Som Tum (Green Papaya Salad)

Som Tum (Green Papaya Salad) is a popular and refreshing salad from Thailand that will awaken your taste buds! The combination of salty, sour, sweet, and hot makes it mouth-watering. This has been in my recipe collection for quite a while and I loved it when I was in Thailand (we also made it in school during Asian week). Green papayas are unripe papayas, which can be found in Asian markets. Choose very firm ones with minimal blemishes.

Salad 1    cup green beans, blanched 1/2   green, unripe papaya, shredded 2    tomatoes, cut into wedges 1   tbsp.               dried shrimp, rehydrated and chopped (optional)*** 1/4 cup peanuts, roasted and chopped 3    tbsp. cilantro, chopped
Dressing 1.5  tbsp. palm sugar 3     tbsp. fish sauce 1/4  cup lime juice, freshly squeezed 1     garlic clove, minced 1 red chili, sliced

Bring salted water to a simmer. Trim the green beans and cut into 1-inch pieces. Blanch the beans for approximately 1-2 minutes and refresh in cold water. Drain and place into a large bowl. Peel the papaya and cut it in half. Scrape out the seeds. Using a grater or mandoline, shred into large strands. Traditionally, and if you are very experienced with a sharp knife as one of the students from Thailand in our class was, hold the peeled papaya in one hand and hack away at it with your knife. Then run your knife along the papaya lengthwise to cut strands - yikes! Not recommended if you do not know what you are doing!. Add the shredded papaya, tomatoes, shrimp, and roasted peanuts to the beans.

To prepare the dressing mix the palm sugar, fish sauce, lime juice, garlic, and red chili together. Taste and adjust to your liking. Pour the dressing over the mixture. You can let it sit for a while to allow the flavors to combine. I like to garnish with cilantro leaves. Makes 2 large servings.

***Traditionally, this salad is made with chopped, dried shrimp but I don't particularly like it in this dish. You can skip it if you like.

Tagged as: [ papaya recipes salad somtum thai ]

Happy 60th Birthday Mom

My mom is the most special woman in my life. She is always supportive and encouraging, generous and caring, and so much fun to be around. I cherish every conversation, every visit, and everything we share.

Mom, you are awesome and you re-define what it means to be 60! Thanks for this last visit. I love the fact that you remain wide-eyed and are willing to try anything new. It must be your secret to staying young! I look forward to our next Grouse Grind hike together where I know you will beat me to the top! Thanks for being the incredible woman that you are.

Pan-Fried Pork Dumplings

I love pork dumplings. My lovely mom and I spent the morning making a huge batch of them. Here is a favorite recipe of mine which is really easy and absolutely sumptuous. I serve them with red vinegar and sambal oelek. Yummmmmy!

1 pound	raw ground pork
4 cups	napa cabbage, chopped
1.5 cups	Chinese chives, thinly sliced
3 cloves	garlic, minced
1 tsp.	ginger, minced
6 tsp.	soy sauce
3 tsp.	sesame oil
1 tsp.	salt
2	eggs
2 pkgs.	dumpling wrappers

Combine all of the ingredients in a bow and mix well. Fry a little bit of the mixture in a pan to taste. Adjust the seasonings if necessary. Without overfilling, drop about a tablespoon of the mixture into the centre of a dumpling wrapper. Using water, wet half of the perimeter of the wrapper with your finger and fold to make a half moon shape. Squeeze out as much air as possible when sealing. You can pleat the edges by folding part of the seam over itself and pressing together to glue.

In a non-stick pan, heat 1-2 tbsp. of peanut oil on medium heat. Without crowding, place the dumplings in the pan and fry on both sides until golden brown (you will need to do this in batches). Add about 1/4 cup of water and cover with a lid to steam for about 5 minutes until the pork is cooked through. Remove the lid and cook off any liquid that is remaining. Serve immediately.

We make large batches and freeze them individually on a cookie sheets and then transfer to freezer bags. When you have a craving, cook them the same way as described above. The cooking time will take a little longer when frozen.

Makes about 60 dumplings.

Tagged as: [ dumplings howto pork recipes ]

How to Use Salmon Scraps

We visited a small fishing village called Steveston where we enjoyed some fish and chips on the dock at Pajo's before purchasing some freshly caught B.C. sockeye salmon.
 

After fileting the salmon at home to make Cedar Plank Salmon with Deconstructed Pesto, one of the methods we learned in school to salvage the little bits of salmon that don't get used (and the bits that can be scraped off of the bones) is to make a rillette. A rillette is a preparation of meat, poultry, or fish which is braised in a cooking liquid of wine, aromatics, and fat until tender. The cooking liquid is reduced, strained and cooled, and then pounded into the protein to form a paste. A delicious rillette is well seasoned and served with toasted bread as a cold hors d'oeuvre.

I made an Asian-style rillette by poaching the salmon scraps in a liquid of: wine, shallots, garlic, ginger, lemongrass, peppercorns, red chili, parsley stems, a small bay leaf, lemon zest, celery leaves, a tiny bit of carrot, and water to just cover. I pounded the reduced, strained and cooled cooking liquid into the salmon with some olive oil to form a paste and seasoned it well with sambal oelek, soy sauce, and salt and pepper to taste. To plate the rillette, I steamed some soy beans and fried some ginger threads. I also toasted some bread which was served on the side.
 

When fileting your own salmon, this is a great way to avoid any waste! Click here for more pics from the day.

Tagged as: [ fish foodcost howto pajos rillette salmon scraps steveston tips ]

Sumptuous Shops | Cupcakes

The best cupcake to date, in my opinion, is from a wonderful bakery in New York City called Magnolia. People line up for these delights and can only buy a maximum of 6 at a time (larger orders need to be placed in advance). The vanilla ones are light, fluffy, and full of flavor. The sweetness of the icing is just right and they have cute little sprinkles on the surface. Every time Marcelo and I are in NYC, we pay Magnolia a visit (or two or three).

Today I checked out Cupcakes on Denman Street. Although the name of the shop is a little boring, the cupcakes from this place were pretty good. I tried a chocolate cupcake


with caramel inside and caramel icing. It exceeded my expectations and I will probably go there again...but Magnolia's in NYC has stolen my heart for good. If you want to try out their recipe, you can find it in the Magnolia Bakery Cookbook or here at 52 Cupcakes.

Tagged as: [ bakery cupcakes magnolia pastry ]

How to Choose the Right Culinary School | Why I Chose NWCAV

This blog entry is for the people who are out there trying to decide on which culinary and pastry school to attend. Perhaps it will benefit potential students who are unsure about choosing NWCAV specifically, or attending culinary and pastry school in general.

When I decided to change careers, choosing a school that was right for me was imperative and nerve racking. I was worried about choosing the wrong school and wasting a lot of time and money and possibly becoming discouraged as I made this huge shift. The most important thing for me was that I felt comfortable with the instructors. Other things I took into consideration were:

• first impression
  
• a school that was mature and focused
• location
• reputation
• class size and age
• cost
• placements upon completion

Do your research and request information packets from each school. Once you have picked at least 3 top schools that you are interested in, make an effort to visit each one in person. I think that this is vital to be able to make an educated decision.

I met with the Chef instructors of five schools and sat through classes to monitor their teaching styles. I talked to the students, got their e-mail addresses, and asked them many questions. I tried to check in on them periodically to ask how they thought the program was going but it was difficult to keep in touch with most of them. I wanted to know their thoughts on the training, how it met their expectations, and what they intended on doing after the program.

I did a lot of research on the internet. I originally thought that I would attend Dubrulle but then discovered that it was bought by the Art Institute of America. I didn't like the way the program had changed so I was back to square one, doing more research. That was when I came across NWCAV on-line through the Shaw Guides. NWCAV was a brand new school, created and owned by Chefs who had previously taught at Dubrulle. Their mission statement connected with me and I had to check it out.

After visiting all of the schools, NWCAV seemed right for me. It felt completely down to earth and comfortable. Even though the program length concerned me a bit (because all of the other schools had longer programs and more costly ones), I felt that I would get the education that I wanted. At that time, it was brand new so there wasn't any "reputation" to check out. Ultimately, my gut told me that I should go there. NWCAV was unpretentious and what intrigued me most was the fact that it was Chef-owned. This was their baby, their passion, their livelihood, and my impression was that they would do everything to make it successful. They weren't working for someone else and just showing up. They were working for themselves and I found that extremely attractive since I hope to work for myself one day.

I must admit that I got a bit hung up with choosing a school based on the "name" but I realized that whatever you put into a course is whatever you get out of it—no matter where you are. So my advice would be to not stress out too much about a school based on its name. Make sure you feel that you can learn from experienced Chefs instructors. You have to like them. If you don't care for them or something just doesn't click, you probably aren't going to listen well.

So, did I make the right choice? Absolutely. I felt welcome at NWCAV. They select students that are serious, focused, and committed. Our group wound up being an incredible bunch of people from all over the world. I loved the pace and the intensity of the course. We studied many topics over the course of 15 weeks and each was straight to the point. Ingredients were top notch. We butchered pigs and worked with every type of protein. The course exposes you to a bit of everything. The equipment is of high quality and the space is well designed. I also loved the skylights in the kitchen and how bright it was in there every day. Our class had 21 people in it with 2 instructors present at all times with personal attention given every day. I enjoyed how every instructor has a different background and brought something unique to the table. Their instruction was extremely educational while entertaining. We always had fun learning. The Chef instructors are passionate about teaching and sharing their knowledge and they truly care about their students.

What I also realized, is that it doesn't really matter how long the program is (even though it was so much fun, we didn't want it to end). It is the beginning of a learning curve. This is a field where you can't learn it all—and you certainly can't learn it all in 15 weeks (or in 2 years for some programs). You take the training with you as you work in the industry and pick up more as you go. NWCAV's program is well planned and provides a stable foundation for you. Oh, and by the way, the cost is extremely reasonable but the training you will receive is priceless.

I wish I had something like this to read when I was out there searching for schools. I hope that it winds up helping someone to make his or her decision. It is a big decision to make and I didn't take mine lightly. I'll let you know how the pastry program goes this fall. If you have any questions, I would be happy to help. In the mean time, good luck with your assessments of schools!

Tagged as: [ culinary howto nwcav school ]

Lovely Vancouver

Tagged as: [ canada falsecreek vancouver ]

Wear a Helmet!

I read a blog the other day by Fred Wilson about riding without a helmet and as he put it, "Urban biking without a helmet is suicidal." I couldn't agree more as I fell off my bike today and got pretty scraped up. Those darn railroad tracks (the kind that are embedded in the cement) caught my tire and I went straight down on my side and slid across a road full of dust and little rocks. I gave my head a shake as I got up and was thankful that I had my helmet on. My whole left side was full of rocks and dirt. Yikes. It gives me the willies thinking about it. With my broken sandal (my favorite sandal), I went home, cleaned up my stinging wounds, and continued on my bike ride to run some errands.

For some comfort, I had some pork dumplings from Gourmet Wok at the market in Granville. They were ok. I love comfort food and I love pork dumplings. Come to think of it, I love any kind of dumpling. It must be the Ukrainian in me...

Tagged as: [ bike dumplings helmet safety ]

Brazilian Sucos

While in Brazil, we savored so many different kinds of tropical fruit. It is fresh, ripe, and unbelievably sweet. Everywhere you go, they offer "sucos" which are blended fruit drinks. One of our favorites was a mixture of fresh pineapple, mint, and a bit of water—that's it! Three simple ingredients!

Make sure you seek out the freshest and sweetest fruit possible when preparing these!

Pineapple & Mint Sucos 1 cup fresh pineapple 15 mint leaves water to blend   We also make a strawberry-mint suco. Try any variation.

Tagged as: [ brazil recipes smoothie sucos ]

Keep Herbs Fresh and Salvage Ones You Can't Use

Fresh herbs are bountiful in the summer and often when I purchase them I don't use the large bunches quickly enough before they start to wilt. One way to extend the shelf life of leafy herbs such as cilantro and parsley is to wash them and spin them dry and then place them with their stems immersed in a glass of fresh water in the fridge. I sometimes cover them very loosely with a clear plastic bag to protect them just a bit (but so they can still breathe). I pull out the stems as I need them and change the water frequently.


For unused herbs such as oregano, thyme and rosemary, tie them into small bunches and hang them upside down in a dry, air-circulated place away from direct sunlight. Air-dry them until they are crisp and crackly to the touch. Store in airtight-labeled jars or bags in a cool, dark, and dry place. Don't crush the leaves until you are ready to use them. There is a huge difference in the flavor and smell of these dried herbs versus some of the flavorless ones you can get at the store.


Herbs that require cooking to extract their flavors are: thyme, bay leaves, rosemary, and sage.

Herbs that are best used at the end of cooking (because they are so delicate and will quickly breakdown/discolor) are: basil, chives, parsley, chervil, and cilantro.

Tagged as: [ fresh herbs storing tips ]

Homemade Granola

Making your own granola for breakfast is a yummy treat. Supermarket brands usually have too much sugar or other ingredients in the mix that put me off. Here is a super easy recipe that I obtained from a dear friend. It is healthy and will keep you going until lunch!

2    cups rolled oats 1/2 cup sunflower seeds 1/2 cup roughly chopped nuts 1/8 cup canola oil 1/8 cup pure maple syrup 1    tsp. vanilla extract

Mix the rolled oats, sunflower seeds, and chopped nuts (almonds, pecans, walnuts - anything you like) in a bowl. Pour the canola oil, maple syrup, and vanilla over the mixture and stir well to ensure that the dry mix is evenly coated. Spread the mixture out on a parchment-lined or silpat-lined sheet pan. Bake at 350º for roughly 15-20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes so that it toasts lightly and evenly. Remove from the oven and take off of the sheet pan to cool (the granola gets crunchier as it cools). Store in an airtight container. Makes 6 (1/2 cup) servings.

We top our granola with yogurt and fresh fruit. Mmmmmmm!

Tagged as: [ granola homemade recipes ]

An Incredible Homemade Indian Dinner

Yesterday Amish and Anna (two students from school) came over. Amish played the role of "Executive Chef" and Anna and I played his "Sous Chefs". Amish prepared the most delectable Indian food!


While Marcelo was mixing drinks, the three of us squashed into our little kitchen and prepared the following dishes:

• Masala Papad: pepper papadams sprinkled with small-diced tomatoes and onions, cilantro, lime, and special spices
• Boiled Ground Nuts (peanuts in the shell)
• Raita: yogurt with cucumber and spices
  
• Bajji: fried onion cakes made with chickpea flour, chaat masala and cilantro (he fried spinach too!)
  
• Chhole: chickpeas with garlic, cilantro, and spices
  
• Jeera Rice: basmati rice with cumin seeds and ghee
  
• Phansi: french beans with red pepper and spices
  
• Dhingri mutter: mushrooms, peas, garlic and spices
  
• Malai Kofta: cashew and raisin stuffed fried potato balls with a delicious coconut cream sauce
• Dry curry prawns with tomato, cilantro, lime and spices
  

We took our time preparing all of the courses and nibbled as we went along. Amish made everything look so simple and the different flavors were phenomenal. I couldn't replicate the meal if I tried—everything contained his own special touches and his love for food shone through.


We sat on the floor with pillows, incense, and funky Indian music in the background. We ate and drank wine all night. Amish called his mom in India. She is such a sweetie! She was very happy that Amish was sharing his wonderful cooking skills with us (and so were we)!


This is definitely one of the most enjoyable evenings that we've had cooking at home with friends. Thanks Amish and Anna for a fantastic night! Thanks Marcelo for getting some great photos of the evening—next time we'll make sure you are in them too!

Click here to see more pictures from the evening.

Tagged as: [ cuisine indian ]

Final Practical and Graduation at NWCAV

Last Sunday, our class began the final practical by spending the day organizing our menu for the week and preparing most of our mise en place. On Monday we served lunch with 3 courses, on Tuesday we bumped it up to 4 courses, and finally for the dinner service on Wednesday, we provided 6 courses. There was a lot of excitement in the kitchen and a lot of pressure as well. We all wanted to do our best and show the Chef instructors, our families, loved ones, and guest Chefs what we have learned during the last 15 weeks.

Every day we were in high gear preparing for that first call from one of the Chefs. Timing, organization, communication, and team playing were the keys to a successful service. As the number of courses grew each day, so did the curve balls that the Chefs would throw at us. On our last night and in the midst of organizing our mise en place for service, the Chefs requested that our team prepare a chocolate sponge cake – bake it, ice it, and write on it to serve to the guest Chefs. That night each team had 6 courses to serve and all teams were switched just before service. How much pressure could we handle? Other teams had to pump out dishes that none of us had ever heard of or practiced in school. Teams had to scramble through culinary and pastry books to find recipes and get it done. Our team had to prepare a Lobster Thermador dish that was not on the menu. Another team had to make Oysters Rockefeller. The list goes on!

The last night we had some important guest chefs in the school. Chef Pierre Dubrulle who opened the Dubrulle International Culinary & Hotel Institute Of Canada (now the Art Institute of Vancouver) was judging our team's food. So with the weight on our shoulders to make him dinner (and do it well), we had to make these unexpected dishes! We were really excited to get his feedback at the end of the evening and he was very pleased with our menu. The guest Chefs marked us based on fine dining standards. All of the groups wound up in the 75-percentile grade, which was excellent considering that we have only been in school for 15 weeks.

During wrap up at the very end of the evening, we were all quite emotional. It had been an unbelievable journey for both the students and the Chef instructors. At the beginning of the term, we all came to the program with baggage and issues that we soon had to confront and deal with when working so intimately with each other. We have all changed and have grown in so many ways in this short period of time. The evening was bittersweet—we were elated and proud that we accomplished so much and also sad because we knew that we wouldn’t be working with each other anymore. We are a profound group of people who gelled like our own little family. One guest shared with Chef Tony that she could feel the love in the room that night—the love for the food and the fact that we all were having so much fun together. We all have formed close friendships that will last and the Chef instructors at NWCAV are like no other. They said that the students make the school but we are of the opinion that without the unique and beautiful relationship that the Chef instructors have, the school would not contain the magic that it does.

The valedictorians (Anna from Pastry and Brendan from Culinary) gave lovely speeches to our family and friends on graduation day. All of our loved ones supported us during this program, understood all of the homework that we had, made sacrifices, and celebrated the good days, while encouraging us during the bad ones. I believe we came out of this course not only more educated on the topic of food, but also more educated about ourselves. We became more compassionate towards other people and learned from situations on how to adapt and make things work. With permission from both valedictorians, I am posting their speeches here:


To all of my fellow graduates, I am thankful for having the opportunity to work with such a special and unique group of people. I have enjoyed meeting every single one of you and wish each of you the utmost of success in whatever path you choose.


 

Tagged as: [ exams graduation nwcav speech ]

Declaration of Independence

Today I came across a blog by Pamela Slim called Escape from Cubicle Nation. She has an extremely touching Flash video called My Declaration of Independence.

This came at a precious time and brought tears to my eyes, as we are only 3 days away from our culinary graduation at NWCAV. In the midst of all the excitement and intensity of wanting to complete our final practical in the best possible way, it reminded me how exhilarating it is that I am on my way to fulfilling a huge personal goal.

Changing jobs and attending NWCAV has been one of the highlights of my life. I couldn't have picked a better school. The Chefs there, simply put, CARE. They aim high and teach us as much as they can throughout the program. I am grateful that they have made my journey into a new career so fantastic. Even though the process sometimes overwhelms me, I am surrounded by encouraging people. I am completely elated that I am doing this rather than fantasizing about it. I have the support of my family and friends. I will screw up along the way and I do know that I will keep on going. Chef Tony, Chef Christophe, and Chef Ian have all made an incredible impression on me and I am thankful that they are the ones that have helped shape me these past few months. I am on the path that has me eventually working for myself.

If you are looking for inspiration to give something else a try, visit her website. Once you take that leap, you will be so glad that you did. I remember thinking to myself that if I was 90 years old and looked back on my life and never even tried it out, I would completely regret it. Do it - you will not regret it!

Tagged as: [ career declaration nwcav pamelaslim ]