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Same rules, same possible draws, larger portion size.
My challenge today: Beef Blade Steak & Bulgar Wheat
Both ingredients are unfamiliar to me. It was definitely a fun day of “I wonder if this would work…” Here’s my take on a comfort food classic — burgers n’ fries.
Za’atar Spiced Blade Steak Burger on Bulgar Wheat “Buns” with Sweet Potato Fries and Cumin Aioli
First day of practical exam: present a 3-component appetizer plate.
The challenge is, you don’t know what you’re working with until right before the clock starts.
Drawing from a hat — 4 possible proteins and 8 possible additional ingredients.
My draws were Red Snapper & Green Papaya. This required a bit of thinking and testing on my part. Snapper I’m pretty comfortable with but green papaya isn’t an ingredient I’ve worked with much or have immediate associations with beyond the context of a Thai green papaya salad. In fact, when I drew green papaya out of the hat, the rest of my class erupted in a cheer for no one was eager to face this ingredient head on.
After spending some time exploring the different possibilities of cold and hot preparations, a concept began to emerge. 2 hours later, I was a proud presenter of the following dish,
Fried Red Snapper Curls over Green Papaya & Cauliflower Puree with Curry Lime Ginger Hollandaise and a drizzle of Walnut Oil.
(Garnish with fried cilantro leaves)
In preparing for the next two days of practical exams, today’s mystery basket was a fun way to warm up.
Mystery Basket had one mystery protein — Pork Chop
Rules to follow by:
1) pork chop must be on plate (in any form)
2) feature a specific flavor (selected by a random drawing from one of four possibilities: lemon grass, tahini, mirin, and fish sauce)
3) include a dough made from scratch
My team presented the following plate:
fresh pasta, pork chop strips (mirin-sake marinade), and vegetables in a mirin-soy-ginger sauce (made from roasted pork bone)
garnished with fried ginger & sacallions
We have been on an around-the-world tour all through this course but today was a special melting pot of country-specific signature dishes.
Monkfish Escabeche (Spain)
toothy monkfish coated in flour, fried, swimming in a vinegary fragrant marinade. May taste even better tomorrow but it was all gone.
Korean BBQ Ribs (Korea)
used pork ribs. I know, I know! It’s not real Galbi but we had to make do with what was available through the purchasing department.
Jerk Chicken (Jamaica)
spicy, cruncy grilled chicken that might even be better than fried chicken on some days.
Shepherd’s Pie (Ireland)
lamb meat, not beef (would be called ‘cottage pie’ if using beef) flavor is just unbeatable. We used a nice lean cut (lamb top) that tasted clean and delicate without being buried by the potatoes.
Two dishes based on freshly made chili paste and one from commercially available forms, all delicious.
Thai Curry Vegetables
so nice to have vegetables! to think that we used to bitch about the long wait to get our hands on animal proteins and now my body is demanding the opposite.
mortar-and-pestle operation was quickly defeated by the power of plugged-in appliances…
Thai Curry Mussels
no leftovers to take home. not a single shell.
Dan Dan Noodles
mysteriously spicy.
My new favorite sauce – Harissa. This little concoction packs heat! Something about toasting spices whole before grinding and meshing a paste together using mortar and pestle just really makes a preparation like this special. 
Each sauce incorporates peppers, each takes on a paste consistency but all completely different products. Romesco is creamy, nutty, and mild peppery. Harissa is toasty heat with a long finish. Piri-piri is caustically sour and pungent. All in all, great shocks to the systems on a cold winter day.
4 Moles, 4 proteins. Labor intensive and time consuming but well worth it.
Turkey with Mole Poblano
Pork with Mole Negro
Chicken with Mole Amarillo
Rabbit with Mole Rojo
Representive photo here — hint — it ain’t chicken.
Mexican Hot Chocolate and Churros. Thanks, Chef Merlo!
Low and slow over several days, Boston Baked Beans and Feijoada (Brazilian national dish, a black bean and meat stew) finally made it into our bellies. And the wait was well worth it. Baked beans are sweet, tangy, and sticking soft. What a great dish to learn and pay respect to our locale. Feijoada wasn’t eaten with the whole traditional spread but definitely lived up to the meatiness that’s so important to the dish (think ham hocks, 2 different sausages, and pork shoulder meat).
Moving on to our study of fats and oils,
Mongolian Beef
flashed-fried or oil-blanched slice of beef was very tender in the final dish
Bang Bang Ji Si (Bang Bang Chicken)
freshly toasted sesame seeds paste and oil really jazzed up the flavors
Som Tom (Thai Green Papaya Salad)
nut oil is essential to the profile of this refreshing mix
(substituted cashew for peanut to avoid triggering allergy)
included some not-so-green papayas due to a ordering mix-up but ended up with a nice dose of natural sweetness
Deep-Fried Chicken (not pictured)
butter milk soaked.
It’s not very often that we get free rein on a dish. Aside from select practical exams, today was one of the few incidences where one’s creativity can shine.
Dish: leafy salad with a vinaigrette
Rules: use at least 2 of the 3 lettuce varieties (romaine, radicchio, and endives) and vinaigrette must combine oil & water-based ingredients.
Grades takes into account competency level of vinaigrette making and all the factors that goes into composing a ready-to-eat dish.
Here’s what I presented — Radicchio and Endives Salad dressed in a Honey Mustard Vinaigrette (white balsamic vinegar and olive oil) with Eggs, Blue Cheese, and Candied Spiced Cashews (cinnamon, ginger, and garam masala) — sort of a “bitter & spice” plate.
Other individually evaluated tasty bites for today — Pommes Sarladaise (potatoes fried in duck fat), Butter-Poached Shrimp (must try it with lobster next time!), and Pork & Duck Rillette (not pictured).
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