We started the day with a written exam. Thank God I somehow managed to remember some french terms and basic stock ingredients from yesterday's topic. I got a score of 9 out of 10 points! Yeepee!

I'm glad I did an experimental cooking at home last night as I learned extra tips from Teacher Imee regarding stuff that are not in the cooking manual.

Topics discussed today includes basic knowledge on marketing and introduction to different kinds of herbs and spices. As usual nakakahilo... aside from information overflow, (my God!) sari-saring amoy. At buti hindi kami hinimatay dahil amoy putok talaga! *LOL* Teacher Imee said, it takes a lot of patience and experience to familiarize yourself with them. Yan daw ang pinanggagalingan ng mga secret recipes na binabalik-balikan natin sa mga restos. Parang yun Victoria's Chicken or Chicken Kinasal ni Rosanna Roces at Juday sa teleserye na Ysabelle (ay bakya!) *LOL* You need to be familiar with them to be able to become a good chef. So... is there any hope for me out there? :D

Here's our menu for today: Salad Greens w/ Oriental Dressing, Cuban Chicken with Arroz Rojo, Cream of Mushroom Soup, and Tofu Mango Mousse. A lot of herbs and spices were introduced in these recipes. I was in charge of the soup today so I have no idea how others made their dishes. But oh my, all of them taste sooooo good!! Although may mga palpak pa rin in the process of cooking like missing out certain steps. Pero, wag ka, gourmet ang lasa! Yung chicken parang middle east style kasi yung amoy putok na herb (cumin) ang halo dun. Buti nalang mahilig ako sa mga pagkaing Indian at Arabo kaya nasarapan talaga ako. Kailangan mailuto ko yan sa bahay. Winner din yung Tofu Mango Mousse. Yes, TOFU! Di ko rin maimagine yun lasa nung una, but blending the tofu to the mango mixture really smoothen the consistency of the mousse. The food we cooked passed the taste test naman. The soup just needs a little adjustment coz it's too thick. Just need to add more broth until the consistency is flowy and bring it to a boil. Too bad, I was only able to take a few pictures today (yun lang soup kasi ako nagluto).



Unlike yesterday, I didn't do any practice cooking tonight. Napagod kasi ako sa shopping after class. *LOL* Funny nga, whenever I open my bag to get my wallet, ang lakas talaga ng amoy ng halo-halong herbs and spices from my bag. Nakakahiya tuloy sa cashier! Kailangan na labhan ang bag. *LOL*

Here's the recipe of the dessert for today. Medyo mahaba yun other recipes. If you're interested, kindly PM me nalang. :)


Steps:
Blend together first 5 ingredients until smooth. Transfer int a bowl. Add in dissolved gelatin and whipped cream. Put in containers/cups. Chill until firm or until ready to serve.

P.S. Malakas yata talaga apoy sa stove namin. I checked yun sa Maya's mahina yun low heat niya, pero yun amin parang high pa rin. Would you know kung na-aadjust ba yun?

Labels: cooking, food tripping, wifey diaries