Pangaea Restaurant Toronto

Hey Everyone,

Recently a group of my fellow culinary students and I took a night out in Toronto to enjoy some of the benefits of Winterlicious! We went to the restaurant Pangaea located at Bay & Bloor, this left our palates both amazed and satisfied. The Chef de Cuisine Derek Bendig certainly knows how to maintain his kitchen and only allow the finest foods to be delivered to the tables. Upon our arrival we were given bread and a magnificent pear butter. Our courses included a Pear and Endive Salad: roasted pear, shaved fennel, watercress, frisée, walnuts, Stilton cheese, mustard dressing - Smoked duck: celeriac roulade and lamb lettuce - Kobe beef flank steak: maple glazed Brussel sprouts parsnip and lemon purée wild rice and chestnuts with a braising jue - Ocean trout: Soy glazed baby bok Choy, shiitake mushrooms water chestnuts, red onion, lime caramel sauce - Calamari: panko crusted humboidt squid, chipotle and lime aioli - Maple Pecan Tart with macerated dried fruit and bourbon whipped cream, A collection of Local cheeses & some cheeses made by Derek Bendig Himself. This was by far the best meal I've had yet in the city, we were all left saying nothing but wow and  couldn't believe how amazing our meals had been. Should anyone have the opportunity to visit this restaurant I would say you're crazy not to allow yourself to experience it! I've included some pictures for you all to see. It's Foodgasmic!
 Cheers! 

 

Culinary Lab Week 3

Hey everyone,

So within my Culinary Training at George Brown College we do a variety of different labs each week desserts and skills. This week we did a mushroom terrine with a velouté to help it set since there wasn't enough time for use of a protein.  The presentation design on the plate was out of carrot, leeks and red onion, as you can see I've included a picture. I'm extremely happy with the outcome and my design considering I'm no artist on paper! A terrine can be made out of a variety of things and typically includes a protein, like liver. I don't think I would make this particular mushroom terrine again however, I would certainly like to experiment with some different proteins and ideas! The stock didn't start off as a very flavourful one so I would like to begin with a more flavourful better quality for the gelatine liquid and that would help! If anyone has any questions, I'm free to answer them :) Enjoy your weekend with good wine, great company & even better food!

I'm Back!

Hey Everyone!
Sorry I've been out of the blogging world for a while, I've been ill, but I'm back and in full swing! In the upcoming weeks you can expect new more exciting posts! Thank you to all who are loyal to reading my blog I truly appreciate it :) Now go enjoy, great food, good wine, and even better company, Cheers!

How It Began

Hey Everyone,
So, I want to let you all know what really sparked my interest in Culinary. Well in my final year I picked up a book from my high school, a book that would change my life. I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life, and I felt like time was running out. This book was all about focus programs, so I decided to take advantage of the opportunity and try out one of the skilled trades offered in the book. As I looked through the book I came across the Cook's Internship Program a course "that focuses on advanced food preparation and presentation skills, the safe use of equipment and facilities in the hospitality and tourism industry. Students study the nutritional value of foods, plan menus and recipes, develop management techniques, design and implement events, and learn effective communication skills. They also explore careers, the impact of the hospitality and tourism industry on society and the environment, and health and safety standards in the workplace." I strongly encourage anyone who is thinking about a career in skilled trades to look into focus programs. If you're thinking about  culinary then I most definitely recommend this course. I not only got the hand on experience and knowledge through in class instruction but I received my level 1 Apprenticeship.  Through the instruction of Doug James I really began to love cooking, and moved on to compete in a variety of competitions that I was very successful in. A teacher who taught me the ropes in the kitchen, A chef who pushed me when needed, and A man who helped change my life. 
A Link to Doug James Website & Information about Cook's Internship :https://sites.google.com/site/cookslcvi/home

Thanksgiving Dinner

Hey Everyone,
 Tonight I cooked a delicious Thanksgiving Feast! For Appetizers I had:
~ beets with greek style chive dip
~ Boursin cheese with a ciabatta style baguette
~ Artichoke dip
~ roasted red pepper hummus
~ cream cheese stuffed jalapeños
~ boursin & cream cheese stuffed mushroom caps


Main Course:
~ Turkey
~ Stuffing
~Broccoli & Cauliflower
~Glazed Carrots
~ Macaroni & cheese
~ Butternut Squash and Saffron Risotto
~ Ham
~ Cajun Chicken & Swiss Cheese


Dessert:
Pumpkin Pie
Cherry Pie
Vanilla & Butterscotch Ice Cream


It was so nice to spend the night with family and friends, enjoy their company and the food! Now here's some tips for Turkey Cooking for if you ever have to cook one! 

So you may ask yourself, How much turkey do I need to buy?

Meat on the bone portion size per person - about 1 lb (12-16 ounces)

Brineing - keeps bird moist!! 

Brine: A salt, sugar, flavoring mixture. 

Never stuff the bird, since the internal temperature of bird,  is different. temp - 160 fill with flavorful ingredients though.herbs spices.

First, I rub the turkey with an orange to open up the pores. Then I season it with Salt, Pepper & thyme.

If you do stuff a turkey - Never stuff turkey in advance. * SAMONILLA 

Truss the bird. Cook @ 425 for 20-30mins, then turn down to 350 (over 8lbs) 375 (under 8 lbs.)... check with thermometer where leg(thigh) meets breast. You want a final temperature @ 150-155. The bigger the bird the more carry over cooking you’ll get. Let rest for 30-40mins - this will finish off the cooking - it will be the moistest Turkey you've ever had! * I generally add approx. 6 cups of stock into my turkey pan so that it helps with Basting. 

Basting - baste the bird with the pure fat. Every 30mins. 

For the gravy boil the gizzard and neck down, remove - strain all the juices for the cooking. In a separate pan make a roux (equal weight butter and flour) then add to the hot juices, bring up to a boil and reduce to a simmer this will allow the roux to do its work and thicken the gravy. Adjust the seasoning and serve. 

I wish you all a very Happy Thanksgiving, hope you enjoy good food, good wine, and good company!
Cheers,
Roycene

Spanish Cuisine

I've recently began a group project within my Food Theory 1 Class, Focusing on ethic cuisines in my case spanish cuisine. I've come across some very interesting research information that I'll be posting over the next few days. Do you know anything about spanish cuisine?
Cheers!
Roycene

Culinary Training

I've recently started my professional culinary training at George Brown College, located in Toronto, Ontario. This is a pretty well renowned culinary facility and has recently renovated the culinary building making it  state of the art. This is just the first week but, it's sparked even more interest for me in this industry. Some things I've learned while studying would have never crossed my mind before. I just want to learn as much as I possibly can while studying here, I want to learn about foods & wines. I want to know absolutely everything there is to know about this industry. I did get unlucky and develop a cold this week, but sleep & tea because I refuse to miss any classes! I have to much to learn! :) I'll keep you updated!
 Cheers!