Being Bossed Around: Cooking Class - Butter

I recently took a cooking class on the various techniques of using butter.  We were a total of eight participants, and split into two groups of three, with one group of two.

The original instructor assigned to this course was not there.  Darn it.  We had a replacement instructor, who I shall call "the chef."  She started by going over the recipes; however, then glossed over some of the steps, as we were running out of time, and told us to read our assigned dishes quietly.  She gave us only 2 minutes, and there were a total of 4 recipes.  Crazy.  You can't absorb that much info in just 2 minutes.

When I told her that I would prefer to work on the fish or one of the other dishes (except for steak and oysters, since I do not eat either), she said, it's good to cook things that one does not eat.  I just gave her a look, but felt like telling her that since I don't run a restaurant, I would never cook something that I would not eat.  Thankfully, I managed to end up on a team that cooked neither of the above.  Wheww.  But this "chef" is a real pain.

Anyway, once our teams were formed, we each got to our stations, and gathered our ingredients.  I had been taught by other instructors in the past to always keep all the ingredients ready, so that preparation would be efficient.  I wanted to put aside 4.5 cups of heavy cream in a measuring bowl, as the recipe indicated.  The "chef" came running up and in a loud, headache-grinding voice stated that I SHOULD HAVE READ THE RECIPE, as only 3.5 cups of heavy cream would be heated.  I felt like telling her that yes, I know that, and from the 4.5 cups I would take 3.5 cups and use it ASAP to heat it, and then use the remaining cup for the latter part of the recipe.  But OH NO, she wanted to do twice the work, and separate the cream upfront into separate cups.  Are you kidding me???  The measuring bowl tells me exactly how much I need to use for heating.

As time passed, I felt more and more upset.  Considering the fact that I paid for this class, I would expect at least some form of courtesy.  Unfortunately, this "chef" kept yelling out our names, and asking us WHAT WE WERE DOING.  Jeez.  I'm following the recipe, that is what I'm doing.

Anyway, her assistant was a bit arrogant and obnoxious as well.  Anytime I asked her where a specific ingredient was in the kitchen with the many shelves, fridges, etc., she would ask Why?  I refrained from snapping back and telling her that that is what the recipe indicated was needed.  My gosh, what an attitute.  She wanted to double-check the recipe each time to make sure that the ingredient was correct.  Actually, the "chef" and her are a perfect pairing.  May they be forced to work together forever.

When it came time to make the butter, I desperately wanted to wear gloves, so I did.  When I was done, I attempted to remove the gloves with one of the 25-30 small kitchen towels available.  The "chef" said, why are you using that?  Well, I politely told her that I didn't want to get any excess churned butter on my skin, as it has a greasy feel to it.  She backed off.

She then mentioned that I should taste the butter after putting salt.  I did.  It tasted just right.  However, she thought that extra salt should be sprinkled.  Whatever.  I left a small container of salt for anyone who felt the need to increase their blood pressure.  For my buttered bread, I did not add any extra salt.

I was rather upset that the "chef" then insisted that only my partner handle the fish.  That is what I very much wanted to work on.  Oh well.  Maybe I will try the recipe at home with a fish of my choice.  And I will put less salt, much less salt.

Usually, after everyone's dishes have been prepared, people whip out their cell phones and take pictures.  But I had no desire to do so.  Apparently, neither did anyone else, which was really surprising.  I couldn't wait to sit down, eat, and then get out of there.  And pray to God that I never, ever have this instructor again.

Note to self: If that instructor is ever, ever listed on a course, DO NOT TAKE HER.  After taking this instructor, I have come to appreciate some of the other instructors much more, especially those teaching the Italian and farm-related cooking.  They were gems.  Oh well, there are "good" chefs, and there are "temperamental" and "unpleasant" and those "breathing-down-your-shoulder" chefs.  I am disappointed that I ended up with the latter for this course, but I guess you can't always get a winner.  C'est la vie.

It's 86 degrees outside....

If the sun is sucking all the energy from you and you can't take the heat (a cruel summer indeed), stay indoors with the AC on HIGH.  Relax on the couch, listen to Duran Duran or any other music preference, and sip on a cappuccino, while tasting a cannoli (or two....one with vanilla cream, the other with chocolate cream).  Below is what I am having right now, and I suggest you have it, too.

How to enjoy a summer day

A Visit to the MOMA

Recently, I decided to visit the MOMA (Museum of Modern Art) as I felt myself deprived of imagination and creativity.  Below are my observations:

i) Was happy to discover an artist by the name of Yves Tanguy.  He was a French surrealist painter, and one of his paintings truly had me staring at it for more than just a few seconds.  The name of the painting is called "He Did What He Wanted" (1929).  The scene is the bottom of an ocean; there is a grey octopus in the foreground on a sandy sea floor; grey, smoky, dreamlike sensations in the background, and in the distance hovers a human looking up at an rather unique creature (has some similarities to a horse, but I could be mistaken).  A couple of objects, including a small tree contain numbers).  The scene doesn't make a lot of sense, but it was pleasing to the eyes, nevertheless.

ii) If someone asked me what is the most popular painting at the MOMA, I would have to say it is Van Gogh's "The Starry Night."  The number of people gathered by this painting, and the number of times the guard requested the people to step back, had me thinking that MOMA's "The Starry Night" is the equivalent audience scene as The Louvre's "Mona Lisa."

iii) Not to be rude, but some pieces of work ARE REALLY NOT ART.  I mean, hanging a shovel from the ceiling IS NOT ART, especially since the artist bought the shovel from a hardware store, and just signed the handle.  Seriously?  Also, painting a canvas a single shade of red IS NOT ART.  Many curators and other professionals may disagree, but that's just my opinion.

iv) I did enjoy the 60s pop work very much, most notably Roy Lichtenstein's "Drowning Girl." Basically, it's like comic book art.  In this work, a rather stubborn teary-eyed woman is thinking "I don't care! I'd rather sink - than call Brad for help!"

To wrap up, enjoy the pics taken below:

Vincent Van Gogh's "The Starry Night" - MOMA's most popular painting, it seems.

Jasper Johns' "Flag."  Reminds me of the US soccer team at the World Cup :)

A tall rose in the court yard at the MOMA....has me wondering if it has anything to do with Jack and the Beanstalk...hmm

Home-Made Onion Tart

I recently obtained a recipe for an onion tart, and decided to try it out.  It should be noted that I customized it to my liking (e.g., used light cream, instead of recommended heavy cream and added my own spices and cheese).

1st Step: chopped up four onions into small pieces, and heated them in a frying pan with butter (the salted kind).  Didn't realize that it would take forever to get these onions brown, but finally after 20min or so, they turned an appropriate brown shade.

2nd Step: baked a tart shell in the oven for about 15 min...yes, I bought a frozen one made of rice flour (gluten free), because using flour is risky business and has a mind of its own.

3rd Step: In a bowl, mixed one egg, and half a cup of cream.  Added a dash of paprika powder and black pepper.  Stirred.  Then added the browned onions and mixed well.  Last, added about one handful of shredded parmesan cheese (actually, you're welcome to add any cheese to your liking...since I had parmesan, I went with that option).  Stirred again.

4th Step: In the tart shell, sprinkled a tiny bit of shredded parmesan cheese on the bottom.  Then poured the "mix" created in the 3rd step.

5th Step:  Baked tart shell for another 30 min or so at 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

PS = I wrote the above 5 steps while my onion tart was in the oven.  I will provide a picture below when done.  Please be patient.

3:15pm update - Took a peek in the oven...hmm, in hindsight, I should have used 6 onions rather than 4.  Looks creamy....very creamy indeed.  Well, another 10 min or so to go.

3:49pm update - Onion tart done and out of the oven (see below).  Tastes good, but an extra 2 onions would have been ideal.  Also, not too crazy about the rice flour shell.  Will try to find a pre-made frozen white flour shell next time.  Anyway, bon apetit!!!

And the Winner of the 2014 World Cup Is......

GERMANY!!!

Oh, what an exciting game it was to watch with fellow supporters of the Deutsche Mannschaft.  First 90 minutes were tense, both sides strong, and resulted in a 0-0 score. Germany and Argentina had several chances to score, but the goalies were too good, and/or a player was off-side.  There was a bit of blood, a few yellow cards, and several fouls that the referee appeared to ignore (hmm...).  It could have gone either way.

In the 88th minute, German coach Joachim Loew made a substitution, and brought in #19 Mario Goetze.  What a wise decision that was.  Once the two 15 minutes of overtime started, Mario got right to business, and pushed agressively toward Argentina's goalie.

In the 112 minute, it paid off.  Goetze scored a thrilling goal.  It was mayhem for the German fans.  Loud cheers and screams for Germany to keep the score 1-0 until the 120 minutes + 2 minutes of overtime.  It was intense, it was crazy, it was exciting.  And when the final whistle blew, a VERY, VERY LOUD CHEER erupted, followed by loud music, and people singing "we are the champions...."

Germany had won the 2014 World Cup, after 24 years since winning the last one.  What a beautiful ending to this World Cup run.  I am very proud of the way Germany played, and thrilled that believing in a team finally yielded the result I had been hoping for so many years.

Below are a few pics of this amazing finale.  Enjoy!!!

Singing the German National Anthem

GER vs. ARG: 1-0 at 113min

German fans

Germany wins World Cup 2014

Mario Goetze after getting the job done

Manuel Neuer winning the Golden Glove

The Trophy

Fireworks in Brazil after Germany wins World Cup

Germany is in the Finals of the World Cup 2014!!!!

So, my long-time favorite team Germany has made it to the World Cup Final, which will be held tomorrow, July 13, at 3pm EST.  Yippiehh!!!

They will be playing Argentina, another top-notch team.  It will be an absolute pleasure to watch these two rivals play against each other.

Germany made it to the finals by beating Brazil 7-1.  Yes, 7-1 on the home turf of Brazil....unimaginable, but it happened.  The first 5 goals were scored in the first 45min.  I watched the match with my jaw dropped open, and started taking pics of the screen, because this was truly history in the making (see below).

First 7min of match - 0-0....all looks calm, both teams defending well (yeah, then the tides turn.....see below).

No typo....in the 85th min, Brazil trails Germany 0-7....woahhh!!!!

Wrap-up mode at 91min....Brazil trails Germany 1-7, and that is how the score stood when the final whistle blew

Argentina on the other hand, did not have such an exciting semi-final vs. Netherlands.  Nevertheless, they held on to a 0-0 score after 120 minutes of playing.  Argentina then won in penalty kicks 4-2.

It will be a great feast for any soccer fan to watch both Germany and Argentina play.  I will be rooting for Thomas Mueller to score at least one more goal.  He has 5 on his resume in this World Cup thus far.  Also, interesting to note is Miroslav Klose, who in the semis scored his 16th World Cup Goal.  He is now the top-ranked scorer. 

Lionel Messi (Argentina) scored 4 goals in this World Cup.  I hope Germany will be able to defend well, and be cold and clinical, and get the job done, so that they can walk home with the WC 2014 Trophy. 

As they say in German, "Ich druecke mir die Daumen dass Deutschland gewinnen wird."

Just a side note, my other favorite is USA, and I am very proud of the way they played this year....kudos to both the team and to the coach, Juergen Klinsmann...a delight to see the underdog get out of the Group stages.  Most worthy is that they only gave up 1 goal vs. Germany, so that says something.  Also, while USA lost against Belgium (1-2), one needs to commend the 16 saves by Tim Howard (goalie).  In 4 years, USA will be even more prepared, and get out of Round of 16.

French Cuisine

French cuisine is one of the most emotionally satisfying meals to eat, because it is made with a lot of thought, creativity, and love.  The cuisine is known for its high quality and fatty food products, i.e., emphasis on freshness over preservatives, and usage of a lot of cream and butter....and by a lot, I mean REALLY A LOT.

Below are a few dishes I recently attempted.  Bon Apetit.

Baked salmon, dill dijonnaise (slightly burned on top...c'est la vie...but still it was juicy on the inside, courtesy of lemon juice)

Coquilles St. Jacques Mornay (i.e., scallops)

Creme Brulee (came out heavenly)

Nicoise Salad (note for vegetarians: can be made without tuna & anchovies, and still be yummy)

Potato galette (I know, a bit overdone, but still edible, once grease was rubbed off)

Wilted spinach (with a little sprinkle of chilly flakes...note: NEVER attempt to overcook or burn the chilly flakes, they will cause a non-stop cough and your eyes to water...above picture is attempt #2 after experiencing the after-effects of burned chilly flakes)