The Final Weeks

tigertailkitchen

Back in my day (ha!), if you wanted to go to college, you went to your high school guidance counselor’s office and picked up brochure after brochure of regional programs. If you were applying to a place like Harvard, you already knew what you were doing. For the rest of us, we skimmed glossy pages seeking a potential home. Who would have us? Who could we be? I remember choosing the following for a variety of not-great reasons: Loyola University in New Orleans (because New Orleans), St. John’s College in Santa Fe (sounded fancy), Colorado State in Fort Collins (briefly had visions of being outdoorsy), University of Puget Sound (water), and a now-forgotten culinary school brochure. If I’m being honest, the real reason I looked at any of them was to escape. I never really pictured myself as a college student and didn’t even know what I wanted in a career. I stared at the different campuses and all the smiling, beautiful people thinking: Is this me? I still don’t know why I brought the culinary school brochure home. I remember having no cooking experience, and no real desire to learn about food, but still being drawn to those tall, white hats and confident smiles over powerful crossed arms. The people in the culinary school brochure looked like they could move mountains. They fascinated and scared me. I threw the brochure away.

The final weeks of class had us preparing full entree plates served in aesthetically pleasing ways at correct temperatures. Planning is critical, especially for someone without industry experience like me. It’s incredibly difficult to keep certain foods hot while also cooking others. If you’ve ever made Thanksgiving dinner alone, you have an inkling as to what its like. Some items need to be served immediately. Others can hold, but only under certain conditions. We’re also sharing kitchen space. (I blessed my tiny home counters that helped teach me how to work clean in a contained space). Then, there’s the pressure of making the plate beautiful. I made numerous errors and learned a lot. It’s all so much harder than it looks!

Poached salmon in nage sauce with sauteed spinach and julienned vegetables. I overcooked the salmon slightly, which you can see via the small amounts of white albumin on the meat. My plating overall was okay, but the vegetables could have been arranged more delicately.
My station during prep. This is all for two entree dishes.
Fried veal cutlet with braised cabbage, mashed potatoes, and a lemon sauce. My parsley went rogue.
Roasted duck breast with butternut squash puree and caramelized brussel sprouts. My blood orange gastrique did not make it to the plate, due to time. I also cut the duck improperly. Cutting it length-wise is much prettier. Everything tasted great, though!
Working “clean” gets drilled into us. It’s more than just not spilling things. It’s about keeping your space tight and tidy, with everything you need close at hand.
Seared salmon with mashed potatoes, glazed carrots, and beurre blanc sauce.

That’s a wrap on my first semester! I’ll be taking a writing break until school starts back up. Intermediate Culinary Arts, I’m on my way!

Leave a comment