Methods Review (Couscous of My Peeps)

Final day of methods review and once again, Chef C didn't give any lecture -- I guess we already know everything there is to know (that's sarcasm, btw). I know I'm sounding like a broken record, but I'm not happy with the way our class is being run. More than 1/4 of class-time is dedicated to cleaning, then Chef C divides his attention between what the students are doing and sweeping the floor. There's just a certain feel of disorganization throughout the cooking day.

One student (let's name him Norbit) in particular was a bit loud and boisterous, which was raising the tension in class. Speedy complained to Chef C, and Chef C kind of blew him off, saying that he should take it directly to Norbit. I understand Chef C's position, but Norbit's behavior is really starting to affect the morale of the class.

Anyway, today's menu was Saddle of Rabbit stuffed with mushrooms in a brown sauce; chicken stew, South American style; penne with sun- dried tomatoes and chanterelles; and Israeli Couscous. SinceChef Jr. begged off the leading role, Speedy jumped into the void. I asked to do the couscous, as Israel is my peeps and my mom loved dishes like that. The rabbit was a multi-stage ordeal, so Sp and 2LG got on that, while CJ got on the chicken stew.

I started on the couscous -- while Chef C said to do a half recipe, I doubled it because I knew I was gonna make it good. Sweated a load of shallots in butter; threw small dices of butternut squash and red pepper into the dry couscous; covered it in chicken stock, seasoned; let it simmer until it had a certain creaminess, reminiscent of risotto. Chef C tasted it and not only said it was perfect, but scooped out a 4 oz container of it to eat -- the highest and most honest compliment a chef can give, I suppose.

Rolled straight into the pasta, rough-chopping a ton of chanterelles, beautiful, fragrant mushrooms that are upwards of $20 a pound at the market. Sweated diced spanish onions in butter, then softened the mushrooms. In a large pot, slowly simmered heavy cream with marscapone and a pinch of salt to a bit of thickness. Cooked penne to al dente and tossed it in the cream mixture with the onions and mushrooms, a few handfuls of diced sundried tomatoes, and finished with grated parmesan. Once we presented it, Chef C said it wasn't creamy enough. So we thew in a cup more of cream, a dollop of marscapone, and a ladle of starchy pasta water, which really made the sauce more....saucy. By thinning the sauce a little, it's mouth-feel was greatly improved, delivering a bigger, more confident flavor. I may not like Chef C's style, but I totally respect his opinion.

I'm not a big fan of chicken in general, but the chicken stew had an earthy, interesting flavor. I didn't touch the cooking of it, but the recipe called for a corn-based grain called masa harina, along with poblano and jalapeno peppers, hoja santa leaves, and avocado garnish.

The stuffed Saddle of Rabbit was more than a bit fussy, calling for the saddle (from behind the ribs to the tail, legs removed) to be deboned of the chine (spine) while keeping the two halves connected. Once cleaned and layered with yesterday's prepared mushrooms, we rolled and wrapped them in caul fat, the membrane of the stomach lining of a pig -- and yes, it is a nasty looking as it sounds (see above). Once trussed, the rabbit rolls were browned in a pan then baked. Finished with a fussy mushroom veal stock reduction, unfortunately our rabbit turned out a bit overcooked, dry, and grainy.

ADDENDA:
Took a tourne workshop in the afternoon with Chef T, whose reputation preceded him. He's known to be a bit of a hard-ass, but he was all-business and straightforward without excess verbiage. After two-and-a-half hours of really working my wrist around potatoes, carrots, and turnips to make those little 7-sided bullet shapes, my arm felt like I was 13 years old again. Thank you! I'll be here all night!!

In other news, the East River Cafe, a diner in my neighborhood that's been open and run by Polish residents since the late '90s, closed this past week. This hits me hard because I used to go there on Sunday mornings with my parents for super cheap breakfast. The walk over was better than the food, but we loved going there together. After my father passed, I went with my mom, and it felt a little like my dad was still there. Since being married, I've gone there several times with my wife. Each time we did I felt Mom there with us a little, in between the waffle with bacon and the eggs with free refills on coffee.

BREAKFAST: 6:45am, good granola with good milk, banana, 1 bowl, hunger 3/5

AM TASTINGS: 10-11am, small plate of couscous, small piece of stewed chicken, small plate of pasta, water, 1.5 bowls, hunger 4/5
After yesterday's burger bash with extra onion rings, this was a relief.

PM TASTING: 2pm, piece of fried brocolli, piece of fried fish, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5

Chef C was teaching on the floor I was tourneing, so I stopped in to say hello, they were doing deep-fry. The fish was far and away inferior to what Chef M made us do, which was light, fluffy and tangy from beer. Chef C's batter (or at least, his student's) was thin, chewy and bland. Makes me feel a bit guilty for writing that, because Chef C is a sweet guy.

PM SNACK: 5pm, half a large coffee cake, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5
Baked good from the farmer's market. I chose it because it reminded me of a similar cake I had in a windowless break room of a corporate chain record store I worked in when I was in college - horrible chemically stale thing from the cafe. This version was fresher, less chemically, but the brown crumbly part was 4x bigger than the cake part, and was still kinda gross.

DINNER: 7:30pm, tuscan panzanella, pancetta risotto, water, 2 bowl, hunger 4/5
Dinner with Yana at Supper. I always eat too much when I hang with her, but it's so much fun.

EVENING SNACK: 8:30pm, chocolate soft serve cone, .5 bowl, hunger 2/5
It's Yana's fault.