Cooking quote of the week: on communion

“There is communion of more than our bodies when bread is broken and wine drunk.”
― M.F.K. Fisher

Be a beginner: Conclusion

This week was the conclusion of a 6-week cooking class I took at the Cambridge School of Culinary Arts.  I wanted to approach this with a beginner's mind so I discovered a great deal, not only about cooking but about learning and myself.

What did I learn, in my adventure into cooking and beginner's mind? A few things, all of which can be taken literally or metaphorically.

1. Sharp knives matter. Cutting with a dull knife takes longer, requires more effort and you're much more likely to hurt yourself. Make sure your knife is honed as well as sharpened even if you have to expend a little bit of energy to make it so.
2. Use the knife that fits your hand. No matter how big, flashy or expensive, if you can't use it comfortably you won't use it well.
3. When in doubt, add a little more butter. Okay, this may not apply to everything, but almost everything. A little bit of richness in the mouth or in our lives isn't necessarily a bad thing. Even if you have cholesterol problems.
4. Don't be afraid to cook with strangers. I was nervous about taking this class with a bunch of people I'd not met. What if we didn't like each other? What if they didn't like me? It turns out, we all played really well together. And that leads to
5. Be willing to make mistakes. Most things can be fixed or started over. I took this class so I could make mistakes and learn solutions. If you break the mayonnaise, you can probably fix it. If you burn the steak, the world will not end. 
6. Follow the recipe on occasion. Most of my adult cooking life has not revolved around recipes, for all that I have a thing for cookbooks. This class reminded me that it's not a bad idea to follow the tried and true sometimes, learning from other's experience can be delicious and only adds to my own expertise.
7. And be willing to not follow the recipe. Most experienced cooks rarely follow recipes or alter them as they go. By learning from the world around us we can apply what we've already learned and create wonders. 
8. My favorite place to dance is the kitchen. I've always loved to dance with my sweetie in the kitchen. And I usually have the radio on when I'm cooking, so I'm often wiggling some extraneous part of my body. But during this class, there were 14 or so people moving around the kitchen all the time. We had to dance with each other in new ways, much the way we have to dance through every day, moving and yielding, holding still, letting others know when there might be a hazard in their path.
9. You can cook anywhere, but professional kitchens are amazing. I've cooked over fires, hotplates, in sinks, on rocks and in many apartment kitchens with dysfunctional stoves. I've made good meals in all of those places. I have to say, cooking in a professional kitchen, with that astonishing stove and those wonderful tools, was eye opening. It's nice to do a job in a place well built for it.
10. Ingredients matter. We used good basic ingredients in this class. I'm certain that made our finished dishes taste better. What you start with makes a difference in the end.
11. Cook and eat joyfully. Really, is there anything else for me to say?

(c) 2012 Laura S. Packer

Quote of the week

I am more modest now, but I still think that one of the pleasantest of all emotions is to know that I, I with my brain and my hands, have nourished my beloved few, that I have concocted a stew or a story, a rarity or a plain dish, to sustain them truly against the hungers of the world.

― M.F.K. Fisher

Braised short ribs (be a beginner, continued)

As some of you know, I'm taking a class at the Cambridge School of Culinary Arts. I'm enjoying it tremendously; the instructor is skilled and welcoming, the other students are fun to learn with. In all honesty we've not done much that I'm not familiar with, however the class is helping me learn better general technique and reminding me of the joy of cooking to recipes. All of this is useful and working in a professional kitchen is a kick.

Last week we focused on wet cooking - stews and braises. Each class we're given a recipe packet and teams of students work on each recipe. I made a pork and squash stew, which was wonderful and redolent with cumin, but by far, my favorite dish was the braised beef short rib with dried cherries. It was so delicious that I cooked it this past weekend for friends.

The best word I can think of for this dish is unctuous. The sweetness of the cherries, the mouth-feel of the soft meat, the depth of the wine... all of it together was extraordinary. This is now my new go-to dish for special guests.

This recipe is adapted from the one provided by the Cambridge School of Culinary Arts.

Preheat the oven to 325f.

Season about 5lbs of beef short ribs (for me this was six pieces) with salt and pepper, then dredge in 1/4c of flour, shaking off the excess. Sear them on all sides in 1/4c olive oil, heated in a large oven-proof casserole on the stove on medium-high heat. Remove the meat once it's seared on all sides and pout out the excess oil, the deglaze the pan over high heat with 1-1/2c red wine (Cabernet Sauvignon or Rhone). Make sure you get up all the little seared bits. Reduce the wine to 3/4c.

Whisk in a quart of chicken stock (I used homemade chicken/duck stock, yum). Once it's smooth, return the seared ribs to the pot along with any oozed liquid. Tuck a piece of parchment paper into the pot, so it's snug against the meat and liquid (this helps the meat cook in moist heat throughout), bring to a simmer, put the lid on and slide it into the oven. Cook for 90 minutes.

Read, watch a movie, play a game with your friends, take a nap. The house will soon smell wonderful.

Remove the lid and parchment paper, add 1-1/2teas. salt, 8 peeled garlic cloves and 8 peeled shallots, more or less. Cover with the paper and lid, cook for another hour.

Start salivating.

Remove the lid and paper, add 1-1/4c (I probably added more) dried sour cherries, set the lid at an angle, and simmer until the ribs are falling off the bone tender and the cherries are plumped.

Remove the ribs, cherries, shallots and garlic to a deep and wide serving dish. Cover to keep warm. The recipe says to strain the liquid, but I didn't. Let it sit for a little while, then carefully spoon off the floating fat. Simmer the de-fatted sauce for five minutes or so, then taste, adjust seasoning with salt and pepper as needed, pour the sauce over the meat and veggies.

Serve.

Swoon.

text (c) 2012 Laura Packer
recipe (c) Cambridge School of Culinary Arts

Quote of the week

'If you are careful,' Garp wrote, 'if you use good ingredients, and you don't take any shortcuts, then you can usually cook something very good. Sometimes it is the only worthwhile product you can salvage from a day; what you make to eat. With writing, I find, you can have all the right ingredients, give plenty of time and care, and still get nothing. Also true of love. Cooking, therefore, can keep a person who tries hard sane.'

― John Irving, The World According to Garp

Quote of the week

No one who cooks, cooks alone. Even at her most solitary, a cook in the kitchen is surrounded by generations of cooks past, the advice and menus of cooks present, the wisdom of cookbook writers.

― Laurie Colwin

Be a beginner: Cooking class part 1

This week was the first installment of a gift from my sweetheart, a six-week Technique of Cooking class from the Cambridge School of Culinary Arts.

When I first heard about this class I had some initial resistance. "Do I really need to spend that much time on basic skills? Am I not already a decent cook?" What I was really experiencing was resistance, that insidious force that keeps us from doing the things we most love. What I was really thinking was, "Am I good enough? Will I be the worst one in the class? What if I screw it all up and make a fool of myself?" Kevin cut through all of my questions and just gave me the course as a gift. "You love cooking," he said. "You're already a good cook. Go learn some more."

The first class was this past Monday. We focused on knife skills. The instructor, Dave Ramsey, was relaxed and informative, clearly enjoying the class and the opportunity to share his knowledge. Fourteen students with varying degrees of proficiency were guided through the different kinds of knives a cook needs, how to care for them, safety and more. Then we cut. We cut onions. We cut carrots. We cut celery and mushrooms and zucchini. We made garlic paste. We minced chives and parsley. Only one person in the class had prior experience and he, quite gracefully, helped out as needed with no condescension. The rest of us concentrated on curling our fingers into claws, holding the knife correctly and not losing any digits.

It was fun. And I learned better technique that I had previously been using. Maybe more importantly, I got over the hump, got past the voices telling me I'd be the oldest/dumbest/least skilled/etc. I was simply another student, learning more about something I love.

Next week? Eggs. I expect to have more to say about recipes, cooking and the fine art of getting over resistance. Stay tuned.

(c) 2012 Laura S. Packer