Home for the Holiday

Days 85-90 and Everything in Between

In case you're wondering—I'm still alive.

I've been a busy bee the last week. I just wrapped up my biggest undertaking in culinary school: the menu project. For the last few months, I've been planning a multi-course menu, complete with food photos, recipes, a costing breakdown, an essay on my theme and so on. I turned the project in today and am happy with my work.

I'm also happy that it's over, which is why I celebrated tonight with some culinary school friends at Wondee Siam. A Thai classmate and friend took us to the amazing restaurant in Midtown. She says it's the closest food to home in New York.

Because of the menu project—as well as Thanksgiving—I took a mini-sabbatical from my blog. The holiday was amazing; I was so grateful to see my parents and brother in Ohio. We cooked our butts off and ate so much that my pants are definitely not buttoning like they were before. But it was worth it.

Besides the turkey my dad deep-fried, my mom and I cooked most of Thanksgiving dinner. Appetizers comprised butternut squash soup, a foie gras torchon and rabbit sausage; the turkey and gravy, leek bread pudding, sweet potato casserole, green beans, mashed potatoes, a ribbon salad, cranberry sauce and Brussels sprouts with homemade maple bacon were the main entrees and sides; and two pumpkin pies and a caramel apple pie were for dessert.

As if that wasn't enough, my mom and I made my uncle's Polish sausage the next day. I've eaten the dish a thousand times during the holidays, but I've never seen how it's made. I now know the family secret (and am willing to share it with anyone who favors garlic and pork).

After the sausage making, our family headed to chef Michael Symon's flagship, Lola, located in downtown Cleveland. I've been there several times, but it was a first for my husband. He loved it. We (not surprisingly) gorged ourselves on beef cheek pierogies, pork belly, crispy bone marrow, ribeye steak with bone marrow garlic butter, pork chops with cheesy polenta and several desserts. Not to mention the wine and drinks—but how can you pass those when the menu is on an iPad?

I headed back to New York missing my family and feeling as stuffed as a turkey.

Load of Crepe

Day 32

Last day of pastry = time for a celebration.

Today wasn't as hellish as it has been, but it wasn't easy breezy either. For one, we had to finish a recipe that we didn't get to last week—the bande de tarte, which was created from the puff pastry dough—as well as make two types of crepes in a stainless (not nonstick) pan.

First were crepes suzette, sweet, butter-and-orange-laden crepes flambeed with brandy. Next were savory buckwheat crepes filled with ham and mushrooms and topped with melted gruyere. Yum—although nothing is better than crepes in France.

I was a high schooler when my mom, dad, brother and I

visited Paris. We stayed with a family

during the week (thanks to a foreign exchange

program in which my

brother was involved) and they spoiled us with local dishes, including crepes. The daughter, Solene, was 16 at the time and had a killer recipe. Her secret: beer.

When I was looking through Tuesday's recipes

and saw "beer" in the list of ingredients, I had to laugh. Guess it wasn't such a secret after all. However, Solene used beer in the batter while we used it in the filling.

We did use beer in the banana fritter batter. We deep-fried the fruit and plated the doughy bits on top of cinnamon sauce. I was a happy camper.

Tomorrow is Part 1 of nutrition. Two thumbs up to that considering all the sugar and butter I've consumed over the last week and a half.

It's time to do the body good.

The Price is Right

Day 25

Everyone said costing would be a nightmare. After our lecture today, however, I'm convinced that it won't be too bad. I suppose I shouldn't jinx myself before the test, though, considering I haven't taken a math class since 1999.

But anything has to be easier than turning cocottes.

The idea behind costing is that it helps a business regulate its bottom line. A series of formulas help restaurants price their menu items so they can turn a profit. Costing can be the determining factor in whether a restaurant stays afloat.

Our class had a lesson in these formulas today, along with some recipes that demonstrated how to stretch food to its max. As it turns out, stuffing is one of the best ways to do this. I'm not just referring to Thanksgiving-type dressing, although that can certainly be a part of it. Mousselines, duxelles and other fancy stuffing preparations—known as "farce" in French—can all serve this purpose and are often made from vegetable and protein trimmings.

We prepared paupiette de volaille—a butterflied chicken breast stuffed with sausage and a mushroom duxelle. It was reminiscent of dishes my mom prepared during my childhood, which is always a good thing.

You can't put a cost on the comforts of home.