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.
