TODAY’S TIDBITS Remove the pin bones from your fillet before removing the skin. The skin will keep the fillet in shape while you slightly mangle it trying to remove the pin bones. When having to drink a shot of green chartreuse on a scavenger hunt, the yellow label will not do. The green one has […]
Tag: French culinary institute
TODAY’S TIDBITS When zesting a lemon, turn the lemon as you move down the zester. This insures you get just the outer zest (no bitter rind), and is much faster (courtesy of Erik). Peel your celery before making a julienne of it – this removes those tough-to-eat fibers leaving a delicious flavor. In making a […]
TODAY’S TIDBITS To keep your Hollandaise hot, put it in a thermos (courtesy of Diana Colman) 3 times – this seems to be the magic number of times that ‘most’ of us need to really nail a dish, unless you’re A2. When pressing the final roll of fettuccine through the pasta roller, I have found it is […]
TODAY’S TIDBITS When rolling your pasta dough through the final time to create the fettucine from a wide piece, trim the ends so you don’t end up with spikey and uneven fettucine. If you cut your bread before service, put a damp towel over it to keep it fresh. Never close the oven with your foot […]
TODAY’S TIDBITS Always shave before going to a “trail” (see note below). Rotate your profiterole pan in the oven half-way through the baking. You can really see the different hotspots in oven with a tray of profiteroles. Some definitely get baked before others, so it’s always a good idea to rotate anything you’re baking half-way […]
TODAY’S TIDBITS Add the powdered sugar to your cream only after it starts to gain some volume. This results in a better whip. When cutting the tops of your profiteroles, align the bread knife parallel to the bottom of profiterole. It’s natural to align the knife with the top that you’re cutting off, but may […]
TODAY’S TIDBITS Powdered sugar through a cheese cloth gives a much finer “sprinkle” than through a sieve. Chives+chervil+Tarragon is a great combination of herbs for fish – beats the standard parsley by miles. (especially the tarragon). Gently tap the salmon skillets under plastic with the side of a butcher’s hammer to flatten them out so […]
TODAY’S TIDBITS You don’t need a trussing needle to truss a chicken. By making a cut in the skin near the end of the legs (where you eventually manchonner), the string can grab the legs and keep the chicken together – you can also loop the chicken legs instead. If you’re serving sliced grilled meat, […]
TODAY’S TIDBITS Magic infusing liquid: Yuzu juice + Elderberry Cordial. This combination of sweet and sour tastes incredible. To instant peel a hard boiled egg – roll it around hard on the counter till it’s all broken like a web and you can peel it off in once piece instantly. “Snap” your green beans AFTER […]
TODAY’S TIDBITS Never try and put one over on the chef Yesterday, Chef Dominique told us all never to try and trick the chef. One student tried to say she had put sugar in her Crème Chantilly, but the Chef was pretty sure she didn’t. This brings up the topic of “Truth in Menus”. “TiM” is a […]
TODAY’S TIDBITS Present a skate with the round side facing the customer, like a smile. Also, it turns out skate fish is not kosher. When reducing sauces or soups, it’s a better idea to add salt only at the end. If you add salt near the beginning, it might taste fine but as it reduces the […]