring Creek Ranch, myself!

It was nice to see the Chef so confidently prepare this marinade. He had a variety of salts and peppers and herbs and spices for us to explore. I thought I had seen everything available in this part of the world, but not at all. I found this long pepper at an open air market in Aix en Provence a couple of years ago and the gal I bought it from told me it was from Indonesia. It is like a small long pine cone shape and not so peppery, but definitely a very unique flavour. I found another wonderful pepper, too, you can see later on.

Above, is the beer the Chef used, and to the right, more skirt steak.

David Gordon introduces scotch in his own words while Chef Ingraham goes outside to barbecue the skirt steak:

• Now it was Scotch Whiskey that was originally made by barley
• Whiska Beefa (made by Angus) 5 gal in a wooden tank and Johnny Walker would sell it to his consumers; he wasn’t the maker of the Scotch, but the seller
• The demand grew: How can we produce more? 5 gal doesn’t go very far…
• Gent was  in Northern Ireland using a constant still producing wood grain alcohol (making a few hundred gallons of it) and put Angus’s Whiska Beefa in there: that was the birth of blended whiskey and became Johnny Walker Red Label
• 85% of all Scotches are blended
• 15% are single malts
• almost all malts are named after the family of the family of the blenders: Chivas were grocers; Justin and Brooks were grocers, etc
• Single malt means from one single distillery: no grain spirit added: pure Scotch Whiskey

Scotch Tasting in the words of David Gordon

• there are three regions in Scotland and we are tasting a scotch (low price range about $35.00 a bottle today)

Regions and Tastes

1.     Lowlands (below Glasgow and Edenborough): Sample One: Auchentoshan, Single Malt Scotch Whiskey

• There are regios in the lowlands, and one Single Malt Scotch for each of those regions (one for each) and never shall the two meet; you drink the one from your region, and that is that
• Auchentoshan is Triple Distilled so it has more elegance: similar to Irish Whiskeys; the other Scotch whiskeys are only double distilled, anymore
• There is no peat, (burning peatmoss….which has a musty dusty flavour) in this Scotch; they just don’t use it when they make their scotch in this region
• (The glasses have all been passed, and he hold his up and says:)
  • We can look at the colour and the legs and the whatever, but Pfff! (Valerie: in other words, that is irrelevant in the scheme of things)
• The colour takes a bit of play: the colour usually tells you what barrel it was aged in; it can age in bourbon or sherry: bourbon has more vanillas and softer flavours; sherry is darker and carries citrus flavours
• Younger whiskeys show off the region more
• Spirit has to age for a minimum of three years before it is considered Scotch: up to that it is called a British Spirit
• Scottish Raw Spirit has just recently began to sell this British Spirit, just recently bottled: it tastes very raw…. not aged yet, only casked for a few months
• Whiskey gets all of its colour and a lot of its flavour and character from its barrel
• 96 distilleries in Scotland all produce one spirit but that one spirit has many expressions: it is the age and barrel that make the difference
• The water opens it up and softens it and sticks itself to the alcohol flavour and helps you to get the flavour of the whiskey

(He had us just drop in a drop or two of water, literally, not much, but it enhanced the flavour immensely)

• I drink my younger scotches (and scotch is an oil based product) with a few drops of water; the fatty acids cling to the water and the flavour opens up once the drops are added to a young scotch
• Ice is a NO NO as the fatty acids will stick to the cubes and the flavour is gone with the cubes
• People drink scotch for flavour
• When adding water, add bottled or distilled water to omit the florides etc… I make a couple of trays of ice cubes for home with bottled or distilled water… but do not put them in your scotch!!

2.     The Highlands: anything above Glasgow and Edinborough: Sample Two: Glengary Founder’s Reserve Single Malt Scotch (this is a very small batch distillation; done only 30 times a year)

• This region is covered in heather and the water runs down through the roots of the heather and the flavour of the heather is definitely in the roots of the heather which, in turn, becomes a part of the flavour of the scotch from this region
• now that I introduced you how to taste the scotch, I will not take as long with these other two tastings; taste it with and without the drops of water
• Can you tell the difference (Valerie: I could definitely tell the difference of the scotch with and without the water, but I was the only one with my first sample still not picked up by the server, and I compared the two. Honestly, where was the heather, and the difference, for that matter? It was there, but so very subtle, I could only determine there was a little difference. I couldn’t even identify which was which, yet… but the difference was very subtle to my palate)
• hint of smoke as they introduce peats into the production of it in this region
• hint of toast, more floral notes
• fruitiness like a Christmas pudding: pour this over your Christmas pudding when you light it up! (Valerie: It did smell like it would be incredible on a pudding!)
• heather, honey and a bit of spiciness
• Cast strength whiskey (not diluted for bottling) is 40- 50% out of the cask
• non-chill filter (big distilleries filter their whiskeys to filter out the fatty acids to avoid clouding over) but non-chill filters will cloud over when cold, as a good Scotch should
• when it gets cold the fatty acids will start to congeal; the fatty acids are where the flavour is ( a lot are filtering them out to keep it clear, and to take some of the powerful flavours away some may not care for)
• the makers collect barley and they need it to germinate to naturally crack open so they stop the germination process and heat it up and dry it to get it to crack open naturally; burning a nice wood fire with wet moist granulated peat which creates a huge plumb of moist dense fog or smoke which starts a kilning process ( a room the size of a school gym) and it sits there in this dense smog up to 48 hours: we can control the peatiness by how much peat we put on the fire
• Highlands throw peat on for 4-5 hours off for 10 hours and again on for 4-5 hours and off for ten
• Then, they boil it; suck the water off, boil it, suck the water off, boil it, suck the water off, and give the cows the porridge left over
• Leaving liquid that needs to be distilled
• 99% of all scotch is now double distilled – only the first sample triple distills (Irish double distills, now, too)
• It runs through the stills and we capture it and age it
• 78% alcohol gets captured for barrels (the head and the heals keep going until….they become part of the 78% capturing process… some run through 14 times before capturing, but eventually we get it all

3.     Islay Island: Sample Three: Bowmore Islay Single Malt Scotch

• Islay region is the region that produces the granddaddy of all scotches
• Salty and a sea
• there is enough peat on that island to support the whiskey industry for another 50 thousand years
• until the 50’s, it was the only thing used to heat the houses there and still today, several are heated by the peat on the island
• it is south of the Hebridean Islands
• there are 9 distilleries on the island and all are private
• the island is 32 kilometres around
• population is 800 and Tourism and World Fly fishing Championship are their two main industries, besides making single malt scotch
• 1994 Morris and Bowmore was bought by Japan; the VIP was visiting and the water in his five star hotel came out brown (water there runs through peat bogs)
• Big bold and smoky scotch– you can really taste the smoke – most character, most fluctuation in flavours of all scotch; it is the granddaddy of scotch due to that
• Tide is in 7 months a year on the island and the sea water seeps into the vault and empowers the flavours
• Bowmore 12 is best selling of all
• Bowmore 25 is award winning; the family won the best brown spirit for years and now it is called the Bowmore award, though they are no longer able to enter
• As it ages, it evaporates, that is why it is so expensive:
  • Angel share 750 literes went in 300- 400 left
  • 2% evaporates every year and goes to the angels
  • 260 million bottles or litres of whiskey evaporate every year
• So, whiskey is the life’s blood of Scotland
• Scotish Toast:
  • Salengeva
  • Salongevar – response

Amanda, the JPL hotel manager added, in a perfect broague, that when she was young, a friend used to say: “I’m thirsty, not dirty!” It was very funny as it had to do with the meaning of the original toast. I did ask how to spell it. I cannot find it anywhere, or a translation for it, either. If anyone could hep with this, it would be appreciated: what does the toast mean?

Chef is back! I really wanted to go out and visit with him the entire time he was cooking the meat, but decided to gather this information for Vanja. I have no idea how he cooked it. But, whatever he did, it was the best beef I have eaten in my entire life. I was actually dreaming about it for two days. I know I rarely eat meat, which could be why. But this was so tender and absolutely delicious. There is no other word. Well, succulent. Delicious. Scrumptious. YUM! The skirt steak was my favourite, but the brisket was brilliant, as well.

Chef is reminding us to let the meat rest, and to cut it against the grain.

Has anyone used the pepper below? I have never heard of it, but I salivated when sniffing it!

Below, to the right (and the pink piece on the left) is the skirt steak. The brown piece is the brisket. Oooooozing with flavour. Both of them. Michael Smith, look what Chef Ingraham has done! He has a story to tell that you might be interested in hearing. He is a very gifted Chef.

And, with juices dripping from my fingers and still chewing on a morsel, I ran out to catch the waiting shuttle back to the main lodge.

Not too many questions. I got it. I will be making this soon. And, I will teach Vanja… do you want to learn how to do this all by yourself, Vanja? You are the BEST Chef SOUS, ever!!! I am happy enough with that, for sure! XO

Derek Ingraham’s Dark Beer Spring Creek Ranch Brisket Marinade Recipe

Ingredients for the Marinade:

• one ounce Guinness Stout Beer (room temp.)
• 2 garlic cloves
• one ounce of soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon vidalia onion, minced
• 1 teaspoon shallots
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon fresh tarragon
• 1/4 teaspoon fresh parsley
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon salt

Instructions for the Marinade:

1. Finely chop garlic, shallot, and onion; set aside in a small bowl
2. Finely chop parsley and tarragon and add to the above bowl
3. Add the remaining ingredients; mix well to combine and rest for 30 minutes to blend the flavours
4. Marinate the brisket for 12 hours or overnight
5. Cook according to chart, below

Temperatures for a whole Spring Creek Ranch Brisket:

• 225°F for up to 20 hours
• 250°F for up to 16 hours
• 275°F for up to 12 hours
• 300°F for up to 8 hours

Derek Ingraham’s Spring Creek Ranch Barbeque Skirt Steak with a Dry Rub Marinade Recipe

Ingredients for the Dry Rub:

• 4 tablespoons sweet paprika
• 2 tablespoons ground cumin
• 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
• 4 tablespoons kosher or sea salt or 2 tablespoons salt
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon ground white pepper
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper

Instructions for the Dry Rub:

1. Combine all ingredients in a bowl; sprinkle heavily on meat (rub the meat right into it as described with photos, above)
2. Refrigerate meat in a zip lock bag of tightly sealed container for 2 to 8 hours
3. Barbecue meat with your favourite barbecue sauce

Tips for the Dry Rub:

• Use 1 to 2 tablespoons of dry rub per pound of meat
• Rubs can be mixed and stored in an air tight container for up to three months, or in the freezer for up to six months
• Keep a record of what you add to your rub for future reference (if you really like it, it’s nice to know what you actually put into it!)
• When mixing and storing rubs, date the container
• Do not reuse remaining rubs that have been in contact with raw meat

Setting the mood is key to everything. Michael Smith walks his talk. He is the quintessential teacher. Teaching the importance of cooking at home has become his life’s work. It is also my daily mantra at school: cook at home! Outside of his session, the aromatic scent of Christmas wafted through the air. Apple cider! Nothing says it more. Get your cup of Christmas and come in and site down in this homey environment set up to warm the soul. Before he opened his mouth, he had spoken volumes.

I did arrive early as I am prone to do to almost everything I am excited to attend. I liked the rustic nature of the set. The plates with little squares on them, below, perked up my curiosity. Hmmm?

This was Beavie’s first session. He was in a playful mood! When he saw the stag, that was it for him: “Let me ride ‘em!” And up he went. Whoo-hoo! We had fun playing in the room all by ourselves. The JPL host standing at the door watching me was certainly more than curious.

Michael was actually in the room on his laptop when I first entered. He didn’t even raise his head. He was open and warm throughout the conference, but impossible to take a good photo of. He was always moving. He was receptive, but not interested. That was kind of sad. I did love him, though, and I have not been a big fan of his through his TV shows. They are important and good, but somehow, seem so scripted. Well, they are. I like a little more free form learning, I guess. By receptive and not interested, I mean that when he did raise his head from his computer, he apologized for being so focused. Certainly, I understood. Later, I was able to say a couple of words about my appreciation of his focus on children and getting parents to cook delicious, nutritious food for their kids. He said it had become his life’s work. I then said, “mine, too.” and he just nodded. He missed out. I suppose there have been times in my life where I felt I didn’t need to hear one more story or learn one more thing in a certain area, or talk to one more person in depth… but, I have learned now that there are so many interesting stories in the most unsuspecting places. I would have loved to have held an engaging conversation with Michael at that time… or even later. But, he was really not interested. Fortunately, my ego could take it!

He left me plenty of time in the room to myself with Beavie. We each had our own chairs on the front row… maybe that is what altered my credibility!!

Michael came in and was so warm and welcoming. He invited all to fill their cups before he started and the room was fragrant with cinnamon and cloves and apples and warmth.

He started with his personal story. A bit of it. This has been his 12th year to Christmas in November (unlike the information in the Scavenger Hunt on the bus here!) and he is the host! The photos on the screen when we came in were his from his new cookbook that will be published in the fall. He said that he finds when he is in Jasper each year that he is inspired to write a lot here. The setting inspires his work and that it is wonderful to “be the cook” over Christmas, as it is so important!

Briefly, Michael’s story in his own words:

• he attended Art school first, but cut couldn’t produce a product by 5pm on Friday
• he started to work at a restaurant part time as the sous chef during art school
• the chef moved and he became the Chef at 22
• he was at the top of his fame, but then her quit because he didn’t trust his knowledge base
• he enrolled at the CIA in NYC and had enough money for the first semester; as luck would have it (“horseshoes fall on me on a regular basis: I am truly blessed”)…. I was invited to cater a small dinner party one weekend
• and without realizing it, I was being auditioned for the position of Chef for a women who had a very important high society catering company in her community; the dinner party was for 8
• within 3 months, I am catering huge parties almost every weekend for hundreds’s of people with linens and silver and acrobats and bears and hiring all my friends to help
• doing this almost every weekend, one of her friends asks me if I would be interested in catering his corporate Christmas party: his name was Buddy (Valerie, here: I had a feeling we were all to know who Buddy was. I hadn’t a clue)
• it took two months to plan the party; on the appointed day at the appointed hour, I arrive at his home, but I cannot find the house. I am in front of the locked gate, but can’t get in when the gate opened and I go a good kilometer into the woods and the house was on top of the hill with a beautiful view. Now this house was as big as the entire JPL. Now I am really nervous.
• The butler opens the door, takes me into the kitchen; I have come to know that the bigger, the more expensive the kitchen, the more likely no one cooks; I  was ushered into a showroom kitchen
• First guests arrived and I know that I am just the help at this play
• I put my Chef’s hat on an d moved out into the room: looks great…. people were gathered around the piano singing carols, nibbling… etc.
• Haven’t seen the client, but all is well
• then Buddy comes in and wants to know when the party is starting; I thought it was going beautifully
• So, I made some mulled apple cider: party is now louder and talking and wild…
• Some one put some cider in the dog dish…the party has started!
• Buddy came back to the kitchen and insists upon more cider

This story continued at depth and at length with the idea being that the more cider, the wilder the party and the happier the host until:

• the party has gone completely crazy….
• I was packing up to go and Buddy wants one more round so we make another round and leave it on the stove and take off
• Point is: have a trick like mulled apple cider up your sleeve!

Michael Smith impressed me. He is a captive story teller. He used repetition and eloquence. He was articulate and expressive. This was unscripted… well, definitely memorized, but not read from a teleprompt of a script in hand. This introductory moment captured me completely. I am now a fan. Still sad that he is not interested in me. But, a fan, none the less. The adept integration of the introduction was not lost on me, either (as the master teacher).

Michael held up his business card for all of us to see. Under his name, instead of Chef… Executive Chef, Freelance Chef… or whatever incredible titles he owns and could have printed there, he had “Caramelizer” printer under his name. This represents flavour and I am all about bringing optimum flavour to everything I make be it sweet or savoury! I was again, enamoured. The Caramelizer. Hmmm. What am I? Valerie Rodgers Lugonja, B. Ed… The Learner? The Educator? The Blogger? … all completely miss the point. What am I? Valerie Rodgers Lugonja, B.Ed: Makes it Happen. That’s it! My by-line, after my e-mail has been “make it happen” for years. I listen; I do. I am the consummate stealer of everyone else’s best idea; then I take it, and make it my own. Others come up with great ideas, but often do not put them into motion, or actualize them. That is it: Valerie Rodgers Lugonja, BEd: The Actualizer. I do that. I make things happen. I am intrinsically driven.

Thank you. Michael Smith. Because of you, my new business cards will read Valerie Rodgers Lugonja, BEd: The Actualizer. I love it!

There was a similar theme here, to the Olsen’s morning session: keep it simple. Instead of adding sugar to the pan to make caramel, as Chef Anthony at LeNôtre had so intently taught me (and I managed to accomplish), Michael Smith says to do the following…

How to Make a Failsafe Rock Solid Works Every Time Caramel in the words of Michael Smith:

• adding water: twice as much as you need, then taking it away works every time
• (he covered the bottom with water and sprinkle sugar over it)
• the water evens out the temperature in the pan; a to 1 ratio easily dissolves sugar, 2:1 is even easier (the amount does not matter as you will boil it all away, anyway)
• once the sugar is in the pan, it takes quite a while to turn brown, and then the window between it turning brown to it being perfect is very, very small; this method increases your window of opportunity, and is full proof (no one can make a good caramel without adding water to the pan, no one!)
• it works because the water is limiting the temperature of the pan
• sugar starts to brown at 340°F and it is easily 120°F away from that right now
• once it gets to 340°F,  by 370°F it is black and burnt; we wait forever to get to this specific temperature, and VERY shortly thereafter, it will burn; the window of opportunity is very small (Valerie adds: exactly the same kind of tips were given with whipping cream and egg whites in the morning session by Anna Olsen: really valuable information, me thinks!)
• Never stir caramel. NEVER. It will turn into sand.
• the syrup will splash up on the edges of the pot; the edges are a lot hotter than the bottom of the pot, and the pure sugar on the sides of the pot crystallizes, then falls into the bottom of the pot and crystallizes the entire pot (crystals beget crystals!)
• this is a metaphor for all good cooking: we took something bland and white with zero flavour (only sweet to the taste) and we are adding lots of flavour, nuances and intricacies through caramelization. Through technique, we add flavour!
• Michael Smith’s Title: “Caramelizer”. (Valerie: This is when he shared that with us.)
• once it thickens and the water is gone, swirl a little to even out the heat…DO NOT STIR; swirl the pan to even out the heat only
• the cooking will not stop immediately when taken off of the heat, therefore, have your mise en place to shock the caramel sugar
• so we now add the cider; see the mess in the bottom of the pan, (Valerie: there is a hard gooey mess) but don’t turn off the heat: bring it back to a simmer to “melt the mess”
• Tropicana Apple Juice is in the Frozen Juice section and it is really  Apple Cider (to use after cider season); it works wonderfully
• and add a little more fruit juice: red wine, maybe!
• don’t use a light white summer sipper, or a Merlot: you want the chewy reds: the Cabs, the Shirez etc….

And at this point, Michael stopped and gave every one a lesson on how to use a corkscrew.

How to Use a Corkscrew in the words of Michael Smith:

• don’t look at the tip of the corkscrew
• place the centre of your corkscrew over the centre of the cork: centre over centre
• Spin the bottle, then turn it the rest of the way (for some reason, we DON’T spin the bottle!)
• Use a double levered corkscrew: use the first one, then the second, then open it

How to Make Apple Cider in the words of Michael Smith:

• pour the bottle of wine into the caramel and apple cider mixture (Valerie: he showed us how to empty a bottle in 10 seconds by tilting it to the side and swirling it to let air in and then that air forced the wine out as he continued to pour and swirl; then he commented that most chefs don’t know how to do that)
• now, what do we add: something sweet, or something savory?
• (Holding up cinnamon sticks, he asks) what are these for? Nothing! Garnish: in they go. There is no other reason to have them in the kitchen, except for garnish (Though, the Spice Goddess may disagree)
• (He put the cinnamon sticks in, and added) these will actually impart flavour here, as they will steep for quite some time
• a bay Leaf will give the cider a wonderful neutral aromatic flavour: it is a familiar neutral aromatic flavour
• Add lots : 3-5
• Star anise: small handful
• no boiling vigorously…  ensure that it barely simmer for flavour absorbtion to happen
• cloves in orange in: why? Because it looks good…
• after 20 minutes of simmering… vast majority of alcohol is gone (but not all, so if any of you cannot have any at all, this is not the drink for you
• mulling is warming with aromatic flavours.
• use any liquid under the sun: Cider, Apple Juice and Wine do taste particularly good together
• the challenge is to not get it to taste like Apple Pie: we want more savoury grown up flavours in it
• and why not use caramel instead of sugar: there is definitely more flavour in the caramel!
• Question from the audience brought about this answer: Caramel that you shock with butter is butterscotch (Butter scorch = butterscotch)
• 4: 1 (1 cup sugar and ¼ cup of sugar = caramel syrup); If I put ¼ cup water into the original caramel mixture instead of the cider, I could have a lovely pancake syrup

As Michael is working fervently to teach us all to cook without a recipe, he did not include this recipe in the program, however, he did have copies of is printed at the front for those that absolutely had to have one. All recipes follow at the end of the post.

Now for a fun activity! The plates were being passed out and Michael announced that we were going to do a sugar cookie tasting! I love tastings! You may have noticed. I tried posting one a month, but that was impossible for me, so I post as many as I can. I have learned a lot through them, and this was no exception, and so much fun. Beavie loves games, too!!!!

Sugar Cookie Tasting via Michael Smith:

• cookies were passed out on plates and had been “glued into position” with a dab of icing sugar and water; the chocolate swipe marked the starting point, and we then tasted each in a clockwise fashion

The Tasting Game:

• Every one taste the first bite: when you think you know what it is, put your hand up
• Who agrees, hands up: those that were wrong, sit down (but you can keep tasting and playing)
• We played until there was one standing

Flavours made: (one heaping teaspoon of each dried spice and one heaping tablespoon of each dried herb into a typical batch of sugar cookie dough)

• Nutmeg
• Rosemary
• Thyme
• Star anise
• Cardamom
• Pink Peppercorn
• Brown flour
• Curry

Every single one was absolutely delicious, and some were very savoury, even though this was a sugar cookie recipe. Michael’s point: play with flavour! I do this with my students all of the time at the end of each little mini-unit: Play with your Food (now design your own recipe within the constraints of the new learning)!

Brian, the JPL Chef that was tending to this session had made all of the tiles of cookies and said that it did take more than a little while! Brian, thank you! We had such fun! I hope you also got to play this game… well, you knew the flavours. But, big hug for all of your hard work. It was so very worth it! I will see what I can do with a double batch of cookies to have a fun family tasting over the holidays with sugar cookies. YUM. Thank you, Michael! I am definitely inspired!

The cinnamon sticks and the simmering cider. The aroma was so inviting!

Below, we are all dutifully playing the same with the more serious intent, and shocked by having to sit down. I did well, but thought that the thyme was sage! And knew the pink peppercorn. I knew it. (I should have; I have made pink peppercorn French Macarons) but I could not identify that one, either. The rest were a piece of cake for my sophisticated palate (hahahaha)!

A little more entertainment from the Michael Smith kitchen. He has been here for 12 years and does one session a day for 7 to 10 days here, every year, so it is apparent he has worked to fill our time with good information, good food, intense learning and a lot of laughs. What more could one ask?

Here is the Jasper Park Lodge Food Network Set, he announced, and asked for a volunteer. I wish I saw her name. She wasn’t wearing it, but she was a hoot! No one could have done this gig better! See her dramatic entrance through the door?

And as Michael talks and tells us what he does to make his Apple Cider Roast Chicken, she is to be doing everything he was saying. It was quite hilarious.

Roasting a Chicken in the words of Michael Smith:

• first of all, you need a really good chicken: one with flavour that was loved by a local farmer
• any kind of root vegetables and apples can be placed under the chicken with  one rosemary strand and some aromatics (onion, garlic, celery)
• at home, we’re just making dinner: as long as we make the choice to actually cook dinner for our families, we are doing OK! Don’t stress about the perfect ingredients; use what you have!
• season the mixture in the roasting pan
• place the  chicken on top and season it
• pour the cider over the chicken to add moisture
• Pre-heat the oven at the 350°F to 400°F range (that is the roasing range)
• spend a little money on a meat thermometer: at 165° F, the inside will be perfectly cooked and the chicken, still juicy
• I never stuff a turkey as the interior cavity helps cook the meat faster when empty
• I never slice a chicken
• I tear the meat off, leave it in the pan; bones go into the stock pan and leave wings in the stew pot, whole
• when making the broth or stock, simmer broth for 2 hours: never boil a broth
• Now is the time to add the aromatic herbs: a bay leaf, or few, and a sprig or two of rosemary

Michael showed us the rustic chop of the vegetables in the pan. The JPL Food Network Star was hamming it up.

And, as Michael said, with the magic of Food Network, here is our roasted chicken… all ready after one commercial break! At this point, he took the help and demonstrated his pulling apart of the roasted chicken. there wasn’t a knife in sight. Well, maybe there was, but he literally pulled it all apart: bones in one pot, meat, skin and wings on top of the apple mixture, then tossed it together. See it below?

The final garnish of green onion was added and Chef Brian then plated the tastes for each of us.

I think we all need to stop here for a moment. Well, in case anyone has read this far.. stop with me here. I have had a chicken or few in my life. This roast chicken was the best I have ever eaten. I know I am saying that too often already, but it is simply the truth. I was not at all hungry, so it wasn’t may hunger that made it so tasty. It was how it was cooked. Once again, I was blown away… literally. Over here stuck on the wall!!!

Again, this was like being inside of Michael Smith’s TV show and getting to taste the food. I never imagined, believed, trusted… thought… that anything this simple could be this good. I do know better, but that is what happened. Unbelievable.

And my bags were packed and I was running to the main door, “Hello! Can I get a lift to Gardner’s Cottage?” Absolutely, ma’am. Would you like to wait for a vehicle, or are you all right with the golf cart! “Golf carts are my favourite way to go!” So we were in and off with me snapping shots on the way and I arrived to my Scotch Tasting and Barbecue Session (particularly for men) with moments to spare. Don’t miss that post, either! Executive Chef Derek Ingraham, of JPL, also blew me away. (Maybe it was the weather that weekend?) No! It was the genius behind the stove… each and every time.

If you are still with me… tell me who you are on your business card, according to the Michael Smith school. I would love to know. It is fun to think about it.

XO

Valerie Rodgers Lugonja, B. Ed.: The Actualizer

Michael Smith’s Mulled Holiday Cider

Ingredients:

• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup water
• 2 litres of fresh cider
• 1 orange
• 24 cloves
• 4 cinnamon sticks
• 4 bay leaves
• 2 branches of rosemary
• 8 star anise pods
• 1 teaspoon of pure vanilla
• 1 bottle of any chewy red wine

Instructions:

1. Spike the orange with the cloves
2. Pour the water into a medium sized saucepan large enough to hold the cider and the wine; add the sugar and begin heating over high heat
3. The mixture will form a syrup and come to a boil; continue simmering as the water boils away: DO NOT stir of shake the pot
4. When the syrup begins to brown around the edges, gently swirl the pot until the resulting caramel is a beautiful golden brown
5. Working quickly and carefully, add the cider to “shock” the caramel and prevent it from further browning (it will splatter, so be careful!)
6. Bring the entire mixture to a simmer
7. Add the orange spiked with cloves, and all remaining ingredients, except the wine, to the cider
8. Simmer another 30 minutes, or so, and then add the wine
9. Bring the mixture back to a simmer and then serve immediately in a festive mug; garnish each with a rosemary sprig

Note: after simmering for 20 minutes, most of the alcohol will be gone

Michael Smith’s Apple Cider Roast Chicken Pan Stew Recipe

Ingredients:

• 4 local apples quartered and cored
• 1 onions, peeled and cut into chunks
• 1 bulb or garlic, peeled and divided into crushed cloves
• (any root vegetable, Chef used carrots, here)
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 2 large sprigs of fresh rosemary
• 1/2 cup apple cider
• 1 four pound (or so) roasting chicken
• 2 thinly sliced green onions

Instructions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 350°F
2. Toss the first five ingredients in the bottom of roasting pan; season well with salt and pepper
3. Add cider
4. Season chicken well with salt and pepper; rest it, empty, on top of apple mixture
5. Roast until a thermometer inserted at the thickest part reads 165°F (about 20 minutes per pound)
6. Rest the meat in the pan, lid off; when cool enough to handle (10 to 15 minutes) slice, cut, pull shred, tug and otherwise remove the meat from the carcass (leaving the wings as they are with the pan stew)
7. Save the bones for stock making
8. Toss the meat with the apple pan stew; sprinkle with green onions; serve and share

Hey, Valerie: "Remember: It's not what's on the table, it's who's at the table!"

Another life changing day. Last summer on my way to Europe I bought My Life in France by Julia Child to read on the plane because it was on sale at the airport and I had forgotten to bring a novel. I ate up every word on my way over, but didn’t think I’d be in Paris at Le Cordon Bleu the following summer. Vanja surprised me with a week in Paris enroute to his parent’s home in the Balkans this summer and I surprised him with all of the cooking classes I booked there!

The Bread Baking Atelier was the only full day course available the week we were there that fit into our schedule. I was excited. I had just taken a Bread Baking course with my Bread Baking Idol : Richard Bertinet, at his Cookery School in Bath, UK, when we were in London, in March. This would be the perfect follow-up: Le Cordon Bleu.

Our last Saturday in Paris, July 17th, 2010, I got up super early (as usual) and was down for coffee at 7 am. I found my way to the Jussieu Metro Station close by (on the Left Bank, where we were staying) and followed the Metro route Vanja and I had mapped out the night prior, arriving at my the final stop by 8 am. I had thought rush hour traffic might mean delays, but not this morning. It was Saturday. What was I thinking?

I found myself on a main street that was not too busy with a grocery store already open and thriving across from my final metro destination (below, left). It was still a little before 8 am. Two very short turns and half blocks later, I found myself on a very quiet car-lined street and saw the familiar “bleu” on a windowsill on the right hand side of the street about one third of the way up. It was very a inconspicuous and reserved swipe of colour and I couldn’t be sure this was the clue I needed until I drew closer. I crossed the street to take my first photo (below, right). The street was eerily quiet and I savoured that moment.

This understated street had held the soles of many passionate and determined food lovers padding their way to this highly esteemed culinary institute. And, here I was. On this street. Thinking of all who had come before. This unexpected silence gave me time to reflect upon my good fortune just to be standing here alone… in this silence. To think and to savour and to just be in the moment… thinking and savouring on this fine morning filled with promise.

I walked across the street and peered into the windows. The silence was broken by two people coming down the street from the end opposite of me speaking to one another in very loud and animated tones. I moved back across the street…

…watching the boisterous couple stand in front of Le Cordon Bleu peering into the window exactly as I had moments before. Then they entered: …quiet, again.

Oh! They are open. I will go in, too. It was only 8:10 am. (Above is a view of direction I had come from with Le Cordon Bleu on the left.)

I was greeted warmly by the bilingual (at least) receptionist, providing me a package and directing me to the breakfast room to enjoy a French breakfast, and await being picked up by our English Translator for the Bread Making Atelier. The room was charming and filled with young students in professional looking cooking jackets. Clearly, these students were not taking day courses. Most had photo ID around their necks and were in small groupings drinking wonderful steamy cups of strong French coffee and chatting and laughing together before their morning class.

I took a chair at the empty table you see below to the left. I placed my precious package on it, and went to get a coffee. I adore French coffee. Not enough, I suppose, to drink it at home, but I would not dream of drinking anything else while in France. It is a definite part of the vacation charm. I do add milk. Just a little. And the orange juice was fresh and vibrant and provided just the boost of energy I was missing without knowing it!

I admired the rolls,  but didn’t indulge. Then I sat and unpacked my package with trembling fingers. The confident students were leaving in small groups and their seats were filling with others, like myself, with new packages and nervous smiles anticipating the magic of this and wondering how it would unfold.

A knowledgeable couple joined me and we engaged in a lively visit. The gal insisted on taking my photo once I put on my apron and now I am happy she did! I never saw them again. There was another Atelier for a half a day on Entertaining Friends that they were going to. Very shortly after, a woman who was to become our Translator, called our class to the door and took us up three flights  (there were four in the building, I think) to the Bread Baking Class. Enroute, (and in front, as always – or trying to be… pant, pant…) I tried to take it all in.

Here I am! Hello, hallowed halls! Hello, Julia! Hell-o! Hell-ooo!

Hello, Chef Daniel Walter! He was waiting for us in the kitchen busy prepping with two student assistants. The classroom was warmed immediately as his smile drew us in. What a lovely human being. This man was the most warm, kind, passionate person and our Chef for the day. He spoke no English during the class, though it was clear he understood some. However, our Translator, whose name I have (so unfortunately) long forgotten, was incredible. Her timing was impeccable. Her descriptions precise. Her caring about our questions and our personal needs and understanding surpasses any possible expectations of mine. Chef Walter communicated so much knowledge and humour through his twinkling blue eyes. This was definitely the perfect pair for our day.

The facility was also perfect. The class usually accommodates 14 students. Today, there were 10, so there was plenty of room for us on the most massive granite island I have ever laid my eyes upon. But, this IS Le Cordon Bleu! What else did I expect? Really, I have no idea. I had no expectations, and the only frame of reference I had was that of the images painted in my head through Julia’s novel. Her room was in the basement. This one was on the third floor. Her room was a modern room for the 1950′s. This is the year 2010. Probably some things never will change, but so much has. Each chose a place around the island in front of the  “working place settings”.

I chose to be on the side of the island near the door in the middle, right beside the gal above with the pink band. And, lucky for me, because the room was so open, Chef Walter chose to work directly across from me, instead of at the end of the island where he usually does (he said).

I smelled chocolate. Directly behind me was a chocolate tempering machine (above, left) and it must have been turned on for quite awhile. The aroma was intoxicating! To the right, above, is the entrance to to the room flanked on one side by a set of double ovens (that makes four commercial convection ovens) and flanked on the other side of the entrance by a proofing machine, the tempering machine and room for the sheet trolleys.

“Ah-hem!” Came the humour filled throat clearing from Chef Walter. Our adventure was to begin!

I have prepared an additional three instructional posts of this complex day to simplify the happenings and hopefully make it possible for me, and you, to be able to bake wonderful bread from this shared experience:

• Bread Baking in Paris at Le Cordon Bleu: White Bread and Rye Bread
• Bread Baking in Paris at Le Cordon Bleu: Kugelhof, Fougasse and Country Loaf with Tips on Epi
• Bread Baking in Paris at Le Cordon Bleu: Tips on How to Shape Brioche

Above, are the links to the posts that will follow this overview.

After our morning of friendship building, dough making and bread baking, noon hour had arrived and it was time for our scheduled lunch. We were all ready for a little nourishment. Especially water. I had no idea how dehydrated I had become throughout the morning. We returned to the same room where we had been served breakfast. The nourishment that had been prepared for us was truly lovely, and again, unexpected.

I was struck by the focus on health and simplicity. Melon and prosciutto is a classic combination, yet this was without hesitation, the best melon I have ever tasted. It reminded me of my first trip to the Balkansand eating a tomato. My taste memory of tomato was reawakened from my childhood. Yet, I had no previous experience with a melon this flavourful. The prosciutto laced it with salt and wrapped it in a bold chewy, yet melt-in-your-mouth texture all at once: heaven on this hot summer day.

I think this shrimp and avocado combination has been a regular on their lunch menu as there are a couple of other posts about Atelier’s at Le Cordon Bleu that mention this dish. And, why not? It is gorgeous, delicious, nutritious, and easy to put together.

The egg, mushroom and tomato salad followed with a similar presentation.

There was also tossed salad and dressings.

The buns awaited at the end of the line with the red wine and the fuzzy fresh fragrant peaches. I had water, but I so very much appreciated the possibility of the wine for lunch. It was just perfect.

When our Translator stood in the lunch room, we all knew our 45 minutes had expired. Back to the classroom for more baking and dough making.

As we climbed up, soft wisps of warm yeasty bread baking vapours floated down the staircase. Upon arrival, it was clear that Chef Walter had not stopped for a minute. The doughs from our morning had been baked into gorgeous crunchy looking golden crusts. He was thrilled to show them off. We were drawn into the warm humid room with the heady aroma rising to greet us. The afternoon was not as intense, but was productive.

By midpoint, our breads were piling high in front of each of us: rye, white baguettes and buns, kugelhof, and country loaves.

When we finished our last project, the tastings began. I have heard that bread should sit for a couple of hours to be at its optimum before tasting. Chef Walters didn’t mention anything of the sort. He was cutting into the rye and slathering it with unsalted butter as soon as it came out of the oven.

I was captured by his relationship to dough. There was a tender reverence in every manner he used associated with touching the doughs and the breads. It was fascinating to watch this artful devotion to each creation. He handled it like he was dancing a fine dance all day, and when his learned nose buried deep into this moist slice of rye, his satisfaction was apparent.

This was the loaf he held up to the group as a wonderful example of an artisan design. Beam-beam-beam!

I got another big smile and a thumbs up from him for my my baguette. I was a very proud student. He finds it very difficult for new students to form and create “acceptable” artisan breads by hand. He added that is was also difficult for professionals to do by hand as well as the machinery available to assist with the process as the use of this equipment creates such incredible results.

Oh, yes, I was really pleased with my results this day.

Yet, what you see above is not all. We are enjoying the end of the day, still waiting for our fougasse and brioche to come out of the oven.

Chef Walter was actually born in the I’Ile-de-France and carried out the majority of his career in Paris. He attended Jean Ferrandi and earned his CAP in pastry (Certificate d’Aptitude Professionelle). Following this, he attended the Brevet de Maîtrise Pâtisserie in 1976. He was clear with us from the beginning: I do not specialize in bread. It has been many, many years since I have worked closely with bread [prior to my work with Le Cordon Bleu teaching the Ateliers] as I am a pasty chef who has spent my entire life exploring the wonderful world of French Pâtisserie. (This is my recollection of his translated worlds.) Yet, he was definitely an expert in this area though it was not his specialization.

He was a commis Pâtissiernfor La Chaurnière, then pastry chef at Deauville, and later the same at La Petit Marquise.

In 1975, he opened his own pastry shop in Paris in the 14th androssiment. He was appointed counsellor of technical education for the organization of CAP examinations at a Parisian Hotel school and carried out this responsibility from 1992 to 2002.

In 1988, Chef Walter was awarded the title of Maitre Artisan, and in 1999, his company was honored with the award for the Best Pastry Shop in the Paris region.

He sold his company in 2004 and has worked as a consultant Chef for practical classes and workshops at Le Cordon Bleu since 2005. Lucky us! (Isn’t the crust above communicating a very loud crunch through the screen?)

As I was researching Chef Walter, I discovered that he has been fondly referred to as Chef Grandpa by many of his young students though I will say that he is much younger than he appears in his tall stately cap.

Look at the beautiful crusts he provided us the opportunity to create. Working with this Artisan Master was an incredible gift and one that I shall never forget.

I knew we were leaving for Belgrade early in the morning, and dining at Jöel Robuchon’s L’Atelier after this class, so my loaves would need to find a home. Time to taste the Kugelhof. (I want a Kugelhof pan now.) What a lovely delicate buttery bread. This is very similar to brioche, but the butter is melted into the batter instead of worked into it.

Packing up to leave was not an easy task. I had two of these massive long bags filled with bread and each was very heavy, but I was so excited for Vanja to see and smell each wonder.

So, their awkwardness and weight didn’t discourage me from lugging them out into the steamy summer air and back onto the metro to take to the hotel for Beavie and Vanja to marvel over.

And Beavie really did get excited. But, Vanja? He didn’t even look into a bag. He was exhausted from his walking through the city that day, and he was hungry, so we were up and out of the hotel after a brief freshening up to our last meal in Paris.

I left Beavie buried in the Kugelhof. Who wouldn’t be happy stuck in this almond covered buttery sweetness?

The really sad thing is that I had bad packed my apron, recipes, the entire package I had been given with all of the extensive notes I wrote into one of the bags with the bread in it. And all was left in the hotel early the following morning as we departed to take the Metro to the airport.

I wrote to Le Cordon Bleu weekly first asking, then pleading, for another package and the recipes. But, it was holiday season. Finally, last week, my pleas were answered, and just yesterday I received a new package (sadly, sans notes, of course), certificate and all!

I will definitely find a home for this. And, as I write, I am recalling so much of what I wrote…..

The following recipes are included, in detail, at the end of this post:

• Verrines de Soupe froide betterave brebis (Cold beetroot and yogurt soup)
• Verrines de Creme brûlée au foie gras et Porto (Foie gras and Port wine crème brûlée)
• Brochette gambas-ananas (King prawn and pineapple skewers)
• Verrines de mousse au chocolat et currant rouge(Chocolate mousse in small glasses)
• Petits choux citron et caramel (Lemon cream and caramel ‘choux’ pastries)

Bastille Day, or La Fête Nationale, is a French National holiday celebrated on 14 July each year commemorating the 1790 Fête de la Fédération, held on the first anniversary of the storming of the Bastille on 14 July 1789. This anniversary has become a celebration of the modern nation. A massive parade and other festivities are held on the morning of 14 July on the Champs-Élysées in front of the President of the Republic, who is definitely in town for the occasion. There are a host of fireworks and usually huge crowds around the Eiffel Tower in the evening where they are initiated. After seeing the huge set up and all of the fan fare and security the day prior during our time on the Champs Elysée, Vanja and I felt it would be a perfect day to get out of town.

Vanja had discovered a very high-end shopping outlet near Euro Disney (one stop before it on the RER) and was really interested in going. I really wasn’t, but was curious to see a small town out of Paris. This seemed like the perfect day for such an excursion. It absolutely was, but for a completely different reason,  as it apparently poured rain all day until about 1 in the afternoon! We were back by 3 and had enjoyed a beautiful day out!

The train ride took about 40 minutes, but seemed like much less as we enjoyed watching the countryside whip by. (It was covered by the 7 day 30 Euro metro and transportation pass we bought at the airport.) Upon disembarking, we stepped out of the station and viewed this extremely new and very modern square. I was expecting a quaint little French village with outlets at one end.

We were told to go to the right to the fashion outlets.

We passed by this hotel, and it became apparent that as this was the stop before Euro Disney on the R&R, that it was probable that this obviously new community was created to host the visitors from there. To the right, as told, we entered into two massive doors and found ourselves in a huge “West Edmonton Mall”. Was this it? Really, we didn’t know, but we smelled coffee down the escalator and had not had ours yet as we left the hotel at 7:15 am. It was only 8 :15 and nothing was clearly open except the cafés. (We arrived much faster than we had expected!)

Paul’s is a pâtisserie café chain that can be found everywhere in Paris, at least. They do not allow photos of anything (odd, considering nothing her is that special… well, it would be, if it was in Edmonton!). A friendly gal there told us that this was a shopping mall and the shopping outlet stores were at the very end of it, and to the right. We were off, after enjoying the perk! (And the brioche were special enough to photograph from the outside, in!)

It was a long and lovely and very empty mall. Really, there was nothing all that interesting (to me, at least) in the shop windows so I stopped lécher les vitrines (window licking) and just watched the people.

But I didn’t take any photos of them!

It was clearly marked, so one could really not get lost, if “looking for the sign”! Le Vallee is the area we were looking for.

It was exactly “to the end, outside, and to the right”. By now, I was not expecting a quaint French village, but I certainly wasn’t expecting a highly guarded and exquisitely manicured man-made shopping village like this!

Yes, I took a picture of the sign. But, I still didn’t “read” it until posting it. Security guards were on me in seconds. “No photographs allowed!!!” What was that all about? It is outside in the fresh air for heaven sake. I didn’t pay to come in and we are only shopping. So, I went to Plan B. Big camera went into the bag, and the boutonniere camera got placed into position. Not bad photos from the Plan B mini, eh? And the high end shopping patrol never expected such ingenuity. (smug grin)

Honestly, I was shocked. This was a very classy, incredibly well maintained shopping campus. But, outlet stores? This is how it is advertised, and even the Versace window had massive and tacky 70% off signs in it.

We strolled around with the other early arrivers, and then there was a bell. Yes, a bell. Just like at the Farmer’s Market in downtown Edmonton, except over the intercom and all of the previously locked store doors popped open automatically and in perfect synchronicity. Getting up so early in the morning was worth every effort at this very moment. I looked for the cameras. They were everywhere. And, I do mean, everywhere. So were the big men with earphones and mouth pieces, just like on the tacky TV commercials.

Vanja and I looked at each other. This did hold promise. If not for any other reason than the clearly new and over the top event we were both clearly experiencing. “I’ll meet you back here in a few minutes.” And we were each off in two completely different directions. I went to Bally, a lovely women’s accessory store known for very gorgeous and traditional shoes and purses. There certainly was an excellent sale: 4000 Euros off a 6000 Euro purse! Somehow, I didn’t think, “But, honey, I am saving 4000 Euros.” would wash. I looked around faining interest, and left. He was just coming back with a similar shrug. We continued along the first little bit like this.

My girlfriends would really go nuts here. I used to be a shopper and a dresser. Not so much these days. This is nothing like the outlet stores in Vegas, but we did find the prices considerably cheaper than in Paris, and if you buy really high end clothing and are into fashion and dressing, you would be in heaven here. Really. Especially at this time of the year. Apparently this is the biggest event sale of the year. Almost every store had 40 to 70% off of their already reduced “outlet” prices.

Every planter had gorgeous clumps of fresh fragrant lavender blooming in it. Even the garbage containers were works of art.

So, you get the idea. Even the children’s play areas were frequent, well monitored, and spotless.

I did see  some lovely items for women at bargan prices for this kind of clothing, but only one item in the 100 Euro range. All much higher. I bought nothing, but completely enjoyed shopping with Vanja as there was a considerable selection of men’s clothing, and really nice clothing (what else would you find here?) for 30 to 50 Euros as there were such amazing sales. That made this trip fun for me. Would I recommend going? No. Not unless this is for you, and you would know already. Am I glad I went? Absolutely. It was unique. Would I have rather found a quaint little French village awaiting me? There is no doubt about it.

Take a look at our lunch, and you would not even ask. I thought Paul’s would be a good local bet. The cucumber soup was dill pickle soup. A little misunderstanding, but it was really awful. The quiche was actually very nice. So was Vanja’s burger, but it is not very ” French villagey”!

We ate before catching the train back to town for a little rest before the Bastille Day Dinner Cooking Class you thought this post was all about!

We were back to the hotel, refreshed, and have already arrived at the cooking class! To be honest, I got the dates mixed up somehow. I knew that Bastille Day was this day, but thought the cooking class was the evening before. Thus, after our lunch at Ladurée and my Macaron Making Class at Lenôtre the day prior, Vanja and I found ourselves at a very empty courtyard that Tuesday evening. It was so hot. We were very tired. It was almost impossible to find, and no one was there.

We were on this very busy street directly across from the Jardin Luxembourg and #89 was atop the massive red door you can see with the arch above it, below. But it was a heavy door and there was no sign?

Eventually, we did shove it open (that is it from inside, below) and we found ourselves in an entryway to a parking courtyard. Hmmm?

Again, no sign.

Until you get right in front of the door.

And we finally did. And then went home!

But, tonight, not only did we know where to find the place, there was a sign on the main street! And not only was the door open, but….

….there were massive glass doors opening into a beautiful modern stainless kitchen where a pull down metal door had hidden it all the night prior!

La Cuisine Paris is located at 89 boulevard Saint Michel, 75005. Once you enter the main doors, you will find us located at the back right hand side of the courtyard. (e-mail at :contact@lacuisineparis.com or via phone at : + 33 1 40 51 78 18) You can see the parking courtyard we found ourselves in the evening prior through the windows from the inside!

Again, we were the first to arrive and a glass of cool, crisp wet bubbly French Champagne was in our hand with in a minute.

It was not long before the room was full and Chef Justin went over the menu:

• Verrines de Soupe froide betterave brebis (Cold beetroot and yogurt soup)
• Verrines de Creme brûlée au foie gras et Porto (Foie gras and Port wine crème brûlée)
• Brochette gambas-ananas (King prawn and pineapple skewers)
• Verrines de mousse au chocolat et currant rouge(Chocolate mousse in small glasses)
• Petits choux citron et caramel (Lemon cream and caramel ‘choux’ pastries)

I was dying to try the foie gras crème brûlée, but the recipe looked fairly straight forward, so I was hoping to get to make the choux. Yes, I have made choux before, but never with ease or with great success: therefore, very few times.

Chef Justin did ask who would like to do what and myself and Chef Sous  were to make the choux. This was definitely the most time consuming and challenging recipe, in the end. I didn’t realize how much so at the onset, but as we got our mis en place, the foie gras group and beet soup group were half way finished their recipes! All I can say is thank you to Chef Sous! (For those of you that are new to my site, this is my dear husband, Vanja, the best sous chef, ever!)

The shrimp did look devine! (I took a look around while people where arriving.) The space was very well equipped. Vanja had already donned his cooking attire (a plastic apron), so I did as well!

Informal introductions and chat before everyone is ready to face their fun! But, that really took such a short while.

The couple beside us had the foie gras in the pan in what seemed like seconds. They didn’t work with a lobe, but a roll that had been deveined and then just pressed together and wrapped for sale. I think I have seen this kind of foie gras for sale at the Cook Book Store in Calgary. It really beats buying a lobe if you are not using the entire thing. Does anyone know where anything similar can be purchased in Edmonton? Even lobes are so hard to get here. I would love suggestions! I guess I can tell you now that this verrine was incredible. Just absolutely incredible.

Chef Justin is explaining to them what they need to do. The port is already reducing and smells heavenly.

Across the table, Jo and her husband (from England) are preparing the shrimp. The foie gras is already to be poured into the glasses and placed in a bain-marie for baking in the oven! See the photo below, right? This is the first time I have ever seen such a kitchen tool of such incredible accuracy. “What is it, Chef?” Why? “I want one!” Oh, you do not want that! It is far too expensive. (Do not say that in front of my husband, Chef!) “What is it?” Eventually, I learned it is called a “piston”, and to not buy one with any plastic bits. (And, I did not when I went on my Kitchen Shopping Supplies “spree” the following morning; more on that in an upcoming post!)

What was I doing all of this time? (Not taking photos, as it may appear. It was really hard to try to keep up, that is why they are so blurry!) Chef Sous and I were getting our mis en place and as you can see by the following two photos that it was no easy chore! The one directly below is for the citron mousse and the one following is for the choux pastry. I feel inclined to add that the exact verrines above were at one of the shops I was at the following day for about 2 Canadian dollars each and I did not buy any. (Did I want to? Yes! Did I already buy a lot? Too much!)

After our ingredients were prepared, we were to melt the butter in the water and just bring it to a boil and then call Chef to demonstrate making choux to the group. So, while that was heating, I caught up a bit  more. The two gals to the left below made the mousse. The gals at the opening photo made the beet soup, below, right. Both were really delicious. I did find and buy the vinegar in the beet soup recipe. It made a huge addition to the flavour and I haven’t heard of it, so doubt I will find it easily at home. Sherry vinegar may work in place as it is a sherry vinegar.

And I am still ga-ga over the little yogurt cups that I now have a supplier for from Germany: The Wreck Company. They are not so expensive, but I am sure the shipping will be!

Jo and her husband made the class so much fun. Actually, we had a wonderful group of people: all very friendly and full of humour and grace.

Jo is reducing the orange juice. Rather, trying to. I am not sure if it every got reduced. I never saw it get any thicker or any lower in the pot, really, and I don’t recall tasting it on the shrimp. Maybe they were lying in it. They were really tasty. It was the Espelette pepper that added the punch. I had it on my shopping list before leaving home, and so it was definitely going to be in my suitcase on the way home.

The Piment d’Espelette is cultivated in the French commune of Espelette in the Basque region of France. I learned it is a very highly protected product as it was classified as an AOC product and then confirmed as an APO product, so unless it is in a jar with an official seal over the lid, it is not the real thing. (It is originally from Mexico, but found its way to France in the 16th Century.)

So, the water has just boiled. The butter is melted, and Chef Justin has called around the crowd. The first thing he did, above, right, was to dump all of the flour into the hot butter water at once. Then, he stirred and stirred, rigorously, over medium high heat to incorporate the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients until they came away from the side of the pan in a ball.

Once that was done, he continued, over the same heat, to stir the dough ball as rigorously to cook the flour a bit before incorporating the eggs. Look below at the side of the pan in the first frame, and you will see that this has started to happen. He then continued to stir rigorously for a minute to two more, at least, before taking the pan off of the heat to incorporate the eggs, a few at a time.

Actually, I did this. I had watched him do the stirring to the right point part which I really needed to learn. Now, incorporating the eggs is another important step, as the eggs are the reason the choux puffs up, so I had him watch and Vanja definitely helped. Ok, he did more that me. This was a double batch and it is hard enough to beat rigorously with one batch. Recipes I have used in the past have said to incorporate one egg at a time. Chef Justin said that was definitely not necessary, but that a few at a time worked well. We incorporated ours in 3 batches, I believe. Maybe four.

The pastry is very much like a pasta dough at the adding of the eggs point.

This is what the pastry looks like when you are ready to add more eggs.

I had to get some good photos of Chef Sous. The first time I asked him if he would come to a cooking class with me, his eyes bulged as he lowered the newspaper to look at me over it, each eyebrow raised a different direction. After a few days, and without begging, he agreed. We had a lot of fun together and it was definitely a highlight of the trip, for me. (A lot of laughs!)

OK. The last eggs are almost worked through. You can see the final product on my finger, and in the tiny little very blurry photo below Vanja. The important thing to note is that the dough must form a “claw”, or stand on its own in a tip as you dip your finger into it. If it falls a little (claw like) that is fine, but it must be stiff enough to hold that shape. To the right of my finger is a claw like piece. I believe you can see the batter is stiff.

Into the piping bag. Remember the tip that Chef Antony taught us at Lenôtre? Push a little of the lower bit of the plastic pastry bag down in the tip to avoid any batter coming out while you fill it. Chef Justin did a couple, then I did the rest. There were 4 full cookie sheets in one batch. We made two. He told us just to through the rest of the batter out. I could not believe that. Nor, would I do it. I made them all and suggested he or the one cleaning person take them home, or that he leave them for the owners of the cooking school. I am sure they went into the garbage.

Chef Sous wet the end of a fork, and flattened all of the little works of art perfectly. If we were not going to caramelize them, we would have brushed egg over them for a shiny finish.

The ovens in the adjacent kitchen had been preheated for these and in they went for 25 minutes: no peeking! That is important: no opening of the oven door for 25 minutes. Whew. Still more to pipe, but that was a lot of work: a great learning experience and fun, too! What is everyone else doing? Mainly visiting and enjoying the Champagne as they finish the final touches on their dishes.

Ah! There is the photo of the chocolate mousse. The only one, too: below, left. They ran out of verrines and the gals had a heck of a time getting the mousse into the glasses. Quite a messy job: thank goodness for whipped cream! I guess no one told them about the piston!

At this point, I will say that almost everyone had difficulty with their recipes. They were incomplete, confusing, and very poorly written. This is the first time I have ever been to a cooking class where the Chef was hired by the owners to teach a class he didn’t prepare the recipes for. Chef Justin was very skilled, warm and a great teacher, but he had not read over the recipes and did not prepare that part of the class properly. As a result, there were little errors happening all over the kitchen.

Of course, he really didn’t care, and was a great problem solver. However, all were completely avoidable and unnecessary. In this case, nowhere in the recipe do the instructions say when to add the sugar, so the gals didn’t. They had it left over, and the mousse was a little bitter, they thought. Somehow, the problem was solved. Our recipe had errors everywhere. (All are corrected, below.) So, though it was a really fun class, this was a major oversight that caused a considerable amount of unnecessary chaos.

And I thought we were done! No, I knew we had to make the citron mousse. Vanja is starting phase one while I am in the other kitchen getting a batch of choux in the oven. He is getting the ingredients into the large bowl of the electric mixer and getting that turned on. The port, below is still reducing. I think it was done ages ago. There won’t be any to top the foie gras, will there? CHef Justine assures me it has to reduce more. Yet, it has reduced by 2/3, at least, all ready. The orange juice hasn’t reduced at all. (grin)

Vanja is rocking with the Kitchen Aid and the eggs, yolks and sugar are beating into a wild frenzy.

Meanwhile, I am heating the lemon and orange juices and the sugar.

Now the egg mixture is tempered and then added to the pan with the hot juices.

Look at this beautiful mousse! But, we are not finished.

The butter needs to be added (it was not written where or how in the recipe) and the mousse is transferred to a large bowl for refrigeration.

Still adding the butter (apparently there wasn’t enough?).

It still tasted incredible and was voluminous and gorgeous. However, one more comment on the negative side (and those that read here often will know I am not a negative person), the mousse should have definitely been made first. What was I thinking, let alone Chef Justin? For me, I guess I was just doing what I was told. There was not really time to read over the entire recipe and I trusted that the Chef was making thoughtful decisions about what order what should be made in. Also, I did not expect the mousse to be as time consuming, or such a huge a batch. Originally, we were told to do it three times. But when I told him how much lemon juice that required, as we were getting our mise en place, he then read the recipe and said that a double batch would be plenty. Plenty? Yes, if you are feeding 50 people. I am not kidding. I am sure this was enough mousse to easily fill 350 choux. We filled 30 and didn’t even put a dent in it. I would have filled many more, but had no more caramelized choux left, and people were getting ready to eat.

I was really happy with the choux. Excited, actually. This enlightenment opens up a whole new world of possibilities for me in my kitchen at home.

The caramel instructions were make a caramel and dip the choux in it. There was no tip to use to fill the choux with the mousse. Hmmm. I had made caramel, but not the dry hard kind like this. I avoided that as I really didn’t know how. Fortunately, I had just had a lesson from Chef Antony at Lenôtre the day before, or I would really be out of luck. Chef Justin was busy visiting with a couple and I could not get his attention for love or money to assist with the caramel. Meanwhile, the port is still reducing. Somehow, I do not think that will be enough for 11 of us… but it will be really, really good!

I am still working on the caramel and all of the other food is getting out to the table.

Imagine how gooey my camera was at this point. I just decided to start dipping. The caramel was not dark. I had little time before it would set. I had no clue how much to start with. Later, he suggested the amount in the recipe below.

Then we just pulled the choux opened a bit and filled each with the citron mousse. It had not set yet, but it was deadly delicious.

The foie gras verrines each got a splash of port. Oh my goodness. It was really incredible. It wasn’t set, either. After baking in the bain-marie, it was to set in the fridge for a few hours. I would definitely suggest that those selecting the recipes for these classes need to be the Chefs. The recipes were all very tasty, but this one was not set. The citron mousse was not set. The chocolate mousse was not set. There were 2 shrimps per person with 4 extra. That was too slim for me at 90 Euro a person for this experience. At a minimum, there should have been three shimps per person.

The shrimp recipe was a disaster. The Chef figured out a way to save it that I have written here. But, I needed to really be a pain to get the “real” recipe. That was a bit embarrassing. However, the entire evening was a blast. Vanja wasn’t even close to being satisfied. We had appetizers and desserts, but certainly no Bastille Day dinner.

I don’t regret it. I learned a lot, and will definitely make all of these recipes again. More than once. However, I would not recommend this school to anyone without reading this post so they know exactly what they are getting into. And, would I go again to La Cuisine? No. There are a lot of other cooking schools in Paris, and it was just too poorly organized.

I have to talk about the choux with the caramel and the citron. They surpasses my expectation by more than I can express. One bite actually shocked me into surrender!

The caramel crunch. The soft choux puff. The citrus citron. A perfect, and I mean PERFECT combination. This was one of the best bites I have ever eaten. Ever.

And it wasn’t moments before we were back into the reality of the bustle of the street and walking home.

Through the busy evening Latin Quarter absolutely teeming with activity. If I hadn’t had such a long day, I would have joined in. But, it was home for us. Another long day planned for tomorrow, and, we were hoping to catch the last 30 minutes of Shakespeare and Company Bookstore before closing. It was on our list and is to be an incredible bookstore.

It was just at the end of the street and across from Notre Dame, on the left bank… but, closed early today, as it was Bastille Day, so we were there, but missed it!

The walk home was gorgeous and satisfying. What a beautiful day. And now, I have so much to do when I get home!!!

Verrines de Creme Brûlée au Foie Gras et Porto Recipe (for four)

Ingredients:

• 200g heavy cream
• 150g foie gras
• 1 egg
• 1 yolk
• 3g salt
• 1.5g pepper
• 300 ml of Port

Instructions:

1. In a non-stick skillet, mix ¼ of the cream with the foie gras and the egg and yolk until fully incorporated
2. Using a whisk, carefully and slowly add the remainder of the cream to ensure there are no lumps
3. Season with salt and pepper
4. Fill four verrines to ¾ full; transfer to bain-marie and cook in oven pre-heated to 100 C for 18 minutes
5. Reduce Port to half (a little more than 2 tablespoons per serving) and spoon over the top of each verrine carefully to not break the surface tension on the poached foie gras (or, spoon over the glaze once the foie is completely chilled)
6. Chill completely to set; serve when chilled

Brochette Gambas-Ananas Recipe (for four)

Ingredients:

• 600g prawns, shelled and de-veined
• 1 fresh pineapple, peeled, and cubed
• 500 ml orange juice
• 2g espelette pepper
• olive oil
• 1 clove of garlic, minced

Instructions:

1. Prepare marinade: combine ¼ cup olive oil, minced garlic and espelette pepper
2. Clean shrimp and marinate in marinade
3. Peel and cube fresh pineapple
4. Reduce the orange juice to half (250ml)
5. Place marinated shrimp and pineapple cubes on skewers, three shrimp on each
6. Keep skewers in marinade until ready to grill
7. Serve skewers drizzled with reduced orange juice

Verrines de Soupe Froide Betterave Brebis Recipe (for four)

Ingredients

• 400g beets, cooked, peeled and cubed
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 tablespoons Xeres vinegar (a Sherry vinegar from Spain)
• 400g Sheep Milk Yogurt
• cilantro for garnish

Instructions

1. Place a few cubes of beets in food processor at a time to create a liquid to enable the others to blend; add the olive oil and a little water, as necessary, to blend to a very thick soup consistency
2. Season to taste; add vinegar
3. Chill
4. When chilled, arrange a layer of yogurt into the bottom of a verrine and top with soup; garnish each with a sprig of cilantro

Verrines de Mousse au Chocolat et Currant Rouge Recipe (for four)

Ingredients:

• 125g chocolate (minimum 64%), chopped or callets
• 50g butter, unsalted
• 2 eggs, separated
• 1 egg white
• 20g sugar
• whipped cream and fresh red currants, for garnish

Instructions

1. Melt chopped chocolate over bain-marie
2. Incorporate the butter when melted, mix well until smooth
3. Whisk whites with a pinch of salt to stiff peaks
4. Add the sugar to the yolks and whip by hand to incorporate
5. Add yolk mixture to the chocolate (off of the stove)
6. Fold in the whites, slowly, 1/3 at a time
7. Pour into four verrines and let set in the fridge for at least 2 hours; garnish with cream and red currants

Petits Choux Citron et Caramel Recipes

Choux Pastry

Ingredients for Choux:

• 250ml water
• 100g unsalted butter
• 150g flour
• 6g salt
• 4-5 eggs

Instruction for Choux:

1. Place the butter and water in a sauce pan on low hear; when butter has melted, bring to boil
2. Remove from heat; add flour all at once, and stir vigorously
3. Bring back onto medium heat and continue to stir rigorously until the mixture forms a dry ball that comes away from the pan; continue to cook this ball until you can see a brown film or thin crust forming on the bottom of the pan
4. Remove from the heat and beat in the eggs a little at a time, until the mixture is smooth and glossy
5. Fill a pastry bag with the mixture; pipe the choux, brush with some beaten egg and flatten with a fork (this is the traditional choux shape)
6. Bake for 25 minutes in a pre-heated oven at 200 C and do not open the oven until the time is up

Citron Mousse Recipe

Ingredients for Citron Mousse

• 270ml lemon juice
• juice of one orange
• 140g sugar
• 3 eggs
• 3 egg yolks
• 40g sugar
• 25g corn starch
• 80ml whipping cream
• 50g butter, room temperature

Instructions for Citron Mousse

1. Place the lemon, orange juice and sugar in a large sauce pan and bring to a boil
2. Whisk eggs, egg yolks, and sugar in the large bowl of an electric mixer (Kitchen Aid) until the mixture is thick and pale
3. Add the corn starch and continue to whisk
4. Temper the egg mixture with the hot lemon juice, mix well, and pour the tempered egg mixture back into the sauce pan with the hot lemon juice
5. Cook, stirring constantly, on medium heat and when it comes to a boil, cook for one more minute, whisking constantly (pastry cream technique)
6. Transfer to a large bowl; add the whipping cream and the butter; mix well to incorporate
7. Chill
8. Fill a pastry bag equipped with the tip to insert cream into choux pastry with the chilled Citron mousse; pipe mousse into each choux once dipped in caramel, and cooled
9. Serve immediately, or refrigerate for a couple of hours

Caramel Glaze Recipe

Ingredients for Caramel Glaze

• 500g sugar, or sugar plus water to make caramel

Instructions for Caramel Glaze:

1. If inexperienced in caramel making; use a medium non-stick skillet and over medium to medium high heat, place a thin layer of water on it; sprinkle the sugar over the surface area, and do not stir
2. Watch for signs of the beginning of caramelization and swirl the pan to keep the sugar moving around the hot spots; replacing on the heat as much as possible, until caramelization is achieved, or almost achieve as it will continue to cook in the pan
3. Take off the fire immediately as it will burn
4. If experienced, make a dry caramel with 500g of sugar
5. Dip petits choux into caramel quickly as it will harden very fast; place on parchment paper to cool
6. When finished, pipe citron mousse into each, and serve

I took a bite of the raspberry macaron first, as it was clear that the butter cream was going to be running all over the place, so what was one to do? Eat them, of course! They really were delicious, but had hardly any raspberry flavour that I could discern. I saw the raspberries go into the butter cream myself, but there were very few for the amount of shells we made. I was not surprised at the lack of intensity. A gel filling would be better, me thinks. Now, how to make one?!

So, we have completed all of our fillings, and each group has the mis en place in place for each kind of macaron. The tant pour tant, or, as Chef Antony consistently referred to it: the “tpt”, is 50% powdered sugar and 50% almond powder (flour). This was a surprise to me, as I thought it was something else from other readings and research. But, all tpt is, is a necessary mixture of half and half. Now, this mixture is not easy to get to the fineness necessary to make a light, crisp shell. And, another surprise from Chef Antony when I asked about this process (as it was already prepared for us): never use a seive or a tami. This will create heat which will make the final product dense. I did notice the friction did create heat when I was using mine, but just used the solid part left at the top of the tami that had melted together for another recipe, and would cherish the laboured over fine grain I had created. Not so good. My shells were probably dense. His tpt feels like mine after the tami, but, no more tami.

I do wish we had been able to see the creation of the tant pour tant as this is clearly fundamental to the development of a proper French macaron shell. His explanation was that it would take too much class time if we had to prepare that, too. I would pay more. I would do it. I believe everyone would who really wants to learn how to make this shell successfully.

So, we start with the raspberry. I did write down the kind of food colouring he used, but didn’t find it at G. Datou, and he said that powder or liquid was best. Not gel. He used liquid: a lot of liquid food colouring. The whites go into the big bowl of the electric mixer first and are beaten for about a minute on medium to high speed to break them down. The food colouring and the sugar is then added and whipped until stiff peaks form at a medium speed. I was surprised at this.

While the whites (or reds, in this case) were whipping, Chef A prepared the dry ingredients in his food processor. He blended extra sugar with the tpt by tilting the food processor back and forth. I know this doesn’t come in the manual with the instructions, but it was very successful in creating a finely mixed blend. Maybe this is also how the original tpt is also made?

See how much air is incorporating into the whites? I am not sure what point Chef A was making, but certainly one that I have included in the important notes section! I was taking notes as fast as I could while baking and taking photos!

Now, to me, this is past the stiff peaks phase which the recipe suggests, but Antony consistently whipped the white mixture to this consistency with every batch of macarons. I was thankful to get a photo of each at this phase as I thought it was so helpful to see.

The dry ingredients are then added in two portions to make a smooth and light shell. He vigorously incorporated the cry ingredients into the whites by whipping with no apparent attempt to worry about deflating the whites. When Beth asked him if it was important to try to maintain the air in the whites, he passionately shook his head “non”!

Of course he wouldn’t stop his whipping for photos of the texture, but I am using what I have anyway, as they do demonstrate the process. The second half of the dry ingredients are being added below.

This incorporating of the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients is called “macaronage”, and it is obviously very difficult to know when it is ready, or when enough is enough. I would have loved to have gotten the feel of that, but I suspect that I could take a class several times practicing this, and still not have the feel of it.

The truer colour is the one above. It was very difficult to adjust my “golden toned” photos to a true colour, for me. (I will be taking lessons, soon!) Now (below), Chef Antony lifts up the spatuala (over and over dipping into the batter) pronouncing something similar to ‘This is perfect! This is just what you want! Now we are ready!” As this shell turned out beautifully, I am so thankful I have a photo of this critical phase of “readiness”. It is to be shiny and smooth and the give of the whipping just starts to shift, Chef said. I think that bit hanging off of the spatula is an important clue as each one was like this that he did.

Est, voilà! Into the bag, and we were piping in no time! Convection ovens had been carefully pre-heated to exactly 160º C, or 320º F.  A silpat is necessary for macaron, but a perforated cookie sheet is not, according to Chef Antony. Parchment paper can be used, but then water must be poured between the paper and the cookie sheet to release the shells which is messy. And no, they do not need to rest. They can be baked immediately after piping.

I know many disagree with Chef A, and my view is, whatever works, works! After the discs are piped, they should level out on top. If they hold a peak, that is a problem, and they were probably under mixed at the macaronage phase.

See how this disc has levelled out, above?

We all took turns and it was really fun to get out hands onto something.

He told me I was perfect: like a machine! He said I didn’t have the finesse or artistic technique of a Chef, but that after they were baked, the results would be the same. I think I felt my chest puff out a little. “Like a machine” works for me!

I appreciated seeing how he used his hand held spatula to force the batter to the end of the pastry bag to squeeze every drop out onto a cookie sheet. And, some were already in the over. At exactly two minutes, they need to be turned in the oven. Look! There are feet already! And, yes, there should be feet by two minutes, says Chef. Also, be very careful when maneuvering the trays as the shells could slip at this point if you don’t keep the trays level.

I love watching them puff up and grow little feet in the oven. Gorgeous! The must bake for exactly 13 minutes. But, according to your own oven, the span could be from 12 to 18 minutes. You will need to experiment. These are a very sensitive cookie, and the time and temperature is also a very critical part of the process. Your oven will have to be tested cookie sheet by cookie sheet until you achieve success!

The shells below were baked three minutes too long, and you can see they are dry and brown around the edges.

It took them no time too cool, and they were ready for the butter cream. But, we baked all three first.

We had such a wonderful time! Yum! Yum! Yum! Learning something new is always exciting. Especially as this day built more belief within me. That “I can” belief that Béné and Giselle worked to instill within me, too!

Now, for the Salted Butter Caramel Macaron. It is exactly the same as the Rasberry Macaron, except, of courese, the colouring. On this day, Chef had no brown colouring, so was going to use red and black. I did remind him that red and green mad brown. But, maybe not the brown he needed. He did then use red and yellow and blue. In the end, he came up with the perfect caramel colour. None of us could repeat the process, so I think I will need to locate some brown food colouring, fast, as I really love these macarons!

Remember the whites go into the large bowl and are beaten to break them down, then the sugar and colouring is added and they are beaten at a medium speed until they form stiff peaks (and, to me, dry stiff peaks).

While the whites are beating, the tpt is mixed with the sugar in the food processor using a rocking motion (back and forth) until fully blended together. See how much he actually lifts the machine up and pushes it back during this process (below)?

Raspberry shells are still being put into the oven, turned, and pulled out of the oven. Thank goodness for the four people fluent in French that became Chef Antony’s sous Chefs. They understood his requests and jumped to help. The rest of us just wandered where they were going and what they were doing? Again, see the beautiful fine texture of the tpt? (I will never again write tant pout tant: I have been to Lenôtre!!!)

The whites are again ready. See the texture? Exactly the same as the raspberry texture. A little past the stiff peak phase, in my humble opinion.

And now, the macaronage: incorporating the dry ingredients with no worry about maintaining any air in the whites. Remember to do it in two batches for a finer, crisper shell.

And again: voilà! There is not a big photo here, as no matter how many time I asked for him to please hold still for a second for me to take a photo, he would not. I am sure he didn’t hear me, or thought all of my attempts were enough. Still, you get the idea. The batter is exactly the same as the raspberry batter was: shiny and smooth (to a certain degree).

Ready for immediate piping! Let the fun begin! This time, we all chimed in at once: “May I have a turn!”

I love how there was absolutely no waste. It drives me nuts at home that there is so much left in my pastry bag. I would try to squeeze it all down, and push it with my hand. Using the hand spatula is such a simple solution, I am embarrassed that I didn’t think of it myself. I am also thrilled to know, now, to use it!

Remember to turn all sheets after two minutes in the oven, keeping them level so the shells don’t slip! Aren’t these cute?

What is it about these little delicacies? I am absolutely charmed by them. Sooooo adorable! And this butter cream was deadly delicious. I had thought the salted butter caramel had a bit of a burned taste, even when added to the butter cream, but once on the macaron shell: trés manifique!

What is happening now? Yes! The Chocolathé Macaron. Here (below) is out mis en place. (I didn’t photograph any one else’s.) I will say here that you can make this shell exactly like the others, and colour it a dark brown instead of adding cocoa powder to the shell ingredients. The flavour does come from the filling, so this may be a good idea if you cannot succeed by using cocoa. Chef Antony told us this after this shell failed. Yes, it failed, even at Lenôtre! He said he made it perfectly at the last class, and that any little measurement off can destroy the result. Well, I can tell you right now that Beth and I are two perfectionists. That was obvious from the get-go. There was nothing mis-measured, Chef Antony (big grin).

I keep testing the tpt to memorize the texture. This time, the cocoa is added to the sugar to be blended with the tpt while the whites are beating.

The whites were whipped to break them down, then red food colouring was added (a lot more than the 5 drops the recipe calls for, but I wasn’t in the position to see how much, and those that were, could only say that it was a lot).

Here is how the tpt and cocoa mixture looked once incorporated. It looks like it needs more work, in my again, humble opinion, as there are clearly white parts showing. But, Chef Antony’s response to this when I questioned him was: “It’s normal.”

The whites are whipped until a dry stiff peak again. This was a very consistent appearance in all three recipes.

Now it is our team’s turn to experience the macaronage phase of this learning. My noble partner, Beth, is really working it! She worked the first half of the dry ingredients. I got to do the second half.

And, just before I felt that I hardly did anything (we probably all felt that way), Chef took the bowl, and finished the job to achieve this perfect point. Now, it did look too dry to me. And also, too “bumpy”, and not as shiny as the other two. But, who am I? And, at this point, Chef did not comment on any concern. I was also probably thinking the same (bumpy-wise) of the other two batches.

Anyway, into the piping bag it went, and out onto the cookie sheets. A good little trick he also shared was to stuff some of the bag into the tip to stop the batter from dripping through. I have always used a clip, but this was very slick and easy. We soon ran out of silpats and had to use parchment. This was probably a good thing, as we learned the technique of spilling water on the table to release the shells from the paper.

After two minutes in the oven, when we went to turn the sheets, these little shells did not have feet. Chef immediately opened all the oven doors and left them open (wide) for at least three to five minutes and what I understood is that the humidity was too high and he needed to release some of it by leaving the door opened. When I asked him about the affect of the drastic drop in temperature I never really got a clear answer. Both translator-students said that he said it would not make a difference, and the temperature would not drop. Neither answer seems sensible to me.

And, in the end, the chocolate macarons did not succeed – door opened, or not. They still tasted “OK”. They were dense and the filling was not nearly as sweet as the other two, but they were still good. Recipes follow below.

We each left with a beautiful white box filled with 8 caramel, 10 raspberry and 6 chocolate macarons tied with a beautiful Lenôtre ribbon inside of a beautiful Lenôtre bag. Then, upstairs, I bought the only Lenôtre Dessert Cookbook written in English with an incredible chapter on French Macarons! A few other goodies found their way into my bag, too. What an incredible experience. Thank you, Chef Antony!

And thank you, Monsieur Lenôtre! (Is that you?)

Raspberry Macaron

Ingredients:

• 500g tant pour tant
• 200g icing sugar
• 200g egg whites
• 50 drops of red food colouring (2.5ml = 50 drops)
• 3 drops of yellow
• one drop of blue
• 50g caster sugar

Instructions:

1. Finely grind the tant pour tant with the icing sugar
2. Beat the egg whites for a minute, then add the colour; beat slowly to incorporate; then beat on high speed for 30 seconds and add the caster sugar all at once; continue to beat at medium speed until stiff peaks are formed (see photo)
3. Add the ground almond mixture to the stiff egg whites in two batches for perfect texture (1/2 and half)
4. Mix vigorously with a spatula after adding each portion of dry ingredients; do not worry about deflating the air just incorporated into the whites (when the consistency is “perfect” the batter is ready to be placed into a piping bag: this is called macaronage)
5. Place ingredients into a piping bag and pipe onto a baking sheet lined with silpat; bake at 160 C in a convection oven for exactly 13 minutes, rotating the pans exactly 2 minutes after they have been placed in the oven (feet should have formed by then (oven temperatures vary and it may take from 12 to 18 minutes to bake these shells)
6. Remove silpat from the pan and place shells on it on the counter to cool, immediately; release from silpat when cool and set aside

Salted Butter Caramel Macaron

Ingredients:

• 500g tant pour tant
• 200g icing sugar
• 200g egg whites
• 50g caster sugar
• a few drops of brown food colouring

Instructions:

1. Finely grind the tant pour tant with the icing sugar
2. Beat the egg whites for a minute, then add the colour; beat slowly to incorporate; then beat on high speed for 30 seconds and add the caster sugar all at once; continue to beat at medium speed until stiff peaks are formed (see photo)
3. Add the ground almond mixture to the stiff egg whites in two batches for perfect texture (1/2 and half)
4. Mix vigorously with a spatula after adding each portion of dry ingredients; do not worry about deflating the air just incorporated into the whites (when the consistency is “perfect” the batter is ready to be placed into a piping bag: this is called macaronage)
5. Place ingredients into a piping bag and pipe onto a baking sheet lined with silpat; bake at 160 C in a convection oven for exactly 13 minutes, rotating the pans exactly 2 minutes after they have been placed in the oven (feet should have formed by then (oven temperatures vary and it may take from 12 to 18 minutes to bake these shells)
6. Remove silpat from the pan and place shells on it on the counter to cool, immediately; release from silpat when cool and set aside

Chocolathé Macaron (about 50-60 double shelled macarons)

Ingredients:

• 500g tant pour tant
• 200g icing sugar
• 25g cocoa powder
• 200g egg white
• 50g granulated sugar
• 5 drops (or way more) of red food colouring

Instructions:

1. Grind the tant pour tant, cocoa and the confectioner’s sugar together in a food processor until completely blended and evenly distributed; Chef tipped and tilted his food processor back and forth frequently in a rocking motion to ensure this was happening

1. Beat the egg whites for a minute, then add the colour; beat slowly to incorporate; then beat on high speed for 30 seconds and add the caster sugar all at once; continue to beat at medium speed until stiff peaks are formed (see photo)
2. Add the ground almond mixture to the stiff egg whites in two batches for perfect texture (1/2 and half)
3. Mix vigorously with a spatula after adding each portion of dry ingredients; do not worry about deflating the air just incorporated into the whites (when the consistency is “perfect” the batter is ready to be placed into a piping bag: this is called macaronage)
4. Place ingredients into a piping bag and pipe onto a baking sheet lined with silpat; bake at 160 C in a convection oven for exactly 13 minutes, rotating the pans exactly 2 minutes after they have been placed in the oven (feet should have formed by then (oven temperatures vary and it may take from 12 to 18 minutes to bake these shells)
5. Remove silpat from the pan and place shells on it on the counter to cool, immediately; release from silpat when cool and set aside

Important Notes:

• Tant pour tant is an equal amount of icing sugar and almond powder that has already been ground together to the finest possible grain (Never put this through a sieve or a tami as this creates heat and makes the ingredients dense) You can also use a Thermomix, but for no more than 2 minutes, turning it off and on to get the desired fineness
• Egg whites should be placed in the fridge with a plastic cover 2-3 days in advance, and taken out and left on the counter overnight the evening before beginning this process
• 2 drops of fresh lemon juice in the whites at the beginning will avoid the separating of the whites
• 4 tea bags are usually 20 grams of tea
• When turning the shells after two minutes in the oven, ensure you have a good hold of the pan, and that you are holding it in a level position or the shells may move across the tray and spill off of it
• It is ideal to make the ganache 24 hours in advance, and leave it at room temperature to cure
• Chef Antony used a hot “drier” 2-3 minutes when beating the butter cream to increase the temperature and decrease the volume (increase evaporation)
  • 220g of cream + 20g of tea = 240g of ingredients, but it is important to have 10% evaporation to have a tight ganache, thus the use of the hot blower; that is: 220g of final product when done, if done properly
  • If you are using parchment paper, when removing baked shells from the oven, you must immediately pour water between the tray and the baking paper (on the counter is best); wait a few minutes then lift off the macarons and place them on a dry tray
  • Store filled shells one day in the fridge without a cover (they will be best the next day); then in a box with a cover for up to 4 days in the fridge: freeze will wrapped and covered for up to two months

I can hardly believe I am actually here!

I never imagined I would be taking a macaron making class in Paris when I embarked upon my quest to conquer the elusive French macaron in October of last year. But, here I am! Isn’t the Elysee Pavillion beautiful?

We walked from Place de Concord just past the Tuileries Garden and through another little garden to the Champs Elysee as Lenôtre is at #10. The most beautiful building appeared before us, and Vanja said, “I think this is it.” No! We weren’t even on the Champs yet. How could this be it, and why did he think so? Vanja has always had a universal intuition that I lack. He was absolutely right. I had a short time to investigate the grounds before the door opened and Vanja was off for a morning of shopping. (The menu looks really good too! Open it in a new window to enable reading in an enlarged version.)

I first laid my eyes upon a French Macaron in the window of a pastry shop in Old Town, Firenze (Florence), Italy, in March of 1998. “What are those?” I recall wondering as I peered at the window decked out in Easter décor almost centered around a gift box of two dozen of these delicacies. Then I saw the price: the equivalent of 48 Canadian dollars and I wondered what kind of a crazy person would pay that kind of money for any kind of pastry sweet that small!

Now I know what kind of person!

The first few years I saw them, they were always pastel in colour. It wasn’t until I was in Venice one spring (around 2005) when one of my students purchased a large bright green pistachio macaron and groaned with esctacy as she bit into it. “Here, Mrs. Rodgers,” Erin coaxed. “You MUST try a taste. It is soooo good.” And after that one bite, I was forever hooked… and now, here I am!

In the middle of the map, a little to the east, you will find the Place de la Concorde (which had changed tremendously over the last 15 years). The Jardin de Tuileries is to the west of that. Find number 44 to the west and you are at the Grand Palais. Across the street from that, between the little path in the garden called Gabriel and Elysees is where Lenôtre is.

There was a group of 10 and we were led downstairs to a beautiful warm kitchen with coffee, still and bubbly water, pain au chocolate and croissants awaiting us. The water was refreshing. It was already hot.

The golden hue of the kitchen affected the quality of all of my photos, as did Chef Anthony’s rapid movements. I had written ahead, and photos were aloud, but I need a speedy course in photography to master the art of taking a photo when the Chef will not stop what he is doing! Thank you for your patience through these images as I really tried to include the idea of what was happening, and weighted that as higher than the quality of the images. (I had to!)

We were placed into three groups immediately: three of us were to prepare the Chocolathe macaron and the ganache filling ingredients; three others were to prepare the caramel macaron and the caramel ingredients; the remaining four were to prepare the ingredients for the raspberry macaron and the butter cream that would be used for both the raspberry and the caramel macaron fillings.

After a brief tour of the kitchen, without introductions, we were fast and furiously finding and weighing our ingredients to have our mis en place completed before we were to start. No one was really sure that is what we were doing when we started, but it came to be clear throughout the process. The chocolate used at Lenôtre is featured below, right.

I was placed with Beth, below, left, and her husband, Mark, which really made the class fun for me. See Beth already whipping up our ingredients before I even understood the instructions? (She is bilingual.)

This was to be an English speaking class: the first offered by Lenotre, so I felt very privileged and excited. I would have taken it anyway, and muddled through, and that is more or less what did happen. Chef Antony (we later learned his name), asked how many of us were French speaking: four. Six were English speaking and the four French speakers also spoke English, but the Chef spoke French almost non-stop through our class. The advantage was that he did understand my questions. The hilarious part was that he answered them consistently in French. It was really very funny. I would ask again and say, “In English, please, Chef.” He would answer again, more passionately, still in French. Lucky for me there were a few very kind people, like my partner, Beth, and another classmate, Nam, who would translate for myself and others.

The cream for the Chocolathé ganache has already been scalded, and the tea is now steeping in it (for a minimum of 20 minutes).

This was a very fast paced class and I learned a great deal. This is also a class for beginners as there was no opportunity to work with our own macaron batter to get the feel of the macaronage. Chef Antony did all three batches himself, though he did provide each group opportunity to stir, or mix, or pipe shells and the butter cream. But, the most difficult part of macaron making is discerning when is enough mixing and at what point to stop. This he demonstrated for us three times, and I definitely learned a great deal even without much individual hands-on opportunity. (Well, that, and getting the tant pour tant fine enough without using a tami or a sieve. The use of either creates heat and makes the final product dense, says Chef Antony.)

I loved Mark’s enthusiasm for food, and shared it! He understood the importance of tasting along the way! I could not find the kind of valrhona callets that were used for the ganache, but I think they were Manjari. They were definitely Valrhona, and yummy. I think we tested more than one, too!

The dry caramel is started, below.

Chef Antony made it and kept the heat steady and lifted the pan when it got too hot. He didn’t stir at all but swirled the pan. He started with a little sugar, and then added more, little by little, as each portion caramelized, until it was all caramelized.

It is clear that Chef Antony is passionate about his work. The sugar is now almost completely caramelized, and when it is, he added the cream and stirred it very rapidly.

Then, he added the butter and the salt and continued to stir very rapidly until all was completely combined.

See how dark it is? It really was very dark. I pulled some of the shadows out of the above photo for you to see the caramel, but the below photo is more true to the colour of the completed caramel. I thought it was almost a little burned, but it wasn’t.

The caramel is made, and our tea has steeped in the cream for twenty minutes. Time to remove the teabags and add the chocolate callets. Thought the cream had been off the heat steeping for 20 minutes, it was still hot enough to very quickly melt the chocolate which Chef Antony helped along with his immersion blender. I would definitely say that was his favourite tool of the day. He used it for almost everything. I am glad that I have a really good one at home!

The Chocolathé Ganache is now finished. The Chef covered it with plastic wrap and placed it in the fridge. It is best to make this a day ahead and leave it on the counter to cure. To be honest, I didn’t care for the flavour, but that was irrelevant, really. I was learning how to make a chocolate French macaron!

Now time for the butter cream. There was a double batch of butter cream made to accommodate the raspberry and salted butter caramel fillings as both would take one batch of butter cream. Each recipe called for one vanilla bean so I asked how much they cost in France. The same as at home: three to six dollars each, depending upon the quality. Lucky me! I brought home two packages of 24 (Bourbon and Tahitian) from G. Datou for 2 dollars each. But that is another post to come.

This butter cream is considerably different than the one I made for my mom’s individual 80th birthday cakes. Here, you add the butter all at once. In that method, it is added little by little by little to increase the volume. There are other differences, so do not assume that you know what butter cream means here unless you have read the recipe instructions below.

The yolks have been mixed with the second sugar listed in the recipe ingredients and whisked to incorporate air.

The hot milk is tempered with the egg mixture; and then all of the yolks are added to the hot milk and poach at 82-83º C for 5-10 minutes.

Whisk over the heat until the mixture thickens, then whip with an immersion blender to avoid using a sieve and to cool mixture to 30º C.

Then move to the large bowl of electric mixer (Kitchen Aid) and whip on medium to low speed until at room temperature. This has already been done, in the photos below. Chef Antony then adds the soft, room temperature butter, all at once.

Incorporate completely with the electric mixer on medium until  there is an ovious increase in volume, but it will not be double.

At this point (below), Chef Antony made it very clear that this butter cream was far too heavy and not good for the palate. However, it did not increase very much in volume, in my opinion, after the salted butter caramel and the raspberry purée was added to each, either. So, I am not sure that the translation was correct.

The Chef added the salted butter caramel to one portion of the butter cream as the caramel was at room temperature, and then puréed the raspberries and added them to the other equal portion of butter cream.

I cannot tell you how excited I get seeing the photo below. I cannot wait to try to make this myself! It was deadly delicious. Of all the French Macarons this day, in my opinion, the Salted Butter Caramel was the best by far.

The mixture of raspberries and butter cream now goes into the large bowl of the electric mixer on medium speed and whips to increase volume and to decrease weight. Chef Antony uses a heat blower to increase the heat of the product while it is mixing to decrease the moisture content in the butter cream.

C’est fini! Now for the Salted Butter Caramel butter cream: the process is repeated.

Each butter cream is then placed into a piping bag and refrigerated until the shells are made and ready for filling. Below is the best I could do for a photo of either of the butter creams in process.

Chef Antony is fast and I could hardly catch what he was doing, let alone get a photograph of it. At times, he was very considerate regarding the camera. At others, he was understandably engrossed in what he was doing and wasn’t even considering our need to take photos. (No, I was not alone in this endeavour!)

Salted Butter Caramel

Ingredients:

• 100g caster sugar
• 80g heavy cream (whipping cream)
• 30g salted butter (half salted butter)
• 2g pure sea salt

Instructions:

1. Make a dry caramel by adding the sugar to a hot sauce pan little by little; as each portion caramelizes, or begins to caramelize, add another small portion of sugar (do not stir, but swirl the pan)
2. See the photos; the caramel was very dark in some parts, but adding more sugar appeared to temper that and lighten the caramel colour; however, the caramel was still very dark when finished and before adding the cream to it
3. Heat the cream to 90º C at the same time as making the caramel; add the hot cream to the caramel
4. Add the butter and the salt blending the entire time with an immersion blender; set aside and cool to room temperature

Chocolathé Ganache Macaron Filling

Best made 24 hours in advance

Ingredients:

• 220g whippig cream
• 20g Earl Grey tea (or Darjeeling tea)
• 250g chocolate callets (50% or higher)
• 50g butter

Instructions:

1. Heat the cream with the tea until almost boiling; steep, covered and off the heat for a minimum of 20 minutes (impt. To add the tea to the cold cream)
2. Strain tea (or remove bags); add the chocolate callets to melt
3. The instructions say mix gently, but Chef Antony used his hand blender at a very high speed to ensure there is no bubbles; set aside in the refrigerator until ready to place in a pastry bag and pipe on to macaron shells
4. Remove from the fridge and hour or two in advance to ensure that the ganache is not too hard, and not too soft (Don’t forget the heat of your hands will soften it, too)

Butter Cream (for Raspberry and Salted Butter Caramel Macarons)

Ingredients:

• 75g whole milk
• 30g caster sugar
• 1 vanilla pod
• 60g egg yolks
• 30g caster sugar
• 200g butter

For Raspberry Butter Cream

• 120g fresh raspberries, blended with a hand blender

For Salted Caramel Butter Cream

• one batch of salted caramel

Instructions:

1. Scald the milk, sugar and vanilla bean
2. Mix the yolks with the second sugar
3. Temper the hot milk with the egg mixture; adding all of the yolks to the hot cream mixture and poach at 82-83º C for 5-10 minutes
4. Whisk to combine, then whip with an immersion blender to avoid using a sieve and cool mixture to 30º C; then move to the large bowl of electric mixer (Kitchen Aid) and whip on medium speed until at room temperature
5. Add soft, room temperature, butter all at once; incorporate completely to increase considerably in volume (it will not be double)
6. Use a hot blower to heat the butter cream to reduce the moisture content for 2 to 3 minutes while beating
7. Make a double batch of butter cream and divide into two halves (one for caramel butter cream and one for raspberry butter cream) if making both macarons; other wise, use the entire batch for each macaron recipe

For the Raspberry Butter Cream:

1. Add the blended fresh raspberries to the butter cream and incorporate by hand
2. Place butter cream mixture into a pastry bag and pipe onto half of the shells, topping with the other half, and pressing ever so slightly to ensure that both sides will stick and that the butter cream reaches the edge of each shell

For the Salted Butter Caramel Butter Cream

1. Add the Salted Butter Caramel mixture once it has reached room temperature to the butter cream in the large bowl of an electric mixer (Kitchen Aid) and whip to combine
2. Place butter cream mixture into a pastry bag and pipe onto half of the shells, topping with the other half, and pressing ever so slightly to ensure that both sides will stick and that the butter cream reaches the edge of each shell

Important Notes:

• Tant pour tant is an equal amount of icing sugar and almond powder that has already been ground together to the finest possible grain (Never put this through a sieve or a tami as this creates heat and makes the ingredients dense) You can also use a Thermomix, but for no more than 2 minutes, turning it off and on to get the desired fineness
• Egg whites should be placed in the fridge with a plastic cover 2-3 days in advance, and taken out and left on the counter overnight the evening before beginning this process
• 2 drops of fresh lemon juice in the whites at the beginning will avoid the separating of the whites
• 4 tea bags are usually 20 grams of tea
• When turning the shells after two minutes in the oven, ensure you have a good hold of the pan, and that you are holding it in a level position or the shells may move across the tray and spill off of it
• It is ideal to make the ganache 24 hours in advance, and leave it at room temperature to cure
• Chef Antony used a hot “drier” 2-3 minutes when beating the butter cream to increase the temperature and decrease the volume (increase evaporation)
  • 220g of cream + 20g of tea = 240g of ingredients, but it is important to have 10% evaporation to have a tight ganache, thus the use of the hot blower; that is: 220g of final product when done, if done properly
  • If you are using parchment paper, when removing baked shells from the oven, you must immediately pour water between the tray and the baking paper (on the counter is best); wait a few minutes then lift off the macarons and place them on a dry tray
  • Store filled shells one day in the fridge without a cover (they will be best the next day); then in a box with a cover for up to 4 days in the fridge: freeze will wrapped and covered for up to two months

We did get a taste of each filling when we were piping them onto the shells. Well, I took a taste of each, and others followed! I mean, how can you cook and not know if it actually tastes good? The raspberry butter cream was far too runny and didn’t hold well under the conditions we used. It was also not very flavourful.

I cannot wait to get home and practice what I have learned. Going over the process while preparing for this post has been an excellent review and my mindset is definitely more confident than ever before!

Now, Beth… help! What did I forget? What did I miss that you caught? There was that unexpected pleasure: I met Beth and Mark! The following post will cover how to make the French macaron shells: Lenôtre Part Two! (Below is a photo of a garden in front of the Lenôtre Pavillion.)

Enjoy a week learning how to cook really delicious and nutritious food from scratch. Make homemade apple pie, pizza, big fat bread pretzels, ice-cream, and other delectable dishes.

You’ll get a chance to experiment with apples, dough, dairy and vegetables and gain confidence with your first hand experience.

Instructor: Valeria Rodgers Lugonja

City Arts Centre Summer 2010 – $125                  Here is the link!