• 2 tbs. butter divided
• 1 onion sliced (root to tip)
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 1 bunch asparagus tough ends trimmed
• 1/2 C. hot water
• 2 tbs. cream cheese
• 2 tbs. dijon mustard
• 1 C. white wine (Chardonnay)
• 1 1/2 C. milk
• 1/2 C. grated parmesan cheese
• 1 lb. linguine
• fresh cracked black pepper
• Kosher salt

1. Heat 1 tbs. butter in a large straight sided pan on medium, saute the onions and garlic until tender but still slightly crunchy, season with Salt and pepper about 10 minutes.
2. Add asparagus and water (TIP:  if you’re boiling your pasta water while you cook your asparagus and sauce, use some of the pasta water. It will already be almost boiling and will blanch the asparagus faster. If your pasta water is already seasoned DON’T add more salt) 1 tbs. butter and kosher salt. Bring to a simmer, cover leaving lid slightly ajar. Steam asparagus until almost aldente, remove and reserve. Turn the heat to medium high and continue sauteing onions uncovered until almost all of the water has evaporated.
3. Stir in cream cheese and dijon mustard and allow to melt slightly. Whisk in wine, and reduce by about half. Whisk in Milk and bring to a very low simmer. Whisk in parmesan. Simmer about 5 minutes to thicken slightly. Return asparagus to pan, continue simmering until aldente. Serve asparagus and sauce over a bed of linguine.

Here’s what I learned about cast iron this weekend. First, some oils turn into a tar-like film when they are taken past their smoke points! Second, to get the film off, I suppose I could have used steel wool, but I didn’t have any and that seems way too abrasive. One trick I read online was to heat up the skillet on the stove, pour kosher salt in it and cut a potato in half and use the potato and salt to scrub off anything stuck to the surface. The salt and potato scrub took the film off in a snap, but then I needed to re-season it.

There are so many different opinions about what to season cast iron with. I read lard, bacon fat, crisco, and vegetable oil, even coconut oil or butter. One article I read said that all of these are wrong and to only use food grade linseed oil, or flax-seed oil (which has a very low smoke point, so I’m not so sure about this one).

I didn’t have any flax-seed oil, but like any good southern cook, I keep a container of bacon fat in my refrigerator at all times. After scrubbing off the film with salt and a potato, I coated all sides of my skillet with bacon fat, turned it upside-down on the top rack of my 350 degree preheated oven, and placed a sheet pan on the rack below it. I only left it in there for about 15 minutes because I started to smell the bacon fat, but I read everything from 15 minutes to an hour and a half in my research. With so many different techniques, I just decided to go my usual route and do it my own way, which turned out ok. I think, no matter what oil you use when seasoning cast iron, the key is not to let the oil reach it’s smoke point.

Having successfully cleaned and re-seasoned my skillet I had to do the next logical thing…Cook something in it! So I made a dish that everyone in my family loves. Here’s hoping your’s does too!

Smothered Pork Chops with Apples, Onions and Mushrooms

• 4 bacon slices
• 4 bone in center cut pork chops
• 4 tbs. dijon mustard divided
• 2 tbs. vegetable oil
• 2 onion sliced (root to tip)
• 1 C. button or cremini mushrooms sliced
• 1 fuji apple peeled, cored, sliced
• 2 tbs. flour
• 1 C. white wine (chardonay)
• 2 C. beef broth or vegetable stock
• kosher salt
• fresh cracked black pepper

1. In a medium cast iron skillet, cook bacon till crispy, reserve for garnish. Pour off bacon fat (reserve, cool and refrigerate). While bacon cooks, season one side of each pork chop with salt and pepper. Smear 1 tbs. dijon mustard on one side of each chop.
2. Wipe out cast iron skillet with paper towel folded into a thick pad. Melt 1 tbs of the reserved bacon fat in pan on medium-high heat. Sear pork chops seasoned side down and season other side with salt and pepper. Cook 3 minutes on each side, remove from pan and cover.
3. Wipe out pan again, melt 1 tbs butter in pan. Saute onions, and mushrooms on medium heat about 10 minutes. Increase heat to medium-high, add apples, saute about 5 minutes. Push vegetables and apples to sides of pan, stir in flour. Cook about 2 minutes.
4. Deglase pan with wine, simmer until almost dry (au sec). Add beef broth (or vegetable stock) bring to simmer, turn down to medium low and simmer about 10 minutes. Return chops and juices to pan, cover and simmer about 13 minutes.
5. Serve with cooked rice or cooked pasta. Steamed broccoli or asparagus would also go well with this dish.

As many of you may know, my husband is allergic to poultry. It is an unfortunate allergy and I seriously hope our son doesn’t suffer the same plight.  Until Noah actually arrives and is big enough to try some chicken, I only prepare enough to serve myself.

I limit chicken dinners to nights when Brian works late and I try to avoid left overs that have come in contact with chicken, especially things like white rice or plain pasta that Brian may accidentally eat during a wild fit of hunger. I’m not sure if his allergy is life threatening. I’ve never seen him eat real chicken, only things containing chicken or chicken products like the occasional hot dog, cheap peperoni or dish made with chicken broth. He says it feels like his chest tightens up. it would probably be a good idea to keep an EpiPen in the house just in case.

Even though it’s only for me, I refuse to settle for the plain old sauteed chicken. I continue to experiment with flavors to go with chicken. It’s almost like a blank canvas for unique flavors, which provided the inspiration for this recipe. I was craving something different, savory yet slightly sweet, and like all my cravings I blame this one on pregnancy. This is my first attempt at this experimental dish. I think Next time instead of using my non stick pan I’ll use my regular aluminum pan and I’ll sautee the chicken in browned butter to encourage the formation of more of those delicious browned bits in the pan, called Suc. Either way I think this is an excellent dish, and this sauce could easily transfer to pork very well.

Unusual Sauteed Chicken Breast

• 2 tbs. Apricot preserves
• 2tsp. honey mustard
• Juice of 1/2 a lemon
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1 tbs. water
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp. black pepper
• 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
• 2 prunes minced
• 1/2 C. Onion, minced
• 1/2 C. Red Bell Pepper, Small dice
• 3/4 C. Button Mushroom, small diced
• 1 tbs. canola oil
• 1 tbs. salt, divided
• 2 tsp pepper, divided
• 1 or 2 chicken breast (depending on if you’re serving 1 or 2)

1. Combine first 8 ingredients, when adding oil continually stir mixture while dribbling in. Pour 1/4 of mixture onto chicken, marinate 20 minutes.
2. Add prunes to remaining mixture.
3. Season both sides of chicken with salt and pepper
4. heat canola oil in a saute pan over medium high heat. Saute chicken about 10 minutes, or until cooked through, turning half way through. When cooked, remove chicken from pan, cover with a lid or aluminum foil, reserve.
5. Add mushrooms, peppers and onions to pan. Season with salt and pepper. Saute until tender. Add remaining  mixture to pan and simmer until slightly thickened. Monte au beurre with butter.
6. Return chicken and collected juices to heat through slightly. Serve over white rice or rigatoni.

A lot has happened since my post last September. Sit down and let me tell you the whirl wind story of the last 7 or 8 months. My last post, Simple Rosotto with Bacon and Peas for One, was on September 18, 2010. At that time Brian and I were making the final plans for our wedding on September 25. The wedding went off without a hitch and was beautiful if I do say so myself. Unfortunately, when we got back to Austin, my boss at the time told me he could no longer afford my web and PR services and I was let go after only about three months.

Unemployment is really quite sad. Fortunately, though I was only unemployed for about a month. I started working at BancVue, a company that provides products for community banks to help them take on the mega banks, as a Front End Web Developer.

I know what you’re probably thinking, “What was the point of going to culinary school?” Believe me, I’ve asked myself that many times since graduation. The way I see it, culinary school was an incredible experience. The most important thing it taught me is what I am, personally, capable of accomplishing.

Culinary school was not a cake walk by any means (no pun intended). At times I went to work at 4AM and got home at midnight (I slept in my car a lot), I was under-nourished and lost probably about 20 pounds during school, I got food poisoning which feels like it lasts for weeks, and I sport so many burn and cut scars someone might mistakenly think I’ve been abused. I don’t want to sound like a Debbie Downer nor do I wish to discourage a prospective student from fulfilling their dream. I expected culinary school to be hard work but I could never have predicted the experience that I had, and what I am most proud of is that I still finished even after all of that. I suffered through all of the wounds, sickness and exhaustion and am now more self assured and confident that I can accomplish whatever I attempt.

I feel like the timing of my unemployment was perfect because it made me realize that a job as a cook was not going to be sufficient for starting a family, which I now realize is what is most important to me. BancVue found me at the perfect moment and I absolutely love my job. I am also happy to announce that Brian and I have started our little family! I’m now 26 weeks pregnant, and am due on September 6th! It’s pretty crazy that our son will born before our first anniversary, but I’m so happy I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Since we’re expecting we’ve decided this is the best time if any for Brian to go back to school. I had my turn, now it’s his. His classes at Austin Community College started today, so I wanted to make something delicious for him for dinner. This stuffed pork loin recipe is adapted from one that I learned in culinary school, I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

Note: Dice all of your vegetables first but keep the recipes separated. Remember 2 Tbs. = 1 oz.

For Pork Loin:

• 1 Pork tenderloin, boneless trimmed
• 2 tbs butter
• 1 C. onion, diced
• 1 clove garlic, chopped + 2 whole cloves
• 1 carrot, rough chop
• 1 celery stalk, rough chop
• 1 granny smith apple, peeled diced
• 3 tbs prunes pitted, minced
• 2 oz. red wine
• 1 C. vegetable stock
• 1 tsp sugar
• kosher salt
• black pepper

Note: I bought a regular boneless pork tenderloin. two tenderloins come in the package. I cut each loin into two even pieces, so I end up with four easy to handle pieces, and freeze them separately. Since I’m only serving two people two pieces is enough.

1. Preheat oven to 350º & allow prunes to soak in wine. Sweat onion in butter, season with salt. Add garlic and apple, season with sugar and pepper. Add prunes, reserve wine.  Saute until apples are al dente, taste for seasoning, remove from heat and allow to cool.
2. Make a small slit in one end of tenderloin. Push index finger (or knife steel if loin is longer) through slit to other end of tenderloin making a pocket for the stuffing. When stuffing is cool enough to handle stuff loin tightly as stuffing will shrink and truss the loin. Season all sides of meat with salt and black pepper.
3. Heat a medium sized sauce pan (that can transfer to oven) to medium high, sear all sides of meat in pan. Remove meat, add celery, carrot and 2 cloves garlic to pan, replace meat on top of vegetables and bake in oven until internal temp. of meat is 145º.  Remove pan, allow meat to rest on plate covered with foil, leave vegetables in pan.
4. For sauce, heat same pan to medium high, deglaze pan with red wine, add vegetable stock allow to reduce to nape consistency, add any juices collected in plate with meat. Monter au buerre. keep sauce warm on low heat so it doesn’t reduce too far. After meat has rested slice and serve, sauce under (sauce goes on plate not on top of meat. Sauce under for dry heat cooking; sauce over for wet heat cooking such as braising)

For Mushroom Dressing:

Note: Start your mushroom dressing while the loin bakes. Pop into oven when loin comes out, while you make the sauce.

• 1 1/2 C. white or brown mushrooms, trimmed, diced
• 1 C. onion, small dice
• 1/2 C. celery, small dice
• 1 tsp garlic, miced
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• 1 tsp parsley, fine chop
• 1 tbs butter
• 3 slices wheat bread, crust trimmed, large dice, toasted
• as needed vegetable stock
• kosher salt
• black pepper

1. Sweat onion & celery  in saute pan, season with salt and pepper. Add garlic. Add mushrooms and toasted bread cubes. Taste for seasoning, adjust if needed. Moisten with vegetable stock.
2. Pop into oven while you make sauce.

Sometimes I have to allow myself to indulge in life’s simple perfections.  This classic risotto with sweet peas, bacon and parmesan cheese is one of those simple perfections.

When done correctly the short grain arborio rice releases an exorbitant amount of starch creating, rather miraculously, the perfect amount of rich and creamy sauce in which each grain of rice is separately suspended. When you’ve devoted the half hour to 45 minutes of constant stirring necessary to compose this intoxicating symphony of the mouth the rice will hold together but be loose and fall separately on the plate.

Risotto should not clump together in a singular mass, nor should it sit in a pool of sauce. Some suggest adding cream to make risotto creamy. In my opinion, adding cream is cheating and unnecessary. When you’ve done it correctly,  you’ll know. The means to creating this exquisite bowl of excellence is definitely worth the end, trust me.

If you are concerned about devoting yourself completely for 45 minutes to something other than your work, your children, your husband (or significant other), cleaning the house, cooking their dinner, packing their lunches, helping with their homework….stop, don’t fret, just stop.

Pour yourself a glass of wine, drag a kitchen stool over and just cook. This is for you and only you. I have come to many a revelation whilst staring into a pan of risotto. In the right state of mind it can be a trans-like experience that allows your brain to relax and actually work through any challenges you might be facing, especially when a glass of wine is involved.

On that note, when it comes to white wine I drink chardonnay because it is a very well rounded, neutral white. It can be acidic, yet full flavored and buttery. It compliments almost any dish, thus it can be used in cooking almost any dish.

I think chardonnay is an incredible compliment for this risotto. The slight acidity is perfect for cleansing the pallet of the rich, creamy rice, and the buttery flavor compliments the beautiful burst of sweetness from each delicious little pea. When your pallet feels a bit overwhelmed take a sip of cleansing chardonnay and you’re ready for another perfect bite.

Do everything you can to allow yourself to enjoy this delicious meal for one. Whether you have to tune everything else out completely or simply have to wait for the entire house to go to bed, make this meal as a tribute to yourself and savor it. You deserve it. Enjoy.

Simple Risotto with Bacon and Peas for One!

• 2 slices bacon cut into lardon
• 1/2 medium onion, small dice
• 2 garlic clove, minced
• 2 tsp. kosher salt
• 2 tsp. black pepper
• 1 C. arborio rice
• 1/2 C. White Wine
• 3 C. Chicken stock, warmed (sub vegetable stock or water)
• 1/2 C. parmesan cheese, grated
• 1 1/2 tbs. butter
• 1 C. frozen peas, thawed
• 1/4 C. fresh parsley, roughly chopped

Note: lardon are chunks or strips cut across the grain of the bacon.

1. In a medium sauteuse (shallow pan with sloping sides – keeps rice from burning in the corners) render the fat from the bacon. Start in a cold pan on medium heat. As the pan heats slowly the fat from the bacon will release. When the bacon is crispy, remove it from the pan and reserve. Poor out the fat, but leave 1 tbs. in the pan (I keep extra bacon fat in a Tupperware my refrigerator to use for flavorful cooking fat when I don’t have bacon).
2. Sweat the onions and garlic in remaining fat, season with salt and pepper. When onions are tender, reduce heat to medium low, add 1/2 tbs. butter and the rice. Coat the rice with the fat, season again with salt and black pepper and allow to cook until toasty, 5-10 minutes. Deglaze the pan with the white wine, reduce to au sec (almost dry). Reduce heat to medium-low.
3. Add 1/4 C. of the warm stock or water (I use water because I don’t keep chicken stock because Brian is allergic to poultry. The end result is just as perfect) and stir constantly until absorbed. Continue adding liquid about 1/4 C. at a time and stirring constantly until rice is al dente. Stir in parmesan with the last addition of liquid. The liquid addition and stirring process can take up to 45 minutes, do NOT rush it. Keep your flame at medium-low throughout the process. Add peas, butter, parsley, and check seasoning and adjust with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until peas are cook and butter melts, about 2 minutes. Serve hot and topped with lardon and more parmesan.

We found out yesterday that Brian has Pneumonia. I don’t know how he managed it, but this is not acceptable with the wedding just over a week away. Usually when he gets sick, he’s only sick for about 3-4 days, then I get sick and remain sick for about a month. This just can’t happen right now.

Today I’m making Shrimp & Potato Soup for Pneumonia to help ease Brian’s cough and to ward off illness for me. In this recipe I use shrimp because heavy, animal proteins are more difficult to digest and because Brian is allergic to poultry. This means I have to be very creative to avoid an only beef diet. I might use red kidney beans, black beans, or even garbanzo beans in this recipe for a completely vegetarian recipe if I was cooking only for myself, but the sick one doesn’t like beans, so I adapted my recipe.

I keep the vegetable dice relatively large; about the same size as the shrimp.  The purpose of a large dice is to avoid over cooking the vegetables and losing much of their nutrients while the soup is simmering. It’s best to chop the vegetables to the same size so they cook evenly

Garlic and onions are great for helping to open the bronchial passages and ease breathing. Ginger helps with nausea that may come with strong cough medicines or antibiotics. Extra virgin olive oil and tomatoes are packed with antioxidants, and carrots are full of potassium which is said to help repair damaged tissue in the lungs. Potatoes add more low fat vegetable protein.

Shrimp & Potato Soup for Pneumonia

• 2 tbs extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp fresh cracked black pepper
• 2 stalks celery, medium dice
• 3-4 carrots, medium dice
• 1 medium onion, medium dice
• 4-6 garlic cloves, medium mince
• 2 tsp fresh ginger, peeled & left whole
• 1 can diced tomatoes with juices
• 1 tbs. Tomato paste
• 4-5 red potatoes, washed medium dice par cooked
• 1 can whole kernel corn
• ¾ tsp cayenne pepper
• ½ C. White Wine
• 2 C. shrimp or fish stock
• 1 C. water
• 1lb medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
• ¼ C. fresh parsley, rough chop
• 2 green onions, sliced

Note: This recipe is all about timing. When complete the potatoes and shrimp should be cooked through completely, but not over cooked. The rest of the vegetables should be al dente, tender but crisp; not mushy!

1. To par cook your potatoes start them in cold water with copious amounts of salt (should be salty like the sea), bring to the boil on high, cook until al dente. From the moment I put my potatoes on the stove to the moment I drained them was only about 10 minutes, and I cooked them a little too far, so I will have to adjust when I add them into the soup so they don’t overcook.
2. Heat olive oil over medium heat in a large soup pot or enamel dutch oven, saute ½ onions, ½ celery, ½ carrots until tender. Pincher with tomato paste, cook until brick red. Deglaze pan with white wine, scrape up all of the suc (brown bits) on the bottom and reduce to au sec (almost dry). Add remaining onion, celery, carrots, garlic, ginger, cayenne pepper, diced tomatoes and simmer about 10 minutes.
3. Add shrimp stock, water, potatoes and corn and bring to the boil for about 5 minutes minutes or until the potatoes are very nearly cooked through. Taste and adjust seasoning.
4. Add shrimp and corn, continue to simmer until shrimp are cooked through (no longer transparent). Turn heat off and add parsley and green onion. If you can find the ginger remove it, if you can’t find it warn your guests that it could be strong. Serve with grated parmesan cheese.

Note: this soup should not be considered an alternative to a visit to the doctor. If you actually think you may have pneumonia please see your doctor, follow his advice, then eat this soup.

I apologize for my three month absence.  I must admit I was extremely busy, but I do hope everyone had a fantastic Summer. I wish I could say that I did some much needed soul searching over the Summer. Unfortunately, I found myself right back where I was before I started culinary school.

I’m not working for the same company, but I have once again reverted back to web development, online marketing, and public relations. In all honesty, working in this field pays more than working in a kitchen and going into bankruptcy just because I want to cook just isn’t an option for me.

If I could give anyone considering culinary school one piece of advice, it would be to consider how much student loan debt you’ll have after school and whether you’ll be able to afford that monthly payment as a cook. This is a huge decision, especially if you face a pay cut due to your career change.

I would give that advice to anyone who might be considering the pursuit of any higher education these days. Is it just me or does it seem like we’re in the middle of an education bubble, similar to the housing bubble, that’s poised and ready to burst any day now?…but I digress.

I love to write and I love to create recipes, so I’m going to keep it up. I write recipes on a budget because I believe that food can be delicious and nutritious without spending a fortune. I’ve decided to keep a record of these recipes and to eventually combine them into a cook book. I don’t know how I’ll get my book published, but that’s not going to stop me from cooking and sharing my food with you!

Today I’m making shepherd’s pie with a twist. Traditional shepherd’s pie is made with Lamb or left over meat of any kind, the regular aromatic vegetables, and plain mashed potatoes. Some recipes call for peas, some call for cheesy mashed potatoes. I’m using ground beef, although I would use lamb or left over meat if I had any, lentils for added protein and fiber (and because they are the only legume Brian will eat) and rustic, roasted, mashed potatoes because they’re just so darn tasty.

Brian and I are getting married in a week and a half, so we’ve been trying desperately to save money. Hence, we have fallen into a bit of a food rut. I wanted to make something inexpensive but different from what we’ve been eating and at the same time add my own style to it. What I came up with is a deliciously beefy pot pie, with the slight crunch of lentils, the sweetness of carrots and the rustic flavor of roasted root vegetables.

Roasted Mashed Potato Shepherd’s Pie with Lentils

• 3 tbs. olive oil
• 1 lb ground beef
• 3/4 tsp steak seasoning (TexJoy)
• 1/2 medium onion, diced
• 3 carrots, diced
• 2 celery ribs, diced
• 1/2 lb button mushrooms quartered
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 can of cream of mushroom soup (or 1/2 C. homemade)
• 1/4 C. canned beef broth
• 1/4 C. dry lentils (do NOT soak)
• 1 tbs. kosher salt
• 2 tsp. fresh cracked black pepper
• 2-3 C. Roasted Mashed potatoes (recipe follows)
• 1/4 C. grated parmesan cheese
• 1 tbs. butter or margarine

1. Preheat oven to 375. Season ground beef with 1/2 salt , black pepper and steak seasoning. Heat 2 tbs. olive oil in large skillet over medium heat. Brown beef in skillet. remove from pan and reserve. In same skillet heat remaining olive oil.
2. Saute mushrooms, carrots, celery, onions, and garlic. Season with remaining salt, black pepper, and oregano. Cook until tender, about 10 minutes. Deglaze pan with beef broth, stir in cream of mushroom soup, about 1 tbs. water, and lentils. Cover and bring to a simmer for 2-3 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper, add reserved beef and their juices back to pan.
3. Transfer mixture to a lightly greased souffle dish or high sided casserole dish. Top with roasted, mashed potatoes, sprinkle with parmesan, dot with butter or margarine. Bake until potatoes brown & juices bubble, about 40 min.

Note: For even more rustic flavor you can also roast your aromatic vegetables. I would toss them in olive oil, salt and pepper, place them in the same pan I cooked the beef in (as long as it’s safe to put in the oven) and roast in the oven at 375 until tender. Then deglaze the pan and follow the recipe as usual.

Rustic, Roasted Mashed Potatoes

• 6 Medium sized red potatoes, large dice (unpealed, peal for smother mash)
• 1 1/2 tsp. dried basil
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp fresh cracked black pepper
• 2 tbs olive oil
• 1/2 C. Milk
• 1 1/2 tbs plain low fat yogurt
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 green onion, sliced

1. Toss potatoes with olive oil, salt, pepper, and basil. Spread evenly on a cookie sheet and bake at 375 for about 50 minutes. Turn potatoes about half way through.
2. When tender, remove from oven and allow to cool, slightly.  Mash in bowl with potato masher or process in food processor. Add butter, milk and yogurt; continue mashing until desired consistency is reached. taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper and stir in green onion and garlic.

As the end of my culinary externship at the Austin Hyatt Regency nears, I find myself constantly thinking about what I’m going to do, what I want to do, and how I’m going to make money doing it. I’m beginning to really freak myself out, to say the least.

In my last post,“Chez Nous, Culinary Plans, and Catch-all Casserole,” I told you about my rather ambitious goal to start a culinary magazine. I am going to do this; this plan is not going away. In fact I’m in the first stages of developing the website, so that the girls and I can get started writing our articles, blogging and test cooking for our recipes.

Unfortunately, however this magazine, whether online or in print, is not going to provide for my family in any way, at least not initially. I’m getting married in September, and even though I’m relatively young, we plan to start having children pretty quickly. This means that I need to stop goofing off and get a “real person” job, as I like to call them.

Technically what I’m doing now, being a cook, is a real person job, but I don’t feel challenged for very long in a job like this. The first six weeks were challenging for sure because I was still taking class at night, but now It’s the same every day:  bake breakfast pastries, bake cookies, plate deserts, cut 20 chocolate cakes, make panna cotta, dip some fruit in chocolate; or some variation of that list.

At the end of the day I feel like I can do and be so much more with my culinary education than just cook.

I’ve been giving a lot of thought to what it is that I really want to do; what will challenge and satisfy my culinary desires. Essentially, I want to be a test cook and a writer. I want to be able to write recipes, cook food that tastes delicious, and share those recipes and experiences with others.

I haven’t seen any job postings here in Austin for a position like what I want to do. Someone with a culinary education as well as a journalism education who has experience in the food industry, like me, would be perfect for this style of writing for any publication. I just don’t know how to get started if no one is seeking to fill a position like this. I suppose I just have to start sending my resume and cover letter out blindly to any publication that has a culinary or food section and hope for the best.

The mere thought of searching for a job in that manner leaves me feeling very out of control, so instead of moping around like a lame duck I’ve chosen to do the one thing in which I can be in control, cook.

This recipe for Shrimp and Crawfish Etouffee is not something that I grew up eating. Given my cajun heritage and the fact that I grew up in such close proximity to cajun food in Orange, Tx I probably should have gobbled this dish up every Sunday, but I just began making this dish in college and I think that I’ve finally tweaked it to perfection.

For this recipe I bought 31/35 shrimp (medium size) with the shell on and deveined and peeled them myself. I then used those shells to make my own shrimp stock to go in the dish. This adds about an hour to the whole process, but it is incredibly worth it. I encourage you to make your own shrimp stock, but if you simply don’t have the time you can always use box shrimp or fish stock.

Shrimp and Crawfish Etouffee

For Shrimp Stock:

• 1tbs canola oil
• shells from about 1/2 lb of 31/35 shrimp
• 1 white onion – large dice
• 2 ribs celery – large dice
• 2 carrots – large dice
• 1tsp salt
• 3Qts water
• 4 whole peppercorns
• 1 clove
• 1 bay leaf
• 5 parsley stems
• 2 thyme sprigs

Note: The term 31/35 shrimp refers to the count. It means there are 31-35 head off shrimp of similar size per 1 lb.

1. Saute shrimp shells in canola oil till they turn pink, add onion, celery, carrot. Season with salt and saute to get a little caramelization/color and tenderness.
2. Add the rest of the ingredients; simmer uncovered for 45 minutes. The stock will reduce to about 1 3/4 C. concentrating the flavors and producing a delicious base cooking liquid. After 45 minutes strain through a mesh strainer or chinoise and reserve the liquid.

For Etouffee:

• 1 yellow onion – small dice
• 2 ribs celery – small dice
• 3/4 green bell pepper – small dice
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 1 stick butter
• 4 tbs AP flour
• 2 sprigs thyme – leaves removed and minced
• 1/4 tsp chili powder
• 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/2 bay leaf
• 1 tsp paprika
• 4 dashes hot sauce
• to taste kosher salt
• to taste fresh cracked black pepper
• 1 3/4 C Shrimp stock (see recipe above)
• 1/2 lb 31/35 shrimp deveined, peeled
• 1/2 lb cooked crawfish tails
• 3 green onions sliced thin on a bias
• 2-3 tbs finely chopped parsley
• 4 C. cooked rice pilaf

Note:
The size of your vegetables may vary from mine. It’s best to shoot for a ratio of 2 parts onion, 1 part celery, 1 part bell pepper. However, you can adjust these proportions to your own personal taste.

1. In a large straight sided saute pan melt the butter. Add the onion, celery, bell pepper and garlic; season with salt and black pepper. Saute until tender and translucent. Stir in chili powder, cayenne, paprika, hot sauce, bay leaf, and thyme.
2. Sprinkle in flour and stir to incorporate thoroughly. Allow the flower to cook for about 30 seconds to form a white roux. It will start to smell faintly like cookies baking in the background of all the other smells. Smell for it, you’ll know when it happens.
3. When your roux has reached the appropriate color/smell stir in the shrimp stock and simmer to reach nappe consistency. Turn the temperature down to medium-low and add the shrimp, cover and cook until opaque then add the crawfish and cook until heated through.
4. Turn heat off, stir in green onion and parsley. Serve over rice pilaf (see “Bake Shop, Garde Manger, and Certified Culinarians” for recipe)

This year for Easter Brian and I made Beef Bourguignon. Because of the industry in which we work, we usually have to work on the weekends, so unfortunately we couldn’t go home to Houston or Orange, nor could we go to church, sadly, because I had to work Sunday morning.

So when I got home I started the whole wheat pasta, and Brian helped me roll it out, and I think we’ve established a new tradition for our little fledgling family. I’m definitely buying a hand crank pasta machine because they’re not too expensive and they make pasta making much easier and much more likely to happen on a regular basis. Fresh pasta is so delicious, it just warms you inside and makes you feel all fuzzy and happy. I would be perfectly happy with just fresh homemade fettuccini with butter, fresh chopped parsley, a touch of parmesan and a little salt.

Today, though, I went all out and made beaof bourguignon to celebrate Easter and also to celebrate ourselves. Brian and I have made it this far through this culinary school experience; it’s almost over and I’m very proud of how well we’ve done so far. There were times when we fought out of frustration and exhaustion and times when it was difficult to see each other because we were so busy, but we’re still together, still in love, and still getting married.

We’re not out of the woods yet, though. Today I start restaurant block at Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts – Austin (they changed the name. It’s better, right?). During restaurant we work at one of the school’s two restaurants. I chose to work the PM shift at Ventana, which is fine dining, because I got the culinary externship, mentioned in Stuffed Cabbage Rolls on Make-up Saturday, at the Austin Hyatt Regency Hotel!

In order for all of this to work out, I’ll have to work the AM shift, 5:30 AM to 2 PM, at the hotel and 3:30 PM to 10:45 PM at school. I’m very excited about working at the Austin Hyatt Regency Hotel because I know in my heart that it will be a great experience for me and a step in the right direction. It will be hard for the first five weeks while I’m in restaurant at school and working at the hotel, but I know that we can do it. It will be worth it for my career and after we get through with all of this I know our relationship will be much stronger. I feel like right now I have culinary blinders on and I’m pointed at a goal that even has an exact end date, July 24, 2010, graduation day.

Whole-Wheat Pasta Dough

Whole wheat flour alone produces a very sticky dough with a grainy texture. All-purpose flour needs to be added to provide gluten which creates a smoother dough. (Makes 1-1/2 pounds)

• 1-1/2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1-/1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 4 eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 3 tablespoons warm water

1. Place the flour on a large mixing bowl. Make a well in the center.  Break the eggs into the well. Add the salt, oil, and water. Beat the mixture in the well with a fork. Using a fork, gently start to work the flour into the liquid. Continue until the dough becomes sticky and difficult to work with the fork.
2. Use your hands to form the rough dough into a ball. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface. Knead the dough until it is smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes.Wrap with film and refrigerate 10-15 minutes. The longer the dough rests the easier it is to roll out.
3. Divide the dough ball in two roll out very thin either with a rolling pin or a pasta machine. Cut into 1/4″ wide 9″ long papardel. Transfer to a bowl, dust vigorously with flour so they don’t stick together and cover with film so they don’t dry out. Do the same with the second dough ball.
4. To cook bring large pot of water to the boil, add copious amounts of salt just before the water simmers. Cook the pasta till aldente. Aldente happens much more quickly with fresh pasta than dry so keep an eye on it, and test them by tasting for texture.

Beaof Bourguignon

• 2.5 lbs stew meat
• 4-5 bacon strips cut into lardon
• .5 lb button mushrooms quartered
• 15 white pearl onions (I couldn’t find any today, so I’m using about 3/4 C. scallions cut on a bias)
• 2 small white onions large dice
• 2 carrots large dice
• 2 celery large dice
• 2 cloves garlic smashed
• 2 sprigs thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 3-4 parsley stems
• 4 tbs butter
• 3/4 C. red wine
• beef stock about 32 oz, or enough to cover meat and mirepoix
• 2 carrot 1/4″ dice
• kosher salt to taste
• black pepper to taste
• parsley finely chopped
• 2 tbs butter

1. Cut the tips off the pearl onions but leave the root in tact. Simmer them in unsalted water until tender. Shock in ice cold water and pop them out of their skins. If using scallions skip this step.
2. Start bacon in a large soup or stock pot, or braising pan on medium heat to render the fat. When fat has rendered turn up the heat to crisp them up. Remove from pan and reserve in a warm oven. saute the mushrooms in the bacon fat, season with salt and pepper, remove and reserve with bacon in oven. Saute the pearl onions to caramelize them in the bacon fat, season with salt and pepper, remove and reserve with bacon and mushrooms.
3. Season the stew meat with salt and pepper. Brown on all sides in same pot. Don’t over crowd the pan! Remove the meat and reserve on a plate. Add 2 tbs butter, saute the onion, carrot, and celery season with a little salt and pepper. When mirepiox is tender and caramelized deglaze with the red wine scraping the suc (browned bits) from the bottom of the pan. Add the thyme, bay leaf, and parsley stems. Reduce the wine to au sec (almost dry).
4. Return the meat along with any juice that has collected on the plate to the pot. Add enough beef stock to cover the meat. If, by chance, you don’t have enough stock, just finish it off with water. Bring to a simmer, cover tightly and simmer for two hours.
5. After simmering for two hours, strain and return the liquid to the pot and add the 1/4″ dice carrot and cook till the carrots are aldente and the stock has reduced to nappe consistency, then monte au buerre (add 2 tbs of butter to the pot shaking the pot and stirring at the same time). Pick the meat out of the mirepiox and reserve the meat; discard the mirepiox. When the carrots are almost cooked and stock is almost finished reducing return the meat to the pot to heat through.
6. While your stock is reducing cook the pasta in boiling water with copious amounts of salt. Have a bowl with a 2 tbs butter broken up, chopped parsley and a little salt ready to hold the pasta while you finnish up your sauce.
7. Serve in a warm bowl with pasta on bottom, meat on top and sauce an carrots all around. Garnish with the bacon, mushrooms, and pearl onions (this garnish is known as a la France). If using scallions saute them in a little butter first only to soften just a little.

It’s incredible to me how the universe can simply realign itself in a matter of a few days.  If you read my previous post you know that at the beginning of this week I was on the verge of a breakdown. Okay, maybe not a breakdown but I was definitely dealing with some issues. Somehow over the course of the week things seemed to have just clicked back into place and I am now faced with the exact opposite scenarios as I was earlier this week.

I am about 98.5% sure that I’ve landed a culinary externship at the Austin Hyatt Regency Hotel. I applied for the job on Tuesday morning, the HR lady called me Wednesday, I had a lovely phone conversation with Chef Javier Ortiz on Thursday, then on Friday I went in to tour his kitchens. The hotel is beautiful and the kitchens are fantastic. They are very clean and organized, and Chef Ortiz stressed that communication is the key to working efficiently; a sentiment with which I agree completely. They actually have a big dry erase board in the banquet kitchen that is updated daily that says what is needed from each person; it even indicates what size and shape chafer should be used. They have a separate kitchen for the hotel restaurant so that line cooks aren’t running over banquet cooks while they have a rush.

I say that I am 98.5% sure I have the job because on Friday I filled out a few papers, supplied them with 3 references, and was fitted for my uniform! They need at least two positive references and I see no problem with that, but I’m concerned that getting my former employers and managers at Star Nine on the phone might prove to be problematic for them because they are so busy. I hope that it works out though because I’m very excited to work at the Hyatt. That and working at Ventana at school is going to kick my butt for six weeks, but it will be an incredible and valuable experience.

In addition to this incredible job opportunity that seems to have almost fallen into my lap, the funding for the wedding is quite possibly back on track. In my last post I mentioned that my relative would be able to purchase my family heirloom for much less that I want for it. We talked today and he will now be able to give the full price if I choose to sell. I now have reservations about selling; I really just don’t know what to do. However, he told me that he is able to wait while I decide. Now the option of having a wedding with about 100 guests or so is there, or not if I so choose. I don’t want to make any rash decisions that I might regret in years to come, so I’m going to back-burner the wedding while I’m doing my externship and try to focus on one thing at a time.

This morning I went to make up Saturday at school to make up the two days I missed when I was sick at the beginning of the international cuisine block. The two dishes I made were Swedish Pancakes with Lingonberry jam (a.k.a. Plättar) and Stuffed Cabbage Rolls (a.k.a. Golabki), and I’ve decided to share the Cabbage Rolls with you. These chubby little rolls of deliciousness remind me of my grandmother. They were my favorite of her many dishes and I was afraid that I would never find a recipe, but happily the recipe from class seems to be exactly that. I always thought this was an Italian dish because Grandmaw Marry was 100% Italian, but as it turns out it’s Russian. Who knew? It’s probably not traditional, but I eat mine with grated parmesan cheese on top. I hope you enjoy these because they are one of my favorite things from child hood along with my dog, Rita, and the movie Aladdin.

Stuffed Cabbage Rolls a.k.a. Golabki

• 1lb. ground beef
• 1/2 lb. ground pork
• 4-5 slices  bacon
• 1 yellow onion, ciseler (fine chopped)
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 whole egg
• 2 heads green cabbage
• 1 1/2 C Long Grain white rice dry
• 1 1/2 C water
• 15oz can tomato sauce
• as needed Kosher salt
• as needed black pepper

optional:

• 1/2 tsp. fresh grated nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp. paprika

1. preheat oven 325°
2. Place the rice and water on to boil. Reduce heat and steep for 10 minutes to par-cook rice.
3. Meanwhile, cut out cabbage core using a pairing knife; in a large pot of boiling water blanch each head until leaves are pliable enough to roll. Shock immediately in ice water. pull off leaves and cut a triangle shape to remove thickest part of the center rib, but keeping the leaf in tact. Note: if the center leaves are not pliable put them back into the boiling wanter to blanch then shock again.
4. Combine in a mixing bowl the beef, pork, onion, garlic, egg and par cooked rice. Season with salt and pepper and optional nutmeg and paprika (I did not use these because they aren’t in the original recipe from school, but they would add a nice background flavor.) Mix well.  Saute a small amount of filling to test seasoning; adjust if needed.
5. Set up a 9X13 baking dish with the slices of bacon in the bottom running the length of the pan. They don’t need to overlap, they are simply for additional flavor and a little extra fat. Place 1-2 oz meat mixture on one cabbage leaf just above the triangle cut. Roll up the two bottom pieces overlapping them, fold in the sides and finish rolling. set on top of the bacon with seam side down so they don’t come unrolled. When you’ve placed all of your cabbage rolls in the dish cover with tomato sauce. If there are any leaves that are too small to roll or torn lay them on top.
6. Cover with foil and bake 2 hours at 325°.