The Whole Carrot

Black Bean Burger with Zesty Horseradish Sauce Overall, the burger was well-received in terms of taste and texture. Appearance was the lowest scoring and included many comments regarding the color of the presentation. Suggestions were made, including adding a leaf of lettuce to the bottom and red onions as a side. The burger turned out great tasting, and the horseradish sauce was very complementary and well received by all testers.  My results partially met my expectations. I was disappointed in the texture and want to improve the crispness and uniformity. For uniformity, I plan to put all the ingredients in the food processor and pulse with cilantro, for color. Regarding crispness, I plan to try freezing the burger beforehand and baking it in an oven or air-frying the patties instead of pan searing. Furthermore, the presentation did not meet my expectations. I want to include some color, like a slice of tomato, red onions, and chopped parsley garnishes. Also, the temperature did n...

 We had lots to do this month and I forgot all about the food in my fridge! This weeks blog was a challenge to use what we already had around the house to create my version of a recipe used in class.  It includes: 4c carrots (roasted) 1.5 cups milk ( I choose to make almond milk ) 1 onion, diced 3 cloves garlic, minced 1 tsp cumin 1 tsp coriander 1 Tbl olive oil  1/4 tsp salt 1/4 tsp pepper 1 cup veggie stock I soaked almonds overnight and made milk. This is a great way to keep the recipe vegan while also incorporating a plant based milks that provides excellent sources for healthy fats, vitamin E and calcium. I roasted the carrots and sweat the veggies, and combined in my cast iron pan. Next was flavoring balancing and immersion blending! Once finished, I garnished with purple hyacinth (from my garden), sunflower seeds our amazing broccoli sprouts- which provides Sulphoraphane, which is an anti-cancer phytochemical.   Our version of Carrot Soup! We also made Al...

During the month of March, our class had the pleasure of getting acquainted with different fermentation, soaking and sprouting methods.  Fermentation is the process that happens when microorganisms like yeast and bacteria convert sugars from fruit or vegetables into probiotics. Probiotics are beneficial bacteria that aid our gut in digestion and energy production.  Kefir My best outcome was making water kefir. The kefir granules fermented into a cloudy beverage that I then flavored with blueberries and lemon juice. This result was a yogurt like drink that was sweet and tasty! Kvass Kvass is a fermented beverage using salt and beets. In an effort to reduce sodium, I tried to make it with vinegar and sugar. The result did not yield active fermentation and was not very palatable. The traditional method was much to salty to enjoy. I hope to try making this again in the future.  Sourdough Starter My sourdough starter was ripe in 3 days. I have made sourdough starter before an...

  The visual presentation of a dish is essential to its overall enjoyment, as it is often noted that our initial perception of food is influenced by its appearance. Some basic principles to plating incorporate: Resist the urge to “draw” with your ingredients Use odd numbers of things, like 3’s or 5’s Keep a 1” border and don’t over clutter the plate Sauces should go under an item, which allows the eater to decide how much sauce they choose to use  Keep it simple and be playful, use your plate like a canvas.  A word on Acids.. Acid adds sourness to foods, but all acids are different. A red wine vinegar has complexity compared to its counterpart white. And lemon juice is far sourer and slightly more acidic in PH than red wine vinegar. Even fruits which are considered acids, will possess different features depending on where they are grown and harvested and even what part of the tree they grew on.  Acid can also change the colors of vegetables and fruits. Greens like ...

Organization is key when setting up a work station. Before we begin cooking in the kitchen we always prep our work station by gathering the following: Large Cutting Board Chef Knife, paring knife Large bowl for compost Several small glass dishes for portioning SALT bowl -ready for use :) Hand Towel Apron Wash Cloth Having these items clean and ready to go before beginning any recipe allows for ease of transition into execution and ultimately - saves you time! Mise-en-place is a concept that incorporates organization and is defined as "everything in its place" principal. Prior to cooking or preparing a recipe, you organize your station with the ingredients (measured, chopped and or sliced to recipe specifications) right down to the equipment (assembled and ready to go). This allows freedom to work thru your recipe more efficiently.  This is an example of a mise-en-place from the web This Weeks Recipes: Muhammarah a delightful dip made with toasted walnuts and roasted red pep...

The focus of this week's class was learning to taste and flavor balance our kitchen creations. We practiced on a variety of mediums to learn this intricate part of cooking.  Plant-Based Milks      We had the wonderful opportunity to make 3 different nut/grain/seed milks this week: oat, hemp, and almond. I chose to make the almond milk. After soaking 1 cup of almonds overnight, we drained them and then added 2 cups of fresh water to a blender. Following blending, we then used a nut-milk bag (also known as a micron-bag) and squeezed out the milk. The remaining pulp was reserved for crackers. To balance the flavor and the milk (fat), I added 1 tsp of vanilla (acid), 1 tablespoon of maple syrup (sweet), and a pinch of flake salt. The result was a very palatable almond milk with a nice vanilla flavor. I reserved 1 cup of milk and added 1/4 tsp soy lecithin, which helps to emulsify the fats and prevents separation for future use. The lecithin added a smoky and slightly oil...

     Yesterday, we had the pleasure of practicing our knife skills (shown above) during our first class in culinary and experimental nutrition. While this activity was fun- It was challenging to retrain my brain. When I am cooking or meal prepping at home, I tend to do things a bit differently (and more quickly). However, there is something therapeutic and cathartic about the experience we shared as a class that was meaningful. Looking forward, I hope to improve the efficiency of my knife cuts overtime.       Pictured above are the cuts (and methods) we practiced during class.  I normally hold my chef knife with my thumb and forefinger above the heel and the rest of my fingers tucked up on the handle. Holding my fingers this way provides me with precision when making cuts and keeps my fingers safe. I am a tip-fulcrum method cutter- meaning I try to keep the tip of my knife on the cutting board (depending on what I am cutting). My favorite type of ...