block 1 down...

and eleven more to go! chef wasn't kidding when he said these first four weeks would fly right by. i've now completed the first month of my program... woohoooo! so was it everything i expected? YES... and more! it's been an amazing ride so far. i know i've just only scraped the surface of my program but i can honestly say that the decision i made 8 months ago to do this, was the right one – no doubt. i absolutely love what i'm doing at the moment. i don't care that i have to get up every morning at 5:30am when it's still pitch black. i don't care that i have to trek through rain and snow to get to school. i don't even care that i'm the 'oldie' of the class because these youngins give me energy and life. they're an awesome bunch. they keep it fun and i hope we all move forward together.

thanks to my Chef for making our first month such a great time. his style of teaching is perfect for any newbie coming into the program and slightly unsure if they should be there. it's his type of attitude that makes cooking enjoyable – not only for us but for himself. he wants us to do well and won't hesitate to let you know when you're on the right track or f*cking up. that's exactly what we need as learners... as students.

so i sit here reflecting on the past 12 months. it's been a big year of change. i knew it would be. i smile as i reminisce. and i smile some more as i look forward to the next eleven months. it's going to be effin hard work but i'm looking forward to it. 2008 will be a big year of learning and facing new challenges. i say, "BRING IT!" i'm ready. so as 2007 comes to an end, there's only one word that really describes how it all unfolded. in the words of one of my best mates... 'glorious' :). thanks to everyone who has supported me to this point. without your support and words of encouragement, i might have hesitated about doing this. like i've said before, i'm excited because you're excited for me. i hope that one day, i can have you all sitting down with me feasting on scrumptious food and sipping aromatic wines.

happy holidays...

-h :)

Mr Brunoise...

when you're such a bad ass, they address you as Mister... with a capital 'M'. so if you remember Miss Julienne Carrot, the sophisticated but tough b*itch from hell, then i'd like to introduce you to her big brother, Mr Brunoise. he's so bad that we only know him by his surname. to reiterate, a julienne is a stick-shaped cut of vegetable or other foods with the dimensions: 1-2mm x 1-2mm x 2.5-5cm. so what makes Mr Brunoise even tougher? well... he's a 1-2mm x 1-2mm x 1-2mm cube! if you thought getting two dimensions right was difficult, try three! if you're not too familiar with the metric system, might i explain this to you in terms of the imperial system? this might actually sound even more frightening as the dimensions are in fractions of an inch. defined in imperial terms, the sides of a brunoise are 1/16" x 1/16" x 1/16". does that sound any better? probably not!

to put it simply, today was not a great day. good... but not great. it totally started off on the wrong foot or lack of foot as i turned a corner on the street this morning and hit a large patch of black ice. up went my feet and down i came crashing. i've got a badly bruised hip and palm to prove it too. so when it came time to face Mr Brunoise for the test of all tests, i was definitely in no mood for a long haul brawl. Mr Brunoise... we shall meet again...

whadda week...

what a great week of cooking! there were a lot of good old fashion dishes prepared this week – from southern fried chicken, to mac & cheese, to a roast baron of beef. pots were boiling and flames were flaring! chef was right when he said he would never let us starve but i think it's time to take it down a notch and stick to just tasting and refrain from actual eating ;). all was extremely tasty and to pick one as the winner was extremely hard. but after taking a seat and going down the list of distinguished nominees, i was able to decide on my winner... *drum roll*... a mouth watering pot roast with a beautiful red wine & demi-glace reduction. i know, i know... you're probably thinking, "pot roast? are you serious?!" absolutely. if you had had the pleasure of sinking your teeth into this tender piece of slow-braised heaven, you'd know what i was talking about. this chuck roast was prepped on the friday so it had all weekend to just sit and marinade in a bath of red wine, garlic, bay leaves, black peppercorns, thyme and parsley. how good does that sound? damn good, i tell ya! so when monday finally came around, it was more than ready! so tender... so tasty... nothing but absolute yuuuummmmm!

make it bacon?

so i like bacon but i wouldn't say i love bacon. i would probably say that i prefer the smell of bacon more than its taste. i would even go so far as to say that i like Aussie bacon more than the strips of fat they serve up across North America. what's the difference you ask? well, to keep it simple, Aussie bacon is more like what we would call Canadian back bacon here. in other words, it's a bit more like ham and a lot less fatty. but i digress. even though i'm not bacon's number one fan – probably because of health reasons – i do think its a great enhancer of flavours in food. i don't know what it is but there's an x-factor in bacon that just makes things taste better. take for example a basic tomato sauce or what some would call Napolitana. if you were to add a bit of diced up bacon and saute it with your onions and garlic while making your sauce, you'd get this wonderful hint of smokiness added to your sauce. it doesn't overtake the rest of the sauce but just adds to it. or how about a split pea & ham soup? or chicken a la king? the list goes on. certainly, anything in excess can turn a good thing bad. but bacon in mild doses? so far, i'm a fan.

bumpin hump day...

yip... it's that time again where the remainder of the week will just zip right by. actually, it really doesn't matter what day of the week it is, the days have been flying by! i mean, it's still a bit rough getting up at 5:30am some days but once i get into my whites & checks and step into that kitchen, it's like stepping into another dimension. 100% pure adrenaline... and i love it! the rush of being in the kitchen is amazing. even dicing up veggies can put you into a state zen. i just get into 'the zone' and before you know it, six hours have passed and your day is over. you scrub up... pack your knives away... get changed... and get excited about another day. i'm hoping this romance never ends...