Monday, October 5, 2009

Culinary Basics... Delicious Class!

SO! I'm taking a cooking class this semester & I LOVE it! We have lab every friday and we actually get to go into the kitchen and make a full course meal. Here is our menu from two weeks ago. Enjoy! They are so easy to do :)

Oven Roast
1 oven roast, 2 lbs (can be beef, pork loin, or turkey breast)
tt coarse salt
tt ground pepper
Preheat oven to 350F. Prepare roast by setting on a roasting rack set in a shallow baking pan. Roast uncovered until a meat thermometer inserted in the center reads the appropriate temperature (approximately 1 – 1½ hours – 150-155˚F for beef and pork, 165˚F for turkey). Remove from oven and let stand for 10 – 15 minutes before slicing.


Roasted Cauliflower with Garlic (Gourmet, 2001) 4 servings
1 lb cauliflower, cut into 2” wide florets
1 ½ Tbsp olive oil
1 small clove garlic, minced
tt salt
tt black pepper
Preheat oven to 400F. Toss cauliflower with oil, garlic, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Spread evenly in a shallow baking pan and roast in the upper third of the oven, stirring occasionally, until golden (approximately 30 – 35 minutes).


Balsamic Roasted Green Beans (Gourmet, 2002) 4 servings
1 lb green beans, ends removed
1Tbsp olive oil
tt salt
1 Tbsp Balsamic vinegar
Preheat oven to 450F. Toss beans with oil and salt in a bowl. Spread evenly in a shallow baking pan and roast until crisp-tender, turning occasionally (approximately 20 minutes). Drizzle the beans with Balsamic vinegar and toss, then cook until most of the vinegar has evaporated (about 2 minutes).


Tomato and Zucchini Tian (On Cooking, 4th ed) 4 servings
6 oz Zucchini
6 oz Roma or plum tomatoes
tt salt
tt white pepper
1 – 1½ oz olive oil
½ oz bread crumbs
1. Trim the ends off the zucchini and cut into very thin rounds. Quickly blanch in boiling salted water.
2. Core the tomatoes but do not peel. Cut the tomatoes in rounds the same thickness as the zucchini.
3. Place a 4-inch ring mold on an oiled baking sheet. Inside the mold, arrange overlapping circles, alternating between zucchini and tomatoes.
4. Season and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with the bread crumbs. Lift off ring and bake vegetables in oven for 10 minutes at 350F.


Parmesan Roasted Potatoes (Gourmet, 2000) 4 servings
1 oz finely grated parmesan
¼ cup flour
½ tsp salt
⅛ tsp black pepper
2 medium potatoes, peeled and quartered (lengthwise into wedges)
¼ cup butter
1. Preheat oven to 350˚F. Combine cheese, flour, salt and pepper in a bowl.
2. Melt butter in a shallow baking pan (just large enough to hold the potatoes). When butter has melted, remove pan from oven and set aside.
3. Cut and rinse potatoes. Pat dry to remove excess moisture.
4. Add potato wedges to flour mixture. Toss to coat completely.
5. Arrange wedges in a single layer in the pan of butter. Roast in middle or lower third of oven. Turn 2 – 3 times to allow to brown on all sides. Cook until browned and slightly crisp, about 1 ¼ hours.


Potatoes Roasted with Rosemary and Sea Salt (Bon Appetit, 2002) 4 servings
1 lb red potatoes, each cut into 4 – 6 wedges
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp coarse sea salt or other coarse salt (we will use kosher salt)
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tsp chopped fresh rosemary (or ½ tsp dried)
Preheat oven to 400F. Toss potatoes with oil, salt and pepper in a bowl to coat. Transfer potatoes to a baking sheet and roast 20 minutes, stirring once.
Add garlic and rosemary to potatoes and toss to coat. Continue roasting until potatoes are just tender (approximately 10 minutes).


Roasted Curried Sweet Potatoes (Gournet, 1992) 4 servings
1 – ¾ lb sweet potatoes, unpeeled but scrubbed, cut into ⅛” thick slices
2 Tbsp butter, melted
½ tsp curry powder
tt coarse salt
Preheat oven to 450F. Combine butter and curry powder. Add potato slices and toss to coat. Arrange the slices on a greased baking sheet and pour or brush remaining butter over evenly. Roast sweet potatoes is the upper third of oven, turning once with a spatula, until golden and crisp (approximately 18 – 22 minutes). Transfer sweet potatoes to paper towels to drain, then sprinkle lightly with coarse salt. Serve warm.
Fruit Gratin (Professional Cooking, p. 1003)
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1 comment:

Anonymous said...

awesome recipes!!! i'll have to try these ;P