Blue Note

When life hands you blueberries, make blueberry ketchup. That's my thought anyway.

When work ordered a ton (well not exactly a ton, but a lot) of blueberries for a recent photo shoot, I gladly took home a pint. After all, it's still winter and blueberries are hard to come by—and expensive.

My mind immediately began racing about what to do with them. Instead of making a dessert (the obvious choice), I decided to use the blueberries for my dinner. Duck and berries are a classic combination; I conjured up a blueberry "ketchup" to pair with seared duck breasts. It was outstanding.

Blueberry Ketchup (adapted from chef Jim LaPerriere via The Detroit Free Press)

2 cups (one pint) blueberries

1 clove garlic, minced

1 small shallot, minced

3 tablespoons brown sugar

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon ground coriander

1/8 teaspoon ground ginger

1/8 teaspoon allspice

Salt and pepper to taste

1. Combine all ingredients (except salt and pepper) in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook uncovered for 25-30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thickened and syrupy. Season with salt and pepper.

2. Remove from heat and serve. If a more refined sauce is desired—or if you want it to appear more like ketchup—strain through a fine chinois.

If duck isn't your thing—which I can't imagine why unless you're a vegetarian or afraid of cooking it—this ketchup would also work well with chicken, pork, beef or any game meat. Or just smear it on a toasted baguette and call it a day. Either way, be sure to break out this recipe during grilling season.

You won't be singing the blues after this one—at least until it's gone.

Duck and Cover

Days 111-114

T minus one week. That's it.

I don't think reality has yet hit. It still feels like school isn't close to being over and I've got plenty of time to find a job. I better check myself before I wreck myself. (Thank you, Ice Cube, for the advice.)

I've already completed most of the final rotations. This week, I checked off saucier with some good-looking pork chops and duck breasts. I plan on practicing both dishes at home in the coming week so that I can get them down to a science.

Monday marks the last day of pastry, complete with a mock final. For the practice exam, I'm expected to complete a smaller yield of the Level 6 recipes—pear tart tartin with chartreuse ice cream and chocolate orange parfait—both which have multiple components. I'm anticipating a hair-raising experience.

Come Tuesday, I'll enter my final rotation: entremetier. It will be a nice way to wind down a crazy six months, as my team will put our knowledge and creativity to use for the restaurant's amuse-bouches.

Preparing for that final should be amusing...

Holy Smoke!

Days 75 and 76

It feels like I'm smokin' through Level 4—maybe 'cause I am.

The wood chips and charcoal have made several appearances in the past few days of class. My team can't get enough of them.

It all started with the duck breasts; they were amazing (I offered a piece to Ryan's parents—

who visited this weekend and have never tried duck—and they loved it.) Next came the trout, cured in a brine of juniper berries, Madeira wine and maple syrup. Also awesome. The spicy Italian sausage wrapped up Friday.

Today, we smoked the bacon we cured last week. Tomorrow, we're smoking salmon, rabbit sausage and more trout.

The smell of burning wood chips certainly evokes feelings of fall. Sometimes I miss having a fireplace. I'm definitely looking forward to heading to Cleveland for Thanksgiving. My mom and I have been planning the menu; deep-fried turkey, leek bread pudding and sweet potato casserole are confirmed.

Oh, and the infamous Level 3 lemon tart might make a reappearance...

Fowl Taste

Day 16

I wish life was just ducky right now. It's not.

I'm writing Friday's post two days late, in the hopes that I would locate my Canon PowerShot that I've had by my side throughout this culinary adventure. (The camera is actually a gift my husband received from my parents, and we've used it on endless vacations and food-related jaunts.) Hopefully, I'll return to school Monday and the point-and-shoot will be waiting for me in the lost-and-found. I don't want to be a Debbie Downer, but I'm not so confident that is going to happen. In the meantime, my phone will serve as my replacement.

There is some good news, though: I've downloaded pretty much every photo on the camera. However, I am missing game bird day.

I'm on a duck hunt.

Speaking of ducks, my class prepared the Long Island variety (a descendent of the white Pekin, just for some random knowledge) with a classic orange sauce; we sauteed the breasts and braised the legs. Yum. The chef's demo dish was a roasted duck with the same sauce. Double

yum.

The final recipe was pan-roasted quail with rice and sausage stuffing. I have three words for that: good yet impractical. The tiny birds look cute on a plate but have virtually no meat. "You would need three of these for a meal," the chef commented. Apparently, he doesn't think big of the little ones either.

Next class will feature my protein of choice: beef. Just to get a head start, I ordered steak tartar for Sunday brunch at L'Ecole, the school's restaurant where I will spend the final two months of my program. It was totally worth the extra cholesterol. Ryan went for it, too, with a ratatouille burger.

Beef. It's what's for dinner—and sometimes for brunch.