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...

Fish Tackle

Days 73 and 74

Give me that fillet o' fish, give me that fish.

I spent the first two days of production cleaning, filleting and skinning cod, branzino, steelhead trout and monkfish. My arms were definitely open to the task at hand; I need work in that arena. I've never been big on buying fish—especially whole—so I'll take any aquatic creature thrown my way.

Of all the fish, cod was the most challenging. It's massive. On Wednesday, the fish was more than half my height. Pretty freakin' awesome—except for the worms. The fish often has a parasite (the cod worm) that crawls in its flesh. I'm not sure I'll ever order cod again after plucking those guys and watching them squirm.

No more fish tomorrow. Production works like this: Each person spends two days on a rotation, comprising filleting, butchering and stocks. I believe stocks is next. It's the rotation I'm least looking forward to due to all the horror stories of burns and back aches.

I better stock up on sleep 'cause tomorrow is gonna be a long one.

Hello, Goodbye

Days 71 and 72

Family meal: I'll miss you.

Today was the final day of the rotation—and it was a good one. We roasted six legs of lamb (which a few of us deboned yesterday) stuffed with garlic, rosemary and oregano. I was skeptical—especially considering the pungent smell coming from the oven—but it was amazing. Seriously. Crispy skin and juicy meat... what more could a carnivore ask for?

Per usual on buffet day, the family meal was overshadowed by the abundance of food on the opposite side of the room. It should be: The buffet team plans an elaborate meal for a week in hopes of wowing the school. This week's team settled on the various neighborhoods of Manhattan for its theme.

For yesterday's family meal, we made a version of boeuf bourguignon and served it with polenta. To be honest, it wasn't my favorite day, as I had to man the salad station. What a mindless task. However, I fully understand we have to pay our dues.

Tomorrow is production. Hopefully the family meal mascot (a grumpy French chef PEZ dispenser) will continue to watch over us.

We're gonna need it.