Cooking with Confidence Culinary Series

Confident Cooking with Allyson

Introduction
In developing our confident cooking series almost nine years ago, we began with the simple premise – when you are confident in your cooking skills, you simply enjoy time spent in the kitchen more and achieve better results. Teaching folks the fundamentals of the culinary arts, gives them the ability to tackle just about any recipe and have fun doing it. I have long believed that great chefs need to have artistic skills, understanding of science, chemistry and math, and at the same time be curious, intuitive and always willing to innovate. In the nine years of teaching this program, sometimes as often as 4 times per week, I have had the privilege of working with more than 3,000 students, with all levels of culinary skills, helping them gain more confidence in their cooking.

To do this, we have broken down this technique based series into 10 segments. Each segment includes an overview of the specific technique, and several recipes that demonstrate the specific topic. Each segment was designed as a weekly demonstration class, with students completing homework based on the recipes presented. Starting with Stocks and Broths, each lesson is designed to introduce new, more challenging culinary techniques, building on the previous lessons and expanding the student’s knowledge of key culinary terms, cooking techniques, kitchen tools and ingredients. By understanding the technique, as well as the science behind the technique, students are then able to adapt recipes to their own personal tastes, or to cook from scratch without a recipe. The overriding premise is “there isn’t just one way to cook!”

Over the course of teaching this program, I have continued to refine the lesson plans, include new recipes, introduce new flavor profiles, and adapt the recipes to make them even easier to understand for students. I am excited to present this weekly series to fellow foodies, looking to gain more confidence in the kitchen. Each week, for the next ten weeks, I will publish a new lesson plan for you to read, enjoy, practice and share your results with your friends and family. I encourage you to try at least one recipe per week and then report on your efforts through posting a comment. At the end of the series, you will receive the Confident Cooking quiz to help you analyze which lesson plans you may need to review again.

I welcome your participation, discussions and additional recipes as part of an interactive culinary exchange. Let’s get cooking!



Confident Cooking with Allyson ©2000

Lesson 1 Recipes - White Chicken Stock

Makes approximately 3 quarts.

One whole chicken (about 3 to 4 lbs.), cut into quarters with poultry shears and/or cleaver
2 medium onions, cut into quarters, skin left in tact
2 stalks celery, washed, cut into 1” pieces
2 carrots, washed but not peeled, cut into 1” pieces
3 ½ quarts cold water
3 garlic cloves, smashed
1 bay leaf
3 sprigs fresh thyme,
4 sprigs parsley, stems included
2 whole cloves
8 black peppercorns

Method:
Place chicken in bottom of tall-sided, heavy-bottomed stockpot. Add mirepoix (onion, celery, and carrots) of vegetables to pan. Add in garlic. Place bay leaf, fresh herbs, cloves and peppercorns on a small piece of cheesecloth and tie into a neat bundle using kitchen twine. Alternatively, you can use a bouquet garni bag, reusable tea bag, or large tea infuser to hold the herbs as well. Place herb bundle on top of vegetable and add in cold water.

This specific combination of herbs and spices, tied into a little bundle is called bouquet garni in France. Securing the herbs and spices makes it easy to retrieve after cooking and helps keep your stock clear. It’s not necessary to keep your herbs in a little bundle as you will be straining your finished stock, but many chefs feel that it does create a clearer stock.

Place pan over medium heat and bring mixture just up to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer. Skim off any foam or impurities that rise to the surface. Allow to simmer for 2 to 3 hours, skimming surface as often as necessary. Be sure to keep water level above bones.

DO NOT ALLOW THE STOCK TO BOIL!!

Turn off heat and let pan sit for a couple of minutes to allow stock to settle. Using a chinois (China cap strainer), double fine mesh strainer, or colander lined with cheese cloth, carefully strain the liquid into a clean container. Cool to room temperature and refrigerate overnight. The next day the fat will have solidified and be easy to remove. Store in refrigerator for up to one week, or in freezer for up to six months.

Lesson 1 Recipes - Crème Olga Mushroom Soup

A delicate white soup with fresh mushrooms. Serves approximately 4.

5 Tbs. butter
¾ cup chopped green onions, white and light green parts only
4 Tbs. flour
5 cups stock (chicken or vegetable), kept warm
½ cup crème fraiche (or sour cream), + more for garnish
1½ cups white button mushrooms, brushed clean and trimmed
salt and fresh ground white pepper, to taste
pinch of cayenne pepper
Fresh chives, for garnish

Method:
Melt butter in heavy saucepan or saucier over medium-low heat. Add green onions to pan, stir until well coated with butter. Allow onions to cook for about 5 minutes, or until softened and slightly translucent.

Stir in flour, making a roux (equal parts fat and flour cooked together to create a thickening agent for sauces, soups and stews). Cook butter and flour over medium heat until mixture gives off a nutty aroma, approximately 2 to 3 minutes. This is called cooking out the flour and eliminates the unpleasant raw flour taste.

Begin adding stock to saucepan, whisking constantly as stock is added, adding a little at a time until all has been added. Bring mixture just up to a boil. Reduce heat slightly and simmer for 10 minutes. Season to taste with salt, pepper and a pinch of cayenne.

Meanwhile, slice about ¾ of the mushrooms and add these to the simmering stock. Using an immersion blender, lightly puree the mushroom mixture until the desired consistency is reached. Some like to leave it fairly chunky, while others prefer a smoother puree.

If you don’t have an immersion blender, add the sliced mushrooms to the bowl of a food processor or to a blender. Using a ladle, add about 2 cups of the hot stock mixture to the food processor or blender. Be careful to secure the lid firmly and to not overload the amount of hot liquid in either the blender or food processor. Pulse until desire consistency is reached. Return pureed mushrooms to saucepan with remaining stock mixture.