The
Seasoned Chef
Course Outline
“The difference between the ordinary and the extraordinary, between good
and brilliant, tasty and heavenly, hearty and unhealthy, can be
summarized in one concept: HERBS and SPICES.” - Michèlle van Breda,
editor of ‘Sarie’ Magazine
Week 1 - The
Seasoned Chef's Pantry
“When you are
selecting herbs and spices for your own pantry, there is no better way
to judge character than with your senses of taste and smell. Buying
spices and herbs should be a tactile experience, not just pulling a jar
from a shelf.” – Tony Hill
A well stocked herb
and spice pantry is one of the seasoned chef’s most important tools in
developing more exciting, and healthier, dishes. Armed with a selection
of fresh and dried herbs and a repertoire of proven gourmet pantry items
the seasoned chef can improvise with poetic license.
The foundation of
your pantry is a hand-picked selection of individual herbs and spices
and a selection of home-made gourmet pantry items.
Once nutritionally
maligned, butter is back, its role as a flavour carrier and palate
satisfier rediscovered. Butter adds smooth texture, savor, flavour, and
richness to such basic sauces as beurre blanc and béarnaise — not to
mention a simple dressing for vegetables, proteins and pasta. In this
week you'll learn how to make a selection of classic herb and spice
butters.
The two herbs/spices
you'll learn to use this week are garlic and parsley.
"Too much" and
"garlic" rarely appears together in kitchen conversations. Garlic means
instant success for prepackaged foods, and it can even make the novice
cook's dishes taste like the pro's. As the most potent member of the
onion family, it's grown widely across the globe..." - Tony Hill.
"A good theater production has one
understudy who can play any part. Parsley fills this role in the kitchen
with ease and versatility. The cook can direct it with confidence to
star or support as needed. It requires little prompting, and its fresh
green taste does not quarrel with those of other cast members." - Dille
and Belsinger
Upon completion of
this unit you will be able to:
- Stock your pantry
with a basic selection of herbs and spices.
- Store your herbs
and spices to retain optimum flavour and freshness.
- Add parsley and
garlic to your cooking repertoire.
- Review a recipe
like a pro chef.
- Make your own
gourmet herb and spice butters to add to your pantry.
Week 2 - The Ultimate Herb Supply
Having a fresh
supply of herbs and spices on hand is critical to your success as a
Seasoned Chef. This week you will learn how to grow a few herbs of your
own and you will learn how to add dips and spreads, rosemary and cumin
to your cooking repertoire.
The simplest dips
and spreads can be made by folding chopped herbs or spices into
mayonnaise, cottage cheese, crème fraiche or yogurt.
The slightly tangy flavour of sour milk products offers the perfect base
for dips and spreads served with vegetable crudités, crackers or breads.
Like herb and spice
butters they are a quick and easy way to expand your seasoned chef
cooking repertoire.
The two herbs/spices
you'll learn to use this week are rosemary and cumin.
"Rosemary has one of those distinctive,
strong flavours that convinces the palate that herbs aren't just
delicate things reserved for dainty soups and sprinkling on baby
vegetables. It takes hold of the taste buds with a woodsy flavour that
reminds me of pine and sage but is buffered by a crisp herbal sweetness.
And then, just when you think you've
got rosemary's number, it surprises you with a subtle approach in a
savory scone or crisp cracker that's had just a hint baked throughout,
lightening the mood of an otherwise mundane pastry." - Tony Hill
"Found in ancient Egypt, cumin may very
well be the original cultivated seed spice. Used then both for ritual
practices in the temple and for dinner practices in the mortar, it later
made its way across Africa with the Moors.." -
Tony Hill
Upon completion of
this unit you will be able to:
- Describe the
differences between fresh and dried herbs.
- Plant a few herbs
of your own in the garden or in containers.
- Harvest and dry
your own home grown herbs.
- Add rosemary
and/or cumin to your cooking repertoire.
- Add dips and
spreads to your home made pantry products list.
Week 3 - Guiding Principles
Knowing what to
avoid is sometimes more useful than knowing what to do. The ‘7 disasters
waiting to happen’ you’ll learn about this week can also be viewed as
guiding principles whenever you add a herb or spice to your dishes.
Spiced oils and
vinegars are close runner-ups when it comes to the most popular
gourmet herb and spice products for the busy cook. You are able to capture a
number of wonderful flavours in one bottle, all just waiting to come
out.
From simple flavours
to elaborate blends, these light (on calories), easy-to use products are
revolutionizing menus. They are not for cooking but for flavoring:
bread-dipping for a first course, mixing with other ingredients, or
adding a sizzling finish to hot, cooked items.
Another factor that contributes to the popularity of herb oils in
particular, is that they are virtually unavailable for purchase. If you
are looking for a good quality herb oil, you must either make your own or
you need to know someone who knows how to make it.
The two herbs/spices
you'll learn to use this week are oregano and pepper.
"The smell of pure
oregano is perhaps the most 'herbal' of all herbs. It has a clarity and
intensity that other leaves in the garden can only hope to achieve" -
Tony Hill
"The history of the spice trade is
essentially about the quest for pepper. Trade routes where fiercely
protected, empires where built and destroyed because of it. In 408AD the
Goths demanded pepper as part of their tribute when they laid siege to
Rome. Later pepper was traded ounce for ounce for gold and as currency
to pay rent, dowries and taxes. In volume and value, pepper remains the
most important spice." - Jill Norman
Upon completion of
this unit you will be able to:
- Prevent ruining
your dishes when cooking with herbs and spices.
- Add luxurious
herb and spice oils and vinegars to your pantry.
- Add oregano
and/or pepper to your culinary repertoire.
Week 4 - Basic Culinary Skills Part 1
There is more to
cooking with herbs and spices than meets the eye. You need to know how
to prepare them to maximize their flavour and you also need to know when
is a flavouring a herb and when is it a spice.
Making your own herb
and spice blends is the ultimate
in culinary adventure. With a mere handful of different herbs, spices
and other flavourings you can create a nearly endless variety of healthy
gourmet dishes.
Your aim in making a blend should be to produce a balanced, complex
flavour that makes your diners want to take another bite, not analyze
it.
You will soon find out that by simply using one or two herbs and spices
you won’t be able to achieve this aim. You will, most likely, be using
three or four herbs, plus a spice or two, resulting in greater depth to
your finished dishes.
The two herbs/spices
you'll learn to use this week are thyme and cloves.
"Of all the classical culinary herbs,
thyme is especially endearing to those who love miniatures; its handsome
compact form growing close to earth perfumes the air around it,
seemingly to the heavens"
"The Spanish, Italians and French
grazed sheep and goats on thyme for the flavour it gave their meat. The
herb was used in many rich dishes as it was believed to relieve the
misery of gout." - Dille and Belsinger
"Few are the dishes
that cannot be improved by thyme. Its amiable and positive flavour
blends well with many other herbs, especially rosemary, enhancing
without overpowering them in the cooking pot." - Elisabeth Ortiz
"On the more pungent end of the taste
spectrum, cloves can actually be intense enough to 'burn' the palate
unless well blended in a dish.
During the 'great
spice race' of the 1400s a small cargo of cloves could buy you a
lordship and a very nice little castle
in the countryside." - Tony Hill
Upon completion of
this unit you will be able to:
- Describe the
advantages of cooking with herbs and spices.
- Explain the
differences between herbs and spices and give examples.
- Prepare herbs and
spices to use in your dishes.
- Add herb and
spice blends to your pantry list.
- Add thyme and/or
cloves to your cooking repertoire.
Week 5 - Basic Culinary Skills Part 2
Setting up a
standard workstation is just as useful in the home kitchen as it is in
the professional kitchen. This week you’ll learn how to do that and
you’ll learn how to read and follow new recipes.
Your pantry product
this week is home made mustard. These popular and extremely versatile flavour boosters are back into
the realm of the Seasoned Chef where they play an important role in
sandwich spreads, marinades, salad dressings or dip (for chicken wings).
Making your own
homemade mustard is fun and offers an interesting variation of how to
use your herbs. The combinations are endless, delicious, aromatic and
rewarding. Homemade mustard is cheap and makes a sought after gift.
The two herbs/spices
you'll learn to use this week are sage and cinnamon.
"I never answer the question, "What's
your favourite spice?" at my shop because I think it's both too
difficult to choose and too dependant on my mood. Having thrown out that
standard disclaimer and with the luxury of print to buffer my answer, it
is most definitely sage." - Tony Hill
Cinnamon's subtle, complex, flavour
is well suited to all manner of desserts, spiced breads and cakes.
"While the use of cinnamon in most
European countries is limited to sweets, in the Middle East it is
commonly added to meat stews, especially those made with lamb. It is
also combined with dried fruit for poultry or pork stuffing's and is
delicious on buttered squash or sweet potatoes" - Elizabeth Ortiz
Upon completion of
this unit you will be able to:
- Set up a standard
workstation in your kitchen.
- Read and follow a
recipe like a professional chef.
- Make your own
home-made mustard.
- Add sage and
cinnamon to your cooking repertoire.
Week 6 - Culinary Profiles
Critical to the
seasoned chef’s success is an intimate knowledge of the culinary
profiles of a large variety of ingredients. The culinary profile is a
kind of culinary shorthand for the flavour attributes of an ingredient
or cuisine.
In this unit you
will gain a better understanding of what makes up the culinary profile
of herbs and spices, and you will look at different flavour groupings
for herbs and spices. These come in handy when you want to develop your
own recipes or when you need to substitute ingredients in a recipe.
The secret of a good
salad is its dressing. Not only does a dressing add flavour and interest
but it also marries the individual ingredients into a harmonious whole.
There is an old French saying that it takes four men to make a good
vinaigrette: a spendthrift for the oil, a miser for the vinegar, a wise
man for the salt and a madman for the pepper.
Apart from the classic vinaigrette, there are many types of dressings,
including mayonnaise, yogurt- and cream-based mixtures, and special
seafood dressings. The most widely used dressings are as follows:
vinaigrette, mayonnaise, oils like corn-, herb-, nut-, olive-, and
sesame oil, vinegars like balsamic-, cider-, and herb vinegar.
The two herbs/spices
you'll learn to use this week are cilantro and coriander.
Cilantro, an ancient annual herb, a member of
the celery (carrot) family, is one of the distinctive flavours of
Mexican and Tex-Mex cuisine.
Also used extensively in North-African cuisines.
It was called a
"very stinking herbe" by Gerard, the 16th-century herbalist. It
continues to provoke both dislike and enthusiasm.
A few plants serve
as both herbs and spices, and of these coriander is undoubtedly the most
widely used in both forms. It is one of the unsung heroes of the spice
world. The undercurrent in flavour in a variety of dishes and blends, it
give the seasoned chef a savory base to work from and a bright top note
to which to aspire.
Upon completion of
this unit you will be able to:
- Describe the
attributes that makes up the culinary profile of herbs and spices.
- Group herbs and
spices according to their basic flavours.
- Group herbs
according to how well they stand up to cooking and how they blend with
other herbs and spices.
- Add salad
dressings and vinaigrettes to your pantry list.
- Add cilantro
and/or coriander to your cooking repertoire.
Week 7 - Building Blocks of Flavour
“Flavour is
perceived by taste “buds”—groups of taste receptor cells that cluster
together like the segments of an orange. The average adult has 10,000,
although the number varies widely. (Inexplicably and unjustly, cows have
25,000 even though they eat only grass). Taste buds can be found not
only on the tongue, but on the soft palate, pharynx, larynx and
epiglottis as well.” – Karen MacNeil
According to the
Culinary Institute of America good cooking is the art of capturing the
most appropriate flavours in a dish. The first step in this art form is
to understand exactly what constitutes flavour.
In this unit you
will explore flavour in more depth and you will look at ways to maximize
it in your cooking.
Sauces showcase the individual
qualities of herbs and spices exceptionally well. With a few signature
sauces such as pesto and chimichurri on hand
you have meal-making magic for every occasion.
But beware, don't
take your sauce making lightly.
"Sauces are often
considered one of the greatest tests of a chef's skill. The successful
pairing of a sauce with a food demonstrates technical expertise, and
understanding of the food, and the ability to judge and evaluate a
dish's flavours, textures and colours." - The Professional Chef, 8th
Edition.
The two herbs/spices
you'll learn to use this week are basil and ginger.
Much like chilli peppers, basil is not
a plant but an obsession – nearly a religion. And like chilli peppers
there are more varieties than chocolates in a candy shop to choose from.
"The uses
for ginger in the kitchen are many. It adds a clean
fresh bite to seafood, picks up the flavour of dull foods, and cuts the
fattiness of rich meats such as duck or pork." - Elizabeth Ortiz
Upon completion of
this unit you will be able to:
- Name the five
basic tastes.
- Describe the 6
levels of Kaun’s flavour pyramid.
- Describe the 4
primary techniques for developing flavour.
- Add herb and
spice sauces to your pantry list.
- Add basil and
ginger to your cooking repertoire.
Week 8 - Expand Your Culinary
Boundaries
By now your cooking
repertoire will have improved phenomenally. And what’s more is that you
will now know more about cooking with herbs and spices than most food
professionals.
But don’t rest on
your laurels. If you do your cooking will become just as boring as it
was before you started on this course.
This week you will
acquaint yourself with 10 international cuisines that will help you push
your herb and spice cooking boundaries. And you will look at the basic
principles all great food have in common.
You also learn how
to add marinades to your repertoire. From the simple to
the elaborate, marinades are a powerful weapon in the seasoned chef’s
arsenal. They will make just about any barbecued food taste better.
A good marinade will
bring out the 'soul' of a rack of ribs, fish or whatever it is used
with. The seasoned chef can hardly cook without them and with their
explosive flavours they turn up everywhere. Fact is marinades are hot,
and we don't mean just those that contain chilies.
The two herbs/spices
you'll learn to use this week are chives and paprika.
"Garlic,
onions, and the like
are
all wonderful aromatics. Sometimes, however, they can be too much of a
good thing on the taste buds. That's where their mild mannered cousins,
chives, can come in and impart the same impression of taste without
running wild down the hill of potency." - Tony Hill
"The
sweet peppers which are dried and ground for paprika
have a complex history. The plant originated in the southernmost tip of
Mexico, was taken to Spain and Morocco by the Spanish and then found its
way to Hungary, where it became naturalized and an essential ingredient
in local cuisine." - Elizabeth Ortiz
Upon completion of
this unit you will be able to:
- List the basic
principles all good food have in common.
- List ten
international cuisines that will help you push your cooking
boundaries.
- Add marinades to
your pantry product list.
- Add (garlic)
chives and/or paprika to your cooking repertoire.
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