Lentils - The way to a prosperous New Year !

It is a tradition in my family to make lentils on the first of the year, they say that the lentils represent coins and money, so if you eat a bowl you are sure to have money for the upcoming year. This year we decided to spruce up our normal humdrum lentil soup. Typically our Lentil soup would consist of the basics; carrots, celery and onions, diced ham, and sometimes potatoes. This year we added kale, shredded chicken and chicken sausage for some bulk and added flavor. I was a big fan of this soup although it is more of a "stoup" than soup. Here are some pics of our new and improved Lentil Soup in my new Dutch Oven Pot (which was also a Fab Find!)

I was sure to have a nice big bowl to make sure that my year was going to be a prosperous one !

Stocks, Soups, and Sauces - OH MY !!

Since my latest class was all about Stocks, Soups, and Sauces I thought it would be fitting for me to make a post about soups. Soups are something that my mom and I always make. Typically Monday's are soup making days, the basics on rotation, always including calabaza, are a chicken soup, spilt pea, lentil, some sort of cream of broccoli, cauliflower or any leftover veg we have in the fridge. I of course have learned many new techniques to ensure your soup is extra good and have and have tried to apply to my soup making methods. Here are some tips to ensure the next soup you make is JWU worthy.

1. Start with a good quality stock
2. Saute your mirepoix (onions, carrots and celery)
3. Add any other ingredients you may want to add
4. Add COLD stock
5. Maintain a Simmer (Never Boil)
6. Skim off fat or skum that comes to the surface
7. Finish with a Final Liaison of butter or cream to add sheen and/or help to thicken.


Here is a video one of my former classmate (Quan Kep/Brown Girl) did on how to make the perfect Hollandaise !

Now get to stock, soup, and sauce making !!!!http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3PKLL5_-ccM

I have found Heaven - at least Food Truck Heaven!

I have been obsessed with Food Trucks for over a year now. It all  started in New York when I used to buy the Best Chai Latte from "Love Truck Coffee". I would send my mom links on all of these different kind of trucks and beg her to help me start a food truck. I told her she could drive and I would cook. Fast Forward to a year later, my food truck obsession/dream lives on. I heard the rumblings about food trucks in Miami, but never knew there were so many! Last Tuesday we were driving down Biscayne and just happen to run into the "food truck triangle roundup" (Biscayne and 109th) Every Tuesday night from 5:30- 10:00 food trucks line up in this undefined culdasac and share some of the best treats you may ever find ! It was our first time, and to be honest I was over excited and nervous at the same time. We ended up eating from a classic Cuban (cubansso) truck and got a pretty decent pan con bistec, the crispy fries are what set it apart. But then I ventured over to the one that originally caught my eye the "Slow Food Truck". It was amazing, I opted for the short rib sandwich, with arugula, crispy shallots and queso blanco. The bread was so soft and warm, with the deliciousness of the juicy short rib, spicy arugula, sweet shallots and mellow queso blanco. They even have dessert, and since I can never turn down a sweet treat, I grabbed three mini cupcakes, mostly excited about the one topped with bacon. All three were great !  If this isn't heaven, then I don't want to go anywhere else but here!

I have discovered the New World !

Tomorrow will be my last day in New World Cuisine, besides starting a class with a group of new people (who have started to grow on me), we have learned to "master" the art of grilling, roasting and deep FAT frying. We also got to go back into history and re-learn about how the "New World" was discovered and good 'ol Christopher Columbus.  Besides the technical skills and history lessons learned, I was also re-introduced into the world of reading. Every foodie, has there collection of cookbooks, but we sometimes look past the "reading" books. Our project for the this class to was to write a reaction paper on what I now know to be a great book, "Letters to a Young Chef buy Daniel Boulud". When purchases this book I also got sidetracked and picked a few others, well a lot others. If you are a Food Lover, Foodie, or just like a good read, here are some books I recommend. Medium Raw by Anthony Bourdain, The Man Who Ate Everything by Jefferey Steingarten, The Making of Chef by Michael Ruhlman.

Below is a picture of my grill marks from my practical - not bad for a first timer !

I Love Fall !

I love Fall ! Not only do I love the weather, the real weather up north, but I also love fall vegetables. We have been lucky enough to get some spurts of "cold" weather down here Miami, and that made me want to make some heart warming, yummy for my tummy risotto with butternut  squash. I took an tip or two form my good friend Giada and added some Vanilla as hint of sweetness and tons warmth.

Great tip for leftover risotto, is to make them into Arancini. I paired mine with a honey and sage dipping sauce - sorry no photos, ate them too fast before I could grab the camera.

Thanks for Thanksgiving !

Thanksgiving is long gone and the holidays are right around the corner (Yay). Today was the start of the Winter trimester, and I must admit it wasn't half bad. I did switch from evening to morning classes and am terribly missing my former compadres. Thanks Be To God, that one tagged along with me. I will admit there are a few people I already can't stand, but I like to blame that on my "old age", where things tend to bother me more than used to. Stay tuned, it is only Day 1 and I have 3 more months to go with this new crew !! Wish Me Luck - I will need it :)

Here are few photos of some things my family and I made for Thanksgiving! It was all so YUM !

Pumpkin Bread Pudding with Dulce De Leche

 Homemade Cranberry Sauce (I added Dried Canberrys for texture)

Gourmet Sweet Potatoes Courtesy of Mari

Corn Bread and Biscuit Stuffing courtesy of my Mom

Prosecco Party

The other day I hosted small gathering of close friends to celebrate a special someones birthday. Since I am now in culinary school, I knew that some of friends were expecting the best, I tried to put together a few small treats for us to snack on before heading out. The party was of course themed, well, because I just love themes. There was an over abundance of Prosecco, which I offered with Peach Puree and little balls of lemon sorbet. As well as two kinds of crostini, Caramelized onions with goat cheese and thyme, and Ricotta with Honey and Orange Zest. I also put a spin on the classic Prosciutto and Melon, by topping it off with a strawberry (something I learned from my catering boss). The star of the night, besides my beloved Giulia, was the Chocolate Espresso Mouse with Orange Mascarpone Cream. Here are some pictures, sorry there aren't more, the battery on my camera was charging :( Let me know what you think ?!?!