Chicken Ravioli – Morel Sauce
I cannot believe that we entered this week knowing that on Friday we would be receiving our last marks in class for our cooking ! Whilst we have another week to go before our course ends, week 10 involves our Theory Test , Skills Practice and our Dinner Parties and none of this involves in class marking. So Friday, which was our creative rabbit day, would conclude our chances for improving our marks on any of the skills we are being graded on.
Before that we started the week with a Mock practical Exam wherein we were given one hour and three quarters to produce a chicken Mousseline Ravioli and Morel sauce under exam conditions – no talking , no conferring. Some students had already practised over the weekend and said the timing was tight. I had not done so but they were correct, I was done 2 minutes after service time and of our 8 students on our side of the kitchen only 1 student managed to finish in time. The teachers said thereafter it was a tough call, but if I had reduced my sauce in a wider saucepan this would have sped things along more quickly and I probably would have met the time target. Even so I was happy enough and the dish looked acceptable and tasted delicious !
The following day we had to prepare scallops for the second time ( with pickled mooli and a peanut sauce) and “false” scallops – a dish of king oyster mushrooms which you slice up the large thick stems, score the tops, and then Pan fry them.
Scallops or Mushrooms – looks can be deceiving!
Once done they resemble scallops but you have produced a vegan dish, as it was accompanied by a Hazlenut Vinaigrette and salt baked celeriac which we then used half to make up a Purée and the other half to pan fry. It was fun making the Celeriac as we had to quarter it and make up a very salty dough to completely encase it and after baking smash it open to extract the, now, very salty celeriac.
Cracking open the Dough
I had tried this at home a few weeks previously and the dough set so hard – like concrete- it would not come away from the baking sheet and I had to throw the baking sheet away ! Not a good day in the kitchen. At school all was ok and I think I know where I went wrong now !
Our last bread of the course was also on the agenda – a buttery brioche which we were to use to accompany our Pear and Saffron Chutney ( which we had made a week ago), together with a Foie Gras parfait. The Parfait was made using raw Foie Gras and Chicken Livers wizzed up with shallots and a reduction made from Port, Brandy and Madeira, and using loads and loads of butter and eggs. It tasted fab and would be taken home for additional servings.
1M calories per mouthful…..
The brioche was also fun to make, slapping it onto the bench and basically pecking it to develop the gluten whilst incorporating the butter, one piece at a time. This involved trying to stretch the dough with one hand to shoulder high without the strands breaking – tiring but fun ! It tasted great, but I guess, when eaten with the Foie Gras, is not exactly for the diet conscious – butter overload !
So our last graded session on Friday was to be a Rabbit meal which we were able to choose ourself having been provided with a whole rabbit under instructions to utilise as much as the animal as possible and prepare the meat in at least two separate ways. I, as many did, used the loin to be the inside of a Ballottine wrapped in either pancetta or Parma ham, but to differentiate mine I shredded the meat off the hind legs and minced it up to get a rabbit sausage meat and spread this on the pancetta before rolling in the loin. This meant you had a Ballottine that had a kind of Mousseline around the loin encased in the crispy pancetta. I also used the offal and front leg meat to make a rabbit “Haggis” and to accompany it made a silky smooth Fennel Purée, and then also roasted some Fennel in saffron and stock topped it with a Walnut,Rosemary and Parsley crust. 
This was then finished with a Rabbit Jus which had been bubbling and reducing away for around 5 hours. I was very happy with the end result and managed to get 5,s for meat cook, presentation and Veg – a great way to finish the Course and surprising as I had been out the night before and had got home at 2am completely trashed and therefore had only 4 hours sleep. Had sweats in the kitchen all day and my hands were shaking when glazing the brioche, and probably drank about 5 litres of water during the days cook. Why did I do that as prep for the last days cook ? But strangely enough the prep worked ! Maybe need to repeat it before our end of term Theory exam scheduled for 09.30 am Monday ! 🙄
Apart from our own cooking, we were treated to a few great Demos from outside Chefs this week. The lovely Atul Kochhar came in to Demo us some wonderful Indian food including a great ChemeenManga Curry ( Prawn and Green Mango to you and I) and a delicate Chutney ni Murgi – or Chicken cooked in tangy herb paste.
From a very different angle we had a visit from young Chef Ben Marks who runs Perilla Restaurant in Stoke Newington. He has trained at Claridges, Noma and The Square, the latter of which is where he says he learnt his creativity from. He made a fabulous dish called Yesterday’s bread soaked in Moules Mariniere, and a crazy Burnt Onion Soup which was served in a hollowed out Onion which itself was blow torched to within an inch of its life.
Atul at work
Cremated/ Burnt Onion Soup !
And inside very grey!
Lastly we had a presentation from glass manufacturer Riedel on Monday AM which most students bunked off from, but was fascinating and involved a lot of wine drinking. Basically Riedel produce glasses specifically for individual grape varieties and name them so, protecting their patent as strongly as Champagne protects its exclusivity.
Riedel
What’s incredible is how the shape of the glass and width of the aperture can make wines taste so different, demonstrated by trying the same wine in a variety of glasses to taste how the vessel produces a different delivery to the mouth and affects the taste. It’s difficult to believe but after experiencing it I am converted. Another alcoholic prep for the Monday Mock Exam of Ravioli !
And there we have it – week 9 and our food education more or less finished. No more marking – the grades we have achieved for our course work now stand and cannot be improved upon, We are all busy revising this weekend ( or should be) for our Theory exam and on Wednesday next we find out what we need to cook for our Practical Exam the following week. The heat is on !