Chez Christine

New Chapter

Although they've died down recently, I get emails asking me about various things from cuts of meat to restaurant recommendations in cities I've lived in.  The most popular themes, though, are about Le Cordon Bleu, Paris and what I've done with myself since.

A lot of people write when they have questions or doubts about going to the school, about its curriculum, about housing, about whether or not it's worth the (substantial) monetary investment.  The remaining people ask what kinds of positions are available in the food industry to graduates, with some thinking about restaurant jobs but more often than not, what else is out there.

It's been something I've struggled with for the past 3 years since graduation.  My one-week stint at a Parisian restaurant assured me that I was not cut out for restaurant work, at least behind the line.  As much as I was fascinated with the whole process and loved the adrenaline rush, the usually low pay and rough hours were discouraging.  Not to mention potentially having personal relationships suffer if you have such different work lifestyles.

So what CAN you do?  I was lucky that my timing worked well and I got into America's Test Kitchen as an intern.  The application process was not difficult, so the tougher aspect was dealing with working full-time for 3 months unpaid.  The whole experience, not to mention the notoriety that it has, was totally worth it.  I learned a ton on testing professionally, I had 8 hours a day of a wide variety of pure cooking that really honed my skills more than cooking school ever could, and I was dealing with a great group of people who taught me a lot.  It wasn't difficult decision to stay on after my internship to see if staff positions opened up, which also helped me to get asked to help with their TV show taping, valuable and rare experience.

When the stars didn't align for open positions, I was a little lost.  My whole time in Boston during the internship, I had been teaching at a children's cooking school.  I ramped up my hours, got more involved in planning menus for the school year and for summer, and threw all my energy in there.

Then I walked into Stir in Boston, fell in love with the cookbooks and what they do, and asked for a job on the spot.  It's really true that in the food industry, if you see something you want to be involved in, you just ask.  It's not as formal and you just have to be gutsy and passionate about it.  They hired me and I got experience in fine dining / guest services, a little management, and the world of cookbook buying.  More experience in things I never thought I'd be doing.

Fast forward to last year, and I moved back to San Francisco with a vague idea that I would consult with menu and recipe planning, hoping that I'd find more to do.  The work was there, but not in the volume I had hoped for.  Another chapter in 3 years of no to low pay, and sometimes no clear career path.

But the persistence has finally paid off.  I cold-called for food positions out here, including for catering companies and a school lunch program, but nothing hit.  I almost decided to see if I could find something back in advertising, what I did before picking up the knife kit. 

Then it happened - a position that I'm ecstatic about: full-time, with benefits, normal hours - there are so few of these in the food industry!  I'm joining the test kitchen at Chow.com next week, cooking with their small group, doing some editorial work, and basically combining a lot of skills I've picked up over the years into one job, plus picking up a few new ones like food styling and prop/grocery shopping.  I'm thrilled that I'm not leaving the kitchen.

It feels great and exciting - the team seems vibrant, interesting, and passionate.  Looking back, all the jobs I've chosen helped me be the candidate they were seeking.  It was a hard and bumpy road, and not everyone has the patience or support from family and friends that I had.  But there is hope!  Big lesson I learned: take jobs you really are interested in. Only then can you learn and grow, hopefully taking you along a path that ends in where you want to be.

Bon Appétit!

For Love of Chicken Oysters

Chicken Oysters + French Chefs = Nirvana

The first guest chef demonstration I ever went to at school featured chefs from the French Senat. These men, some MOFs, were intense, young, and talented. Their food seemed intent on being as French as possible, with foie gras, puff pastry, and squab- I loved it. This was what I came to France for, not vegetable soup or poached chicken with supreme sauce.

   

Squab & Foie Gras in Crisp Puff Pastry with Sesame and Poppy Seeds
Pigeon au Foie Gras en Croute de Sesame et Pavot

The surprise ingredient of that demonstration was the bag of chicken oysters they produced. Chicken oysters are the two little nuggets of meat tucked away in the back of the chicken. They are traditionally known as cook’s treats, a morsel of dark moist goodness that few people even know exist. They are the main reason why I volunteer to carve roast chickens.

The French being French, the Senat chefs served them seared with a foie gras custard, topped with, what else, crisped bacon! I remember greedily wolfing down my tasting portion and my eyes rolling to the back of my head in awe.

Foie Gras Savory Custard with Golden Chanterelle Mushrooms,
Bacon Chips & Chicken Oysters
Royale de Foie Gras et Crème de Griolles
au Lard Grille et Sot Ley Laisse

I was impressed at how the French chefs were able to purvey a whole bag of chicken oysters, but I sadly dismissed the notion that I would ever be served them again. No more fancily prepared chicken oysters for moi.

Until now.

We went to French Chef Daniel Boulud’s NYC restaurant, db Bistro Moderne, last Friday. Boulud is known for making the first fancy burger, and it is stuffed with braised short ribs and foie gras in the middle. We went there because I wanted to try Boulud’s food, plus our friend Tabitha worked garde manger there. (Thanks for taking care of us, Tabitha!)

Of course we ordered the burger, but then my eyes zeroed in on an appetizer under the chicken section: a Frog's Legs and Chicken Oyster Fricassee, served with Hazelnut Spaetzle and Button Mushrooms. How much more French could you get? Once I saw that, the excitement about the burger flew out the window and all I wanted was fricassee. (On their online menu, it swaps out the frog's legs for escargot, but I'm pretty sure ours had frog in it.)

The dish was pure genius: chicken oysters, complete with skin, seared to a crisp with a juicy center. Paired with frog’s leg meat that, yes, did taste like chicken, I was amazed at the simple yet unexpected match. The rich spaetzle added texture, and the sauce sent a waft of warm garlic aroma straight into my nose the minute the plate was set before me.

I don’t usually gush much, but gush I did. My dining companions will probably attest to the fact that I ignored them for awhile as I inhaled yet tried to savor one of the best dishes I’ve had this entire year. If I hadn’t promised H that we would split the starter, he probably wouldn’t have gotten any taste of it. When the table next to us was debating on whether or not to order it, it took all my willpower not to interrupt them and say, “Yes, you should order it! It’s amazing!”

Get thee to db Moderne Bistro for the fricassee. Just don’t tell me about it, or I’ll be jealous.

(Oh, and the burger was good too, but I’m not sure if I qualify it as a real burger. Too fancy.)

db Bistro Moderne
55 West 44th St.
New York, NY 10036
(212) 391-1188

Bon Appétit!

Sweet, Sweet Memories

I stumbled across a video someone had made of the Le Cordon Bleu Paris graduation on Dec 15, 2006.  Unlike mine, it was held at the school...all the chefs there, all the same walls, glimpses into the kitchens that look exactly the same.  Look, it's my favorite chef, Chef Chantefort!

I miss it.

I miss it so much.

A few weeks ago, we took the kids on a field trip to visit Cambridge School of Culinary Arts for a demonstration by the French pastry chef Delfin Gomes.  He was the perfect hybrid: French charm and charisma, with no arrogance or traditionalist mentality, probably as a result of living in the States for this long.  He did things in ways I never imagined: not letting butter come to room temperature for most recipes, doing a pâte a choux all in an electric mixer.  It's so rare to see French chefs who are into experimentation that contradicts all the cooking and baking wisdom that's been passed down for countless generations.

 
Sablé Cookies & Chocolate Chip Madeleines

Chef charmed the kids and charmed me.  I found myself inwardly saying, "Oui, chef!" whenever he asked for something.  It made me long to be back in a teaching kitchen.  And who am I kidding, I always miss Paris.

Someday I hope to live there again.  Someday.

Bon Appétit!

Smell-icious

Smells.

Usually they're good things.  They can whet an appetite, tell you if your spices or nuts are toasted, or conjure up memories of mom or grandma's kitchen.

Or smells can be nauseating or linger too long.  I've always thought that one of the worst things about the food industry is going home and smelling like what you've been working with all day.  Sometimes it can be pleasant, a whiff of cinnamon or butter and sugar if you're a baker.  Sometimes the smells morph and change character, and everyone knows you were working with fish.

Last week, I went to my boyfriend's apartment after teaching a Thai menu at the kid's cooking school.  As he gave me a hug, he took a deep breath and said, "Mmm...you smell like fried egg rolls."  Gee, thanks.  Nothing makes a girl feel more special than when she's told that she smells like food deep fried in fat.

Even at the test kitchen, where we are given fresh chef's coats everyday, you inevitably take on the smells of what's cooking.  Yesterday it was four pot roasts in slow cookers, short ribs I seared with a black bean sauce, shrimp, nuoc cham sauce, biscuits, and who knows what else.  The smells here seep through the chef's coats and linger on your own clothes.  I find myself doing lots of laundry now or throwing clothes in the dryer with a dryer sheet to freshen them. 

I remember coming home and taking a shower before going out to dinner once because the stench of curry was all over my hair.  Plus, I didn't want my pillow to smell like curry too!  The beginning of the shower itself was gross too- imagine curry smells steaming up all around you as you begin to rinse off.

In cooking school, smells were intensified because of the small kitchens.  Imagine 10 people cooking the same thing in a kitchen about the size of a typical Parisian apartment (that is to say, tiny).  Compound that with the fact that the French like to sear proteins on high heat, generating lots of sizzling, smoke, and you guessed it, smells.  Walking around school, you could probably take a sniff of somebody and go, "Hmm...guess the Intermediate class was making cassoulet today.  Can't you smell the sausage and duck confit on them?"  I guess that's why they gave us 3 changes of coats.

Luckily, there are some smells I'll never tire of.  Well-roasted coffee, chocolate, cookies, apple pie.  Usually they're sweet items, although the smell of freshly-baked bread or croissants is always irresistible.  Still, someone should invent clothing that doesn't absorb odors, unless you really want to wear plastic clothing while you cook.  I know I don't.

Bon appétit!

The Bizarre Culinary World

I get a lot of requests for advice on cooking schools, especially Le Cordon Bleu Paris.  Sometimes I can answer the questions, sometimes I honestly can't.

David Lebovitz did a great job recently on answering a lot of FAQs, so I encourage you to check out his comprehensive post.  It's from a professional point of view, and he's had a lot of experience in both the US and France.  You can also check out my cooking school category to see all my blog posts from my time in cooking school, as well as my internships category to see what I've been up to.

Many people ask me what I did and am currently doing after culinary school. They're usually interested because they are thinking of making a career change and wonder what opportunities are out there.  My interests lie in writing, teaching, and testing- not restaurant work.  In some ways, it is difficult to break into these aspects of the culinary world- usually restaurant experience is required or preferred.

But I've been lucky and have been given a lot of interesting opportunities.  Here is a list of some of the things I've done / are doing so that you can see what opportunities are out there.  Some of these I acquired by pure luck, some by working hard and networking:

• Culinary tour guide in Paris through Context: Travel.  I was fortunate enough to share my love of Paris and food by leading English-speaking tours through some of the best outdoor food markets in Paris.  If I was still living in Paris, I would still be doing this!
• Internship at Jacques Cagna in Paris.  Friends hooked me up with a one-week internship at this one-Michelin star in the Latin Quarter.  I learned a lot, including just how hot and intense a kitchen gets during a full service.  I loved it but realized that I'm not interested in full-time restaurant work.
• Internship at America's Test Kitchen in Boston.  Being one of "America's foremost tasters and testers" was a real privilege, and I learned a lot about recipe testing and techniques.  It also gave me a chance to work on a variety of projects, as well as meet a bunch of really experienced cooks and chefs.  I'll be working on the filming of the television show for the 2007 season next month- yay!  Maybe you'll see me chopping mounds of onions in the background, who knows?
• Teaching at Create a Cook in Boston.  This is a cute & fun children's cooking school.  I love sharing my knowledge about food, and it's amazing to see kids pick up new skills and try foods they usually wouldn't touch with a ten-foot pole at home.  Never thought you could get your kids to try fish sauce?  They will if it's in a recipe that they cook themselves!

So as you can see, in a short year and a half, I've been able to experience a lot.  Unfortunately, it's still hard to find a full-time, stable position.  The sad reality is that most culinary internships are unpaid, and the culinary world is usually not financially rewarding.  But if you love what you're doing, your life and outlook on life is so much better.  I'm trying hard to get a few projects underway while enjoying all that I'm doing now, including more teaching positions and maybe even a cookbook.  It's all new to me, but I can't see myself doing anything else.

Bon appétit!

Sanitation Insanity

One of the first things that struck me about my new internship is the fixation on cleanliness and sanitation.  Welcome back to the good ol' USA, outbreaks of E. Coli and all.  Still, I'm glad that we have such high sanitation standards here.

In France, I was amazed at how relaxed their standards were, both at school and during my one-week stage at the restaurant.  Eggs aren't refrigerated.  All our ingredients were loaded onto the same trays when we divided them up for students, so your raw chicken would probably end up nestled cosily next to the vegetables you were serving as a garnish.  Your single cutting board was used for everything.  The dishwashers (actual people) didn't use machines or sanitation devices- it was hand-scrubbing all the way.  We were lucky if there was hot water, sponges, or dish soap.  In fact, we were amazed when all three were present!

At the restaurant, things were slightly better but still gross.  It would probably be very difficult to make myself eat at that restaurant knowing what went on downstairs.  It wasn't filthy by any means, but not enough precautions were taken, and my bout of food poisoning in Paris really made me wary.

Fast forward to what I do now.  I use so much plasticware it makes me guilty.  But we use Ziploc bags, plastic containers, plastic wrap, gloves, and disinfectant to our hearts' content.  I mise a lot in disposable plastic containers when things need to be prepared the night before.  Leftover food is always stored in the new plastic containers- we never wash them or reuse them.

The dish room has a nice sanitation machine that cleans and sterilizes, producing spotless hot dishes.  We use hot, soapy water to wipe down our stations, then spray sanitizer over the surface.  The grates over the burners are washed every night, and we clean under them to make sure everything is clean and shiny.  The two resident kitchen assistants go over the stainless steel surfaces with spray every night and ensure that everything is polished and not sticky.

There is hand soap at every sink.  Any leftover food is always bagged or contained, then marked clearly with contents and date.  The walk-in is well-organized, with chicken on the bottom rack, then beef and pork next, fish and cured products at the top.  If you think about it, it makes sense- any accidental drippage that may come down will contaminate other products, so you should put the meat with the highest chance of bacteria on the lowest rack.

The simplest things amaze me.  As interns, we put away the groceries that come in.  Special care is always taken to put the newest items in the back.  For example, if a new bag of onions needs to be added to the onion bucket, we empty the existing bucket out temporarily, place the new onions at the bottom, then cover it with the old ones so that those are used first.  This applies to every other ingredient.  It makes so much sense, yet at LCB, we constantly received rotten produce because no one took the time to do that.  It still boggles my mind that a school which uses so much produce in one day, especially mirepoix, manages to give its students rotten carrots and shallots.  Go figure.

Yesterday I bagged some leftover rice in a small Ziploc bag at home.  My right hand instinctively reached for the blue Sharpie that I keep in my chef's jacket at work.  Not having the Sharpie there was strange, as was not marking the contents of the bag and labeling pretty much everything I touched.  In France they would have just laughed at me for marking things.  And who uses plasticware en France?  I don't care- hand me a Sharpie and a bottle of disinfectant!

Bon appétit!

New Beginnings

Even before leaving Paris, a frequent conversation among my cooking school cohorts revolved around the questions, "What will you be doing after you graduate?  Will you do a stage (internship in French) in Paris?"

A year ago, I would you have told you that yes, I was staying to do the three-month unpaid internship at a restaurant set up by the school.  I wasn't sure what I would do after that, but I figured it would be experience that I would need if I wanted to delve into the food world.  I was fairly sure I didn't want to be a chef in a restaurant, but knew that I still needed to learn how to cook and to practice in a real environment.

However, my brief stage in December showed me that while I loved the adrenaline rush of being on the line, I probably wasn't cut out for it.  Doubts about doing a long stage crept in, along with the unfortunate realization that my funds would run out should I choose to stay in Paris for it.

While a lot of my classmates worked with the chefs to choose their internships, I decided that I would return back to the US.  I stayed in Paris a month past graduation to give Paris market food tours instead, then headed home.  All the while, I was looking for food writing positions, anything to get me to a place where I could practice my cooking and my love for writing at the same time.  If only I could meet the head honchos at Bon Appetit & Gourmet: Ruth Reichl, you WILL love me!

Frustrations would set in.  There were times when I doubted my decision to go into food: who would give a new graduate / new writer a job?  Would I end up in the corporate world again?  But I had vowed not to do that!  How long would I wait before "selling out?"

Luckily, I didn't have to wait long.  About 2 weeks after arriving home, I received an offer for an internship with Cook's Illustrated outside Boston, MA.  I get to do dishes (as in the fun task of washing them), test recipes, test gadgets, and do whatever else they do out there for 3 months.  The downside is that it's unpaid (but it would have been in Paris too).  The best upside is that they write and do editorials on food and gadgets- something starting this blog made me realize I wanted to do.

So Chez Christine is moving to Boston in 3 days.  Am I nervous about packing and leaving again?  Definitely- I just got home and unpacked.  But I am so excited I can barely contain myself.  Even the thought that I don't have permanent housing yet isn't really fazing me. (Could use some help in this area, dear reader!)

Obviously, I can't blog about what I end doing there, but I promise to keep in touch.  See you on the Atlantic.

Bon appétit!

One Year Reflections

View at the Last Picnic
May 2006, Champs de Mars

I miss Paris.

I miss walking in that beautiful city at night, watching the lights reflecting off the Seine.  I miss lingering for hours in a café, watching the chic and the shabby go by.  I miss restaurants where there is usually only one seating, and you can chat endlessly over a half-full glass of wine, never feeling rushed.  I miss baguettes, cheese, pastries, wine, picnics, chocolat chaud, spending my entire food budget at Pierre Hermé.  I miss wandering the outdoor produce markets and bantering with the sellers.

I even miss squishing in the Metro, walking till my feet are about to fall off, crappy Asian food, endless lines, expensive everything, old ladies with their lethal chariots, and understanding 50% of what people are saying.

*sigh*  Ça va?  Ça va pas.  I've finally had Paris withdrawal.  In the last 2 months since leaving, I've been traveling, too busy to stop, think, and reflect.  But now that I'm in a lull before my next move, the memories have seeped back into my consciousness.

Exactly one year ago on this date, I was sitting in the second floor demonstration room at LCB Paris for the first time.  Happy Anniversary to my cooking school accomplices.  I was nervous, scared, but excited to finally be there.  Looking around at the faces around me, I wondered, "Will these people become close friends or just passing acquaintances?  Will I actually cook well after I finish?  Will I be able to speak French when I'm done?  Why am I here again?"

I recently printed out some photos to give friends at home a glimpse into the last year of my life.  I had thousands of photos to sort through, and choosing only 250 was incredibly difficult.  Flipping through the finished album, I saw good friends, amazing trips, some of the best food I've ever had in my life, and experiences that I could have never predicted for myself. Life was good and gave me so much more than I was hoping for.

Random memories flood in unexpectedly, like my walking route from my apartment to H's: past Opera Garnier, down towards the Louvre, through the magnificent courtyard, across the Pont des Arts, and along the side of the Seine towards Notre Dame.  I did this so many times I knew every little shop, every café, every corner along the way.  The city cast her spell on me, and she still lures me back from thousands of miles away. I catch myself thinking of places to eat and visit when I return, wondering how much the city will have changed in my absence.

Paris, this mademoiselle is anxious to be back. 
A bientôt.

Bon appétit!

LCB Knife Kit

The ubiquitous cooking school knife kit.  Some of the most frequent questions I'm asked revolve around this bag of tools.  Yes, the knife kit is included in the tuition at LCB.  Yes, the school provides all the food and the uniforms.  Yes, you can bring your own knives and tools in if you like (will try to dedicate another post on this later). 

I think the kits are pretty similar throughout the official LCB schools, with a few little exceptions.  I have no idea about the LCB degree program schools elsewhere though- you'll have to find that out yourself.

So I've decided to list every item in my 41-piece knife kit.  Did I use all of the tools?  Absolutely not.   Some I consider pretty useless or replaceable with other knives or tools.  But the best moment the first week of class was when my kit was placed into my hands.  The knives are all Le Cordon Bleu Wusthof line- heavy but sturdy and German.   I'd take knives over jewelry or haute couture anyday.

1. Knife Case
   
2. Wavy Edge Slicer
3. Flat Icing Spatula
4. Bent Icing Spatula
   
5. Cook's Knife- 9"
6. Meat Fork
   
7. Paring Knife
8. Filleting Knife
   
9. Turning Knife
10. Boning Knife
    
11. Light Cleaver
12. Scissors
13. Sharpening Steel
14. Zester
    
15. Melon Baller
16. Apple Corer
17. Channeling Knife
    
18. Trussing Needle
19. Vegetable Peeler
20. Pastry Brush
    
21. Pastry Crimper
22. Piping Bag- 350mm
    
23. Piping Bag- 430mm
24. Plastic Scraper
25. Sugar Thermometer
    
26. Exoglass Spatula- 30cm
27. Whisk- 30cm
28. Table Fork
29. Soup Spoon
30. Teaspoon
31. Stainless Steel Nozzle- U6
    
32. Stainless Steel Nozzle- U8
33. Stainless Steel Nozzle- U10
34. Stainless Steel Nozzle- U12
    
35. Stainless Steel Nozzle- U20
36. Stainless Steel Nozzle- A7
    
37. Stainless Steel Nozzle- D7
38. Plastic Nozzle- StH
    
39. Plastic Nozzle- E6
40. Plastic Nozzle- E8
41. Plastic Nozzle- PF16

Other non-knife kit equipment you receive:

• Tefal electronic balance (scale) including batteries
• Hermetic Plastic Bowl for leftovers
• Hermetic Plastic Sauce Bowl
• Two small scale bowls

Bon appétit!

Strawberry Tomato Gazpacho

I was asked for the Strawberry Tomato Gazpacho recipe that I made for dinner parties last week.  It's a Le Cordon Bleu recipe from school, but since I didn't have the recipe in front of me, I basically made my own version.  Remember that since nothing is cooked, you should get the freshest ingredients possible, especially with tomato season in full swing!  It's a great way to celebrate the end of summer.

---

Strawberry Tomato Gazpacho
(Adapted from Le Cordon Bleu)
Serves 4

1 lb. ripe tomatoes
1 small cucumber
1 pint strawberries
1/2 medium sized white onion
1/4 - 1/2 Serrano chili
2 tbsp. olive oil
salt & pepper to taste

chives (opt)

1. Get a large bowl big enough to hold all the ingredients when they are chopped.  A deep-sided bowl is good when using an immersion blender unless you want to wear gazpacho!
   
2. Chop the tomatoes in half horizontally.  Squeeze seeds out, chop into 1" pieces, and add to bowl.
3. Peel cucumber (you don't want the green skin affecting the color).  Chop into 1" pieces and add to bowl.
   
4. Hull strawberries and cut in half.  Cut larger pieces in half again so that the pieces are roughly the same size and add to bowl.
5. Chop the onion and add to bowl.
6. Remove seeds from chili, chop into small pieces, and add to bowl.  If you're afraid of spiciness, you can always taste and add more if necessary.
7. Add olive oil and using an immersion blender or a regular blender, blend the soup.  Taste for spiciness and seasoning.  Adjust as needed with more chili, salt, and pepper.
   
8. Ladle the soup into a fine strainer over a second large bowl.  Push the soup through the strainer with a wooden spoon or ladle.  Discard the solids in the strainer.
9. Chill soup overnight to let flavors meld together.  Whisk before serving.  Garnish with chives.

Bon appétit!