Day 3: Lock Stock and Two Smoking Sauces

So Day 3 of class was a saucy affair. We learnt how to make stocks, hollandaise, and mayonnaise. This time around we worked as a team of four (only on the stocks). This ended up being a little bit more difficult b/c it was tough to know who was working on prepping what ingredients. I have to say that my partner and I were pretty lucky with our other two people. Although, I think I have now decided I am not so sure my perfect partner is going to work out. But I'll get to that later...


Chef's demo began with an overview of the different types of stocks that we'd be making that evening, an overview of how to prepare a fish fumet (we aren't going to make this until our fish class), and a list of things to remember about stocks. There were a few things that I didn't know...You should always start a stock with cold water and you should only boil a stock once, and the rest of the cooking should be a simmer.


We worked on a few basic ways of preparing stocks. We made a white chicken stock which simmers 2 to 4 hours. A stock is made white by boiling the bones. Our veal stock we made brown, which is accomplished through roasting the veal bones in a hot oven first. The roasting pan is then deglazed and tomato is added in when you roast the veggies in this same pan. Everything is then put together and boiled for 8 to 12 hours. Our final stock of the evening I found to be the most interesting. It was Marmite...No not that oddly delicious wierd brown paste that Brits and Aussies eat by the spoonful, but rather a white beef stock. This stock is unique in that it gets its color from an onion brulee. Literally you burn an onion and put it in with the beef bones. This stock also cooks for a number of hours, so we did not finish it that evening. We prepped all the ingredients which were then put into a big vat that simmered them overnight. The veal stock and marmite that we prepped the ingredients for will become part of the over 100 galloons of stock the school makes a day. My thought is that the CDC should get the school in on its flu plan. If the city has an outbreak, the school should be called immediately and homemade soup sent out to the sick!


We each made our own homemade mayo. Um...this is so delicious and just about one of the easiest things I have ever whipped up in the kitchen. I'm not kidding. It takes a minute and involves 6 ingredients that everyone has in their kitchen...okay maybe not everyone but anyone who ever turns on their stove. Plus, it keeps for about 5 days in the fridge. Why would you buy hellmans? Plus, as the chef pointed out mayo is a base sauce for a boatload of other spreads like tartar, basil mayo, chipotle mayo, etc. If you're over my place anytime soon, open up the fridge. I'd put money that theres a homemade mayo in there somewhere.


Okay so the next was the hollandaise, which we each made as well. We used this to make a bernaise sauce. We started by making a bernaise reduction then began the hollandaise. Mine came out perfectly, but I have to admit thats only because the chef came by as I was about to add the butter and stopped me b/c he could see my pan was too hot. Phew crisis averted. My partner however was not so lucky. I tried to help her as she was stirring by telling her she was supposed to do it quickly. She misunderstood and thought I meant add the butter quickly (I meant stir quickly). Her sauce broke and so did her nice demeanor. I couldn't believe the change in attitude. She was plain out nasty and started blaming me like wild. I am thinking I will try and change partners next time because I'm out to have fun. I don't need someone crying at me over broke hollandaise. She put her happy face back on after a while but the damage was sort of done for me.


As a preview for next class, chef showed us how to extract the marrow from large beef marrow bones. Its not an appetizing process but I love marrow so I am looking forward to cooking with it next class. Next up is taking the stocks and making sauces from these. Hopefully, my partner will be a little less saucy.