Food Vocabulary

Here are my words of the week, day, moment - whatever you want to call it.

Woodsy - think of smoked foods, reminds you of a campfire smell, reminiscent of smells found while hiking through the woods

Caramel - think of burnt sugar (taste and smell), the deep dark smell of molasses, tan or brown in color

Rancid - unpleasant smell or taste, stale, fishy smell

Grassy - smells like fresh cut grass, green bell peppers are often described as grassy

***************************************

Do you know the difference between a seasoning, flavoring, spice and condiment? Let's test your food knowledge...

You can match each word with the correct definition*:

A. Seasoning
B. Flavoring
C. Spice
D. Condiment

__ Typically used in whole or ground in dried form; the bark, roots, seeds, buds or berries from a plant

__ Used to enhance the flavor of food, but does not change the taste

__ Added to a dish to enhance the flavor; can be a prepared item (mustard) or a vinegar or herb

__ Adding an ingredient to a dish that changes the natural flavor of the item and adds a new taste to the dish

**Reworded definitions used from "On Cooking" by Labensky and Hause.

Krumkake - not Krumkie

One fun culinary experience I enjoyed while grandma and aunt Niki came to visit involved making Krumkakes or as Kaitlyn calls them - "i keam cone." We made three versions of Krumkakes - mildly savory with basil and oregano (on video), spicy tomato krumkake and a sweet Krumkake.


In an effort to make this blog a little more exciting, I recorded the process of baking and molding the Krumkake. Please note that I called it a krumkie, but it's actually a KrumKake!





Here is a photo of the batter. It is thin and has a similar consistency to crepes.


Basil & Parsley Krumkakes

• 2/3 cup water
• 1/2 stick butter, melted in water
• <>
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1 egg
  
• fresh parsley
• dried basil
  

Spicy Tomato Krumkakes
I apologize, but I don't have an exact recipe as we were having fun experimenting. In general, we omitted all of the vanilla and all but one tablespoon of sugar. We added 1/3 cup of spicy tortilla soup to the water and one teaspoon kosher salt to the flour.

Sweet Krumkakes

• 2/3 cup water
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• pinch of kosher salt
• 1 egg

Kaitlyn said the sweet Krumkakes were 'tasty!'

A Spring Visit from Family

Kaitlyn's grandma and aunt came to visit her last week. She had a great time and is currently sound asleep on her new Elmo blanket that grandma made for her. Below are a few photos from the visit. Unfortunately, it rained the entire time they visited, so we opted to explore indoor activities around town as the zoo and park walks were out.

Kaitlyn eating vanilla ice cream in homemade ice cream cones

Kaitlyn loves grandma's chapstick!

If it's raining outside, we'll make a gym inside!

G'am, aunt and mom out to lunch while Kaitlyn's at school

Kaitlyn's sleeping in G'am's bed - now it's "my pillow!"

Snack time - tasty!

Kaitlyn has a new Elmo blanket -he's as big as her!

Go Blue Mom and Kaitlyn's Aunt Niki



We finished our last evening with a glass of Spanish red wine and raspberry sorbet in a homemade ice cream cone with a blueberry bottom. Delicious!

More Food Vocabulary

Shannon Words for the Day:

• Briny - a salty taste; think of salt water
  
• Caramelized - to sweeten by browning over heat (i.e. onions); tastes sweet and/or nutty
  
• Chocolatey - tastes of cocoa; rich, dark flavor, yet slightly sweet;
  
• Fruity - tastes or smells of fruit; can be excessively sweet; considered full bodied, concentrated and full flavored if relating to wine
  

How Do Internet Sources Describe:

Fennel (Herb & Spice)

• crunchy; slightly sweet; mild anise flavor;
  
• herb has white bulb with green stalks and wispy leaves;
  
• spice is from dried seeds;
• related to parsley, carrot, dill and coriander;
• Uses: fennel seeds are great with fish dishes; used in Italian and French sauces and dishes; Italian roasts and sausages; used in Chinese five spices; used in breads and cakes, etc.

Currant

• fruit - grape or berry
  
• grows as berries on a shrub if fresh, most dried currants are actually Zante raisins (grapes) from Greece
  
• tangy & tart flavor for fresh currants; mild, slightly sweet flavor for dried
  
• Uses: fresh currants = jam, preserves and liquor; dried currants = mainly for baking and desserts, but sometimes used in savory dishes or as a substitute for raisins
  

Let's Go Cruising...

Kaitlyn's friend took her for a ride on a warm afternoon. They both enjoyed it. The Barbie jeep comes with radio and cell phone!


Do not fear - Kaitlyn likes to ride her 'old school' bike too!!

Sharing Pizza Knowledge

Pizza Night

Go Blue Dad and I have a deal that I show him what I learn in my cooking classes each weekend. After Kaitlyn goes to bed, I teach him some new tricks and we put it to use.

We made a pizza from start to finish, minus the sauce. We used Ted Allen's recipe for the pizza crust* and topped it with pizza sauce, sliced chicken, capers, red onion, sliced garlic, mozzarella cheese and Parmesan reggiano cheese.


*The crust is pretty much flour, water, yeast and kosher salt. We used only 1/2 packet of yeast as we wanted a thin crust pizza.


Overall, we REALLY enjoyed the pizza. Our only critique is that we will shred the mozzarella next time instead of using thin slices. We intended for it to brown as you can see in the photos.



This pizza cost less than $10 to make and it was delicious. We will definitely make it again!!

Kaitlyn's Uncle Visits

Kaitlyn had a fun weekend with her uncle. He came to visit last weekend and brought her a stuffed Cocoa dog, a Mickey Mouse Clubhouse book and Elmo stickers. Life just doesn't get any better than that!!

'Ode to Amarillo' Pizza

In class tonight, the second night in the kitchen, our assignment was to make a pizza (dough and sauce provided) using ingredients found in the refrigerator and cost it out. In an effort to move out of my comfort zone (and due to a lack of ingredients), I opted to create a southwestern style pizza.
Before I get into the details, I will admit that the professional kitchen intimidated me. I certainly did not know my way around and had trouble getting my head wrapped around it all. Working with 17 other people, prepping ingredients, sharing ovens and tools, planning the pizza, and just trying to figure which piece of equipment was oven, definitely left me running around like a chicken with my head cut off. I openly admit that everyone finished dressing their pizza before I did, but I gave it my best and was relatively happy with the results. Thankfully, our head chef is very friendly and approachable, so he humored me and answered all my questions, showed me how to use the professional oven (Hobart double door, hot, hot oven) and even shared a few tips.


Two tips from our head chef tonight:

Is there a secret ingredient in pizza sauce? Outside of basil, tomatoes, olive oil - the secret to making your pizza sauce not taste like marinara or spaghetti sauce, might be the addition of fennel.

Want to avoid a soggy crust in the middle? When you are adding the tips, leave a 1" to 2" diameter circle of exposed crust in the middle. Do not put sauce, toppings or cheese in this area. As the pizza bakes, the toppings fill in the center area.


My ingredients:

• Roasted red and green bell peppers ($0.50 green bell; $1.50 red bell)
  
• Jalapeno peppers (2 at $1.50)
  
• yellow onion ($1.00)
  
• ground beef w/ garlic powder and ground black pepper ($2.00 <>
• mozzarella cheese ($1.50 <>
• cheddar cheese ($0.75 <>
• Barbecue sauce (or an attempt at it since we didn't have any) - I mixed ketchup, spicy brown mustard, worcestershire sauce, and ground black pepper and mixed it with the pizza sauce to give it a smokier flavor ($2.00)
  
• dough ($2.00)
• Total: $12.75 for eight slices (I think this might be a little high for grocery; restaurants who order this in bulk could probably make it for $6 - $8)

Other ideas I did not have the chance to develop: red pepper flakes, bacon instead of ground beef, green chilies, and/or cheddar jack cheese.

Review: Not a bad first attempt. If I make my 'Ode to Amarillo' pizza again, I will use my favorite barbecue sauce, Cattlemen's, to mix with the pizza sauce, consider swapping bacon for the ground beef and using a slightly spicier cheese. Seeing 25 pizzas laid out in a row and tasting several made for a nice end to the evening.


Cost Exercise
As we prepared our pizzas, the head chef instructed us to write down every ingredient we were using and to estimate the cost. If you look at my ingredient list above, I have a dollar value next to each item. I based my prices on grocery store values, so keep in mind that if you worked in a restaurant, you would purchase goods in bulk and therefore pay even less than shown above. My pizza had approximately eight slices.


To end the day, I brought some of the pizzas home for Go Blue Dad to eat. He enjoyed them!!!

Roasting a Bell Pepper

We've roasted bell peppers before, but it was not until my last cooking class that I discovered the chef's method for roasting a bell pepper - green and red. I assume the same principle applies to other peppers as well in case you are wondering. We'll test it at some point.

- Place oven rack close to top of oven
- Set your oven to 400+ degrees
- Place a whole bell pepper on baking sheet and put in oven - that's right, don't cut it up!
- Back until skin has blackened
- Pull from oven and immediately wrap in tinfoil*
- Let sit in tinfoil for five minutes and then unwrap
- Peel the skins from the peppers and slice to desired size/shape
- Add to dish

* You place the peppers in tinfoil to steam them, thus allowing the skin to peel of easier.

Building our Food Vocabulary

After tasting the herbs and cheeses in my cooking class, I realized that I need to build up my food vocabulary, specifically adjectives used to describe how food tastes. In addition, I may need to try more herbs and foods like currants and fennel that are often used to describe food and wine.

I always have trouble describing what food or wine tastes like without using the same term or using the actual ingredient. So, in addition to cooking class stories, I am going to try to introduce different terms to broaden our food vocabulary!

Check out this link of food and wine terms - pretty intense:

• http://www.world-food-and-wine.com/describing-food.html; or
  
• http://www.epicurious.com/tools/winedictionary/search?query=sweet&submit.x=0&submit.y=0&submit=submit

Shannon's Words of the Day:

• Pungent: strong; sharp taste or smell; typically not sweet, but spicy or sour
  
• Ambrosial: wonderfully fragrant; offers a pleasing smell or taste
• Earthy: resembling smells of the earth (i.e. damp soil); simple in flavor
  
• Spicy: flavored with allspice, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and pepper of all kinds; has heat; hot in mouth
  

What is Savory? What is Sweet? The photo below is definitely sweet!!

• Savory: not sweet; rich or bold tasty flavors; a group of herbs combined to make a flavorful dish; well seasoned food; describes sauces (like the meat sauce above), demi-glace, etc.
  

- there is also a mediterranean herb called Savory that belongs to the mint family

• Sweet: has the flavor/taste of sugar or honey; pleasing to the palate - not sour, bitter or salty; candies and pastries are considered sweet as well as sweet potatoes and some corn.
  

Stay tuned...

Testing Your Taste Buds

Tonight we had our first class in the professional kitchen - fun!! We tested our taste buds by trying dried herbs, fresh herbs, cheeses and a range of liquids. Here's how the evening played out...

A tasting of sweet, sour, bitter and salty... We tasted each one at a time and then added sour to sweet, bitter to the sour sweet mixture and then a little salt water to the other three. It's amazing how the flavors meshed together once all blended.

• Sweet - sugar water
• Sour - lemon juice diluted in water
• Bitter - bitters
• Salty - salt water

We also tried four types of salt water - salt water x1, salt water x2, salt water x3, salt water x4. We tasted each individually and then tasted salt water x4 immediately followed by salt water x1. It was amazing b/c you couldn't taste the salt in the x1 cup. Tip: don't serve salty appetizers as they may 'numb' the palate from experience the flavors of your dinner.

A tasting of herbs...we poured small amounts of dried herbs on our plates and tasted them one by one. It's quite interesting to taste a dried herb on it's own. For example, the cayenne pepper, which was hot, but it tasted like a red bell pepper and had a hint of smokiness to it. The ginger - dry or fresh, is still an herb that I do not like. It tastes like soap to me. We only use fresh chives and parsley as the dried versions just have no flavor. Here are some of the herbs we tried:

• basil
• bay leaf - very strong, earthy flavor
• chives - better fresh, lose some of the flavor when dry
• cinnamon - savory and sweet to me, a little heat and a little sweetness
• cloves - heat on the tip of the tongue, reminds me of anise/black licorice
• granulated garlic - love garlic!
  
• ginger - not a fan, see note above
  
• paprika
• parsley - almost no taste, fresh is much better
• rosemary - too piney for me, fresh has a much stronger smell and piney taste
• tarragon
  
• thyme - enjoy thyme
  
• turmeric
  

The ginger was so strong, that it overwhelmed my taste buds and I couldn't really taste much below it on the list. Bummer!! I wish we would have tasted the dried herbs side by side with the fresh herbs. Overall, the fresh herbs were awesome and just have so much more flavor to them. However, if you want to challenge your taste buds and work on your vocabulary, try setting up a tasting of your own to see what characteristics shine through on your herbs.

A Tasting of Cheese... we kept it simple (well, we raided the fridge and grabbed the cheese we could find) and sampled blue cheese, feta cheese, brie, mozzarella, and regular Parmesan. Blue cheese has a strong, pungent, salty flavor that I can handle in small amounts. On the flip side, brie is creamy, soft and subtle. The mozzarella has a mild flavor to it as well. I always enjoy good Parmesan cheese and the feta wasn't bad.

Next class, we're making pizza basing on our herb and cheese tasting. Yum!!

Five Food Pathogens/Toxins That Freak Me Out!!!

You'll thank me later, but I do not have photos for this entry.

The first session in my cooking program covered food safety, sanitation and equipment. We probably spent 60% of the time on safety, which covered food pathogens. After learning about these pathogens, I do not know how I will ever eat out again!! I've already changed some cooking practices in my kitchen and buying habits!!

Food pathogens fall into four categories: bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites. Given that we've heard countless media stories on E. Coli, Salmonella and Hepatitis A, these three will not be in my top five scariest food pathogens. Don't get me wrong though, they are serious! We also learned about biological toxins, which I included in this list.

Top Five Food Pathogens that Freak Me Out!!*
*Keep in mind that this information was directed at culinary professionals
**Remember these are uncommon pathogens, so don't let me freak you out too!!!

1. Listeriosis - uncommon in healthy people, but can cause a miscarriage in pregnant women and sepsis, meningitis and pneumonia in infants. YIKES!!! It's often found in raw meat, unpasteurized dairy products and deli meats (that you have cut at the grocery store, not prepackaged). It is a bacteria found in soil, water and plants and likes cool, moist environments. It can be killed through cooking and pasteurization. Always pay attention to expiration dates on products and cook food to minimum internal temperatures. Good news though - it is a RARE! Here is what the CDC says about it: http://www.cdc.gov/nczved/dfbmd/disease_listing/listeriosis_gi.html#getinto.
2. Bacillus Cereus Gastroenteritis - this caught my attention because it can be found in cooked rice dishes including fried rice and rice pudding. YIKES!!! If this bacteria survives, it can cause vomiting or diarrhea. To avoid it, cook meat and vegetables to appropriate temperatures, hold and cool food correctly. Here is a little more information: http://www.ecolab.com/PublicHealth/BCereus.asp
3. Botulism - this bacteria can produce a deadly toxin when in the right environment. Did you know that putting raw/uncooked garlic in oil can create botulism or baking potatoes and wrapping them in tin foil to sit overnight and not appropriately storing them (temperature wise) can cause botulism. Scary!!! It's also recommended not to buy canned foods with dents b/c botulism spores may have found a way to contaminate the food in the can. Prevent botulism by avoided damaged canned foods and cooking, reheating and cooling food correctly. Oh, don't serve infants under one honey, because of botulism issues. Here's what the CDC says about it: http://www.cdc.gov/nczved/DFBMD/disease_listing/botulism_gi.html.
4. Ciquatera Fish Poisoning - msn.com recently had an article about a woman with this poisoning. This toxin is found in reef fish who feed on marine algae. It causes the reversal of hot and cold sensations, tingling in fingers, lips or toes, joint pain and other symptoms. Fish infected with this include grouper, jacks, snapper and barracuda. If caught early by a doctor, this can be treated with medication. The best way to avoid it is to ensure that your seafood is purchased from a reputable, government approved supplier. So hint, you may want to think twice before buying fish from a random Joe on the street. Here's additional information: http://www.cdc.gov/nceh/ciguatera/default.htm.
5. Amnesic Shellfish Poisoning - as noted in the title, this poisoning impacts shellfish found in ocean waters from the Pacific Northwest and east coast of Canada. The shellfish absorb the toxin from algae in the water. Initial symptoms include vomiting and diarrhea, but later symptoms may include confusion, memory loss, disorientation, seizure and coma. It is important to purchase shellfish from reputable, government approved suppliers. I'm glad I don't like shellfish!! Here's more information: http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dbmd/diseaseinfo/marinetoxins_g.htm
   

While there are many other pathogens and toxins, these were the five that stuck out for me. Just remember that these things rarely affect us or people we know. Just look at all the times you have eaten out and never had any issues.

Stay tuned for further cooking class adventures!!

Want Better Sauces?

I recently read an article that said that the secret to a great sauce, particularly a brown sauce or red wine sauce is using some demi glace in the sauce. My understanding is that you get the best tasting demi glace by simmering veal bones with a brown stock sauces for hours and reducing it until it is almost nothing. The marrow in the bones seeps into the stock and thickens as it cooks. While the initial smell is not appealing, it is said to enhance any red wine or brown sauce served by giving it a deep, complex flavor like a bold, hearty Napa Cabernet.

I expressed my curiosity about demi glace to my stepdad when he came to visit and he showed us how to make a demi glace. He was gracious enough to supply the veal bones and we added some carrots, celery, onion, beef stock and some fresh herbs (I believe). This simmered for at least 8 hours, cooled and gelatinized for another 8 hours and then he poured it into ice cube trays for storage and ease of use.



Check out the photos...

Above & Below: Bones, stock and veggies are in the pot and being brought to a simmer.



Below: So our explosive gas alarm malfunctioned and wouldn't stop going off while we had the stock pot on the range, so we had to move it outside since hearing damage was not on the menu that day. Plus, I'll admit that the smell of the marrow/bones wasn't as appealing as your typical simmering stock sauce.

Below: It's starting to reduce...

Below: After hours and hours of cooling, the demi glace is ready for storage. We opted for ice cube trays.

Below: We love having the demi glace in ice cube trays because you can pull one or two out of the freezer and not waste any demi glace. Given the hours of work it takes to make, it's worth the few dollars to buy the ice cube trays.

Hint: Ice cube trays are great for making baby food!!

We can't wait to use the demi glace in a red wine mushroom sauce that we serve with steaks. It's always seems like it's missing a little something and I'll bet this is it!!

Just a cute shot of the munchkin!!!

If I learn anything new about making demi glace in my cooking classes, I'll add a blog!

Time to Wear the Uniform...

So, as I noted in a previous blog, I recently starting a culinary program at a local university. As part of the program, we must wear a uniform in the kitchen. We're talking the whole nine yards as you can see below...

Go Blue Mom in Formal Uniform hamming it up for the camera

Go Blue Mom Trying to give an Iron Chef America Face

Go Blue Mom with casual hat for cooking

Given that we're cooking in a professional kitchen and representing the program, it makes sense to have us dress the part.

Let me tell you that it is quite intimidating sitting in class with individuals who work in restaurants or aspire to own their own restaurants share stories about working in a professional kitchen and talking food. It is rather humbling, but nonetheless, I think I'll learn a lot!!!

What does the uniform entail?

Chef/Cook Uniform: Leather sole and waterproof shoes (must protect from spills and slipping), chef jacket, chef pants (pockets helpful), chef hat or other clean hat (covers hair), apron and two towels (not photographed). Ladies must pull long hair back and men with long facial hair must shave it or wear a hair net.


Up Next: Safety and Sanitation Snapshot

Cooking Class Chronicles

Coming Soon...

Go Blue Mom is taking cooking classes, so get ready to hear my cooking class chronicles. The program provides 10 months of instruction covering safety and sanitation, flavors, knife skills, sauces and soups, meat, poultry and fish, garde manger (cold kitchen), breads and pastries, and desserts.

I'll let you know how it goes!

Bon Apetite!!