On Wednesday, August 12, 2008, the Midwest Culinary Institute hosted another Wine Dinner, this time prepared by Chef Kyle Goebel with wines by Chad Johnson, owner of Dusted Valley Vintner Winery. Sadly, we were in Houston, Texas and missed the dinner. But here’s the menu and photos… It sounded great!

Amuse Bouche
Yellowfin Tuna Tataki, Yuzu, Wakame, and Microgreens
La Sera Malvasia 2007

First Course
Watermelon Consomme, Pickled Cucumber Granite, and Lavendar Dust
Boomtown Pinot Gris 2006

Second Course
Sliced, Butter-Poached Lobster, Hearts of Palm, Avocado, Valencia Orange Supreme, and Mango Beurre Blanc
Boomtown Unoaked Chardonnay 2006
or
Dusted Valley Vintner Viognier 2006

Third Course
Duck Confit, Sweet Potato Crepe, Chantrelle Mushrooms with Seared Duck Breast, Bing Cherries, Arugula, and Micro Cilantro
Boomtown Merlot 2004

Fourth Course
Cinnamon-Smoked Lamb T-Bone, Herb Risotto, and Blueberry Gastrique
Boomtown Syrah 2006
or
Dusted Valley Vintner Cabernet Sauvignon 2006

Fifth Course
White Donut Peach, Dark Chocolate, and Raisin Compote
Red Head Ranch Late Harvest Zinfandel 2004

The Midwest Culinary Institute (MCI) Wine Dinner for April was planned and prepared by Chef Alan Niece & the Olympic Culinary Team. Wines by Brian Scott from Vintner Select. Additionally, the culinary team prepared booklets with recipes for all the dishes they served which were given to the guests.

Due to a previous commitment, I was unable to attend this event.

Welcome
Gruet Blanc de Noir Sparkling, NV

Poached Dover Sole & Shrimp Quenelles
trio of squash on a bed of sautéed spinach,
buerre blanc, lobster mushroom dusted cracker
Selby Sauvignon Blanc, 2006

Smoked Tomato Salad
citrus compote, lemon vinaigrette & pâte à choux
Verdad Albarino 2006 Ibarra-Young Vineyard

Sauté Poulet Bercy
chipolata sausage, duchesse potato,
peas & carrots à la flamande
Mikael Bourge Cot 2006 – Les Hout de Cot (Malbec)
and
Cinnabar Mercury Rising 2005

Whimsical Dessert
cinnamon ice cream atop flourless chocolate cake,
Grand Marnier marinated fruit filled almond florentine, hazelnut soufflé with vanilla sauce, sweet red wine sauce
JRE Winery Zinfandel Tradition, 2005

On March 26, 2008, we attended the next montly Wine Dinner at Midwest Culinary Institute, this time helmed by Chef Matthew Winterrowd, the newest executive chef on faculty there. Wines by Rich Parducci, winemaker from McNab Ridge.

Amuse Gueule
Kumomoto Oyster, cauliflower, buttermilk, lemon
Anime Prosecco NV

Jonah Crab, chickpeas, cucumber, mango
McNab Ridge Sauvignon Blanc 2007

Sea Scallops, coconut, rice, ginger, cabbage
McNab Ridge Chardonnay 2005

Duck Breast, barley, wild mushroom, red wine, orange
McNab Ridge Pinotage 2004

Lamb Chop, potato, Brussels sprouts, truffle, thyme
McNab Ridge Coro 2004
or
McNab Ridge Petite Sirah 2005

Milk Chocolate-Passion Fruit-Kiwi, Dark Chocolate-Caramel-Pistachio
Puerto Dessert Port

On February 13, 2008, we attended another Wine Dinner at the Midwest Culinary Institute, this time cooked by Chef Rick Potter, C.E.C. who is a faculty member at the college. Wines by Jamie Stewart, Master Sommelier, from Foster’s Group.

Here’s the menu Rick prepared, and boy was it good!

Welcome
Wolf Blass Yellow Sparkling NV

Creamy Corn & Leek Soup with toasted English croutons
Beringer Alluvium 2006

Spicy Pan Seared Scallops with braised Savoy cabbage with carrot ginger emulsion
Chateau St. Jean Riesling 2005

Baby Greens, Marinated Tomato, Grain Salad with smoked duck roulade
Etude Pinot Noir Rosé 2006

Rosemary Crusted Leg of Lamb with morel reduction, horseradish mashed potatoes, and turned vegetables
Greg Norman Shiraz/Cabernet 2002
or
Souverain Cabernet Sauvignon 2004

Panna Cotta on Flourless Chocolate Cake with macerated fruit
Penfolds Club Tawny Port NV

I earned my Certified Culinarian!

We’re heading toward the end of our BASIC COOKING 1 class at Cincinnati State Technical & Community College’s Midwest Culinary Institute… We just finished the 1st night of the 8th week (out of 9 weeks), which means we’ve got three more class meetings ahead of us before the end of the term.

Last night I lectured on Sandwiches (Chapter 22 in Gisslen’s PROFESSIONAL COOKING 6th Ed, for those of you following along at home) and we executed our labwork for that chapter as well. My students made Club, Hot Ham & Cheese, and Submarine sandwiches, and all of these sandwiches rated between “good” and “awesome”. The students continued their focus on presentation of their food with some nice presentations arriving at the chef’s table.

This Thursday, we’ll be performing a “dry run” of our practical final exam to get the students ready for that exam (which occurs a week from Thursday). During their “dry run”, I will also quiz them with questions to help them prepare for their written final (which happens next Tuesday).

This has been a good class because of the good people in it. Last night, they presented me with an engraved silver fork. There is a story behind this — in culinary school, we mandate the “two spoon tasting method” for tasting products. The explaination of the “two spoon” method is pretty simple… Imagine two spoons, one in your left hand and one in your right hand. The spoon in your right hand goes into the food being tasted and then carefully transfers the food to the spoon in your left hand, which goes in your mouth. This preserves the sanitation of the food items and minimizes use of tasting spoons.

Well, I understand the “two spoon” concept completely, but for some reason am unable to reliably coordinate my left & right hands, so I tend to (loudly) mess up and use the wrong spoon fairly often – grabbing food with the right spoon and putting it into my mouth, for example, much to the delight of my students. I jokingly said, “someone needs to get me a nice fork or spoon for tasting to help me remember”, and my students thoughtfully gave me the fork (which is engraved, “Yes Chef”) to help me remember them (and to properly execute the “two spoon method”). A very nice, thoughtful gift.

I will be teaching BASIC COOKING 1 again in the Spring term, and look forward to teaching BASIC COOKING 2 in the Summer term.

I haven’t blogged about this because I’ve been too darned busy with it, but wanted to talk about the fact that I’ve been hired as an adjunct culinary instructor at the Midwest Culinary Institute (”MCI”) at Cincinnati State Technical and Community College. After shadowing for several terms and in several classes, Winter 2008 is my first term solo teaching COOKING 1.

There is a fair amount of behind-the-scenes lecture development, syllabus development, test preparation, grading, requisitions, writing, etc. involved with getting a first-time class up-and-running, so I’ve been very busy with that. It will be much easier when I teach this class again in subsequent terms as these materials will be recyclable into the new class.

We’re almost 5 weeks into the term, and I’ve got a good class of students who are willing to work hard and embrace the methods we teach at MCI. Some students have been using knives “incorrectly” (not to school’s standard) for years, and we work to un-learn those habits and to develop good habits for setting up stations, using knives, preparation for class, sanitation, and cooking.

So far, I am staying far ahead of the instructional preparation curve for the class, though being sick (with the flu) and being out of town (Las Vegas) recently has made it necessary for me to scramble a bit. I believe that, with a few hours of work this weekend, I should be completely caught up.

I am very much enjoying teaching, and look forward to continuing to teach classes at MCI.

 
One Night, Twelve Kitchens
April 29, 6-9 pm
Midwest Culinary Institute at Cincinnati State College 

Top regional chefs showcase the eleven state-of-the-art kitchens at Midwest Culinary Institute to benefit the Cincinnati State College Foundation culinary scholarships.

I have participated in this event for the last few years and was very happy to work it again this year. I was assigned to Chef Neace, representing the Summit Room, the restaurant at Cincinnati State. The event was very well attended — I would estimate more than 400 guests.

We prepared a smoked duck breast salad with cherry caponate quinoia, microgreen salad with peach vinagrette, and a drizzle of poppyseed yogurt dressing alongside. We sliced the duck breast thin and put it in a ring mold (okay, PVC pipes), pressed in a bit of the quinoia, then topped with the dressed microgreens. It was a very nice looking dish and our guests enjoyed it very much. We ’sold out’ fairly early, so I was able to get cleaned up and walk around to see what was going on at the other tables.

This evening, Wendy and I attended the first-ever Junior American Culinary Federation Dinner at Cincinnati State. A group of students in the Federation prepared a very nice meal — Roasted Butternut Squash Soup; Marinated Pear and Gorgonzola Salad with Caramelized Walnuts and Balsamic Vinaigrette; Turkey Roulade with Sausage Stuffing; Green Beans Amandine; Duchess Potatoes; Cranberry Chutney; and an English Trifle for dessert.

We attended this event with Chef Lilly, her husband Eric, and Angel and we had a blast, chatting long after the rest of the guests cleared out. Thanks for inviting us, Lilly!

This evening, I went directly down to Cincinnati State after my workday to assist Chef Grace Yek with a Team Building Cooking Class for 18 people. Chef Yek, Shannon, and I put all the mise en place together for four menu items: Edamame and Corn Salad with Ginger Dressing; Red Potatoes with Chorizo; Chicken with Apple & Fennel Chutney; and Baklava. The three of us did most of the chopping, slicing, dicing, and par-cooking to make it painless for our guests. This allowed our guests to come right in and get cooking, and it allowed us (the staff) to manage the amount of mess that was made. Professionals simply work cleaner than non-pros.

The evening was a great success and the guests certainly had a good time. Chef Treome, who instructed me in my Basic 1 & 2 classes, was teaching an evening class and brought down a selection of appetizers (Swedish Meatballs, Beef Carpaccio, and more) and desserts (jelly roll, napoleon, and more) for us to share.