COUNTRY ROAD SMELLS

Cindy Pardy

Cynthia Pardy is a producer and director for WHRO. You might recognize her incredible work on the "Civil War in Hampton Roads" series with John Quarstein as the host and historian. Cynthia is not only talented behind the camera she has a passion for family, church, roots, and history. I love talking with Cindy everyday over our very quick coffee breaks first thing in the morning. (mmm Cinnamon Creame this morning) Today's conversation is an ongoing one that we have had for the past 7 years I have worked at WHRO, and that is gardens, orchards, and apples. 

Roma, Emprire, and Granny

Cindy every year goes to the mountains with her mom in tow for apple picking in the first or second weekend in October usually. She sends an email out to the staff. Apple time! and we come running with our money and order's for the year, and on Monday we have fresh, sweet, tart apple's. 

Well I was out yesterday so I got my apples this morning. How beautiful they are and just picked at the top of the season. I can't wait to bake them. Seventeen and a half cases she brought back this year. They were lined up down the production hallway, bags and boxes of mostly Fuji, but some beautiful Winesnap, Granny Smith's, and Empires. I missed that picture.

Fuji

Cindy and I took time again this morning for her to tell me of her trip to the mountains to Dickie Bros. Orchard in Roseland, VA. http://www.dickiebros.com/ With a hint of Autumn in the air and the smells of the country road her trip could not have been planned more perfectly with the weather. I loved the picture she planted in my mind of her drive up the mountain, down the mountain and around several bends to the entrance of the country road that leads to the Orchard by smell alone. Horses in the fields and tree after tree of bent over branches laden with apples. A little snap in the air of Autumn coming and then the barn with the apples, and pumpkins and other fall bounties from the Earth.

My box

Cindy has become a planner and so emailed the brothers of her order and they were ready for her with the packed up apples to be loaded into the van for the trip back to Norfolk. The other picture I had in mind is Cindy's Mom giving her approval of a what a perfect apple season we will be having by taking her finished eaten apple and throwing her core into the field for the horses to partake in the same juicy tart sweetness.

Someday I will find the time to go back to the roots I was brought up on and join Cindy in her yearly trek to the mountains. But for today I am having the prettiest apple of the bunch for breakfast. Thanks Cindy!

YUMM

FINALS and Where is the beef?

The past two nights have been almost controlled chaos in the kitchens. Tuesday Night was the final cooking lab for Garde Manger. I blew it big time. And I know I blew it big time. My kids got into my head before class, and I lost my focus and creativity, my knife at one point.

Edible Man

Finished boat

I blame myself for getting to wrapped up in the kids and not focusing on the important job of getting through the mystery protein and come up with a winning dish. My edible arrangement of a swan apple came out pretty nice, I was thrilled with it. My idea of a grape man in a melon boat with apple flying kites fell a little short, but at least it was kinda cute and done. As for the mystery protein I had Hot Italian Sausage. Why didn't I make Empanada's with a cool sauce. Keep it simple! No I had to go and make ANOTHER curry dish and just blowing the couscous again, to where I had to sweeten it up and just pretend it was fine.

Apple Ricotta Tart

Hot Italian Sausage Curry

Final Dishes

UUGGHH. Very frustrating! It was cool though, to work through the challenges at hand. Finding the ingredients I wanted and needed was challenging this week to say the least but then having an extra pressure on top of the final was just a whole new level of stress. Why is it that we had no garlic for a week even more than a week, we now  have a bag of garlic and no oil or heavy cream. Once we were all started in cooking it was interesting how one by one we were shouting out on if someone had an extra onion or spice to share. I showed Nicky how to clean shrimp, since she had never touched shrimp before. I shared the little bit of heavy cream I commandeered, and all my spices to the other students. I borrowed an egg from someone for my ricotta apple tart. In the end we are all there to help and learn from each though even with the stiff competition for the knives. I really wanted Annette to win the knife this time. But she had her own challenges going on. Like no baking powder for her cobbler which was great in flavor. I do love my cookbook Chef Emi gave me. You can one never have enough cookbooks and two I will cherish the thoughtful words she wrote in it. I shall miss Chef Emi as my teacher and proud I was part of her very last Garde Manger class. Next time if there is a next time, I am going to focus and just go with my gut feelings and leave the kids home.

Flounder Demo

Pretty

Wednesday night in International Cuisine was another story in itself. For the past eight weeks it's been Sheila and I. Chef Ellerbe asked if we wanted to join another team since this is our final and we have... count them! 5 protein dishes to make! Shrimp, crabmeat, pork chops, flounder, chicken with a Caribbean influence. So like where is the beef?  Why not add that into the challenge. "Don't forget you have to use a Poblano pepper and some of the vegetables and other ingredients leftover in the refrigerator from our other classes. Extra credit if you use other ingredients from the previous chapter." So Chef says.  After a quick conference Sheila and I just knuckled down and went to work alone as a team:
1. Grilled Shrimp, pineapple and seaweed kabobs with a lime marinade (extra credit for the seaweed)
2. Flounder marinated in citrus and ginger, grilled over rice

3. Pork chop in a jerk dry rub and then seared and baked off with a curry vegetable sauce served over mashed plantain and sweet potato with a curry mashed califlower. (extra credit for Indian influence)
4. Curried  seared and baked 1/2 chicken served over rice with a grilled tomato.
5. Stuffed Poblano pepper with crabmeat and panko bread crumbs, a whole lot of spice.
6. EXTRA CREDIT Cuban Bread pudding. Made with cubed Cuban bread, rum, eggs, cream, cinnamon, sugar, pineapple, shredded coconut and coconut milk custard.
Well the pictures speak for themselves

Final Caribbean Dishes

Sheila and I met the challenge, we fell short on some dishes  and excelled in others. But in the end I am very proud of us. We did it together and worked together and survived the heat. As for the heat from Chef Ellerbe; well I will get that in the kitchen at SAVOR since he too is moving on from teaching at TCC. He will be missed by all, past, present and future students.

KNIVES AND CONTROLLED CHAOS

Tammy and I with our knives

 Remember way back when in early Spring when we said goodbye to HRI 107 and that I was to receive a knife for the highest grade point average? Well Tammy and I finally received our knives a few weeks ago. When I opened that box from Chef Emi, my heart did this little pitter patter, and I swear there was this like ethereal light coming from it. I was also scared spitless to use it that first night, so I used my old knife that can't cut a wet noodle. The next night was  our Garde Manger class and I needed a tomato diced for my Southwest Eggroll Station. I knew my old knife was just not up to the task and I took the new Shun knife out. The weight of it, the feel of the handle in my hand, felt like it was an old friend come home. I sliced and diced that tomato in 30 seconds. It was like the angels sang. I have not been afraid of the knife ever since. A few nicks here and there but really haven't lost too much blood yet. 

In the beginning of the semester Chef Emi asked me to speak with her HRI 106 and what the biggest challenges are in the kitchen labs. I expressed to the students how not to be afraid of the equipment, if a pot is too heavy for you to carry, get help, if a the handle on your knife is not comfortable in your hand get a new one. Take control of the equipment, the fryer, the grill and your sauce pan. I had to take my own advice and take control of not only my knife but control of the decisions to be made about jobs, kids, school, what do  in the future with this degree.

Garde Manger has also helped me make the controlled decisions as well, and tonight is our final. We have a mystery box of protein, and what we do with it will be anyone's guess. I am nervous but also know I can do this. A few weeks ago I was struggling along with the decisions and control of my plate presentations, flavor profile and emotions and I am more confident today in my thoughts and decisions with the controlled chaos of my life. I think I will be OK tonight. 

As for those controlled decisions made well: 

1. I am sticking it out with Chef Ellerbe as his Assistant. I figured out I am pretty good at that, and I am really excited in what the future has for Ellerbe Enterprises.

2. I am sticking it out with SAVOR in being the best back up sous chef they have for now. 

3. I am sticking it out with SAVOR as being the best Pastry/Baking chef they have for now.

4. I am finishing this degree in Culinary Arts even though a few weeks ago I was on the point of quitting.

5. I am going to continue being the most supportive mother to my children in their decisions in a career in school, because even though I had wonderful supporting parents who helped me make my decisions, I waited just to long to finally get to this place I am in now because I made the decision to wait. I know if I followed through with Culinary School way back when... well then I wouldn't be here writing this post for a teacher I have come to enjoy and love being in her class and friend in the end as well.

OH! and one more piece of advice to my HRI 106 students. I have the following as a tagline in my signiture for my outgoing emails. I read it every day and I say it to my heart. I know I have made the right controlled decisions in my controlled chaos of a life.

"though I may not know the answers, I can finally say I am free; and if the questions led me here, then I am who I was born to be" and that is me.

I wish my fellow Garde Manger classmates luck tonight, and the HRI 106 students luck in their decisions in the future controlled chaos in the culinary world.

Going COCONUTS!

The Coconut Cake with Coconut Icing with Toasted Coconut on the sides and topped with Shredded Coconut on top has been selling like, well like COCONUTS at SAVOR. I am not a coconut lover. I mean I like coconut milk in a curry or drink but really eating it is not my cup of tea; and yet when working at the restaurant I taste the cake all the time. I guess you can say the flavor is growing on me, but personally if given the choice I would have the Chocolate Decadence or the Key Lime Cake for dessert. Well this past week I have made 5 Coconut Cakes and one  whole one was bought by a sweet lady who needed a birthday cake. I asked for a picture to be taken of the latest cake I had made because I really thought it was the prettiest one of them all so far. Well at least they got the cake in the picture not to happy about the face in it as well.

NAMASTE!

 

Recently Chef Ellerbe called me a nerd because I knew how to spell "guarantee" without pulling out a dictionary.  The next day he said I wrote a research paper to go with my nine course meal. Ok so I am smart sometimes; just not smart all the time. I enjoy learning about different cultures. I love finding the common denominator in my searches. In your travels even if you’re here in the US and going state by state, there is that common denominator with different greetings. When I first moved to North Carolina many years ago, I had to learn to say HAY! As a greeting, I always thought I was a prude when I heard others say it, but learned to live with the thought this it’s just like in the North where we say YO!

Guest Taster's Chef Emi and Hu

Baked Basmati Rice and Yogurt-Chickpea Talapia

Vegetable Curry with Tofu and Garlic Naan

Namaste is a common spoken greeting or salutation originating from India and Nepal. Namaste means many different things when saying it to someone with hands held in a prayer-like fashion in front of the body. Namaste or Namastang is used as a friendly greeting in written communication, or generally between people when they meet. When used at funerals to greet the guests, the verbal part is usually omitted. When the hand position is higher, it usually means reverence and/or worship. The expression with hands placed on top of one's head isusually the sign of utmost reverence or respect. When the gesture is performed with hands in front of the chest, it is usually considered as aayushman. The aayushman gesture is also a cultural symbol of and Sri Lankan hospitality.

OKAAAYYY. I am a nerd. JEEZ I admit it! At least I know my curry dishes. Sheila and I just rocked the boat last night with our baked basmati rice (with no saffron or garlic in the house), a yogurt-chickpea curried fish and a coconut curry vegetable dish with tofu and garlic NAAN to scoop up all the goodness. We topped the dishes off with a pomegranate and coconut-yogurt slurry to drink.

My absolute favorite was the Pineapple dessert from Annette’s team and the Spinach and NAAN from Tammy’s team, and the rice and chicken from Kelly’s team was so full of flavor. I guess I have to give kudos out to Chef’s grilled fish. It was ok if you like fish.  Namaste! And “have a great day” is my usual farewell.

STATIONS EVERYONE!

Lets get rolling

Spices and such

You don't realize how much time and effort goes into making hors d'œuvre's until you  start thinking about how much time and effort and ingredients are needed for a simple eggroll.  Chef Emi asked if I would get the Southwest Eggroll station ingredients put together for the filling. All of the students had a station and each were based on a core idea, but what was neat is each student brought their own twist or "roll" to the station, with an added ingredient or sauce. I love the Southwest eggrolls, they are so full of taste and color. I sauteed up chicken breast, added some black beans and cheese and spices, then sauteed up some spinach in garlic and olive oil. grated more cheese, chopped up more garlic, then onion, some jalpeno, tomatoes, found a can of sweet creamed corn and drained it to just get the kernals, black olives were sliced, and then more, salt, pepper, cumin were dished into small bowls. And finally the egg roll wrappers were plated. These were my favorite hors d'œuvre's next to the shrimp and pasta kabobs Annette made with a killer dipping sauce and the vegetable springrolls Jaime made. I am not a fan of grape leaves they are too bitter for my taste, but the experience of learning to roll filling in one is  terrific.  The potato caviar blintzes were fun to make as well as the spanakopita .  Sushi Rolls are a pain. Mine were hot and spicy with a whole lot of wasabi, ginger, and shrimp rolled tight into the sticky rice.At least they were some what rolled.

All rolled up

This is probably one of the best and most fun lab I have had. It gave each of us a chance to catch up with the other students as we station hopped and rolled our stuff up together. Great Idea Chef Emi!