Today. Was. Awesome. I came to class expecting to make some sauces and ended up fabricating chicken, making two soups, two sauces, and practicing knife skills. I really enjoyed the bustle of the kitchen. It was hot, people were stressed, and my adrenaline was high which made for an exciting 5 hours. I started with my espagnole, a mother sauce made with veal stock. It took one and a half hours to reduce. It was simple, no problems there except I needed more seasoning at the end. Next I started on a carrot ginger coconut soup. All we were given was a list of ingredients, no amounts or formula to follow. I started with 2 quarts of chicken stock and boiled 10 roughly diced carrots and some fresh ginger for about a half hour. I then pureed that, which made it a little thick, so I thinned it with the coconut milk. I was very proud of that soup! I liked that I was able to use my knowledge and experience to make a dish out of my head! I then made a veloute (chicken stock mother sauce) which kinda flopped cause I got distracted fabricating chicken. Speaking on that, I saw some minor improvement on my 8-piece cut, but not a ton. I still forget the steps and I really struggle trimming the bone on the drumstick and french breast.
At the end of the day I learned that you need to prioritize and make a game plan when you have a lot to do. There were times when I was stuck wasting precious time cause I hadn’t planned correctly. I also learned that I have a LOT of work to do on my chicken. Lastly, the power of classmates working together is incredible. I wouldn’t have mad it through half of what I did if I hadn’t been able to ask my classmates questions!
