CRACKED.

So I haven’t cracked under pressure yet, but I did skip a week of blogging 1) because we had our knife skills exam last week and I chose to chop things in lieu of typing things and 2) because the course was sauce, stock, and broth, and my photos of veggie broth weren’t very enticing. I’m happy to report that I’m back, and we all passed our knife skills exam without a hitch or any lost fingers!

While we all panicked over memorizing exactly what 1/8-inch looks like for our knife cuts,* we also learned about soups, stews, and eggs last week.

*I’ve made a miraculous discovery that I have a crease in my thumb that measures a perfect 1/8”…so basically I cheated, after asking if it was fair to use my skin as a reference on the exam.

Chef Celine demonstrates how to paint with sauce during sauce week.

Before I get into the eggciting stuff, let me backtrack for a hot second to sauce week. We simmered, stirred , and sipped every sauce imaginable from the traditional beurre blanc, béchamel, and bordelaise (both vegan and non-vegan), to mango barbecue sauce, teriyaki, and chimichurri.

I led the chimichurri sauce prep, which called for a marinated, grilled seitan to dip in it. Let’s just say I was skeptical. In case you are unaware, seitan is a meat substitute made out of wheat gluten and has been used and consumed for more than a thousand years. It’s denser than tofu, but has that same sponginess.

Grilled Seitan…but doesn’t it kinda look like french toast?

My skepticism was squashed with the final product. The grilled seitan with the chimichurri was a crowd favorite. I’ve now learned to hold my tongue on weird ingredients until all is said, done and tasted.

Variations on polenta and millet preparations.

One thing I knew I would love from the get-go was soup and stew day. It happened to fall on a rainy, frigid day in NYC as if they planned it that way. We made it all, from pureed soups to chunky stews, to the classic beet borscht.

If you are in need of a delightful 3-bean chili, I whipped up that guy up there and topped it with a swoosh of cashew “sour cream.” I’m a fan. The recipe is below. For the cashew sour cream, I recommend using a high-speed blender (like a Vitamix) instead of a food processor. It produced a much much smoother and creamier final product.

Now on to my favorite part of the week, EGGS! I love a good egg. They’re also my go-to meal when I’m feeling lazy or have nothing else in the house. If friends come over, I can throw together an impromptu dinner party by feeding them fancy (or not-so-fancy) eggs.

Also, this culinary program is mostly plant-based, so besides the insane amount of butter we used for sauce week, this was the first time (I think?) we worked with animal products.

We had two full days of eggs: one day of savory eggs, one day of sweet eggs. For day 1, we learned to poach and fry, make homemade garlic mayo (YUM) and hollandaise, and create a perfect French omelet and frittata.

French omelette with pickled onion and parsley oil

One thing I did not realize is how much the freshness of the egg plays into the different cooking styles. For poaching and frying, the fresher the better. A super fresh egg will hold its shape and not spread out as much in the pan. But for hard boiled eggs, you want slightly older (1 week) eggs. They’re easier to peel than fresh eggs! If you want to poach an egg that’s not as fresh as you’d like, add a tablespoon of vinegar to the simmering water. It really helps.

Tumeric Roasted Potatoes for plating with our eggs

Once we learned all of the techniques, we had to create our own egg masterpieces. I made a crispy fried egg toast on an extra thick slice of grainy bread with sautéed mushrooms and spinach and a drizzle of this parsley oil Chef concocted. ZOMG, that parsley oil. Ok, y’all, please make this. And drizzle it on everything.

In a blender, combine 2 ounces of spinach, 4 ounces of parsley (blanch for 5 seconds to maintain the bright green color), 1 clove garlic, 1-inch piece of lemon peel, 3/4 cup EVOO, + salt.

Since then, I’ve poured that parsley goodness on all of my egg dishes, a vegetable curry, avocado toast, and my morning smoothie. Kidding.

Day 2 was filled with sweet meringues, soufflés, crème anglaise, zabaglione (stirred custard) and crème caramel (baked custard). All sweetened with maple crystals, which do not spike your blood sugar as much as white sugar, and also contain zinc and manganese.

Chocolate Soufflé!

Last, but not least, part of the egg course included choosing the right eggs. Even as a marketer, I can respectfully say that there is a lot of marketing BS around labeling. You think you’re buying something that’s fair and humane, but the certification really means nothing. Like “cage-free". It doesn’t mean a whole lot. So just be cautious of what you’re spending money on, and be aware if you’re paying a premium for no good reason.

I shall leave you with this lovely little chart:

And a recipe:

Alright, y’all. I’m off to learn about soy. And as always, if you ever have questions or want the recipes for anything, just holler!

xoxo

J