Uniformity. . . . .

. . . . .overall sameness; without variations in detail; constant; unvarying; undeviating; identical or consistent, as from example to example, place to place, or moment to moment.

In simpler terms according to the CLG point of view, lacking individuality, creativity or unique qualities. BORING!

As most of you know, successful or not, I have always been a bit of a fashion plate. Through hair, clothes, shoes, accessories or makeup the complete look is part of what defines my attitude or personality for any given day. Even when I am completely alone I rarely get dressed without giving some thought to what I am putting on, how it looks & how it makes me feel. It can’t be explained. It’s just part of who I am. In today’s casual times, many would consider this superficial, but its part of my subconscious & what I do. When I was little, outside of playing dress up in my mother's or grandmother's clothes, one of my favorite toys was a thing called Fashion Plate. You could draw & color an outfit based on various plates that made up different parts of fashion pieces. Needless to say this game/toy shaped my way of thinking.

I am sharing this trivial & superficial explanation to illustrate the identity crisis I have experienced over the past 4 months. For the first time in my life I have been required to wear a uniform. Not only at school but many of the same rules apply to work. Here’s the lowdown on the uniform for school: (BTW, it is scrutinized & graded everyday in a military type lineup.)

Chef’s Jacket – unisex, oversized, cuffs rolled up, buttoned up to the collar, pressed and cleaned with plain white, sleeved t-shirt underneath. (CLG commentary: way too baggy & long, not to mention cut for a man, not a woman, afraid I might catch a sleeve on fire.)

Chef’s Pants – unisex, black & white checkered, very baggy, drawstring waist, bunchy in the crotch and very hot, tapered legs, way too long, must be hemmed, each pair was about 6 inches too long. (So ugly & although casual really not comfortable. Reminds me of the pants all the frat guys wore in the early ‘90s. What were those called, ‘Jams’???)

Socks – must be black or white, crew length & cotton. (Hate socks, so hot…esp. in summer….which leads me to the shoes.)

Shoes – School issued steal toe lace-ups, black leather, slip proof, oil resistant. Can get other shoes but they have to be black, leather, with a back (no Crocs) and slip-resistant. (Although they are comfortable, & being slip proof is more important than I ever realized, these are the ugliest shoes ever made. Been trying to find another pair for work that meet all of the criteria that aren’t so awful.

Cravat – A white kerchief tie that is rolled up & tied in a Windsor knot with the tails tucked into the knot. (Completely useless. I have no explanation for this one. There’s a story about tradition, but as an Aggie who is used to stories about crazy tradition, this one is not worth repeating.)

Hat – skull cap, like a surgeon (tight & itchy); if hair is longer than your collar it must be tucked into the hat or in a ponytail with a hairnet. (A little severe, especially when just sitting in a classroom & not working in a kitchen.)

Aprons & Towels – Aprons put on once you enter the kitchen with two towels tucked into the waste. As soon as you leave the kitchen the apron must be removed. (This is one I will never argue & makes complete sense.)

Fingernails – depending on the chef who is grading you; cut down to where no white portion exists or when holding your hand up palm facing you can not see any nails from the palm side. (Can’t argue – except the no white can be really, really short people who have a long nail bed.)

Others – no jewelry other than a plain wedding band, no makeup (yea, right.), no obvious piercings (can’t have the ring or post in), consistently groomed facial hair, nametag/lanyard tucked into chef’s jacket, sharpie & thermometer in sleeve pockets of jacket.

I understand that many of these rules have to do with proper hygiene in the food service industry and health code regulations, but when I come from a kitchen at work and can’t where the same shoes or pants in school & the hair regulations are more severe than a lunch lady in a school cafeteria, that’s where I start to have a problem. I also understand the need for uniformity, but this is not the military and we are not a bunch of misfits that need to be taught discipline. We aren’t even allowed to come inside to change into our uniform. Instead, we must be completely in uniform from the second we walk in the door. I have issues with this on a couple of different levels. The jacket & various uniform pieces are being exposed to many outside germs. (For many people, a lot more than their hands need to be washed before entering a kitchen.) Not to mention the awkwardness of people finishing dressing in the parking lot or completely changing clothes. Recently I had a male classmate ask me, as I got out of my car, if I was going to “Drop trou in the parking lot”. Granted the guy is a complete jerk, which I’ve recognized from the start, but that was completely inappropriate. (And it was obvious I was wearing the correct pants.)

My rant about uniforms is not about being a superficial fashion plate, but actually feeling personally challenged in a way I’ve never known. Self-presentation has been very awkward & I’ve had to rethink how people relate to me & how I communicate. Throughout this experience, I've had my doubts (about many things) & I know I have not been doing a good job of expressing myself. On many levels I've felt lost & overly reserved. It’s been an interesting learning experience which is far from over. As far as the uniform is concerned, I hate every minute, but as part of the journey, I am willing to play along. Just don’t ask me to send you a picture of me in full uniform. The only thing that makes it okay is that everyone else around me is dressed the same way. (How's that for superficial!)

Chicken Chasseur

A few weeks ago I spent the week in Houston for Spring Break. While there I cooked dinner for some friends and made Chicken Chasseur. Basically this is chicken braised in a brown sauce. Braising is a dual cooking method, first you saute/brown, then you bake/steam in the oven. It's very simple, has incredible flavor and presents beautifully. The only drawback is that it is not quick. More than likely you will need about two hours to prepare.

Ingredients:
Assorted pieces of bone-in (with skin) chicken - legs, thighs, breasts (split & cut in half) or two whole chickens broken down into 8 pieces.
2oz of oil
1 stick of butter
4 shallots, diced
8 oz. mushrooms, thickly sliced or quartered
8 cups of veal/beef stock (I used a reconstituted veal stock base called More Than Gourmet from Central Market. Another good base if you can find it is called Custom Culinary. Do not use bouillon. Last resort, Kitchen Basics has veal stock in a box.)
1/2 cup tomato paste
1 cup of flour (aprox.)
2 tomatoes, peeled, seeded & diced
1 tbsp finely chopped parsley

Heat oil in a large stockpot over medium high heat. Add chicken pieces & brown on both sides. You just want a good amount of color on the skin. You are not trying to cook the chicken through. Remove chicken from the pot & set aside.
Add butter to pan, allow to melt, add shallots & mushrooms, let sweat, add the wine, deglaze the pot (dissolving all of the brown bits off the bottom of the pan), reduce wine by 3/4s, begin to add flour slowly until a roux forms that is the consistency of creamy peanut butter. Let the roux cook & darken to a blonde state. Stir in tomato paste. Begin to add about 1/2 of the stock, slowly, stirring constantly. Add the chicken back to the pot. Continue to add stock until the chicken is a little more than 1/2 covered. (You may not need as much stock as the recipe calls for. Watch the consistency of the sauce. It should not be too thin or liquidy.)

Cover pot & transfer to a 350 degree oven. Let cook for at least 30 minutes, more than likely close to an hour. (Check it a couple of times for doneness & chicken tenderness.) Remove chicken to a serving bowl leaving sauce in the pot. Place pot on the stove over medium heat & allow sauce to reduce & thicken slightly. Pour sauce over chicken. Garnish with diced tomatoes & chopped parsley.

Woodfire Grill

For those of you who are Top Chef fans you probably know Kevin Gillespie. On this past season he made it to the final 3 next to the Voltaggio brothers & was known for many of his pork dishes. His restaurant in Atlanta is Woodfire Grill and last night it's tasting menu became the inaugural dinner party for a dining club group that included myself and a handful of classmates. Woodfire Grill creates it's menu from seasonal, local, sustainable ingredients. The menu varies and depends on what is the freshest, most flavorful offerings from local purveyors. This dinner was truly a southern food fine dining experience. The tasting menu consists of a 5 course small plate sampling menu that showcases the chef's abilities and specialties.

Here's a look at what was on the menu:

Amuse

sweet grass chevre, buttered toast, salsa verde

First Course

confit laughing bird shrimp salad tart, gremolata aioli, avocado creme fraiche, salsa cruda

Second Course

pan seared diver scallop with Moroccan spice rub, sumac roasted hen of the woods,
spiced wine syrup, ras el hanout

Taste

creamy potato and leak soup, micro radish

Fourth Course

smoked berkshire pork loin and belly, slow roasted anson mills grits, pickled cabbage,
roast pear and apple relish, espelette honey

Main Course

wood grilled lamb loin, grilled veal sweetbreads, confit fingerling potatoes,
charred baby vidalia onion, roasted lamb jus, cranberry gel

Dessert

apple cake, candied walnut anglaise, apple relish, brown sugar ice cream, honey gastrique

Each course was beautifully presented and offered layers of flavor throughout each ingredient and plating component. My personal favorite was the 2nd course with the Moroccan spice rubbed scallop and wild mushrooms. Tasting the scallop alone was fantastic but when combined with the wine syrup brought out many more layers of flavor like cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice. The meatiness of the mushrooms may have overpowered the delicacy of the scallop but the spice rub and red wine syrup brought each element together in such a fantastic way.

I have to admit this was the first time I've had grits. The thick creamy texture reminded me of risotto and was very nice mixed with the pickled cabbage, and apple/pear relish side. The grits and relish were topped with two cuts of pork, tenderloin and belly. Pork tenderloin is one of my standby regulars when deciding what to prepare for a simple, yet impressive, dinner. However, I wasn't too sure about the pork belly. After watching Kevin Gillespie on Top Chef, I knew at some point pork belly would be part of the tasting menu and I was intrigued by it's flavor and presentation. I'm not entirely familiar with pork belly and did not know until someone explained that it is basically bacon but a much thicker cut that is mostly fat. (I'll learn more about that when I get into Culinary Foundations 3 and cover everything about various cuts of pork and beef.) For someone not accustomed to southern cuisine, pork belly is probably more of an acquired taste but I was impressed with the smooth, tender texture of the meat.

The lamb was also a favorite. Plated on a bed of Vidalia onions, the tenderness of the lamb combined with the sweet, smoky flavor of the onions was a fantastic layer of flavor. It was combined with a small portion of veal sweetbread over confit fingerling potatoes.

Overall the entire evening was a great dining experience. The attention to detail in plating, flavors and ingredients was meticulous and delicious. If you're ever in the Atlanta area I highly recommend making plans to try either the tasting menu or the regular menu. The only thing I advise is making reservations at least a month in advance. The tasting menu is $65 a person but definitely worth the flavors and experience.
-CLG