Chef RJ!

October 10-13, 2011

Monday-Thursday

Oh how fast time flies. I recently twitted about it being impossibly fast and painstakingly slow at the same time. Is it even possible?

It feels only yesterday when i'm just starting this culinary journey but in fact, it's been roughly 3months. I resigned from my 5year banking job last July 9, 2011 and started with school August 15 and now we're this close to doing practicum. 

We've recently finished our 2nd Baking class and now, we move on with a more advanced culinary experience under the tutelage of *drumrolls!* Chef RJ Ungco!

canapes c/o Wave12 (Dwight, Paul and Ronald)

My first encounter with him I asked for several seasons of Gordon Ramsay's TV series. Terribly embarrassing but then i was so hooked with Hell's Kitchen that i simply cannot say no to his tempting collection of Kitchen Nightmares, In Search of Perfection, Game of Thrones, and Numbers to name a few titles. Pretty cool guy huh?

So what have i learned so far? Here, Chef RJ teaches us how to properly and perfectly: SAUTE, GRILL, BROIL, BOIL, ROAST, POACH, and PAN FRY. Now, the class is more tensed, serious and more competitive.Here's where we should all know by heart all sauces, soups, veg cuts, plating, consistency and 

timing ( all of which we still need much much work on.)

it may not be too obvious from the picture but that is one hot grill. 

so hot in fact that: (Refer to exhibit A)

exhibit A.

i grilled the chicken breast dry. *doinks* 

plus of course, overbaked it, and i quote Chef RJ: parang cardboard! hahaha GUILTY!

exhibit A: Jerked Chicken with random buttered veg on the side (sorry for the cuts!)

Given that we know the recipe ahead of time, we're still all noobs with timing. Perfect example is plating our veal scaloppini with fresh herbed pasta and buttered tourne of carrots and jicama. So by fresh pasta, we're expected to knead the dough and run it through the pasta maker and by sauted carrots and jicama, it's given that we're to tourne it perfectly not to mention the mushroom sauce and the veal. So so exciting! =)

Erica's veal scaloppini with yours truly's fresh pasta and sauteed veg

Joel's roast chicken with Erica's risotto Milanese

Mark's roast loin of pork with sage and apples 

yours truly's Ballotine De Poulet Grandmere with Mark's sauteed mushrooms on the side

Mark's stuffed chicken breasts doria

EVERYTHING MUST BE TIMING TIMING TIMING! It's trouble if you overboil the pasta (Start over again!) or cook the wrong mother sauce (start over again!). And also, hot plate hot plate hot plate!

Our group used the put-the-plate-in-the-oven-for-1minute technique and also the plate-the-food-on-top-of-a-pot-of-boiling-water technique. Ill research more on this; as to how the experts do it. 

Any suggestions? Get in touch with me please!

Cheers! Until the next! :)