Ten thousand men of Harvard want vict'ry today!

Ten thousand men of Harvard gained vict'ry today!
(Harvard University- Ten Thousand Men of Harvard)

Intermediate Lesson 08- Savory Pies

Today's the annual Harvard-Yale Football game (The Game), which takes place every year the Saturday before Thanksgiving. I've never been a football fan, and Harvard's famous for having a lack of school spirit, but The Game is generally the one time in each year when we pretended that we actually had a normal college life and when we gathered together to watch two really bad football teams demonstrate who is less incompetent. I'm not even that excited about Harvard-Yale. I just can't think of a song for today's title.

Anyways, we made a Guinea Fowl Pie in class.

 

"H" is my "Starbucks Name"  in France because people here seem to have 

trouble spelling the word " 'ou-ard." It also sounds cool in French: Ash

Another day, another bird. By this point, we've already dealt with 4 birds in my first week in intermediate. The steps have become rather instinctive now: blowtorch (yes) the bird to burn off residual feathers > Wipe the bird clean > Cut out wish bone > Cut out gland from the bird's ass tail > Pull out the tendons from the bird's feet > Chop off legs >Cut off wings > Check insides to see if there are any organs remaining > if trachea is still present, cut it out. From then on, you either fillet the bird or truss it with a string. There. Quite simple and straightforward whether it is a chicken, fowl or duck, right?

We grinded the fowl's meat with some pork and lard, and the stuffed it in the pie.

Base layer= pieces of potato poached to soft but still firm, used to absorb moisture
First layer= grounded fowl+pork forcemeat, raw
Second layer= escaloped seared chicken liver, still blood red inside
Third layer= some forcemeat for layering
Fourth layer= escaloped fowl breast fillet, seared but raw on the inside
Top layer= residual forcemeat to top it out.
Bake for around 40-50 minutes, until internal temperature reaches 65C
Take fowl carcasse and bone pieces and make a jus. Once the jus has reduced to a syrupy texture, you can either pour it into the pie via the hole in the middle, or serve it on the side for dipping.

Personally, the biggest takeaway for me this class is understanding why there is always a cherry on top of every pie I see in cartoons as a kid: The cherry is there to hide the ventilation hole that we made to let steam out, or else the pie will explode in the oven! This is why I love cooking school. It has been solving so many life mysteries.

Quote from this class:

"Once you've achieved a certain kind of rigidity, you should begin kneading your dough on the table by hand like this..... And mesdames et messieurs, just as when you go to the beach and meet an exotic Brazilian, the next you know a baby is born!" *Smacks the ball of dough on the table*

-Demo Chef Caals

when demonstrating how 

to properly make the tart dough

When explaining food preservation techniques, Chef Poupard asked if we had any questions.
Me: Oui chef, why do the French always.....
Chef Poupard *Laughs hilariously*: AHHAHAH Yes! I love how you opened your question. Please please let me know which bizarre thing that we French people do you would like to understand.
Me: Well, umm okay. Why do you guys never put eggs into the fridge??? It's so weird!
Chef Poupard: Because it does nothing to the egg! You do not prolong the shelf life of eggs by putting them in the fridge.
Me: Wait... no really?
Chef Poupard: Really. You're just wasting your electricity bill if you refrigerate them.
Me: Then why do we put eggs in the fridge in our practical classes?
Chef Poupard: It's because we don't have any space on the tables.
Me: This can't be possible
Helpful Classmate: I think it's because in Europe eggs are not washed or treated as they do in America, so they have a natural membrane in their outer layer that protects it from bacteria.
Me: oic

It's Rather Dull in Town I'll Take Me to Paree, hmm

Me Doctor Recommends A Quiet Summer by the Sea, Hmm, Mmm Wouldn't it be loverly?

(My Fair Lady- Wouldn't it be Loverly)

Lesson 3- Normandy

Another day, another 8:30am class. This is compounded by the fact that we've also had 6:30-9:30pm class every day, so by the time I get home and finish dinner it's already time to go to bed.

My schedule for first week of intermediate.

I've complained about our schedule in the beginning of the regular basic class, but on hindsight that was really a small potoato compared to my current schedule. Because I am taking the intensive version of the school, my schedule is now practically air tight. I am really not looking forward to this Thursday and Saturday when I have 12 hours of classes on each day, including back-to-back-to-back classes in the afternoon and evening.

The good thing about starting class this early is I am forced to bike to school in the early morning, which is my favorite time of the day in this city. I'm talking about Paris before 9am, before the scammers, voleurs (thieves), fake-petitioners and tourists mob the city. It's just regular Parisians of all skin color and occupation going to work or minding their own business.

 Rue de Vaugiraud being very quiet at 7am. Quiet streets and crisp morning air.

 My bandaged finger was too thick to fit in the glove.

Anyways back to work. We cooked a pan-roasted ginea fowl for this class, which really just feels like a chicken with tougher meat.

Pow!

The dish is done in a Normandy fashion, meaning we used lots of butter and deglazed with Calvados, a type of apple liqouer that is from Normandy. We also incorporated some apples into the sauce because apples is a local produce. Finally we served some channeled vegetables, which is a way of cutting grooves into vegetables and not what ghosts do to Whoopie Goldberg.

We have Chef Poupard again, who took care of me in the first class after my cut and immediately saw my injured finger today. "ENCORE?!" "Oui Chef...." Anyways, he liked my dish, though he complained that my vegetables were not of the same size, as required, and that my sauce was too concentrated. Oh well, I was operating with one less finger today. Also he said one should never put anything on the rims of the plate, even though Chef Vaca did exactly that in the demo. Also for whatever reason I was stuck with a plate that has a disproportionately large rim. I mean where else am I suppose to put my sauce?

Quote of the class:

Chef Poupard *Pointing at my wrapped finger*: ENCORE?! You cut another finger??

Me: Oui Chef... Encore une fois hier.

Chef Poupard: Unbelievable. Are you married?

Me: Not yet, why Chef?

Chef: You should marry a doctor, it'll do you much good. Incredible...

During demonstration, after I asked 2 pretty dumb questions, I figured I should just shut up. Then I noticed that the chef skipped a step....

Me: Hey Maggie, did Vaca degrease the garnishes?

Classmate Maggie: Oh good point. I don't think so. You should ask.

Me: Nah, I'm done asking questions today.

Maggie: I'll ask. Chef? Did you degrease the pan?

Chef Vaca: Oh...... no, it is um... not necessary. But that was a very good observation madmoiselle. I take note of students being perceptive. Well done.

Me: wtf.......

To be fair, Maggie gave me credit for noticing (THANKS MAGGIE!), and Vaca proceeded in making fun of me for being too afraid of asking questions.