Savory Sandwiches!

This week in Culinary 2, we focused on sandwiches. At the beginning of the week we learned about four different types: cold open, cold closed, hot open, and hot closed. Then, our instructor asked us to research and find an example of each type of sandwich for a lab we will be doing.

Wednesday, we were split into groups where we discussed our sandwich choices and chose the top choice for each category. After pricing out the cost of making each sandwich (which had to be under $1.50 per sandwich), we drew out of a hat to see which sandwich our group would make for competition!

My group drew the cold closed sandwich. Our choice for sandwich was a avocado cream cheese garlic spread with red pepper, red onion, lettuce, and cucumbers, all on a bagel. We invited guest judges to come and evaluate all of our sandwiches, along with everyone in the Culinary 2 class. The winner of the competition based on several evaluation questions was our sandwich! Whooo!




While reading about popular breakfasts around the world, I saw many different variations from seafood to noodles to the traditional pastry, eggs, and fruit. There were three, however, that stood out to me as very interesting and something I would eat.

Link to article: http://blog.hostelbookers.com/travel/best-breakfast/

First, the Hawaiian Breakfast consisted of several different types of fruit plus a bagel. This would be a very easy, refreshing, and quick breakfast that I would thoroughly enjoy. The fruits consisted of grapes, apples, oranges, strawberries, and a couple others.

Second, I liked the Canadian Breakfast. The typical Canadian breakfast consists of perogies, sausage, and toast. Perogies are dumpling-type pocket filled with potatoes, fruit, ground meat, etc. I have had perogies and really enjoy them, so I think I would enjoy eating this traditional Canadian breakfast.

Back In the Kitchens!

There is no better feeling than being able to come to class knowing there is a possibility of food being available to eat that day. Any student would agree. This week, our Culinary 2 class was very busy at work making dishes such as our own ricotta cheese, Creme Fraiche, Lemmon Ricotta Biscuits, Chai Tea, Cheese Blintzes, and Shirred Eggs with Ham. Every dish was new to me except for the Chai tea, which I already loved.

When choosing recipes for our Culinary class, our instructor has a theme for all of the labs we do. This week, our theme was Breakfast Foods, which is part of our Breakfast Foods and Sandwiches Unit.

Here is pictures of our Cheese Blintzes topped with Creme Fraiche and Strawberries:

Ingredients:

Making the Crepes:

Before Sauteing:

Adding the Strawberries and Creme Fraiche:

The finished product:

Blintzes, which originally came from Russian and Slavic cuisine, was popularized in the United States by the Jewish Community. Blintzes are served for Jewish Holidays such as Chanukah and Shavuot.

Prior to making Cheese Blintzes, my expectations for the taste and texture was completely different from what they actually tasted and felt like. I expected them to be sweet with a smooth texture on the inside, but actually they were not overly sweet, and the texture was grainy because of the ricotta cheese in the filling. I am a little on the fence about how I feel about this recipe of blintzes. Even though I didn't mind eating them, they would not be something I would make often.

While making the items in class this week, I learned many skills useful for other cooking such as making crepes, homemade ricotta cheese, homemade Chai tea and shirred eggs. Along with those, I learned new recipes I have never tried before, which is always exciting!

We will be starting another week of cooking tomorrow, and I am excited to find out what will be on our plates next!