Friday, January 5... tonight's the night...
... hope it's going to be alright...
So, the infamous Friday Night Dinner is finally here. I can't believe it. It only seems like yesterday that I came to NYC with Dave in the summer to find out about the program. But, on the other hand, I have learned so much and gained a lot more confidence and skills in the kitchen.
Yesterday was spent prepping for the dinner. We started with looking through boxes and boxes of produce and ingredients to ensure we had everything, checked if it was of good quality, etc. It was so interesting and fascinating to see boxes and boxes of lovely, fresh organic produce, whether large portobello mushrooms, daikon, lemons, broccoli rabe, or ginger and it's amusing to see it in such large quantities. We had the other team helping us for the afternoon and some students from other classes in the evening, and we certainly needed the help when you need to matchstick carrots and daikon to 1/8" x 2" consistent slices for 100 people, or juicing 100s of oranges and lemons for the different sauces, or cleaning and then stemming huge mounds of broccoli rabe, spinach and watercress. One thing that is interesting in cooking for 100 is trying to adapt your recipes from 4 or 10 people to 100 in ordering and cooking. You can't simply take your recipe and mutiply it for the number of people but really need to test it out as the ratios and proportions change dramatically. This was challenging as we didn't have the luxury of testing for 100 so had to take guesses of how much we would need in terms of produce and ingredients, ensuring we didn't run short, and just had to wing it with the recipes, using our skills and sense of taste to adapt the recipes as required. Also, it was good to get the extra help in the kitchen but tough at times to work in such a small kitchen with so many people working around you, and surrounded by produce and ingredients, with no room to move, lack of counter space, and limited utensils. I guess it's no different than most kitchens. So, after prepping 3/4 of what we could - with the rest having to be prepared the day of or just before the dinner or a la minute - we packed up our knives and awaited for the next day, with sleep in between. I had a good sleep, despite a bad cold I caught this week, and woke up thinking about what I needed to do and how to enhance certain dishes or serve them creatively and quickly. It's interesting what you need to think of when serving 100 people at one time and plating the dishes quickly... the system of what can be done in advance and not, what goes in what order on the line, who does what on the line, how much of each so you don't run out of one item before you're done, what the finished product has to look like each time, and quality control along the way and especially at the end. I like this part and think I'm good at it after working on so many special events and having to thinking of the big picture, continency plans, and all the small details.
So below is the menu for tonight and I'm off shortly to cook it with my team. I'll let you know the results and i know that the good wishes from those close to me are with me here. I wish you could be here to eat my meal. But, Yuki and I have gathered a nice table of friends here, of about 12 people, to try our food and be our cheering section. So, tonight's theme is a "Culinary Journey to India and Japan", preparing traditional foods from these two countries, using as much as possible seasonal and local produce, and natural, preservative-free and organic ingredients. It's a four course gourmet vegan meal (no dairy or eggs) that is prepared with much thought, passion and love,which unfortunately we hear is not very common in restaurants these days. I couldn't attach the lovely jpg of the menu design that was prepared by my graphic artist friend, however here is the text as the next best thing for now. Dinner starts at 6:30, so please think of me! Off to cook...
Here is the menu:
A Culinary Journey to India and Japan
Friday, January 5, 2007
Presented by the Chefs of the Natural Gourmet Institute for Health and Culinary Arts Chef Training Program 139: Donald Blue, Dina Cutrone, Milan Doshi, Caroline Ishii, Yuki Kimura, and David Lee
Chef Instructor: Elliott Prag
We would like to express our sincere gratitude to the faculty and staff of the school, family members and friends who provided their inspiration and support to us during the school year and with tonight’s menu.
Our Approach to the Menu The Indian scriptures say “Annam Brahma,” which in Sanskrit means “in food there is some spirit, and it is alive.” The Japanese ryori (cuisine) says, “Let little seem like much, as long as it is fresh and beautiful”.
Tonight, we feature two diverse countries with the common link of food, its preparation and enjoyment of eating an integral and ancient part of the culture and tradition of both countries. We have tried to keep these traditions alive and vibrant in the dishes. To the greatest extent possible, we used seasonal and local produce and natural, preservative-free, organic ingredients. Bon appetite - Namaste -Itadakemasu
Indian Cuisine
Mealtimes in India are steeped in tradition; they are a time for closeness and catching up. The meals are prepared fresh with recipes passed from mothers to children through the generations, not on paper but in the kitchen, standing side by side. There is an astounding variety in Indian cuisine, from spicy salads and yogurt to savory curries, breads and rice dishes. These dishes, with their unique flavors, aromas and tastes, represent the culinary creativity of one of the earliest and most complicated melting pots of the world – India. A typical everyday Indian meal usually includes a dal (lentil) dish, a curry dish, rice or chapattis, an array of chutneys and pickles, and plain yogurt that acts as a soother, palate cleanser and digestive aid. Each one of these items is represented in our dinner this evening.
Japanese Cuisine
Japanese cuisine is inextricably meshed with aesthetics, with religion, with tradition and its history. Its key requirements include the pristine freshness and prime condition of materials used, and beauty of the presentation. A combination of subtlety and simplicity, the dishes are shaped by its four distinct seasons and by regions.
The core ingredients in Japanese cuisine are seaweed, with those most frequently used including konbu, wakame, arame and nori, and soybeans whether as bean curd (tofu), a salty fermented paste (miso) or soy sauce (shoyu). Other common ingredients include burdock (gobo), giant white radish (daikon), mirin (sweet rice wine), rice vinegar, and umeboshi (pickled plums). Most of these ingredients have been used in tonight’s dishes and are now incorporated into many western recipes as a natural flavour enhancer and for nutritional benefits.
Menu
Toovar Dal
Cilantro Chutney, Homemade Yoghurt
and Roasted Papadam
***
Japanese Land and Sea Vegetable Salad
Sesame Ginger Dressing
***
Tasting Plate:
Teriyaki Portobello Mushrooms
Cauliflower Tomato Curry
Chestnut Burdock Rice
Garlicky Greens
Mango Coconut Chutney
Homestyle Pickles
***
Cardamon Pistachio & Green Tea Ice Cream
Blood Orange & Pomegranate Sauce
Sesame Tuille
So, the infamous Friday Night Dinner is finally here. I can't believe it. It only seems like yesterday that I came to NYC with Dave in the summer to find out about the program. But, on the other hand, I have learned so much and gained a lot more confidence and skills in the kitchen.
Yesterday was spent prepping for the dinner. We started with looking through boxes and boxes of produce and ingredients to ensure we had everything, checked if it was of good quality, etc. It was so interesting and fascinating to see boxes and boxes of lovely, fresh organic produce, whether large portobello mushrooms, daikon, lemons, broccoli rabe, or ginger and it's amusing to see it in such large quantities. We had the other team helping us for the afternoon and some students from other classes in the evening, and we certainly needed the help when you need to matchstick carrots and daikon to 1/8" x 2" consistent slices for 100 people, or juicing 100s of oranges and lemons for the different sauces, or cleaning and then stemming huge mounds of broccoli rabe, spinach and watercress. One thing that is interesting in cooking for 100 is trying to adapt your recipes from 4 or 10 people to 100 in ordering and cooking. You can't simply take your recipe and mutiply it for the number of people but really need to test it out as the ratios and proportions change dramatically. This was challenging as we didn't have the luxury of testing for 100 so had to take guesses of how much we would need in terms of produce and ingredients, ensuring we didn't run short, and just had to wing it with the recipes, using our skills and sense of taste to adapt the recipes as required. Also, it was good to get the extra help in the kitchen but tough at times to work in such a small kitchen with so many people working around you, and surrounded by produce and ingredients, with no room to move, lack of counter space, and limited utensils. I guess it's no different than most kitchens. So, after prepping 3/4 of what we could - with the rest having to be prepared the day of or just before the dinner or a la minute - we packed up our knives and awaited for the next day, with sleep in between. I had a good sleep, despite a bad cold I caught this week, and woke up thinking about what I needed to do and how to enhance certain dishes or serve them creatively and quickly. It's interesting what you need to think of when serving 100 people at one time and plating the dishes quickly... the system of what can be done in advance and not, what goes in what order on the line, who does what on the line, how much of each so you don't run out of one item before you're done, what the finished product has to look like each time, and quality control along the way and especially at the end. I like this part and think I'm good at it after working on so many special events and having to thinking of the big picture, continency plans, and all the small details.
So below is the menu for tonight and I'm off shortly to cook it with my team. I'll let you know the results and i know that the good wishes from those close to me are with me here. I wish you could be here to eat my meal. But, Yuki and I have gathered a nice table of friends here, of about 12 people, to try our food and be our cheering section. So, tonight's theme is a "Culinary Journey to India and Japan", preparing traditional foods from these two countries, using as much as possible seasonal and local produce, and natural, preservative-free and organic ingredients. It's a four course gourmet vegan meal (no dairy or eggs) that is prepared with much thought, passion and love,which unfortunately we hear is not very common in restaurants these days. I couldn't attach the lovely jpg of the menu design that was prepared by my graphic artist friend, however here is the text as the next best thing for now. Dinner starts at 6:30, so please think of me! Off to cook...
Here is the menu:
A Culinary Journey to India and Japan
Friday, January 5, 2007
Presented by the Chefs of the Natural Gourmet Institute for Health and Culinary Arts Chef Training Program 139: Donald Blue, Dina Cutrone, Milan Doshi, Caroline Ishii, Yuki Kimura, and David Lee
Chef Instructor: Elliott Prag
We would like to express our sincere gratitude to the faculty and staff of the school, family members and friends who provided their inspiration and support to us during the school year and with tonight’s menu.
Our Approach to the Menu The Indian scriptures say “Annam Brahma,” which in Sanskrit means “in food there is some spirit, and it is alive.” The Japanese ryori (cuisine) says, “Let little seem like much, as long as it is fresh and beautiful”.
Tonight, we feature two diverse countries with the common link of food, its preparation and enjoyment of eating an integral and ancient part of the culture and tradition of both countries. We have tried to keep these traditions alive and vibrant in the dishes. To the greatest extent possible, we used seasonal and local produce and natural, preservative-free, organic ingredients. Bon appetite - Namaste -Itadakemasu
Indian Cuisine
Mealtimes in India are steeped in tradition; they are a time for closeness and catching up. The meals are prepared fresh with recipes passed from mothers to children through the generations, not on paper but in the kitchen, standing side by side. There is an astounding variety in Indian cuisine, from spicy salads and yogurt to savory curries, breads and rice dishes. These dishes, with their unique flavors, aromas and tastes, represent the culinary creativity of one of the earliest and most complicated melting pots of the world – India. A typical everyday Indian meal usually includes a dal (lentil) dish, a curry dish, rice or chapattis, an array of chutneys and pickles, and plain yogurt that acts as a soother, palate cleanser and digestive aid. Each one of these items is represented in our dinner this evening.
Japanese Cuisine
Japanese cuisine is inextricably meshed with aesthetics, with religion, with tradition and its history. Its key requirements include the pristine freshness and prime condition of materials used, and beauty of the presentation. A combination of subtlety and simplicity, the dishes are shaped by its four distinct seasons and by regions.
The core ingredients in Japanese cuisine are seaweed, with those most frequently used including konbu, wakame, arame and nori, and soybeans whether as bean curd (tofu), a salty fermented paste (miso) or soy sauce (shoyu). Other common ingredients include burdock (gobo), giant white radish (daikon), mirin (sweet rice wine), rice vinegar, and umeboshi (pickled plums). Most of these ingredients have been used in tonight’s dishes and are now incorporated into many western recipes as a natural flavour enhancer and for nutritional benefits.
Menu
Toovar Dal
Cilantro Chutney, Homemade Yoghurt
and Roasted Papadam
***
Japanese Land and Sea Vegetable Salad
Sesame Ginger Dressing
***
Tasting Plate:
Teriyaki Portobello Mushrooms
Cauliflower Tomato Curry
Chestnut Burdock Rice
Garlicky Greens
Mango Coconut Chutney
Homestyle Pickles
***
Cardamon Pistachio & Green Tea Ice Cream
Blood Orange & Pomegranate Sauce
Sesame Tuille
posted by Caroline at 7:40 AM
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