Friday, May 29, 2009
MRAEF gives $70,000 in scholarship awards
The Massachusetts Restaurant Association Educational Foundation (MRAEF) hosted almost 200 people at its ninth annual Making the Future Bright Scholarship Awards Gala on May 20 at the Danversport Yacht Club in Danvers, Mass.During the reception, MRAEF awarded $70,000 in scholarships to 31 high school and undergraduate students. Alan Ayers, treasurer and principal of Corporate Chefs Inc., received the 2009 MRAEF Leadership Award, and the 2009 ProStartTeacher of Excellence Award was presented to Nancy Haney from Tri-County Regional Vocational High School in Franklin, Mass.
Since 2000, the MRAEF, in partnership with the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation, has given over $500,000 in scholarships to more than 210 students who are enrolled in a post-secondary restaurant or foodservice program.
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Pastry chef Henry wows the crowd at Louisville charity event
Robert Henry, executive pastry chef of The Bakery at Sullivan University in Louisville, Ky., let the bourbon flow with the chocolate showpiece he created for a benefit event at the Family Scholar House. The Family Scholar House supports single parents working toward college degrees.
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(l to r) chef Robert Henry and The Bakery intern Brad Stout
The May 14 event, called Perfect Pairings, featured bourbon tastings from three Kentucky distilleries and chocolate treats from Louisville candy makers. Henry's fountain showpiece, which took two hours to assemble on site, was modeled in the style of the staves of a bourbon barrel. It featured chocolate cups filled with bourbon-marinated cherries. Color on the chocolate base and flowers was achieved using tinted cocoa butter.
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(l to r) chef Robert Henry and The Bakery intern Brad StoutThe May 14 event, called Perfect Pairings, featured bourbon tastings from three Kentucky distilleries and chocolate treats from Louisville candy makers. Henry's fountain showpiece, which took two hours to assemble on site, was modeled in the style of the staves of a bourbon barrel. It featured chocolate cups filled with bourbon-marinated cherries. Color on the chocolate base and flowers was achieved using tinted cocoa butter.
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Wednesday, May 27, 2009
ICE student wins Fiddlehead Culinary Competition
Boswell Scott, a student at the Institute of Culinary Education in New York City, took first place in NorCliff Farms Inc.'s Second Annual Fiddlehead Greens Culinary Contest. Students and two-year graduates had until May 6 to submit recipes online that incorporated fresh or frozen fiddlehead greens.
Scott prepared his winning recipe for sautéed coconut curry fiddleheads and chicken (recipe follows) at a Fiddlehead Festival on May 13.
Sautéed Coconut Curry Fiddleheads and Chicken
Yield: 4 servings
3 T. olive oil
4 T. curry powder, divided
8 oz. fresh NorCliff fiddlehead greens or 10 oz. frozen fiddlehead greens
Half an onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 oz. carrots, julienned
4 T. sweetened coconut flakes
4 boneless chicken breasts, cut into thick julienne
Salt and pepper, to taste
Method (1) In a large saucepan, heat oil. While heating, add 2 t. of curry powder to hot oil. (2) When the oil is heated, turn down the heat to medium-high, add chicken and cook for 2 minutes. (3) When the chicken is perfectly seared and has taken on the color of the curry (yellowish green), add fiddleheads, onion, garlic and carrots. (4) Add the rest of the curry powder and sweetened coconut flakes, stir well and cook for an additional 2 minutes. Finish off with salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.
Scott prepared his winning recipe for sautéed coconut curry fiddleheads and chicken (recipe follows) at a Fiddlehead Festival on May 13.
Sautéed Coconut Curry Fiddleheads and ChickenBoswell Scott, Institute of Culinary Education, New York City
Yield: 4 servings
3 T. olive oil
4 T. curry powder, divided
8 oz. fresh NorCliff fiddlehead greens or 10 oz. frozen fiddlehead greens
Half an onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 oz. carrots, julienned
4 T. sweetened coconut flakes
4 boneless chicken breasts, cut into thick julienne
Salt and pepper, to taste
Method (1) In a large saucepan, heat oil. While heating, add 2 t. of curry powder to hot oil. (2) When the oil is heated, turn down the heat to medium-high, add chicken and cook for 2 minutes. (3) When the chicken is perfectly seared and has taken on the color of the curry (yellowish green), add fiddleheads, onion, garlic and carrots. (4) Add the rest of the curry powder and sweetened coconut flakes, stir well and cook for an additional 2 minutes. Finish off with salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Weighing in on scales
by Russ Bean, for Chef Educator Today
Ingredient and food-portion control is a kitchen fundamental, but even some experienced chefs dismiss the practice as time-consuming or not necessary. The reality, though, is that the tools of food-portion control are simple and inexpensive. Graduated measures are used for portioning liquids and some dry powdered ingredients, including expensive herbs and spices. Simple ladles can be used to control soup and sauce dispensing. Scales are used for dry-weight portioning of recipe ingredients, sandwich meats and cheese, plus prepared foods, including deli salads, entrées and sides.
Accurate mechanical or digital scales are the basic tools for recipe-ingredient control. In addition to avoiding waste of expensive recipe ingredients, the use of scales helps ensure quality and batch-to-batch consistency. While an experienced chef knows "a pinch" when he or she sees it, less experienced cooks need a simple and easily repeatable way to measure key ingredients.
Mechanical scales are still widely used in foodservice for both ingredient and portion control. (People like the simple analog dial and needle pointer.) For many applications, accuracy to the nearest ounce or half-ounce is adequate. Mechanical scales are available with different maximum weight capacities, which can be matched to fit your classroom's need. For sandwich ingredients, a two- or five-pound (maximum) scale is fine. For example, Winchester, Va.-based Rubbermaid Commercial Product's Pelouze 800 Series (photo, right) washable mechanical portion-control scales are available in 32-ounce and 5-, 10-, 20-, 32- and 40-pound models.
In this digital Information Age, it is no shock that digital scales are gaining the upper hand. Based on sophisticated load cell technology, digital scales are capable of very precise weight measurements; some models display in increments of one-tenth (0.1) of an ounce or in grams. With their solid-state design, digital scales are typically flat and compact, often just two or three inches high, with a large stainless steel load platform that can be removed for easy cleaning. Dayton, Ohio-based Globe Foodservice Equipment Co.'s GPS10 Portion Control Scale (photo, left) can be set to weigh food in pounds, ounces, grams or kilograms, and to display that weight in nice big 1-inch LCD characters. It has a durable ABS plastic body with a stainless steel platter that is removable for easy cleaning.
Cleanability is certainly a big issue with all these scales, especially scales used for portioning deli meats, cheeses and ingredients that will not be cooked. Like any kitchen surface, scales are susceptible to bacterial or viral cross contamination. So scales need to be easy and safe to clean. The new Poseidon WSC-10 Heavy Duty Digital Portion Scale (photo, right) from Edlund Co., Burlington, Vt., has a stainless steel body that is designed to be completely submersible, which makes washing fast and easy. This self-calibrating model is designed for use in harsh environments (aren't all kitchens?), and it offers six display options and has adjustable leveling feet. Edlund also offers a dishwasher-safe mechanical scale in its DOU-2 Model.
The only downside to digital scales is that they do require a little electric power in the form of either 9-volt batteries or a plug-in to a 120-volt outlet via AC adapter. But some, like the Globe GPS10, have an automatic shut-off to conserve battery power and save energy when not taking measurements of key ingredients or food portions.
Ingredient and food-portion control is a kitchen fundamental, but even some experienced chefs dismiss the practice as time-consuming or not necessary. The reality, though, is that the tools of food-portion control are simple and inexpensive. Graduated measures are used for portioning liquids and some dry powdered ingredients, including expensive herbs and spices. Simple ladles can be used to control soup and sauce dispensing. Scales are used for dry-weight portioning of recipe ingredients, sandwich meats and cheese, plus prepared foods, including deli salads, entrées and sides.
Accurate mechanical or digital scales are the basic tools for recipe-ingredient control. In addition to avoiding waste of expensive recipe ingredients, the use of scales helps ensure quality and batch-to-batch consistency. While an experienced chef knows "a pinch" when he or she sees it, less experienced cooks need a simple and easily repeatable way to measure key ingredients.
Mechanical scales are still widely used in foodservice for both ingredient and portion control. (People like the simple analog dial and needle pointer.) For many applications, accuracy to the nearest ounce or half-ounce is adequate. Mechanical scales are available with different maximum weight capacities, which can be matched to fit your classroom's need. For sandwich ingredients, a two- or five-pound (maximum) scale is fine. For example, Winchester, Va.-based Rubbermaid Commercial Product's Pelouze 800 Series (photo, right) washable mechanical portion-control scales are available in 32-ounce and 5-, 10-, 20-, 32- and 40-pound models.
In this digital Information Age, it is no shock that digital scales are gaining the upper hand. Based on sophisticated load cell technology, digital scales are capable of very precise weight measurements; some models display in increments of one-tenth (0.1) of an ounce or in grams. With their solid-state design, digital scales are typically flat and compact, often just two or three inches high, with a large stainless steel load platform that can be removed for easy cleaning. Dayton, Ohio-based Globe Foodservice Equipment Co.'s GPS10 Portion Control Scale (photo, left) can be set to weigh food in pounds, ounces, grams or kilograms, and to display that weight in nice big 1-inch LCD characters. It has a durable ABS plastic body with a stainless steel platter that is removable for easy cleaning.
Cleanability is certainly a big issue with all these scales, especially scales used for portioning deli meats, cheeses and ingredients that will not be cooked. Like any kitchen surface, scales are susceptible to bacterial or viral cross contamination. So scales need to be easy and safe to clean. The new Poseidon WSC-10 Heavy Duty Digital Portion Scale (photo, right) from Edlund Co., Burlington, Vt., has a stainless steel body that is designed to be completely submersible, which makes washing fast and easy. This self-calibrating model is designed for use in harsh environments (aren't all kitchens?), and it offers six display options and has adjustable leveling feet. Edlund also offers a dishwasher-safe mechanical scale in its DOU-2 Model.The only downside to digital scales is that they do require a little electric power in the form of either 9-volt batteries or a plug-in to a 120-volt outlet via AC adapter. But some, like the Globe GPS10, have an automatic shut-off to conserve battery power and save energy when not taking measurements of key ingredients or food portions.
Barry Callebaut announces World Chocolate Masters judges, partners with Kendall College
Cocoa and chocolate manufacturer Barry Callebaut announced that pastry chefs Andrew Shotts and Paulina Abascal will represent the United States and Mexico, respectively, on the 2009 World Chocolate Masters judging panel. This year's World Chocolate Masters will be held at the Salon Du Chocolat in Paris from Oct. 14 to 16. Shotts is the owner of Garrison Confections, a gourmet chocolate maker in Providence, R.I.
pastry chef Andrew Shotts
Abascal is a renowned pastry chef in Mexico and host of "Pasteleria.MX," a show on V-me, a Hispanic television network in the United States.
pastry chef Paulina Abascal
Barry Callebaut also announced it is the official chocolate partner of Kendall College's School of Culinary Arts. As part of the partnership, all chocolate desserts served in Kendall's gourmet restaurant, The Dining Room, will be made with Barry Callebaut products. In addition, Kendall will use the range of artisans and specialists available at Barry Callebaut as guest lecturers and trainers in chocolate work.
pastry chef Andrew ShottsAbascal is a renowned pastry chef in Mexico and host of "Pasteleria.MX," a show on V-me, a Hispanic television network in the United States.
pastry chef Paulina AbascalMonday, May 25, 2009
NACE seeks candidates for Vince DeFinis scholarship
The Foundation of the National Association of Catering Executives (NACE), the nation’s oldest and largest professional association dedicated to all aspects of the catering industry, is once again seeking candidates for the Vince DeFinis scholarship--a $15,000 grant awarded annually to an undergraduate student pursuing a degree and career in catering and event design.
DeFinis, who died in December 2007, was one of the co-founders of NACE and a visionary in the field of catering and special events. He spent his entire career dedicated to the profession and to seeing that NACE properly reflected and served its members. The scholarship honoring DeFinis was launched in 2008.
The 2009 Vince DeFinis Scholarship will be awarded to a student selected by the Foundation of NACE. The money will be distributed in July 2009 at the NACE annual convention, Experience! 2009, in Charlotte, N.C. The recipient will also receive complimentary student membership in the National Association of Catering Executives.
Applicants must be currently enrolled as a full-time student (12 credits or more) in an accredited hospitality, culinary or related program, and must maintain a 3.0 or better GPA. Students who have not yet completed 60 credits are not eligible. Judging will be based on an essay and two letters of reference, which must be included in the application. All applications must be submitted by May 28, 2009.
Students interested in applying for the scholarship, can download a PDF application form here.
DeFinis, who died in December 2007, was one of the co-founders of NACE and a visionary in the field of catering and special events. He spent his entire career dedicated to the profession and to seeing that NACE properly reflected and served its members. The scholarship honoring DeFinis was launched in 2008.
The 2009 Vince DeFinis Scholarship will be awarded to a student selected by the Foundation of NACE. The money will be distributed in July 2009 at the NACE annual convention, Experience! 2009, in Charlotte, N.C. The recipient will also receive complimentary student membership in the National Association of Catering Executives.
Applicants must be currently enrolled as a full-time student (12 credits or more) in an accredited hospitality, culinary or related program, and must maintain a 3.0 or better GPA. Students who have not yet completed 60 credits are not eligible. Judging will be based on an essay and two letters of reference, which must be included in the application. All applications must be submitted by May 28, 2009.
Students interested in applying for the scholarship, can download a PDF application form here.
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