Intensely Cooking

So, after a week of whipping up buttercremes, stacks of cake layers and tarts galore, I embarked on a week-long culinary journey with nine brave students, four of whom had gone through the baking intensive the week prior. On the first day, we tackled stocks -- not just your ordinary vegetable stock, but a chickenless chicken stock and a "seafood" stock (yes, sea vegetables are food from the sea, and hence "seafood") from which we made bouillabaisse, the famous saffron-laced French fisherman's stew.   I introduced uses for ingredients such as yuba, the skin that forms on soy milk when heated, that can be transformed into "meaty" textures like vegan fish and chicken, all without using isolated soy protein or TVP.   The sneak preview into my cheese book continued as we made sharp cheddar, gruyere and buffalo mozzarella, and from which we made cheddar sauce, a gruyere mornay sauce for some lovely linguini and Caprese salad (yes. in the middle of February, a local store had a great deal on organic heirloom tomatoes from Los Angeles).

What a hardy, fun group of students!  Standing all day mixing, stirring, flipping, frying, steaming, baking.  But a talented group they were, and turned out one beautiful dish after another.  I'd like to share some of them with you -- and yes, the students made these!

Vegan Cheese Platter featuring Lemon Peppercorn Chevre, Sundried Tomato Basil Cheese, "Gruyere", and Eggplant Pate

SF Fab Cakes with Aioli and Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

Zen Kabobs

Savory Gateau de Crepes with Spinach, Kabocha and Duxellees