Culinary Art

Coming Soon!

The information I have is.
·         Catering, in partner with the Student Center, participated in the January 2011 gallery hop.
·         The Student Center set aside the Cats Den.
·         Dining Services Executive Chef, Scott Kohn created three pieces using various culinary artistic techniques.
o   Tallow Cat sculpture
§  How long did it take?  (appx. 100 hrs)
§  Amount of Tallow (weight)?(30#)
o   Ice Sculpture
§  How long did it take? (6 hrs)
o   Cocoa painting
§  How long did it take? (Two days)
§  You did most of it? with Amanda and Matt putting on the finishing touches?(We were pressed for time as are product was back-ordered and shipped from Argentina the day prior to the event. Yes, we all did a little painting as we had little time. The pastillage takes a minimum of 24 hrs to dry. It was still wet as we worked on it, making it much more difficult.)
·         Catering provided three different types of food to go along with each piece
o   Cream Puff Swans
o   Assorted Mini Molded and air brushed Chocolates
o   Tapas? (A variety of bruschetta, Medeterranean satays, vegatables and dips)

Want to put a bio of you on there?
            Where did you learn to do this? (I learned basics in culinary school and am self taught from there)
            Anything else you want to out about yourself? Chef graduated from…. And has done…. I will send you a bio.

 

baste - to spoon or brush liquid fat, drippings or other liquid over a food as it cooks in order to keep it moist.

beat - to stir rapidly in a circular motion.

blanch - to plunge fruit or vegetables into boiling water briefly, then into cold water to stop the cooking; used to heighten color in vegetables, or loosen skin for peeling as in peaches.

blend - to mix any two or more ingredients together fully.

boil - to cook food in a boiling liquid; a full-rolling boil is one that can't be disturbed by stirring.

braise - to quickly brown a food then cook it, tightly-covered, slowly in a small amount of liquid at a low temperature.

chop - to cut food into bite-sized or smaller pieces.

cream - to beat an ingredient or combination of ingredients together until smooth, soft and creamy, often in cookie or cake recipes with butter and sugar.

dice - to cut food into small cubes, about ¼ inches square.

dredge - to lightly coat food in a dry mixture such as flour or bread crumbs before frying.

fold - to gently combine a light, fluffy mixture (e.g. beaten egg whites) with a heavier one (e.g. cake batter) through a series of rotated strokes with a spatula; often accomplished in a series of additions.

glaze - to coat food with a thin, liquid mixture that will be smooth and shiny after setting; often brushed onto the food.

julienne - to cut food into matchstick-sized strips, often seen with carrots or ginger.

knead - technique used to form dough into a cohesive, pliable mass; consists of a pressing-folding-turning action with the heels of the hands that activates flour's gluten; well-kneaded dough should be smooth and elastic.

macerate - to soak a food (usually fruit) in a liquid to render it softer and to infuse it with the liquid's flavor; liquid is often a liquor.

marinate - to soak a food (usually meat, fish or vegetable) in a seasoned liquid mixture to flavor the food and tenderize it; marinades often contain acid ingredients as vinegar or citrus juices.

mince - to cut food into tiny pieces, often seen with garlic.

reduce - to boil a liquid rapidly until its volume is reduced through evaporation, thickening the consistency and intensifying flavor; often designated with a volume e.g. "reduce by half."

sauté - to cook food quickly in a small amount of oil or other fat in a pan over direct heat.

sear - to brown meat quickly at a high temperature, often in a skillet, with the object of sealing in the meat's juices.

shuck - to remove the husk and silk from corn-on-the-cob.

simmer - to cook food in liquid at a temperature so that small bubbles just break the surface.

zest - the outermost, colored layer of a citrus fruit, e.g. the "twist" in a cocktail with a twist; also, to remove this layer with a zester, peeler or grater.

Information reproduced with permission from Harvard University.

cookware, equipment, gadgets

Bare Minimum:

• Chef's knife
• Paring knife
• Cutting board
• Silicone spatula
• Turner spatula
• Tongs
• Wooden spoon
• 1 frying pan - at least 8-inch, non-stick
• 1 pot - 3-quart, for things like pasta
• 9 x 13 glass baking dish
• 2 oven mitts/pot holders
• Strainer/sieve
• Measuring cups and spoons
• 2 mixing bowls
• Can opener
• Corkscrew/bottle opener
• Blender
• Microwave
• Plastic storage containers

More than Minimum:

• 9 x 9 square baking pan
• Containers for flour and sugar
• Coffee maker
• George Foreman^™ grill
• Hand-held mixer
• Pepper grinder
• Toaster-oven

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plates, silverware, etc.

Bare Minimum:

• Bowls - big or small portions of soup, salad, ice cream or other foods
• Dinner forks
• Dinner plates
• Glasses - pint glasses are cheap and the right size
• Mugs
• Pepper grinder/salt shaker
• Soup spoons
• Table knives
• Teaspoons

More than Minimum:

• Salad/dessert forks
• Serving spoon, fork, dishes
• Small plates
• Wine glasses

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healthy kitchen

Basic Inventory - Whole Grains:

• 9-Grain Cereal
• Brown rice (long or short grain)
• Bulgur Rolled oats
• Millet
• Oat bran
• Quinoa
• Steel-cut oats
• Wheat bran
• Whole grain or high-quality pastas

Basic Inventory - Dried and/or Canned Beans:

• Dried lentils (red, brown, and/or French)
• Split peas
• Black beans
• Chick peas
• Pinto beans
• Kidney beans
• White beans
• Soy beans

Basic Inventory - Nuts and Seeds:

• Peanuts
• Walnuts
• Pecans
• Almonds
• Cashews
• Pistachios
• Sunflower seeds
• Pumpkin seeds
• (Nut or seed butters made from any of the above)

Basic Inventory - Oils:

• Olive oil
• Canola oil
• Nut oils

Basic Inventory - Odds and Ends:

• Dried fruit of all kinds
• Vinegars (cider, wine, sherry, rice, raspberry, balsamic)
• Lemons and limes
• Jars and cans of high-quality tomato products - plus a few esoteric, fancy imported items
• Several boxes of vegetable broth
• Dried herbs - variety (not too old - buy them frequently!)
• Fresh herbs stored in water, like bouquets (or planted in flower pots)

Basic Inventory - Larder:
Note: Keep onions and potatoes separate! When stored together, they cause mutual rot.

• Onions
• Garlic
• Sweet Potatoes
• Potatoes

Basic Inventory - Refrigerator:

• Milk
• A few really good cheeses
• Plain whole milk yogurt
• Cottage cheese
• Unsalted butter
• Eggs
• Tofu
• Fresh, in-season fruit and vegetables (as many as will fit!)
• Olives
• Pickles, and marinated vegetables (preferably unsweetened)

Basic Inventory - Freezer:

• Corn
• Peas
• Chopped spinach
• Artichoke hearts
• Unsweetened berries
• Homemade Granola

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Information reproduced with permission from Harvard University.