Face en Flambe

I have survived. I have actually made it through the first week of culinary school.
Which was MUCH, MUCH more work than I could have ever thought. I got clued in to just how much work this would be when they handed us the syllabus on the first day. Not only is the workload IN class ridiculous, but there's also a workload OUTSIDE of class that is insane.
But don't get too worried. I mean, my homework consists of bringing potatoes home and chopping them up into identical miniature squares and rectangles. And reading recipes. And thinking about food. Gosh, it's really tough.

The first few weeks of school are going to be going over the basics of cooking. So I haven't made an upside-down duck cake or a chocolate volcano fountain - yet. We started with Ratatouille, Braised Leeks, Glazed Carrots, Pommes Puree (mashed potatoes), Risotto and Pilaf.

While these things MAY sound relatively easy...they're not. They aren't necessarily out of this world difficult, but it isn't like following a Rachael Ray recipe.

Our chef (the teacher) demonstrates what we're going to cook that day. Of course, he makes it seems effortless to put together three dishes at a time. And, taking notes, it all seems completely do-able.

Until he releases us into production time. And we have to grab every piece of equipment we need. And chop up all the ingredients. And work with the industrial stoves that don't just let off a little heat, they're certified flame-throwers. Not to mention the sanitation requirements. If you so much as think about coughing, you gotta wash your hands up to your elbows. It's like we're the surgeons of the kitchen.

My Ratatouille was just okay. I used too much oil. I didn't sautee the vegetables correctly.
I almost blew my face off while making the leeks. I had started to brown the bottoms of the leeks and made the huge mistake of walking away. When I came back to the pan, I had no idea just how hot that thing was. So when I added my chicken stock...
BLAM-O! Huge flame came up in front of my face. Nothing like a good mini-stroke to get ya goin.
My carrots were miserably overcooked.
So much for thinking I was a multi-tasker.

The starches were a little bit easier. I did, however, burn my Risotto in class. So I took it upon myself to make it at home today. Carefully baby-sitting what is one of the most-botched recipes in the kitchen. And it worked!

Next week we move on to sauces. Not super exciting as far as end product goes, but I'm sure we'll eventually use these sauces on things that are REALLY mouth-watering.