Nice ending to summer

Ah it has been such a long time since i have posted !!!
These past few weeks have been really full of surprises !
In my last class Restaurant Rotation , We as a class  had the honor of having a one on one with Certified world known Chef Ferdinand Metz... let me say it was the best experience i have ever had in my culinary life !!
At first none of us were thrilled because we thought he would be arrogant and full of him self like our Restaurant Rotation class Chef  " yea yea yea " Wessman. but to our surprise when he arrived he was the most humble and relaxed guy we have ever met !!! it was an honor to have him by our side and teach us how to make many dishes with corn.
the menu was as follows :
Corn fritters ( NEVER FRY !!!)
Fresh corn polenta
Corn wontons
Corn dip
Corn chowder ( NEVER USE FLOUR)
He took over my friend's station and was showing her how to make the corn base for all of these dishes when Chef " yea yea yea " interrupted and tried to kiss major ass ( excuse my french ) by taking over her station and being by his side doing everything he said like a puppy. It was annoying until Chef Ferdinand basically put him in his place by saying " No you did it wrong ,do it again" haha. Oh we very much enjoyed that and had a good laugh at it. Chef " yea yea yea" then left and we returned to our normal selves.
I believe that what made us fall in love with Chef Ferdinand is that he was just the coolest nicest humble person... he let us know he was human like us too aside from his famous title.
We all stood in a line in our best behavior and watched and did as he said , he assigned us to do little things to help around , instead of taking over and doing everything by him self ( as you would see in TV shows)
I helped with the wontons , while a class mate cooked them and sauteed them, of course 6 at a time like he said because you dont want the pan to be over crowded. :)
one of the highlights of the night was the corn fritters... which were far from corn fritters. He refused to fry it in Chef's yea yea yea deep fryer that he went out and bought with his own money -__- need i say  more ? (kiss ass) -cough-
 instead  he pan fried it. the first one he tried it did not hold so it ended up falling apart, so he did another one and it stayed together. we were all shocked to see that he made a mistake when his fritter fell apart ! it let us know he was human ! we were relaxed at the sight of that. he then made use taste both  and compare and contrast the flavor... the one which fell apart had more flavor because of the butter he kept putting in to save it, plus it was more golden in color which adds to the flavor elements.

Another interesting thing was when he made the corn chowder. to our surprise he used no roux at all. he said roux and flour does not belong in chowder ! we listened and tasted and it was still a yummy chowder with out the thickening agent.  one of the most important things he said that night was " read the labels always read the label " and to make sure to use the freshest ingredients " which not surprisingly a lot of people don't ..a sad truth. he reminded us a lot of our favorite Chef, Chef Williams. He use to scold us and say the same things he said. it made us feel comfy for a second. All in all i really enjoyed and will never forget this experience. it was the best time of my life !!!!!

p.s. It was cool when he recognized us the next day while serving his wine :) 

finished Vegan menu

Korean Pinoy Vegan Diet

Roasted pumpkin Juk - pureed sweet and savory roasted pumpkin porridge, with sweet rice beet dumplings and black beans.

Vegan Japchae-  tamari tossed  Korean cellophane noodles with sauteed shiitake, peppers, onions, carrots and spinach. topped with sesame seeds.

Mochiko bibingka - Filipino coconut rice cake topped with sweet toasted niyog



veganism is the practice of eliminating the use of  all animal products . there is three types of mainstream veganisms which choose this life style for different reasons, not necessarily all concerning health or humane practices.   there are dietary vegans who eliminate all animal products from their diet only. then there is ethical vegans who reject all animal products from their lives for any purpose. and lastly there is environmental veganism, they reject the use of animal products because the practice is unsustainable and environmentally damaging.

the term vegan means " non dairy vegetarian" , the word originated in England in 1944. the earliest trace of veganism is traced to the greek philosopher Pythogarus 6 th century,  who warned that eating animals might involve eating a human soul. he was a strong believer in transmigration of souls , there for he argued that humans should regard all living things as kindred souls.

any plant based dish is considered vegan. plant cream and plant milk is widely use in vegan cuisine such as almond milk , coconut milk and soy milk and cashew cream. there is also mock meats made of gluten or soy which are becoming more and more widely available. Nutritional yeast is also used in place of regular cheese. the development of all of these new foods is allowing vegans all over to feel more included in society with all of the replacements that are becoming more and more widely available, instead of feeling like an outcast or settling for a plate of vegetables. each year more and more people are converting into Veganism, Veganism is not a trend as many people used to label it years ago , it is showing that it is a life style that is rapidly growing.


"International Vegetarian Union - The Origins of Some Words." Internet Archive: Wayback Machine. Web. 14 Sept. 2011. <http://web.archive.org/web/20080630114643/http://www.ivu.org/history/renaissance/words.html>.


"Vegan Diets Becoming More Popular, More Mainstream - Vegsource.com." Vegsource - Your Source for All Things Vegan and Vegetarian. Web. 14 Sept. 2011. <http://www.vegsource.com/news/2011/01/vegan-diets-becoming-more-popular-more-mainstream.html>


"Veganism." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Web. 14 Sept. 2011. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veganism>

Special Diet menu project - Vegan edition- Korean/ Filipino edition menu

 Starters - pumpkin Juk

2-3 lb butternut squash or pumpkin 

1/2 cup of fair trade sugar ( not processed through chared cow bones)

2/3 cup of mochiko rice flour

2 tbsp agave syrup

4 tbsp of finely shreded red beet ( and the juice it expels ) 

4 tbsp of water or as needed

1 can black beans 

1/3 fair trade brown sugar

1/2 water or as needed 

cut the pumpkin or the butternut squash in half , remove the seeds, wrap in foil and bake in a 350 oven. 

while the pumpkin is in the oven in a small sauce pan combine the black beans, brown sugar, and water. bring to a simmer for 10 minutes until reduced slightly or until sugar is dissolved, liquid should have a nape consistency. 

in a bowl combine the finely shredded beets, the mochiko flour, agave syrup , and water. knead the dough for 2-3 minutes until all is combined. make balls small enough to fit into a spoon and set aside until needed.

when the pumpkin is done, let it cool and scoop into a blender. blend on high until smooth. place back into a sauce pan and heat thoroughly. bring to a low simmer , then add the rice balls. cook for 10-15 minutes. 

when plating place 4 tbsp of the black bean mixture on the bottom of the bowl and decorate with 4 black beans and a drizzle of the black bean liquid. 

Entree. 

Vegan Japchae 

2 tbsp minced garlic

1/2 tamari sauce ( or soy sauce ) 

1 1/2 tbsp fair trade white sugar

2 tbsp sesame seeds

2 hand fulls of spinach 

1 cup of julienne shiitake mushrooms 

1 cup julienne carrots 

1 cup julienne red bell peppers ( or sweet peppers) 

1 cup sicilee onions 

1 hand full of cellophane noodles 

in a pot of boiling water , blanch the spinach until slightly wilted and until a bright green color is a achieved. 

then quickly shock in a ice bath. squeeze and drain all of the water from the spinach. 

in a bowl place the spinach , peppers, onions, carrots, and mushrooms. add 3 tbsp of the tamari or soy sauce 4 tbsp of sugar and mix well. let it sit and marinate until noodles are cooked. 

in a pot of boiling water add the cellophane noodles and cook until al dente . 

in a separate bowl toss the cellophane noodles with  4 tbsp of soy sauce or tamari  and sugar and 1 tbsp of sesame oil, until well coated . the noodles should be shiny at this point. 

in a hot wok or pan add enough canola oil to coat the bottom. when hot add the marinated vegetables and sautee for 2-4 minutes until tender , the vegetables should still have a bite to it. then add the cellophane noodles and sautee for another 2 minutes. immediately serve and sprinkle with sesame seeds. 

Dessert 

Mochiko Bibingka 

• 1 Box (16 oz) Mochiko rice flour
• 1 Cup  fair trade White Granulated sugarshopping list
• 1 Cup fair trade brown sugar (or another cup of white sugar)
• 2 Tbsp. baking powder
• 1/2 Cup (1 stick) Unsweetened earth balance butter (softened)
• 18 tbsp soy yogurt or 6 " vegan eggs" 
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 Cup coconut milk

---

• Preheat oven to 350° F.
• Cream the butter and sugar together well
• Mix eggs / yogurt . 
• Mix in the rest of the ingredients.
• If you are not using banana leaves, grease or spray the pan with oil .
• Bake for 30 to 45 minutes, until the top is golden brown or tooth pick comes out clean when inserted to the middle of the cake. 

special thank you to aeriskitchen and emochef for the original recipies !! ( i just edited parts and made them vegan)

Takoyaki Sauce Recipe

I have been on an endless quest to make Takoyaki Sauce from scratch since we don't have any convenience store that carries it here. (not even the Asian stores)
so after much research I only found one...and only one recipe T___T but I will try it once i get the Mirin.
INGREDIENTS:
1 cup catsup (ketchup)
1/2 cup worchershire
1/2 cup sake
2 tablespoons ginger
2 tablespoons garlic
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup mirin

Put all above ingredients in sauce pan and bring to a boil over medium heat stirring occasionally.
Reduce to a simmer for 25-30 minutes skimming any foam that rises to the top. Will keep refrigerated for 4
weeks.


Sounds like any other typical Asian sauce.. I might make some changes to it... depending if it doesnt change color.. I have seen that Takoyaki sauce is dark ? so maybe it will caramelize and if it doesn't I might add some soysauce... but other than that I will be trying this soon ! 

Tofu Pesto Fettuccine

Ciao!!  I haven't posted in a while , I will try to keep this updated but it's been hard lately with me getting out of school at 12 am . I've been really busy! but today I feel like im obligated to update something. especially since this dish I will post today deals with Tofu!!! gross?!! no way!! a big BIG misconception. Tofu WILL absorb any flavor you pair it up with. so if you make a tangy Teriyaki sauce and you pair it up with Tofu , guess what ? the Tofu will taste just like Teriyaki!! so go on and infuse your Tofu with all sorts of herbs and spices mmm :) 

Today when I walked in class I was surprised because it was a Quick Fire competition we had 40 minutes to cook 3 dishes involving Tofu. but written in bold letters were those dreaded words that tore my heart apart " STAY AWAY FROM ASIAN INSPIRED FOODS" I immediately wanted to cry , because I loveeeee with a passion Asian food! and what better way to make tofu than with Asian ingredients !?!? so I thought of going Italian and pairing up the flavors of Pesto and Tofu!!! so here's a quick and easy dish with Tofu that is sure to taste yummy!!! 

To make Tofu Pesto Fettuccine :  

1 pack of extra firm Tofu cubed/ large diced

 2 cups of fresh basil 

1/3 cup of pine nuts

1/3 cup of parmesan cheese 

1 garlic bulb

1/2 olive oil ( depending on  your taste if you prefer it runny or not you might use less) 

1/2 pack of dry Fettuccine or home made Fettuccine 

1. combine in a robot coup or a blender the basil leaves , parmesan , garlic and pine nuts. blend for a few seconds then slowly start to drizzle the olive oil in making sure to stop a few times to scrape the sides down to make sure the Pesto blends evenly.  after it is blended to almost a smooth paste or your desired consistency take out and set some aside to marinade the Tofu, just enough to coat. 

2. boil the pasta  for 10 minutes or until Al Dente " to the teeth" bite.  while the pasta is boiling in a large saute pan saute the tofu until heated through. 

3. when the pasta has reached an Al Dente point drain and toss in with the Tofu and the left over Pesto just enough to coat.  Saute for 2 minutes and serve . 

on another note I really enjoy posting step by step pictures and instructions and I will try to do this often but if I am in school , I am working on a limited amount of time so I really can't wip out my cell and take pictures of each step. Mianhe ! Sorry!! Perdon!! T__T I will try to do this as often as I can ! 

2% water and Ppushu Ppushu

Hello, today I just have to talk about 2% water and Ppushu Ppushu ,These are all from the Korean store. for those of you who have never heard of these before , join the rest of the crowd as most people haven't either. now is 2% water and Ppushu Ppushu something to rave about ? hmm im leaning towards no.... a big NO, I will go in detail in a second. 

this lovely can right here is 2% water , so far peach flavor is all I have seen in Lotte. what immediately attracted me to this drink was the cute can! yes ... I was fooled by the cute can T__T  (and the CF's for this drink are amazing...just saying)

when I first tried 2% I was a tad confused, it tasted kinda artificial. I can't really explain the flavor other than sourness with a tad bit hint of sweetness at the end. this is  most def the type of drink that you have to drink 100 times before fully enjoying the flavor and being addicted. although this drink is a thirst quencher when extremely cold. i do not recommend this warm yuck! 

Ppushu Ppushu...ahh what can I say ? I really had high expectations of this snack. at first I didn't know how to eat it , the directions were simply to open the seasoning packet, break the block into little pieces and shake! 

to my surprise when I opened the treat it was a block of dry  ramen . I tasted a piece and hated it , I then tried it with the dry seasoning and shook it but it still tasted like dry ramen and salty orange seasoning. there wasnt really anything good about this. I threw it out, and after then throwing it out i wondered how it would taste if I had cooked the ramen and added the seasoning to  it. but it is called Ppushu Ppushu after all! 

Hotteok Korean street food (sweet Korean Pancake)

Annyong!
Today I visited my local Korean market & I bought something I have been wanting to try for a while! ( im a big big fan of Korean food)  its called Hotteok! other wise known as a sweet Korean pancake. I have seen this many times in K-dramas so I finally got the guts to buy it and make it at home. I usually don't like to make  things out of a box but today is an exception ...the out come was sweet. I will make another posting once I do the Hotteok from scratch.

Hotteok is Commonly eaten during winter in Korea and is sold as street food. I have been told by the friendly Korean cashier that most Koreans don't like sweet things so when  I made the  Hotteok it was mind blowing, because it was actually really really sweet!

Now the instructions on the mix I bought are in Hangul. so I will roughly explain what to do if one day you decide to buy this your self and I highly recommend it  ^__^

                                                         This is the brand I used it cost $3.70

these are the packets that come with it , I dont know if you can see but the instructions are in Hangul. the yellow one is the batter and the brown one is the filling which consist of peanuts , brown sugar and cinnamon. 

this is the back and it has english instructions but some people might have a hard time understanding it since it is written as most people like to call it " engrish" 

start by heating 8 oz (1 cup) of water for 30 seconds. (this is for the yeast to bloom) the recipe originally called for 10 oz but that was way to much.  

open the yeast package and let it bloom in the warm water

after 5 minutes mix the water in slowly ( you might not need much) and knead the dough for 5 minutes. it will be really REALLY sticky!! 

oil your hands to keep the dough from sticking to your fingers and take aprox. 4 0z of dough the size of a small egg. after rolling it into a ball  flaten it with your hands and spoon 1 or 2 tbsp of the filling into the middle. pinch together and roll into a ball again. *apply oil as needed* 

my Hotteok sizes aren't consistent but it should give you about 10 balls depending on the size you make them. (as you can see my first one was the biggest one -_-')

put enough canola oil or vegetable oil to cover the pan. 

place the balls in 3 at a time and with the back of the spatula flaten them to about half an inch thick.

make sure not to flatten them so much the filling will ooze out! 

cook for 2-3 minutes on each side on low-medium heat or until both sides are golden brown.

and now you have yummy delicious sweet Hotteok!!! mm this will go great with coffee or tea! 

Huevos Motuleños Mexican Cuisine

Annyong!
Well today I would like to talk about Mexican Cuisine. I my self along with other chefs at Le Cordon Bleu  believe Mexican cuisine is under appreciated, and I just don't understand why? it is wonderful food and full of interesting history!! how much better can that get ? I know what most people think when you say Mexican food.. Taco bell!!! wrong!!! sooo wrong in many ways!! Mexican food and Taco bell should never be in the same sentence! you will soon find out why! if you have the chance go to a local mom and pops Mexican cart or Mexican restaurant. I am sure you will be amazed that you will not find your ordinary Chalupas and Beef and bean burritos! give it a try will ya ?
Along with all of the yummy goodies Mexican Cuisine has to offer I have to say one of my favorites is Huevos Motuleños , its a very simple easy dish that anyone can make at home. originally in Mexico this dish is eaten for breakfast but I my self make it for dinner as it is filling and easy to  accomplish on a budget. with some little alterations it can go from Breakfast food to Dinner food! try this recipe  you will not regret it!
This Recipe along with 3 other egg dish recipes  got me the highest grade in class on my practicals :)
Ganbatte ! good luck with making this dish!

for the home made corn  tortilla you will need :
2 cups of Masa harina
1 cup of luke warm water (add as needed)
2 pinches of salt to taste (although originally old school folks refuse to add salt)

Note: this recipe for corn tortillas will give you around 12-14 tortillas depending on the size it is made. if you have some left over freeze the dough and use when needed.

for the rest of the dish :
2 eggs
2 oz Manteca (lard)
1/2 cup of black beans (soaked over night or you can use canned black beans )
2 oz of minced Jalapenos
6 oz of thinly sliced white onion
4 oz of minced garlic
1 oz of olive oil
8 oz of thinly sliced steak or ham
4 oz of queso fresco crumbled
salt and pepper to taste

1. in a pot melt lard over medium heat and sautee the 3 oz of garlic , all of the Jalapenos and all of the onions until the onions reach a translucent color. then add the beans and cook for 2 minutes and then put in just enough water to cover the beans. cover pot and let it cook until the beans are soft and tender. add more water if needed.

2. while the beans are cooking put the masa harina in a bowl with the salt and slowly add the luke warm water. mix with hands and gradually add more water until a soft firm dough forms. the dough should not be sticky.  set aside with a damp towel over the dough so it does not dry.

3. mix the left over garlic, olive oil and salt and pepper with the steak and set aside. cook in the last 5 minutes of preparation. if doing ham skip this step.

4. when the beans are fully cooked add salt and pepper until desired taste is achieved. mash the beans with the bottom of a cup until creamy lumpy consistency is achieved. the beans should not be runny.

5. roll the tortilla into a 3 inch ball , aprox the size of a small egg, then press with the tortilla press. (if you dont have a tortilla press a bow will work fine )  if  tortilla dough is dry add more water.  after the tortillas are pressed in 360 degree hot oil fry the tortillas until golden brown and crisp. set aside and drain.

6. while the last few tortillas are frying cook the meat in a grill or in a sautee pan on medium heat , make sure not to over cook the steak or  the ham.

7. after tortillas are done use the same oil to fry the eggs until the bottom is crispy and brown and the tops are still white but cooked. spoon oil over the egg to cook the top making sure not to break or cook the yolk all the way.

8. assemble the dish with tortilla first , a spoon full of the bean mixture , steak or ham , 1 or 2 eggs and then queso fresco.

enjoy this yummy fast easy recipe ^__^ !!

oh! its Nico!

Hello!
this is just a blog for me to keep interesting memories of the food I create and food adventures of any place i go!
I am Nico
I attend Le Cordon Bleu and am currently finishing my Culinary experience there just to start a new one out in the world :)
I hope you enjoy the food postings i will be creating soon!

Anyong!