My first time cooking skate

I am now on to my second blog post ever.  I am having a blast writing these and learning the delicate world of “blogdom”. I guess I should explain what my blog is all about.

I am a culinary student on my way to becoming a chef/host of my own TV cooking show. My mother and I have our company video production called Fernwork Productions. We are in development of a TV cooking show where I am the host. I also plan to soon start my own catering company to go along with the show. I decided that a blog was a great way to reach out to this crazy Internet world and stamp my place in it. Comments and suggestions are greatly appreciated since I am quite the blogger newbie…shall we say a blogmie?

A few nights ago I attempted to make skate wing when cooking at my mom’s place, aka my test kitchen. Skate is a type of ray fish. I know it sounds scary, but it’s a very tasty fish--delicate, buttery, and mild in flavor. Not knowing how to purchase the skate, I gave the job to mom (she is a novice as well). Mom bought it at a fish market in two big pieces, cartilage still intact.

We had a dickens of a time trying to get off a filet or two from it. I tried first slicing the skate down the middle, but cartilage is NOT soft at all. It’s harder to cut than bones.  I remembered from my culinary class last week, how to cut the breast meat off of the chicken carcass and presto, this is what I did for the skate.

It kind of worked. I’m good at fudging things to make it appear like I really know what’s going on in the kitchen. When in fact I feel like Chicken Little sometimes, running around like crazy fearing that the sky is falling.

The yummy dinner we had was:

• Seared skate wing with leeks and mushrooms
•A bed of fresh spinach linguine pasta
• Side of roasted red and yellow peppers with feta
•  Big loaf of rustic Italian bread (that I had made earlier at school)
• Simple salad of mixed greens, tomatoes, and carrots w/ a black truffle oil vinaigrette
• Blueberry sorbet with fresh mangos and whipped mint cream

 I ended up making the skate very simply with butter, leeks, wine and mushrooms. It turned out nice, but not spectacular. Mom and I both agreed we wanted the skate to have more of a crispiness on the outside and a bit more flavor. The spinach pasta was yummy by itself.  It would be even better with a nice creamy sauce like an Alfredo or creamy roasted garlic sauce.

*Note to anyone making fresh spinach pasta--the dough can be a bit moist and needs more flour, especially while you’re working with it. Make a bigger size of noodle or ravioli with the dough. The little noodles got caught in the roller a lot. Argh! 

The roasted peppers with feta are a great side, but best with another dish. It looked pretty on the plate (I really needed some color). But the flavors didn’t really work with the rest of the meal. My mom didn’t like the truffle oil and therefore the salad. I liked it. So it may just be a personal preference on that one. (Coming up soon--a blog post devoted to homemade vinaigrettes and dressings.) 

The rustic bread that I made, was from a recipe taught to me by my head chef at my school, the Illnios Institute of Art-Chicago. His name is Chef Facklam and I am learning so much from him. And in my mother’s eyes this bread was the prizewinner for the evening. (We always seem to pick the favorite part of the meal and declare a winner.) The bread is a really cool no-knead dough made simply from cold water, yeast, salt and bread flour and it rises over night and is cooked in a cast iron or enamel Dutch oven in the oven.

 Here is the recipe for the bread. I’ve made it twice at school and once at home and it turns out beautifully. You don’t need a mixer or anything. The recipe was gotten from a wonderful bakery in NYC called Sullivan St. Bakery.

 Perfect Loaf of Bread at Home

Formula and Process created by Jim Lahey, owner of Sullivan St Bakery

Formula:
•    3 cups (400g) flour
•    1½ cups (300g or 12 oz) water
•    ¼ teaspoon (1g) yeast
•    1¼ teaspoons (8g) salt
•    olive oil (for coating)
•    extra flour
Equipment:
•    Two medium mixing bowls
•    6-8 qt. pot (Pyrex glass, Le Creuset cast iron, or ceramic)
•    Wooden spoon or spatula (optional)
•    Plastic wrap
•    Cotton dish towels (not terrycloth), 2 or 3
Process:

Mix all of the dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Add water and incorporate by hand or with a wooden spoon or spatula for 30 sec. to 1 min. Lightly coat the inside of second medium bowl with olive oil and place the dough in the bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dought rest 12 hrs. at room temperature (approx. 65-72'F).

Remove the dough from the bowl and fold once or twice. Let the dough rest 15 min. in the bowl or on the work surface. Next, shape the dough into ball. Generously coat a cotton towel with flour, wheat bran, or commeal; place the dough seam side down on the towel and dust with flour. Cover the dough with a cotton towel and let rise 1-2 hrs. at room temperature, until more than doubled in size.
Preheat oven to 450-500'F. Place the pot in the oven at leat ½ hr. Prior to baking to preheat. Once the dough has more than doubled in volume, remove the pot from the oven and place the dough in the pot steam side up. Cover with the lid and bake 30 min. Then, remove the lid and back 15-30min. uncovered.

*side note for the recipe. The way I do the recipe, and was taught  to me by the head chef. Was to cook it for 1 hour at 420 covered and then for 15minues uncovered. What you are looking for is a dark caramelized crust. A nice dark brown is good.

The blueberry sorbet was my favorite. I made it with Splenda since my mom doesn’t eat sugar. A happy accident occurred while making the mint whipped cream. I made a mint simple syrup with water, Splenda and mint to add into the whipped cream. The pan I used still had a very thin coat of brown butter on the bottom that didn’t get quite rinsed away. So the final product had a nice warm butteriness about it that was unexpected, but very yummy.

It was a really nice meal. I give it a B+.  Not perfect yet—that’s why I’m in culinary school…. to learn. Come back for more blog posts on my exciting culinary adventures.

Cooking with mom

So, this is the start to not only my very first blog, but my very first culinary blog. Which is even better! And you'll know that if you know me. My first memory of being in the kitchen was with mom making a lattice cherry pie the day before my fifth birthday. The pie was to be my birthday pie instead of cake.

I may not have too many early memories of my life, but the ones I do have mostly revolve around food. I have always been a good eater throughout my life.

Cooking since I can remember has always been a way my mother and I could bond. I have tons of wonderful memories cooking with my mother and with my Grandmother. From the start I have always been a bit of a messy cook, though always very creative. I think I justified my messiness in the kitchen, by actually making some darn good food.

I have had lots of great role models in my life for showing me the ropes in the kitchen. First and foremost has been my mother Etta who taught me the love food and always tried to make me meals from scratch. This was in a time when the microwave ruled and everyone ate those lovely frozen dinners. As I was growing up my Uncle Neal had a few different pizza restaurants in which I was able to sample the wares freely. I also got to go back in the kitchen and see how the pizzas all came together. I even got to learn how to throw my own pizza dough. Though I do not remember it turning out in one piece, I remember I was darn proud of what I'd done. 

And next on to my lovely Grandmother Fern, whom I love very much. Her cooking skills were a bit on the lesser side and maybe started in me the desire to do more.....much, much more. I think if she was still cooking and a bit younger right now, she could have been on the show"Worst Cooks in America". But to her credit, she did make the best lemon meringue pie I have ever tasted. And I believe she got the recipe from her mother my great grandmother Mary Work. Also to her credit, growing up I tasted Spam in every different reincarnation possible. Those are memories best left untouched.


Next is my dad Douglas, who when I was younger made some really delicious and very creative dishes. I remember in particular was his baked garlic cheese grits. He cooked them stove top and then put it in an red enamel dutch oven and baked it till it was pure heaven. I just remember to aroma of garlic wafting through the house.

But I am at my mom's house now and I must be off to make her some fantastic food. I will post again with pictures and a description of the dinner we make. Also I'll get to telling you what this blog is all about. So stayed turned into next time on ASHLEY'S GREAT CULINARY ADVENTURE.