Hors-d'œuvre & Canapés

Salut! Yesterday was an incredibly delicious class. We were making some Hors-d'œuvre in my cooking class and I found it very useful. You see, as I'm still planning my future as a little child does when the teacher asks: "What do you want to do when you grow up?" Well, one of my possible answers is: Being the owner of a Catering Service!

I finally found something that I might be slightly more than good at in the aspect of cooking. "Hors-d'œuvre" is a french expression meaning "Out of the work (Opus)" and it refers to the first course of a meal. They could be Bruschettas, Canapés, Dumplings, Cold cuts, Mini-skewers and other appetizers too. [Watch the images for reference].

  

The amount of Hors d'œuvre that you can make is as vast as your imagination. You can make them from practically anything that you fancy with the sole condition of keeping them bite size appetizers. Their main purpose is to entertain the guests while the main meal arrives. There are also these things called "Amuse-guele" or "Amuse-bouche" [meaning Mouth amuser in French] that are bite-sized appetizers which differ from the Hors d'œuvre in the fact that these were chosen and made by the chef so the customer have a glimpse of the meal to come. 

And speaking of other appetizers, Tapas are very well known for being these Spanish snacks perfect for guest who are not that interested in eating a full course meal. 

I'm gonna leave you a simple recipe (One that I made yesterday) so that you can include it in your "Recipiary". 

Cherry tomatoes filled with smoked salmon

Ingredients
Cherry Tomatoes 
Cream Cheese
Mayonnaise
Smoked Salmon
Salt
Green Pepper 
Lemon


Steps
1. Wash and hollow the cherry tomatoes and put them upside down in a towel paper so they can eliminate the excess of liquid they have. If you want to make them stand, cut the base of the tomato. You may also want to keep the tomatoes' caps to use them as decoration afterwards.
2. Chop the Salmon in tiny bits and make a Dip with the Cream cheese, the Mayonnaise and the Salmon.
3. Mix the Dip according to your preference and add salt and pepper to your taste. 
4. Add some lemon drops as it enhances the flavor of your Dip (and correct the amount of salt added in case you put too much in).
5. Proceed to fill the tomatoes with the Dip and decorate them as you please. 

Decoration
As you can see in the picture above, I used leek, chopped parsley, caviar, capers and the rest of the Salmon that I didn't use. 

Enjoy your tomatoes!

Knives up!

Ah! The smell of the fresh ingredients, the sound of the knife against the chopping tablet the vibrant colors of the final presentation of the dish... I have the privilege to experience all of these in my classes. I use the word 'privilege' because it is great the feeling of doing something you really enjoy. 


Our first task was to buy the knives that we are going to be using for the next months (and years, if they're good). Here's a picture of the most common knives employed in cooking:

I've taken several classes now and I'm still not that good as I would like to be ^^' But anyway, it feels great to put on the Chef suit, the hat and the apron and then start preparing something new. I have some pics of my last classes (not with great resolution, unfortunately D: I do not own a SUPER-MEGA AWESOME CAMERA yet, but one thing at a time, right?). I'll be sharing them soon...

Also, one of these days I will write some descriptions of the dishes I've been making. 

Try new dishes, it might surprise you one of these days ;p

Getting Ready...

Hello there, it has been a while since I posted here.
I've been kinda busy lately with activities of all sort, and the days to come also bring new "adventures" for me =).

On Monday, my classmates and I will be starting the practices in the kitchen! And there are some things that will be needed, such as utensils (knives, thermometer...), and the proper outfit. That's what I've looking for this week. My uniform will be supplied by the university but the rest of the personal effects are on my own. I even had to buy Crocs D; (Me being such an anti-fan of non-aesthetic garment). But ah well, I might end up like them, who knows? ;P


Anyway, 2 days ago, on Wednesday, I had another presentation; and this time my topic was assigned to me and my group the day before at 6:00 PM x__x What a torture! It was about Yeast (Now I finally know how and why the heck the bread grows and what's the function of it in alcoholic beverages and brewery). 


There's another test coming up, and a LOT of material to study. This time won't be so fun, because it'll be about hygienic measures and Food-borne illnesses.


I also subscribed to a Magazine for a year. "Bon Appétit" It was for such a great prize (15.00 USD) and the content looks amazingly satisfying. Now I'm expecting my first issue anxiously ^^ I'll write about it later. 


Remember: Fruits are a great source of Vitamins and they are an excellent pick for desserts ;P

Mid-Autumn Festival!

I have taken 3 classes so far, and boy, I've got sufficient material to entertain me for hours. =_= There's nothing to mention about that actually, so... What am I going to write about in this post?

Let's see... Yesterday was the Mid-Autumn Festival! -"Okay, but.. What is that and why is it worth mentioning?" you may ask. 

Well, it is a festivity that is celebrated by Chinese people in the 15th day of the eighth month in the Lunar Calendar. (I feel like I'm filling this blog with Asian tendencies instead of Gastronomy in general o-o) Anyway, people are accustomed to eat Moon Cakes, lit lanterns and perform Dragon Dances. I particularly like festivals, probably because beautiful colors and lights are being displayed, joy and excitement are in the air; and also their purposes have something to do with a myth or a deity (HUGE Fan of that). =) 

Returning to the main subject: the edible element, we've got the Mooncake! I'll quote the Master-Source of Research nowadays: "Typical mooncakes are round or rectangular pastries, measuring about 10 cm in diameter and 4–5 cm thick. A thick filling usually made from lotus seed paste is surrounded by a relatively thin (2–3 mm) crust and may contain yolks from salted duck eggs. Mooncakes are usually eaten in small wedges accompanied by Chinese tea."

I'm not sure if I'm into that as I'm not a huge fan of Chinese sweets or any other "ornamental/traditional" pastries. I don't know why, I love candies and sweets, but it has to be an exquisite combination of flavors in order to capture my likings. What do I eat without hesitating? Certain Chocolates and Ice Cream! (Don´t like those with little lumps or nuts in it =S) I guess I'll have to figure out what my tongue fancies in the world of sweets and pastries.~

Eat a at least 1 fruit everyday, your body will thank you. ;p

The Beginning

Two days ago I had my First Cooking Class!

There's something that always happens to me on the first day: I inevitably get lost. After figuring out the way to the classroom, asking for directions and explaining to all of them my purpose in there (after all, it was a university I've never been), I finally got in time to try on the clothing that we'll be needing for the classes in the kitchen.

I have 19 really different classmates, with extremely different backgrounds; but whose purposes juncture in the same goal: Learning the Art of Cookery. I had an optimistic beginning, even though I didn't share much (nothing, actually) in my first class. I'm really quite and sullen at first, not my intention, but I open up slowly and end up being really friendly. =)

The teacher explained some basic terms about gastronomy and right after that she gave us a tour through various cuisines around the world and what was distinctive of each one of them. I'll have to read, watch, practice and taste a LOT, but in the end it'll be fun ^^

I'm gonna have lunch now.

Wash your hands before every meal. See ya next time!

Oriental Flavors

Last night I went to this family dinner, but it was not like the usual ones. There weren't 10 tables full of family members and friends, nope. It was 1 unique table with my grandpa's generation. I was going to say that I was the youngest, but fortunately, I wasn't. There was this tiny girl with 10 years old barely and I was amused to know that she's taking classes at the same place I did when I was her age. It is so nice to know that this place still has its doors open. =)


Anyway, I'm here to talk about the tastings of that evening. It was Chinese food!





So, I couldn't take any pictures, sorry for that, but if I describe the menu, there was no Chop suey, nor Chow mein, nor little egg rolls.


For the entrée there was this soup with Chinese zucchini in it, and then a dish with a selection of algae, cow meat, fried calamari and roasted pork, very popular in big dinners. After that, came a dish full of jumbo shrimps, tofu with calamari, spinach, pork, chicken, a delicious fish and of course: RICE.

Anyway, all of these dishes are served in a round table with a round thingie up on it, right in the middle (I'll have to search its real name later, this is embarrassing =.=) and its purpose is to aid the sitting people in the process of serving their own food, in a way which you don't have to "pass" any plates, just roll the thingie and voilá!, there is your desired dish. I find this very useful, at least for the Chinese gastronomy, as it is in their culture to share several types of dishes, unlike most of the western's, where everyone has their own plate with certain amount of food in it.


This is all for now. I have to head to my Japanese class, or I'll be running late x_x
Eat healthy. See ya next time!

Cooking with words

Hello there, reader. 
It's really late tonight and my mind has been wandering around from early hours. An idea popped into my head, and because it grew incessantly I had to take it out: I decided to start a blog to focus on my Cooking experience for the next 9 months.


I will be starting a "short" course of Culinary Arts next week and I'm really excited about it! I'll be posting about my gastronomic classes, techniques and recipes that may entertain the user in their computer-off time. I'm like a lvl 1 in this matter (such a noobie...), and my purpose (as obvious as it sounds) is to become a great cook after gaining all this knowledge and experience =] 


I'm also considering to upload some images of dishes and treats that I find interesting to share, not only the ones from the classes. Might take away the linearity of the posting.  


Well, wish me good luck and see ya. <3
Remember to brush your teeth after every meal ~