Chef has reminded the class several times that pork night is not the night to miss. As I entered the classroom the energy level was nearly frenetic. Chef, Angie, and two additional assistants hurried about from the classroom to the kitchen.
Chef lectured and demo'd how to prepare: Saint Louis style spare ribs, basic barbecue sauce, North Carolina style pulled pork, mustard slaw, maple ice ice cream with candied bacon, pork chop chacuterie, and corn bread.
The class was tasked with making pork charcuterie and corn bread in the kitchen.
What I learned- Professional recipes are measured by weight
- Consider baking bacon. It cooks more evenly and uniformly. Cook it at 325 degrees Fahrenheit
- After roasting corn, think of making corn stock by placing the used corn cob in water
- The bark is the skin on top of the picnic shoulder. It is often used to make chicharron (cracklin')
- To keep pork chops from curling, cut notches on the sides of the meat
- The proper amount of fat and right temperature temperature allow meat to turn easily
Observations
- During class Angie explained to the class how the number of tastebuds genetically classifies people as non-taster, medium taster, or super taster.
- Women, Asians, and African- Americans tend to be super tasters. In the United States approximately 25% of the population is non-taster, 50% is medium taster, 25% is super taster.
- Angie distributed tasting tests strips to the entire class - there was no obligation to participate in the test. Only one woman in the class reported being a non taster. Only one man in the class reported being a super taster.
- Three people,Sue, Mary Joyce, and Michael, are the assistants in the CT101 class. They help make the class run smoothly and are extremely patient. Tonight, one of the assistants served as volunteer model as Chef explained cuts of meat.
- The two additional assistants tonight, Michael and Adam, were engaging and explained how to make pulled pork and chicharron.
- Chef smoked the ribs and picnic shoulder for more than 20 hours. The meats were delicious and his efforts were appreciated. At the end of lecture he actually sat down for 5 minutes.
Self Reflection
- I arrived at class exhausted from completing a project with a 2pm deadline earlier in the day. My mind was in a fog and I was sleepy, so sleepy that I got a cup of coffee during class to stay awake.
- The coffee woke me up, but mind was still in a fog. I should not have entered the kitchen to help with prep before class much less preparing dishes with Marl. If I'm every that tired again, I will go home after lecture - for my safety as well as the safety of Marl and my other classmates.
- Marl handled it well, but the cornbread I made was horrible. In the midst of scurrying around I failed to add the meringue that he carefully whipped up. The resulting cornbread looked like a cross between foccacia bread and a yellow brick.
- I took the cornbread home after Marl politely declined to some of the cornbread home. I wonder if in can used as dressing for Easter dinner. Then again I'm cooking duck for Easter dinner and dressing is not on the menu I'm envisioning (roasted asparagus, roasted beets, and some starch)
- Running the corn bread through the food processor/mini chopper and giving it the nearby birds, squirrels, and rabbits is another option.
- Marl emailed the day after class to see if I had nightmares about the cornbread -perhaps giving the cornbread to the birds and squirrels is not a good idea.
- The test results indicate I'm a super taster. Tonight, a very tired super taster.
Be well,
Technicolor girl,
 |
| image created by Ink+ LLC |
No comments:
Post a Comment