Les Menus for the Week of August 1, 2008

Still catching up! It's been one busy month!

Le Menu July 29, 2008

LE FILET DE LIMANDE
LES POMMES VAPEUR
LES HARICOT VERTS A L’ANGLAISE
LES BROCCOLIS A L’ANGLAISE

More filleting of flounder. Getting much better at that. This dish did teach me one very important lesson that will serve me in my future (school and work life)...

Always check behind team members to make sure I'm satisified with the results too. The fish was yummy, the potatoes just fine, the broccoli and string beans... NOT COOKED! The team member who made them didn't bother to taste one to make sure. They just went by how long they thought it should take! I was mortified, especially since my dish had already gone out and our table was serving a visitor as well. Ugh!

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LES ECLAIRS AU CAFE

#1 I don't like the taste of coffee.

#2 I didn't make the eclairs long enough.

#3 I filled the eclairs from the wrong side.

#4 I tried to hide it by icing over the holes.

Le Menu July 30, 2008

L’ALLUMETTE AU FROMAGE

Ignore the fact that it looks like a frog, I truly enjoy working with puff pastry. We'd made the puff pastry the afternoon before and this was the first thing we made with it. It's puff pastry filled with a layer of cheesey good Mornay sauce. I'd like to try these for appetizers at a dinner party.

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LE COQ AU VIN
LES POMMES A L’ANGLAISE

And I thought the Boeuf Bourguignon was simply good! Think of this as the same thing with chicken substituted for the beef. Yummy. I would later make this at home and I don't think Bryan could have looked more delighted!

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LA MOUSSE AU CHOCOLAT EN TULIPE

I didn't work fast enough and the tulip cookies didn't mold properly around the champagne glass to get a flute shape. Still, the cookie was good and the chocolate mousse was nice. I need to work on the mousse however. It didn't feel like I got it completely right.

Le Menu July 31, 2008

LE GASPACHO ANDALOUS

This is one sexy dish. Perfect for a Summer lunch or a start to a sultry meal. I have to agree with the person who said it reminded them of a Bloody Mary in a bowl. Just alchohol free. LOL! The garnish and little croutons we made really add that extra punch to the finish. This was made recently to share with some of my friends at Combattitude. Most finished it right then and there in the studio!


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LA COTE DE PORC POELEE
LA SAUCE CHARCUTIERE
LA POMME PUREE

A nicely cooked bone in pork chop, served with a pan sauce finished with a few slivers of cornichons (non-sweet gherkins), served with the creamiest mashed potatoes ever. We used a ricer to get the potatoes nice and smooth, heavy cream that had been reduced to make it extra rich, and of course butter. WOW!

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LE MILLE FEUILLE

I present to you, the Napolean. This improperly referred to dessert isn't French at all but Italian. The name just got confused when it came here. I don't think Mom will care as long as I make plenty of them for her.


Le Menu August 1, 2008

THAI EGG ROLLS

It helps to learn these from a person who's actually from Thailand. So good. So simple. So easy to eat too many! I've made them twice more at home and look forward to making them for a party. The do freeze very well.

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LE SAUTE DE PORC AUX HARICOTS BLANC

This is not your canned pork n' beans, no siree! Savory white beans served with an incredible pork stew on top. Why do we not eat more things like this in restaurants, I just don't know. Hearty, this will be perfect as the weather starts to turn cooler.

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LA TARTE TATIN

Upside down, caramel apple pie. The perfect dessert when you have leftover puff pastry. The fact that it can be reheated just tickles me completely! There are several stories as to how this dessert came to be. One story says it came about because the cook forgot to put the bottom crust in the pan. Another story says the apple pie fell on the floor and this was the only way to salvage it. I don't care, it's just delicious. I really need to make some puff pastry to use at home soon. I recently saw a recipe that uses pears that I'm now curious to try. Oh, and Chef Somchet has a hard time pronouncing my name so she's nicknamed me "Tarte Tatin". Close enough. =)