a new chapter, yet again
i'm about to embark on a summer of interning at blue water seafood in hendersonville, nc. there i will do everything from brunch, lunch and dinner service, to prep work, fish fabrication and customer service at the retail fish counter.
but first, i have 7 days left of my first year of culinary school. this tuesday is my practical final. i was given a list of ingredients, and a set of requirements and stipulations, and had to invent a three-course menu. here it is.
First Course
Grilled Seafood Salad
Three-Citrus-Marinated Salmon Fillet, Scallop and Shrimp, Grilled and Served over a Honeyed Polenta Cake, Arugula and Goat Cheese tossed in a Beet Vinaigrette and Garnished with Julienne Apples and Orange Supremes
Second Course
Hazelnut-and-Panko-Crusted Chicken Breast
Chicken Breast Dipped in Hazelnut Mayonnaise, Crusted in Toasted Hazelnuts and Panko and Pan-Fried, Coconut-Creamed Chard with Bacon, Barley Pilaf with Sherry-Soaked Cherries, Chateau Celeriac, Red Pepper Coulis and Chiffonade Basil
Third Course
Pork Duxelles
Pork Tenderloin Stuffed with Mushrooms, Seared and Roasted, Marchand de Vin, Balsamic-Glazed Root Vegetables, Sauteed Green Beans with Toasted Almonds and Brunoise Radish, Parmesan-Chive Whipped Potatoes, Grape Tomato Chutney
the only thing i'm worried about is time. i know i'm going to be hustling from the start. no one had better get in my way.
as a sort of last hurrah before i surrender my life entirely to this job, and as a farewell to the dear full circle farm, which i will most likely never visit again, i am going for the weekend to see the hillerys. they're moving to texas soon, and i have to get one last visit. i have had so many over the years. thanksgiving, new years, fourth of july. a funeral, birthdays, times of grieving and times of celebration. tears, fights, laughter and fellowship have all been a part of these visits. and always, a constant throughout the years, a mutual love affair with food. i'll miss having my second family a mere 4 hours away, an afternoon's drive when a couple days off come up, or when i need to escape from asheville, or when i want familial comfort on a holiday and new jersey is just too far. i'm so happy that they are taking steps to do the right thing for their family, and they will become another addition to the family i can visit in texas, along with my grandparents, aunt, uncle and his wife and daughters, cousin and his kid, great aunts and uncles and many more people i don't even know very well. so it sort of works out in a funny way.
looking forward to cooking another few meals on ginger's lovely 6 burner range, with food from her farm. maybe she'll send me home with something, as she often does. 6 years of my life in asheville have coincided with their 6 years on the farm, and we're all starting new chapters very soon. let's make this last visit one to remember.
but first, i have 7 days left of my first year of culinary school. this tuesday is my practical final. i was given a list of ingredients, and a set of requirements and stipulations, and had to invent a three-course menu. here it is.
First Course
Grilled Seafood Salad
Three-Citrus-Marinated Salmon Fillet, Scallop and Shrimp, Grilled and Served over a Honeyed Polenta Cake, Arugula and Goat Cheese tossed in a Beet Vinaigrette and Garnished with Julienne Apples and Orange Supremes
Second Course
Hazelnut-and-Panko-Crusted Chicken Breast
Chicken Breast Dipped in Hazelnut Mayonnaise, Crusted in Toasted Hazelnuts and Panko and Pan-Fried, Coconut-Creamed Chard with Bacon, Barley Pilaf with Sherry-Soaked Cherries, Chateau Celeriac, Red Pepper Coulis and Chiffonade Basil
Third Course
Pork Duxelles
Pork Tenderloin Stuffed with Mushrooms, Seared and Roasted, Marchand de Vin, Balsamic-Glazed Root Vegetables, Sauteed Green Beans with Toasted Almonds and Brunoise Radish, Parmesan-Chive Whipped Potatoes, Grape Tomato Chutney
the only thing i'm worried about is time. i know i'm going to be hustling from the start. no one had better get in my way.
as a sort of last hurrah before i surrender my life entirely to this job, and as a farewell to the dear full circle farm, which i will most likely never visit again, i am going for the weekend to see the hillerys. they're moving to texas soon, and i have to get one last visit. i have had so many over the years. thanksgiving, new years, fourth of july. a funeral, birthdays, times of grieving and times of celebration. tears, fights, laughter and fellowship have all been a part of these visits. and always, a constant throughout the years, a mutual love affair with food. i'll miss having my second family a mere 4 hours away, an afternoon's drive when a couple days off come up, or when i need to escape from asheville, or when i want familial comfort on a holiday and new jersey is just too far. i'm so happy that they are taking steps to do the right thing for their family, and they will become another addition to the family i can visit in texas, along with my grandparents, aunt, uncle and his wife and daughters, cousin and his kid, great aunts and uncles and many more people i don't even know very well. so it sort of works out in a funny way.
looking forward to cooking another few meals on ginger's lovely 6 burner range, with food from her farm. maybe she'll send me home with something, as she often does. 6 years of my life in asheville have coincided with their 6 years on the farm, and we're all starting new chapters very soon. let's make this last visit one to remember.