A few days ago, my partners and me were assigned to pick a vegetable and make a entrée with that ingredient being a major factor in the recipe. Because all members of our group disliked the vegetable mushroom, it was decided upon to make a vegetable potpie. A particular potpie, with a mushroom base for additional flavor and 12 ounces of small sliced mushrooms as well. First, after gathering the necessary materials and portions or “misenplase” we had to sauté the onions, mushrooms, diced potatoes, carrots, peas, and sprinkled flower for thickness. After the sautéed vegetables looked about done, we had to poor a mixed vegetable base because mushroom base was not available; it also tasted better. While this was all occurring, I was preparing the pastry dough that covered the top of the potpie, and whisking a egg yoke. Once the egg yoke was ready it was time to brush (using a pastry brush) the egg yoke on the top of the dough, so it would get crispy. We then added the sautéed veggies into a small hotel pan that would cook the potpie all together. Then, with Mr. Miller’s advice, he taught me how to fold the pasty dough over the top of the edge of the hotel pan and pinch hard underneath all sides of the edges. So, that is exactly what I did, and I was actually fully confident our potpie would look as good as it did before we put it in the oven, but, from there it was all downhill. While observing the potpie in the oven, we noticed that the pasty crust started to rise, which we thought was okay because it look like a stuffed pie. Five minutes later, the creases around the edges that were folded on the hotel pan started to break. This is where the potpie lost control. It’s sides blew up like a pillows on every side, and the top looked like a hot air balloon. At the end of the cooking process, the top of the crust wasn’t even touching the sides of the hotel pan, but the flavor was actually pretty delicious.
In the end, I was satisfied with the results of our potpie. Not only did it taste good, but it was a big learning experience me and my partners. And after critique from others, I feel confident in making a better pie crust next time I would like to make a potpie.

Logan P.

I’m sure almost every Italian does it. They gather up in a house that’s almost too small for the loud obnoxious noises and laughter of their one big happy family. Almost everyone in the immediate family shows up: cousins, aunts, uncles, sisters, brothers, grandmother, grandfather, grandma’s best friend, grandchildren, etc. However, even with all of these close knit family members, there’s one dominant thing that brings us all together, food.
A traditional Italian meal would not be tradition at all if it weren’t held on Sundays. This is the one day in which the whole family gets to relax together and eat their hearts out. As you may know, we do not eat in small portion sizes. In fact, we do not eat just one main course either. There are always complimentary foods on the side. However, the most important dish is a classic pasta bowl filled with red sauce and meatballs.
It starts with a pot of boiling water and a couple of pounds of ziti. Then once the water is boiled, the pasta goes in and after a while it reaches a tender yet firm state which means it is ready to be topped with its best friend, sauce. Sometimes, my grandmother makes homemade sauce but when were all hungry and in a rush to eat, she uses regular store bought sauce. However, her special ingredients remain a mystery to me as of now. But all I know is it tastes yummy in my tummy!
Then, we all gather around the table and reach over each other’s arms, grab each other certain foods, and converse loudly with one another. Without my Sunday dinners with my Italian family, my tummy and my heart would be a lot less warm. There’s nothing like sharing a nice meal with the people that matter most to you in the entire world; your family.
Julia L.

After just completing the Culinary 1 course, I felt as if I learned all there is to know about food production techniques and etiquette. Little did I know that this wasn’t nearly the case. Within the first unit of Culinary 2, the class studied how to create egg products, such as scrambled eggs, crepes, omelets, parched eggs, over easy eggs, and a few others. I found the complexity of making over easy eggs to be shocking. I let my partners go first in hopes of learning from their mistakes. Overall it didn’t make a difference. With little practice, I managed to splatter the dripping egg onto the stove and all over the floor. The flipping process was where I went wrong. As a result of my disappointment, I was determined to become an expert at flipping foods in a sauté pan. Mr. Miller, the culinary assistant, suggested that I practice using a tortilla. At least if I failed again, it wouldn’t cause complete disarray in the sense that a mess was prevented. After training with Mr. Miller, I felt comfortable enough to take on the challenge of producing omelets. All the preparation and tasks leading up to the flipping of the product were easy, but I still had to face my greatest concern. With a careful and precise touch, I perfected the flip. The omelet turned out to be wonderful. It was the perfect color, the perfect texture, and the perfect taste. Failing made me work at something in order to achieve what was desired. The experience, as a whole, brought me to realize that it takes effort to excel in culinary. The experience was beneficial.

Matt M.

With Lent in progress, my choices were after school snacks were limited. Any time I wanted a piece of candy or a cookie I had to stop myself. And who wants just some chips or something? So I thought I would make something. Based on the few ingredients I had in my house, I decided on making Pesto-Cheddar Cheese Scones. I had made them for my Culinary 1 Final and thought they would be great to make again. After all, I had more experience and could improve on the production. They were pretty easy to make. Mix the dry ingredients like flour, baking powder, and a little cream of tartar. Once I have the butter mixed in, I would add the cheese and then a mixture of a whisked egg, a cup of milk, and pesto. Once all of it was combined, I kneaded it a few times and flattened it out to 1 inch thick. 20 minutes later at 375○F I had 24 delicious scones.
The breakfast unit in class was great. I’ve always been waking up looking for something to eat, surrounded by ingredients, but no knowledge of what to do with them. Now, pancakes, crepes, multiple forms of eggs: all things I can make for myself and for my family. Of those, I loved the crepes. Obviously, they aren’t the healthiest, especially with the addition of Nutella or peanut butter, but still will be a great occasional treat for breakfast. The egg skills, however, can be put into practice a lot. All of the different methods were so easy quick to prepare, and my house is always stocked with eggs. Now I never have an excuse to skip breakfast.
Earlier in the month, for my birthday, I always choose to go to Vazzy’s, an Italian “Osteria” in Monroe. As always, I can’t resist trying their complimentary cheese bread (similar to little strips of white pizza). As an entrée, I ordered Gnocchi Bolognese, a meal I never would have considered ordering had we not prepared them back in Culinary 1. It was a fantastic meal that I would definitely recommend. The gnocchi were just like the ones from class, and combined with the sauce they were fantastic. It was a terrific dish for a birthday meal.

Wesley M.

It’s kind of amazing when you think about how much we as people rely on food. Everyone needs to eat every day to survive, but not everyone can actually prepare healthy food for themselves. Critical skills like reading, writing, and basic math are taught to kids from a very young age, but kids barely learn about cooking and nutrition at all, unless they choose to pursue it themselves. This means that it’s completely possible for children to grow up in America, through the public school system, and emerge as 18 year old adults and not have a clue how to cook a healthy meal for themselves. So then this forces them to turn to fast food, and restaurants for food.

By learning to cook themselves they could not only save tons of money, but they could avoid the countless preservatives, and artificial chemicals that is in all processed foods that we see today. When people can’t cook themselves, they need to buy highly processed convenience foods that are extremely unhealthy. Too much of what we eat isn’t actually food. In reality, most of the quick, cheap, and “tasty” packaged foods that we are eating are made of some kind of artificial sweetener, like high fructose corn syrup, and some kind of highly processed starch, like wheat or rice that has been stripped of all its protein, fiber , vitamins, and minerals. When people cook from scratch at home, they can’t use artificial preservatives or fillers, they can use healthy all natural ingredients however, and if more people started to cook and eat like this, then things like obesity, heart disease, and diabetes would go down dramatically. When people are taught to cook from scratch, they are also given 100% control as to how they refuel their bodies. So the secret to a healthier, fitter, and better country, is nutritional and culinary education. If we as a nation, strive to eat healthier we can become, a healthier, stronger, and smarter America.

Vikram M