Mignonette Trio recipe, featuring petite tender

Editors' note: This recipe accompanies "Versatile beef" (page 15) in the Summer issue of Chef Educator Today.

Mignonette Trio
Pan-roasted petite tender sliders with Port-Red Onion Relish and Blue Cheese Butter
Dave Zino, executive chef, National Cattlemen's Beef Association

Yield: 24 servings

72 4" diameter artisan rustic white dinner rolls
2 c. extra virgin olive oil
15 petite tenders*
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 c. canola oil
Port-Red Onion Relish (recipe follows)
Blue Cheese Butter (recipe follows)
15 bunches chives, cut the diameter of the rolls

Method (1) Using a 2.5" round pastry cutter or ring mold, press out circles from the rolls (you may need to use a paring knife to trace around the ring mold to pierce through the top crust). Then slice through the middle, making little hamburger buns. (2) In a large nonstick pan, heat 2 oz. olive oil over medium heat, and place the buns in the pan so that the insides of the buns are in contact with the pan. Cook until that side is crisp and golden, about 90 seconds. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate. Repeat until all buns have been toasted. (3) Season petite tenders with salt and pepper, and pan roast with a little canola oil to desired doneness. Slice them all 1/8" thick. (4) Spread 1 heaping T. Port-Red Onion Relish on the bottom half of each roll. Place 2 slices of beef on each. Spread 1 T. Blue Cheese Butter on the toasted side of the tops, then affix chives to the Blue Cheese Butter, making sure to keep them all pointing in the same direction. Assemble sandwich. Line three on each rectangle plate, and serve.

Port-Red Onion Relish
1 t. canola oil
6 c. red onion, brunoise
2 fl. oz. rice vinegar
3 bottles (750 mL each) ruby port wine, of good quality
1/2 c. sugar

Method (1) Heat oil in a sauce pot over medium heat. Add onion, and sweat about 1 minute. (2) Add vinegar, and sweat 1 minute more until color is bled from the onions. Add port and sugar. Bring to a boil then reduce heat as low as it will go, and reduce until syrupy, about 2 hours. (3) Once it cools, this will tighten up dramatically. It is easier to err on the thick side and then thin it out with water once it has cooled down, rather than not reducing it enough and then having to reheat it later to reduce it further.

Blue Cheese Butter
1 lb. Blue d'Auvergne, room temperature
1/2 lb. butter, unsalted, softened
1/2 c. chives, minced
1 t. salt

Method (1) Mix all ingredients in a large bowl with a rubber spatula, making sure to totally incorporate the butter. Bring to room temperature before serving.

* The petite tender is a tender, juicy muscle that rests on the beef shoulder near the top blade. It is versatile and upscale like beef tenderloin or filet mignon, but at check prices.

Chai truffles recipe

Editors' note: This recipe was mentioned in the "Smooth as Ganache" article (page 21) of the Summer issue of Chef Educator Today.

Chai Truffles

Jenny Lewis, C.C.E., C.H.E, chef-instructor, Lexington College, Chicago

Batch size: 25.5 oz. (730 g.)

0.5 oz. (10 g.) chai tea blend*
1 vanilla bean, scraped
6 oz. (180 g.) heavy cream
Milk, as needed
2 oz. (60 g.) glucose syrup
16 oz. (460 g.) milk chocolate, tempered, chopped and unmelted
1 oz. (20 g.) softened butter
Cocoa powder, for rolling
Tempered milk or dark chocolate, as needed for finishing

Method (1) Place tea, vanilla bean and heavy cream in pot and bring to a simmer. Remove from heat, cover and let steep for 5 minutes or until desired flavor. (2) Strain mixture through chinois or cheesecloth. Squeeze tea mixture to extract maximum flavors. (3) Re-scale mixture, and add milk to attain the cream original weight. (4) Add glucose syrup to the mixture, and bring to a simmer. (5) Pour hot mixture over chopped chocolate. (6) Stir from center of mixture outward, in circles, or use immersion blender until mixture blends. (7) Before adding butter, ensure mixture is thoroughly blended and emulsified. (8) Add softened butter into ganache, making sure no butter lumps remain. (9) Pour ganache into a hotel pan, and cover directly with plastic wrap to ensure no skin forms on the chocolate. (10) Cool at room temperature until slightly firm. (11) Pipe or scoop truffle balls. Allow to crystallize at room temperature until firm enough to handle. (12) Roll truffles by hand into round balls, using cocoa powder on your hands if to sticky. (13) Dip rolled balls into tempered milk or dark chocolate.

* Substitute other tea or tisanes (dried fruits, flowers and spices) to flavor your ganache.

Food and cooking podcasts for furthering student learning

by Chef Tom Beckman, Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts Chicago

Editors' note: This article was mentioned in "Podcasting in education" (page 16) of the Summer issue of Chef Educator Today.

For Tom Beckman's podcast, CHIC Podcast/This Week in Food, click the image above.

Five years ago, I was driving and heard a story on National Public Radio about shows that originate on the Internet. You could subscribe to them and get them on a regular basis. This intrigued me, and I listened to my first podcast that night. Since 2005, podcasting has exploded from a niche amateur market to mainstream commercial popularity. More than 100,000 different podcasts are now available. Here are a few food podcasts and video podcasts that I like and have been able to use in the classroom.

One of my favorite podcasts is The Splendid Table, with Lynne Rossetto Kasper. She has guests on her show that range from wine experts, cheese experts, food writers and chefs of every stripe. She also offers her own brand of food and cooking advice. She is quite professional and creative.

Cook's Illustrated, the quality cooking magazine, offers a video podcast on how to prepare entire dishes in just a few minutes. The dishes are fully explained, but they are so well edited that, for example, coq au vin can take just three minutes to demonstrate. Some cooking experience is suggested, but the lessons can be understood by anyone.

Hungry Nation aggregates several video food podcasts into one feed. A feed is how the podcasts are transmitted through the Web to the eventual listeners or viewers. Hungry Nation consists of Working Class Foodies, Vendr TV, 12 Second Cocktails and many more. They are not done by professionals but are done in a professional manner. They are all video podcasts. A teacher may want to bring in a projector to show video podcasts in the classroom.

The very best video podcast has to be Sky Full of Bacon. Sure, it has a weird name, but host Michael Gebert produces each podcast like a good magazine show. He has done shows on sustainable fish, pie making, good eating in the country and how an entire pig can be fully used. Each show is packed with information about chefs and their food.

Do you have a favorite food podcast that you use in your classroom to further student learning? Tell us about it in the comments section.

Deconstructed fruit and yogurt recipe

Editors' note: This recipe accompanies "The avant-garde kitchen" (page 20) of the Summer issue of Chef Educator Today.

Fruit and Yogurt Parfait
"Caviar" of fruit purée and yogurt on granola
Chef Jim McGuinness

1,000 g. water
50 g. sugar
5 g. sodium alginate
7 g. calcium lactate
225 g. fruit purée
225 g. yogurt
zest of half a lemon
Granola (recipe follows)

Method (1) Bring the water to a boil with the sugar. Place 800 g. of the water/sugar mix in to a blender. Reserve the remaining 100 g. simple syrup for the fruit and yogurt preps. With the blender running, gradually sprinkle in the sodium alginate. Strain the mix through a chinois, and add the remaining water/sugar solution. Let the mix rest for 30 minutes to settle and clear. (2) For the fruit, heat 50 g. simple syrup, and add the calcium lactate. Stir into the fruit purée. (3) For the yogurt, mix together remaining 50 g. simple syrup with yogurt and lemon zest. (4) To make caviar, simply take tablespoons of the fruit and yogurt mixture, and tip into the prepared alginate bath. Let them "cook" for 1-2 minutes before removing, then rinse in room-temperature water. The spheres can be held for service in simple syrup, juice or diluted purée. (5) To serve, plate fruit and yogurt caviar on top of Granola, and serve with a sauce if desired.

Granola
140 g. rolled oats
100 g. almonds, coarsely chopped
50 g. walnuts, coarsely chopped
1/2 t. cinnamon
1/4 t. ginger
1/4 t. salt
50 g. apple butter
40 g. maple syrup
1/2 T. walnut oil

Method (1) Combine all the ingredients to coat. (2) Bake on a sheet pan at 350°F, stirring occasionally until golden and toasted. Cool before using.

President Clinton named honorary chancellor of Laureate Universities

President Bill Clinton, 42nd president of the United States and founder of the William J. Clinton Foundation, has accepted the role of honorary chancellor of Laureate International Universities, the global network of private universities. In this role, Clinton will advise this group of universities--which includes Kendall College of Chicago, Switzerland's Les Roches International School of Hotel Management and Australia's Blue Mountains International Hotel Management School--in areas such as social responsibility, youth leadership and increasing access to higher education. He will also encourage civic engagement and youth leadership on important social issues during his appearances at university campuses and in print and online messages to the nearly 600,000 students in the Laureate network.

"Last year I had the opportunity to visit Laureate's universities in Spain, Brazil and Peru to speak to students, faculty and the communities that they serve," said President Clinton in a statement. "These private universities exemplify the same principles of innovation and social responsibility in education that we worked to advance during my presidency and now through my foundation, and I am pleased to support their mission to expand access to higher education, particularly in the developing world."

Chatting with FENI's 2010 Postsecondary Educator of the Year Rolando Robledo

Editors' note: A portion of the following interview was featured in the "Meet FENI's Educators of the Year" article (pages 12 and 13) that appeared in the FENI wrap-up section of the Summer 2010 issue of Chef Educator Today.

Chef Rolando Robledo, assistant professor of culinary arts at Johnson & Wales University, Providence, R.I., is the 2010 Foodservice Educators Network International (FENI) Postsecondary Educator of the Year. Here, he talks with CET about some of his accomplishments at JWU in his six years as an educator there.

(l to r) FENI executive director Daniel von Rabenau presents chef Rolando Robledo with a plaque during the FENI Summit in February*

CET: Talk a little about your efforts to integrate sustainability into JWU through the Green Collaborative.
Robledo: I was one of the founders of the Green Collaborative, a student organization we started about three years ago. I got together with a few other instructors to help start it. I thought of it because I had students coming up to me with complaints about the food industry and also about the university. So my idea was to give students a platform through which they could take action. So if they want, for example better recycling at the university, more local food in the dining hall, if they want better light bulbs in the dormitories, water conservation measures in kitchens and culinary labs, through Green Collaborative they can gather a larger voice.

CET: How have you implemented new technologies into your curriculum? Why is it so important to you?
Robledo: I believe that all of our culinary students are very hands on, and a lot of times they get funneled through the educational system--elementary school through high school--and find themselves attracted to more tactile areas. And a lot of them just have that wiring that they're not comfortable sitting at a desk. I know that a lot of our students see things more visually. So if I can enhance the delivery of the education through visual means to support the curriculum, it will only facilitate the learning. So I have many layers I do. A lot of it is video, photos and sketches. I might show a video or sketch something to get the idea in their heads. Then I'll demonstrate it myself, so it's not the first time they're seeing it--they have something to base it on. So they're able to absorb it easier. Then after I demonstrate it, whether it's the next day or after, I might show another video or sketch of the same idea to cement it in their brains. And from there, it's their turn to demonstrate it themselves. So it's a very sophisticated layering of preview, demonstrate, review and then almost like a practical exam. I enrich the education with technology. I'm making it easier and more accessible to them. It's a supplement to textbook. I also use online materials, sometimes as simple as YouTube. As much as I can engage with the students I do because I find they can get more excited because they're already wired. It's as much about the education as just getting their interest.

CET: Another use of technology I heard about was that you created a Facebook page for your mentees. How does that work?
Robledo: I've sent a lot of students out into the industry, and I always tell my students, "One of the most important things you can do is develop a network." I thought a good idea would be if for example, I had a student I mentored five years ago, and I thought, "Well maybe if he's a chef and he's looking for a good cook, what if I developed a network of all of my own mentees that they can tap into themselves through Facebook?" So I invite all of them to the same group, and if they want to talk to each other and put out a job request or maybe if they're looking for a job themselves, they can ask that group first. It's sort of a contrived network. And students take advantage of it.

CET: Why do you think it's so important for people in foodservice to have mentors?
Robledo: I think it's phenomenal--super important. I didn't really have mentors per se, and that's why I'm really adamant about doing it because I didn't have one, and I feel like it would have been very different for me. I did have people that I aspired to be like in the industry, so they motivated me, but I wasn't under their wing. I was very successful in my career, but I had to figure things out on my own. Trying to navigate this industry was tremendously difficult. Every step along the way, all those decisions were made by me, which is commendable in some ways, but I look at it as it shouldn't have been that way. So I try to advise them, groom them and prepare them so when they get to the industry they're able to jump over those hurdles a little easier and they can find success.

CET: What are some of the ways you stay up to date with the foodservice industry?
Robledo: I try to stay involved in different events. I've done volunteer events. I also do stages here and there. This past fall, I staged at Alinea, just to get my hands dirty. I also went to San Francisco recently where we did a whole tour of different coffee roasters for [my vegetarian fast-food concept] Clover and also because I'm interested in it anyway. I really try to stay current. About two years ago, I did an event with chef Chris Cosentino in New York City. It was a big deal for Chris, and it was the first time I worked in New York City since I left New York City. I've been to New York many times since then, but working in the city brought back a lot of those feelings and kind of made me miss it. I realized I wanted to get back in the kitchen. It's been about two years that I've been cooking again.

CET: How did it feel to be named FENI Postsecondary Educator of the Year?
Robledo: Amazing--I was honored and humbled by the experience. I felt recognized, which is really important for me. A lot of what I do, and a lot of what I'm passionate about, is outside of the classroom. I do some things with my philosophy of teaching as well, but a lot of my advising time is outside my personal time. So sometimes I don't get recognized for that at school, but it's super important to me so I do it on my own, and it's really what satisfies me. I definitely have several students at any given time who come after class, and I'll run them through skills like knife skills. I'll push them to a level so that I can feel comfortable when I send them to a restaurant that they're going to do well. A lot of it is grooming them and preparing them on how to think, how to act and how to be professional. This year I fooled around with a molecular gastronomy club. I had a group of students come in a classroom setting. We would do a lecture about a technique, have four or five students demonstrate it themselves and then everyone in the class would go away from there with an understanding of that concept. Honestly, I do a lot of it for me. I get a lot of satisfaction out of it because I want to help. It makes me feel good, like I'm giving back. The best person that could ever tell how hard I work is the maintenance guy who closes up the building because he's there all the time, and I'm often the only one who's still there.

*Photo courtesy of Eric Futran

Chatting with FENI's 2010 Secondary Educator of the Year Ana Plana

Editor's note: A portion of the following interview was featured in the "Meet FENI's Educators of the Year" article (pages 12 and 13) that appeared in the FENI wrap-up section of the Summer 2010 issue of Chef Educator Today.

Chef Ana Plana, culinary arts teacher at Maritime and Science Technology (MAST) Academy in Key Biscayne, Fla., is the 2010 Foodservice Educators Network International (FENI) Secondary Educator of the Year. Plana has been teaching ninth through 12th graders at MAST Academy since 2007. Here, she talks with CET about some of her accomplishments and goals.

FENI executive director Daniel von Rabenau presents chef Ana Plana with a plaque during the FENI Summit in February*

CET: Tell me about your work as the school's only food production and event-planning instructor. You and your students cater most of the school's events, right?
Plana: Our school is in Key Biscayne so it's right on the water. The back of the school has a beautiful view of downtown Miami, so many people in the district like to have meetings there. The rotary club will have their annual breakfast at our school, or we'll help with senior awards night or the junior class ring ceremony. So they'll come and ask if we can do the event and my event-planning class will interview whoever is trying to coordinate the event. My students will ask, "What do you need? How many people? What's your budget?" And then my event-planning class will create a menu, staff the kitchen and front of house for the event, and based on that, they'll get a grade for their menu. I'll give them extra credit or community service hours when the events are after school at night or really early in the morning.

CET: How does the event-planning class help prepare students for their careers?
Plana: The first few classes they don't really know what to do, so I'm their mentor, I'm their guide. But soon after that, I really like them to figure it out. If something is not working, I like them to problem-solve. For example, if the coffee maker is not working, what should we do? The easiest thing is to ask Ms. Plana what to do. But then I throw it right back at them and ask, "What are our options? What can we do?" Because even if only a small percentage of the students go to culinary school, they'll all need to know leadership and problem-solving and critical thinking. That's important. These things happen all the time in catering and the food world so you have to be able to think quick on your toes.

CET: How did you get the grant from Slow Food to launch the organic garden at MAST? Why is this important to you?
Plana: That was a contact that I have as part of Les Dames d'Escoffier [International]. She is one of the founding members of Slow Food. At one of our meetings she was talking about this organic garden she was providing for a school, then I approached her and asked what I would need to do to have that for our students. And I wrote a letter requesting a grant, and we got it. Having the organic garden is great because, for example, this week we are doing fresh pasta. And [the students] went out to the garden and pulled the basil, and we made pesto. We also had carrots, fresh tomatoes, arugula and mixed greens that were ready, so we had a fresh salad. They made fresh raviolis, and they julienned the basil and did a garlic-butter sauce. It's really cool because they put the seeds in, and now they're pulling the carrots!

CET: You've worked in many different capacities within the foodservice industry. What is most gratifying about teaching culinary students? Do you keep in touch with them after they leave?
Plana: I never thought I'd be a teacher, ever. And it is just so rewarding to see them grasp different things. Sometimes we take it for granted how to cook and prepare food. It is so cool to see them learn how things work and know that I had a part in that.

One of my [former] students takes care of my younger son in after-care at his school. She asked me for a letter of recommendation when she graduated. I sent it to her, and the school hired her. Now she watches my son there! And I have her sister now in class, which is cool. This year, I have three students going into culinary arts, so it's exciting to see that they want to take that path. They've been fortunate enough to get a lot of grants and scholarships. A lot of them thought they couldn't afford to go to Johnson & Wales [University], but they're getting the support to make it happen.

CET: How did it feel to win FENI Secondary Educator of the Year? How will this award help you in your own growth and career development?
Plana: That night when they called me up to accept the award, I was in awe. I couldn't believe I was up there in front of all these people who were so talented, and I got picked. And I couldn't say anything! I have [the plaque] in my classroom to show all my students that even at my age you can keep trying to improve and make a difference.

We go to a lot of different conferences and meetings during the year, but I definitely want to keep going to the FENI Summit because this one in particular I found to be very helpful. I am still a relatively new teacher--just three years in--and I learned so much about how you can express how to do something in so many different ways. I want to make sure I keep getting funds from our school through Pell grants or Perkins because it is important that they send us every year because it is so beneficial.

CET: What's next for you? Don't you want to start doing student competitions at MAST?
Plana: This June, my portfolio is due for my permanent [teaching] certificate. After that, I will be hoping to get my master's in teaching. The rules have changed and they want you to have a master's to teach dual enrollment. And then funding is a big problem in Dade County, so I'm trying to see next year if they'll let me go back to having [Family Career and Community Leaders of America]. So hopefully next year, they'll let me put it back on and then we can start doing competitions so students can win scholarship money.

*Photo courtesy of Eric Futran