Where there's fire, there's a really delicious piece of meat
cooking! This week we're learning how to make a delicious Carbonnade a
la Flammande! Sadly Chef Klaus is lying on a beach somewhere in Florida
enjoying some much needed R & R!
Our replacement is the very
competent French chef Jean-Jacques Texier. With a name like that, you can only
be trained in the best kitchens in France! Now retired, Chef Jean-Jacques owned and operated the famous resto Batifiole in Toronto. If
there's one thing I learned today, is to follow my heart and not the
recipe which according to the expert is never really 100% correct. I
couldn't agree more.
We're greeted with an ARMY
of ingredients but to put everything in perspective, Chef explains how a
carbonnade is traditionally made in Belgium and the neighbouring
countries where it comes from. There are three main ingredients –
onions, beef and beer. Of course over time this recipe has been amended
to include beef stock and fresh herbs.
We started of by preparing a
hearty espanole sauce and proceeded to prepare the Carbonnade. Chef also
demonstrated how to prepare a Vegetable Macedoine. Not used to using
stainless steel pans, I made the biggest mistake by touching the handle
after if came out of the oven .. Wow that burned bad!
What I learned
Adding cloves in your herb plants keep the aphids away.
Butchers and Chefs sharpen their knives in different directions.
Using salt, baking powder and vinegar does help green veg stay green
Canned veggies are actually packed with nutrients since they canned very soon after they are picked
Cook white veg like potatoes and cauliflower in one inch of water to prevent them from looking grey
When adding veg to a cold bath don't leave them in there too long as they leak out the nutrients
Add salt to hot oil to prevent the meat from sticking to the pan
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