Blog Post #6 - Final Blog

Even after brainstorming for most of the project, I still had no idea what my focus was going to be before I began writing a rough draft of a script.  As I watched my video blog again for inspiration, I realized that the person who was patiently holding the camera and giving me advice and words of encouragement was the entire reason I completed this project.

As I told the audience during my TED Talk, my step-mother and her side of the family are all Puerto-Rican, and we go to Puerto Rico on a regular basis to visit her family and to vacation.  I had always been afraid to try the traditional food, or basically anything that didn’t look like pasta or chicken. 

When I began this project, however, I knew that I wanted to change that.  Instead of shying away from the food that I had previously labeled as, “adventurous” or “exotic”, I learned to make this food, and I ended up completely loving it.

I now plan to cook for my family regularly, and although I’ll never be able to cook Southwestern food perfectly, I am going to keep working on my skills and techniques. 

By learning to cook using Southwestern flavors, I’ve not only bonded with my step-mother and step-siblings, but I learned why they love the food in Puerto Rico.  The food in downtown San Juan alone is delicious, and I’ve gained appreciation for the incredible talent of chefs.

I would like to continue cooking Southwestern food, but even if I don’t do that all the time, I will be able to use the skills and techniques that I’ve learned over the last several months for the rest of my life.

I commented on Joyce, Zager, and Meltzer.

Blog Post #5 - Vlog

This week, I surpassed all challenges and made Mofongo, which is a traditional Puerto Rican dish.  It requires not only a knowledge of flavor and culture, but skill.  As you can see in the video below, the plantain peels ripped my nails, the frying oil burned me, and the constant smashing of plantains with garlic and seasoning made my arm sore for days.  Nonetheless, it was worth it to bond with my step-mother and learn more about her culture through cooking.  Check out my video below (there is no sound until the last few minutes)!

This week I commented on Acuna, Kuo, and Han.

Blog Post #4

This week, I created my first main dish; chile and jalapeño cheddar corn bread.  I previously made mainly Mexican dishes, but this time my food was inspired by the Southwestern United States. 

 

The Southwestern United States includes New Mexico, Nevada, Utah, and Arizona, which typically consists of “Tex-Mex” style food, which Chef Blackney and I previously discussed (see Blog Post #3).  The word ‘Tex-Mex” is a combination of “Texan” and “Mexican”, which makes sense considering it is most popular in Texas and other border states, such as the ones I mentioned above.  Tex-Mex is originally based off of the food of the Tejanos, who are from Northern Mexico and Southern Texas, and includes food now popular all over North America, like chili, burritos, tacos, and cornbread. 

 

Because I wanted to try something complex, I decided on traditional chili and jalapeño cheddar corn bread.  Although combining the ingredients in both recipes is fairly easy, the prep work (chopping, trimming, etc.) was something I knew prior to this project I needed to work on, so this was the perfect opportunity to do so.

 

After I decided on my chile recipe, I read it over several times and then collected my ingredients.  Once I did so, I knew I had a challenge ahead of me; I had to learn how to chop many different vegetables, which I’ve found to be one of my greatest weaknesses.  Before beginning, I watched several videos online, such as “How to Finely Chop an Onion” by Gordon Ramsay (watch here at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dCGS067s0zo / Gordonramsay. “How To Finely Chop An Onion – Gordon Ramsay.” Youtube. Youtube, 15 Nov. 2013. Web. 15 Mar. 2017.).  After a few failed attempts, I finally got it!

 

As for the rest of the chile, it wasn’t very difficult to make, but I had to improvise because I wanted to add extra “heat” to it (make it spicier).  I diced and cooked jalapeños, and then added them to the chile.

Once the chile was complete, I set it aside over low heat and began working on my jalapeño cheddar corn bread.  Similarly to the chile, I had to dice jalapeños as well as scallions, and then measure out the rest of my ingredients.  Although the amount of ingredients needed was excessive, I learned that all of them blended together to create the perfect texture needed for a light corn bread.  Unfortunately, my corn bread was quite dense once it was baked!  Although it had air pockets (a sign that it is light), the batter may have been too heavy.  If I were to create this recipe again, I would adjust it so there was more liquid in the batter.  By itself, I found the corn bread too “heavy”, but when paired with the chile, it was perfect.

The cornbread had MANY different ingredients!

Before and after cooking the jalapeño corn bread

From here, I will begin researching how to create dishes as a whole, and will also be practicing my cooking skills individually.  Besides this, I would like to work on my time management, and maybe run a sort of “Chopped” competition for myself.  Hopefully by next week I will be able to make another Southwestern main dish, and possibly some sides.  Thanks, and check back soon!

This week, I commented on Meltzer, Zarrow, and Miles.

Blog Post #3 (Interview)

This week has been incredibly challenging, especially considering that the dessert I made took over 7 hours to complete.  I also researched many Southwestern cooking experts and emailed several outlining my background and information regarding this project and a potential interview.

At the beginning of the week, I began emailing experts in the cooking industry, but ultimately decided on the executive chef of the Joseph Ambler Inn, Chef Todd Blackney.  I included my interview questions and the answers I received at the bottom of this blog, but here is a short list of what I learned:

-It’s important to start cooking early and gain lots of experience, because the best professional chefs are older and have a large amount of knowledge.

-Before mastering Southwestern cooking, I have to first master basic cooking techniques and then build from there.

-To become an expert, you have to also teach others, because this is the best way to learn.

-The Oaxaca region of Mexico has great food and cooking techniques, so I may want to research this area.

After reading through several websites and watching multiple shows, I decided to make Puerto Rican bread pudding, or budin de pan.  I combined the recipe from the “Allrecipes” website (“Food, Friends, and Recipe Inspiration.” Allrecipes. N.p., n.d. Web.05 Mar. 2017.) and the show Bakers vs. Fakers.  I used the general recipe from the “Allrecipes” website, but used smaller cooking vessels, which a contestant did on Bakers vs. Fakers to allow the bread pudding to cook faster.  I also adjusted the recipe by using pure almond extract instead of anise and cloves.  Since it has to be refrigerated overnight, I cannot taste it yet, but I think that this was a good decision from the smell alone J .

Here are some pictures from this cooking experience:

Even though I did not end up with as much food as I did last week, the skills I used showed improvement.  I steeped spices, made caramel, adjusted my recipe because of personal preference and availability, and managed my time while baking so that everything occurred at the right time.

Next week, I will hopefully begin cooking traditional Southwestern side and main dishes.  Thanks for reading!

1.       How did you become involved in the food industry, and how old were you?

I grew up working in our family restaurant in Madison, Wisconsin. It was a Mexican food restaurant that my father opened in 1969. I think I started working there when I was 11 or 12 years old (1974).  My dad hired a cook from Mexico who taught him and my mother some Mexican food recipes and cooking techniques. When the restaurant opened it was the only Mexican food restaurant in the Madison area, but today there are over 20.

2.       I know you currently work in fine dining at the Joseph Ambler Inn, but do you ever try and include styles from different regions of the world?

The style of food at the JAI would probably be considered country French or upscale comfort food. I change the menu 4-times per year, and there are always items on the menu that represent different regions of the world. Additionally, there are extensive banquet menus that have options from many regions of the world. I also customize menus for guests to accommodate their favorite foods. I have an Indian menu I customized for a wedding this coming April, and last summer I made Korean food for a wedding.

3.       Do you have training and/or experience cooking with Southwestern flavors (Mexico, Southwest U.S., etc.)?

Yes, in addition to my experience in my family restaurant I lived and worked in Phoenix, Arizona for 18-years and in Albuquerque, New Mexico for 3-years. Arizona and New Mexico share a long border but the cooking methods and ingredients from both areas are vastly different from each other. In 2003 I attended an advanced training course at the culinary institute of America in Greystone, California. (Napa Valley).  The focus of the course was cuisine of northern and southern Mexico.

4.       How has the Southwest influenced your use of different spices, sauces, and flavor combinations? For example, do you find yourself using chile powder, cilantro, or habanero peppers in the kitchen?

Yes, the items listed in your question would represent a small fraction on such ingredients I use at the JAI. We also use several advanced cooking methods to bring these ingredients together i.e. smoking, blended sauces, and braising to name a few. My cooking is influenced be the bold flavors of the Southwest and I generally love the spiciness of the food.

5.       What tips would you give to a beginner trying to master cooking (Southwestern cooking, in particular) in a short period of time?

Mastery is a very lofty goal and with cooking is a bit ambiguous. The common denominator for any regional cuisine is, do you have a strong grasp of basic cooking techniques? A chef must know how to properly sauté, grill, poach, sear, blanch, braise, use knives and cooking equipment, fabricate meat and fish, roast, broil, fry, tie, etc. A good chef must also be able to teach these basic techniques. Once someone has a firm grasp of general cooking the sky is the limit and it becomes easier to use any ingredients available and learn more advances cooking methods. This is when mastery is attainable. This level of cooking cannot be attained in a short period of time. If you watch iron chef or notice the best chefs on television they are generally in their 40's and 50's. Also, executive chefs are running multi-million-dollar business and much of what we do is not related to actual hand on cooking. I spend many days not cooking a single thing. Really good chefs are very good teachers.

6.       Do any recipes come to mind that you believe I should try?

If you really have a great passion for southwest/Mexican food you should try recipes from the Oaxaca region of Mexico. This area is in extreme southern Mexico and has great regional food and cooking methods. It is very different from what we know as Mexican food. The influence we see in the US is Sonoran style food from Northern Mexico and also called Tex-Mex. Simply Google and find recipes that sound great, and you thing you can execute.

This week, I commented on Klessel, Fath, and Stevens.

Expert Interview Information

This week, I will be interviewing the Joseph Ambler Inn's executive chef Todd Blackney.  Hopefully, he will be able to help me in my journey towards mastering Southwestern cooking!

Check back soon for more updates :)

Blog Post #2

This week has been fantastic in regards to the progress I am making to my final goal!

Last weekend, I visited Toloache in New York City and had an authentic Mexican meal.  Everything was absolutely delicious, and I also learned many new words relating to Southwestern cuisine, as the menu was written entirely in Spanish.

After all of this wonderful food, I was inspired to create some of my own.  As soon as I got home, I began researching how to make different drinks, salsas, and desserts.  I have previously tried agua fresca, which is water mixed with sugar and fruit, but I find it incredibly interesting because of the different flavor combinations you can make.  So today, I created my own versions of this refreshing drink in three different flavors: strawberry, mango, and strawberry-mango.  I also added vanilla to my version of agua fresca Even though this drink sounds fairly simple, the sheer amount of ingredients and the mess they make means you must set aside several hours for just a few gallons, but I believe that all of this is worth it.  The result is a delicious cross between a simple sparking water and a smoothie.

Before this, however, I read a recipe in a book titled, "The Cooking of Mexico" by Matthew Locricchio (Locricchio, Matthew, and Jack McConnell. The Cooking of Mexico. New York: Marshall Cavendish Benchmark, 2012. Print.) for tortilla chips that seemed to be quite simple.  This book provided not only instructions and ingredients, but history, materials, and precautions, which made it a highly valuable tool.  In short, it said that all you had to do was cut tortillas into triangles, deep-fry them in canola oil, and then sprinkle with salt.  Instead, I decided to take a more complicated route.  I first made my own tortillas, baked them, and let them rest overnight.  The next day, I sliced them into triangles and very lightly coated them with a mixture of lime juice, olive oil, cilantro, and salt using a cooking paintbrush.  I then carefully placed them in the deep fryer to avoid the splash of hot canola oil.  After 2 minutes, I took them out, placed them on a paper towel, and put the next batch into the deep fryer.  Once they were somewhat dry, I sprinkled salt on them.

Next, I made a mango salsa to pair with my tortilla chips.  I put mango, cilantro, lemon and lime juice, jalapeño and habanero peppers, salt, pepper, and water into a food processor and blended until smooth.

This week, I learned many interesting things about not only about the food of Southwestern countries, but also their cultures, languages, and histories.  I also discovered several new Mexican markets and grocery stores, which will definitely influence my future shopping choices.  Next week, I will continue exploring salsas, but I will also begin creating desserts.

Check here next week for more information on my progress in creating flavorful Southwestern food!

Ingredients and Materials

Ingredients and Materials

A marble mortar and pestle, which I am using to crush Whole Black Peppercorns and Coriander Seeds.

I bought a large number of spices typically used in Southwestern cooking.

Whole Black Peppercorns  

Cilantro

Coriander Seed

Mexican Oregano

California Onion Powder

Paprika

Chili Powder

Garlic Salt

Ground Cinnamon and Stick Cinnamon

                          

                           Ground Cinnamon                              Stick Cinnamon                            

 Luxury Sea Salt