Today was my first day back for my second year of culinary school. I know I said I would be posting pictures of things I am making, but the truth is I just haven't had the chance to make anything yet. My new room is still a mess - I haven't had enough time to put everything away yet; I am organizing bit by bit. So needless to say, all my dishes and kitchen equipment is not unpacked yet.
So for today, I will post my first meal back at culinary school. The first year students (which was me last year) have five different rotations, and each rotation is responsible for some components of lunch. Lunch is a three course meal served in the cafeteria, where the public can come to pay to eat as well. There is a main course with two protein options, two vegetables, and a starch. There is the choice among two soups and a salad. And of course, there are usually several different desserts. There is also bread on the side and pastry items for snacks. There is a speedline as well, offering three types of pizza, poutine, and a vegetarian option.
The baking and pastry class is responsible for the desserts, breads, and snacks. The soups, stocks, and sauces class is responsible for the two soups and the two sauces accompanying the proteins. The breakfast and butchery class is responsible for the meats, and breakfast of course. The entremetier class is responsible for the vegetables, starches, salads, and packaged sandwiches. The production class is responsible for the speedline and serving the food.
The first years are not yet in the kitchen, they are still doing food safety and first aid classes, so it is a small group of graduates making lunch for the time being. So meals are simple with a lot less choice. Today I had quesadillas with potato wedges, haddock nicoise salad, and éclairs for dessert.
I haven't really posted any more posts from my trip lately. I guess it's because I have been cooking and baking quite a bit lately. I thought I would share this post today, however, because it was one of the best culinary experiences I have ever had.
I had this for lunch at a posh, well decorated, yet reasonably priced café, that seemed to focus on real, sustainable food, and had plenty of options to suit everyone's tastes, including some vegan options. As I am not a huge meat fan, I opted for one of the vegan options, as did two others from our group of five. Luckily, we were not disappointed! I cannot remember the exact name of this dish, but it is composed of a mixture of green lentils and bean sprouts, mixed with some finely chopped vegetables and seasoning. On top are some beautifully cut pieces of cooked tofu - how it was cooked I am not entirely sure - but it was firm and very flavorful. Probably the star of the dish though, was the coconut foam served on top, one of the easier tricks in molecular gastronomy. This created a nice tasty sauce for the dish, and brought another intriguing texture to the mix. I must say, I am not a huge fan of foamy textures, but I did enjoy this. The entire dish was presented beautifully, with a sprig of lavender, and it was the perfect size for lunch. A very enjoyable meal - i would definitely order this again.
Well school has been back in for a few weeks now, and routines have started to become well established by this time. Meals can be a bit difficult to plan at this time of year. Schedules can make it difficult to enjoy many family meals together, between school, jobs, sports, extra-curricular activities, homework, and sleep, it isn't easy to find a time where the entire family can sit down and eat together. And that is just supper, which tends to be the primary meal families enjoy together, where one dish is cooked for everyone to sit down and savor. Too often breakfast ends up being a hurried event, because family members need to be out the door at different times to make it to school and work, depending on what time they are expected to be there and how far the journey is. Oversleeping, long showers, and mini morning crisis sometimes leave minimal time for a good, nutritious, sit-down breakfast. Often a grab-and-go breakfast style is preferred. It is also entirely possible that there are no family members at home at lunchtime. Lunch is usually eaten at school or at work either alone or with a group of friends, and usually consists of something quick and easy to pack, or a quick take-out.
What is the best way to manage these busy schedules and still manage to find some time for a family meal? Try to arrange schedules so there is a time everyone has, even if it is just half an hour, for a family meal. Even if you can only manage this for a few nights a week, it is much better than none. This meal should have a homemade cooked dish everyone enjoys, even if it consists of leftovers or food from the freezer. There isn't much you can do about lunches, but try to make the breakfast table a common meeting place for at least five minutes or so, just so everyone is on the same page. And nothing brings the family together like a batch of homemade cookies fresh from the oven, whether it is after school, before bed, or 9:00 am on a Saturday morning. Family and nutritious food should always be high priorities.
Blueberry muffins make a classic choice for breakfast, lunch, and snacks. They are just so delicious on their own!
You can find recipes for blueberry streusel, blueberry nut, blueberry banana, and blueberry oat muffins, but this is a recipe for just plain old blueberry muffins.
This is the recipe my mother always uses. I love coming home to the enticing aroma of a batch of fresh blueberry muffins.
Blueberry Muffins
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 cup butter or hard margarine
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
3/4 cup milk (may need a bit more)
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen
1 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
In a large bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Make a well in the center. In another bowl, cream the butter and sugar. Beat in the egg until smooth. Mix in milk and vanilla. Pour into well. Stir just to moisten, batter will be lumpy.
Stir blueberries with flour lightly (to prevent them from sinking in the batter). Fold into batter. Fill greased or lined muffin cups 3/4 full. Bake in 400◦F oven for 25 minutes until nicely browned.
From Company's Coming "Muffins & More".
Paré, Jean. "Blueberry Muffins." Recipe. Muffins & More, Edmonton Alberta: Company's Coming Publishing Limited, 1983. 13.
