This is going to be a rant, if you do not want to listen, I suggest you skip to the end where the recipes lie....
Not many people in this world are lucky enough to be passionate, truly passionate. I, on the other hand, am lucky enough to have found a passion that will also provide me with a career. FOOD! Cooking, cuisine, culinary artistry, whatever you want to call it--this is a part of me, deal with it.
There's no where I feel more at home than in a kitchen. I can be me there, I can be creative, I can experiment and play with fire (literally and figuratively!). I'm in culinary school so that I can learn the fundamentals, learn principles, learn as much as possible...just LEARN. Cooking ignites something in me that makes my fiery passion for food smolder and flicker with delight. It makes me happy. I'll say it again, IT MAKES ME HAPPY. That's not selfish, that's not greedy, that's not wrong. Part of what I love about living in this country is having the right to "the pursuit of happiness." Well, my friends, I have pursued, and I am happy. There is absolutely nothing I can do about others' lack of will or desire to find happiness, it's really none of my business. The only life I can control is my own; so stop blaming me because you're not happy.
If one finds themselves lacking passion, the fault lies within themselves. You have a mind, a soul, a body to exercise whatever kind of passion your little heart desires--whether it be for cooking, playing the guitar, writing, or traveling. Anything! Anything at all that makes you feel alive, you can do; but it's up to you to discover that thing and to foster it's growth.
Now that we understand that only YOU can make yourself passionate, let's discuss how it's everyone else who can undo all your hard work. People are critical, it's a fact of life. It's a way to survive--"Is this berry poisonous? If I cook it, will it be safe?" These are things that our ancestors had to do on a daily basis to survive--they criticized everything in their environment. So it's no surprise that we modern day Homo Sapiens are just as critical, if not more so. We have the luxury, now, of being critical of our surroundings to improve them to our liking rather than merely for our survival. Pretty cool if you think about it.
When you go to an art museum, you admire the artwork and the artists' talents; but you also criticize EVERYTHING. That's why it's there, it's art--art is meant to be criticized. Art is not definite, it has no boundaries and no rules. In art, 2 + 2 equals whatever the hell you want it to. Art and beauty is in the eye of the beholder. It is you that decides whether or not you like a painting or a sculpture, not your friend, the artist or the museum. Just you. You see paint splattered on a white canvas, your friend might see a cityscape or a jungle. It's subjective and that's why we love it, because we can make our own decisions. We decide what we enjoy and what we don't--critical, huh? But something that we all do and something we all enjoy having the freedom to do.
So why should it be any different when you go to a restaurant to enjoy some artistic nourishment? Sure there are things that are definite when it comes to cuisine. A hollandaise is a hollandaise, caramelization is caramelization (not burnt food), and so on. But after you understand the basics and the foundations, then you can appreciate the art. And with art, comes criticism. We critique our food, our wine, our beer. It's part of the process of appreciation. I would be one shitty culinarian if I did not critique and analyze the food I eat--it's how I learn, how I develop my palate, and how I can help to teach others to appreciate what they eat. So many of us just eat, and don't take the time to TASTE. We are not our ancestors, we are not eating merely to survive; we have the opportunity and the luxury to eat for enjoyment and entertainment.
So, I am going to continue to critique my food, analyze it and pick it apart. This doesn't mean I'm only going to say "this is burnt", "this needs salt", "this is overcooked." No way! Have you ever heard of constructive criticism?! I will most certainly find things that I do not like about a meal, but that does not mean that I will fail to notice and appreciate the positives! I mean, if I'm eating it, obviously I don't think it's disgusting....right? But as a growing and learning culinarian, I am beginning to understand what's right and what's wrong. And I will evaluate and assess my food, and I will not apologize for it.
I have a passion that burns white hot in me. I am an insightful, witty, intelligent woman with an insatiable appetite for knowledge and art. I'm not tooting my own horn here, but I am proud of the fact that I'm working hard to make the most of my life, my education and my talents. If this intimidates you, that's too bad. Perhaps I'm a little selfish in that regard, but I don't care. I'm driven and focussed; and while I would never hurt someone just to get ahead, I will not hold anyone's hand either. Let's learn from each other, help each other grow, but realize that, ultimately, it is each one of us that is responsible for ourself.
So grow up, grow a pair and accept the fact that some people know more than you and that you can learn from them. I do, everyday. And I'm a better cook, a better dog owner, a better runner, a better person for it.
I digress.
Now time for the fun part....RECIPES! In culinary school, we are currently learning the Mother Sauces: bechamel, veloute, espagnole, tomato and hollandaise. Being a "bechamel god" now, I feel it's my duty to share with you this amazing sauce and all the fun things you can do with it.
Bechamel
1 onion piquet (peel, slice the onion in half, "staple" a bay leaf to the cut-side of the onion with whole cloves)
1 gal milk
8 oz flour
8 oz clarified butter
salt & white pepper, to taste
nutmeg, to taste
Add the onion piquet to the milk in a heavy saucepan and simmer for 20 minutes (NEVER boil milk, it will separate and make for a nasty sauce....heat gently, lazy bubbles people, lazy bubbles). In a separate pot, make a white roux with the flour and the butter--no need to heat this! Remove the onion piquet from the milk. Gradually add the hot milk to the roux while stirring CONSTANTLY with a whisk to prevent lumps. Bring to a boil and immediately reduce the sauce to a simmer, add the the seasonings and continue cooking for 30 minutes. Strain the sauce through cheesecloth or a fine mesh strainer.
Bechamel sauce is not usually used "as is". Bechamel sauce is merely milk trying to act like heavy cream, and that's what it tastes like--so you'll have to spice things up a bit before you use this! Several "small sauces" (or sauces made from a mother sauce) can be made from this single recipe of bechamel. Read on and enjoy.
Note: Experiement with adding whatever you want to the bechamel. These small sauces listed below are merely three traditional small sauces out of thousands available. Get creative!
Cream sauce
Add 2-4 fl oz scalded cream to 4 oz of the bechamel and a few drops of lemon juice.
Mornay sauce
Add 1 oz grated Gruyere cheese and 1/2 oz grated Parmesan cheese to 4 oz bechamel. Thin as desired with scalded cream (scalded cream is not burnt cream, it's hot cream). Remove the sauce from the heat and swirl/whisk in 1 oz whole butter.
Soubise sauce
Sweat 1/4 lb diced onions in a pat of whole butter WITHOUT browning. Add 4 oz bechamel and simmer until the onions are fully cooked. Strain through a fine mesh strainer.
How you use these small sauces is completely up to you, but I'll give you some ideas to get you started...
Cream sauce: Pour over broiled white fish or chicken. Add basil pesto and pair with salmon. Drizzle over sauteed vegetables.
Mornay sauce: Macaroni & cheese, anyone? Add parmesan and garlic for alfredo sauce.
Soubise sauce: Use in much the same way as the cream sauce--it has a heavy onion flavor and therefore should be paired with this in mind.
Enjoy being creative my friends! Don't be afraid to fail, it is through failure that we learn.
Enjoy your weekend,
Sarah
