2/14/2017
Last week, I began brainstorming for the Genius Project, and like many of my classmates, I found that it was difficult to choose between topics. However, when I began reviewing my favorite ideas, I realized that I am both a frequent viewer of Food Network and a lover of travel.
I have visited Puerto Rico several times, and love the flavorful cuisine and fun culture. My step-mother and family are also Puerto Rican, and I am a huge fan of bold spices. As a result of this, I have decided that I would like how to cook using Southwestern flavors.
This past week, I have gathered books and have been researching ingredients and spices typically used in Mexican and Southwestern cuisine (these can be found on my "Ingredients" page).
Within the next few days, I would like to experiment with flavor profiles and combinations of spices. I am also going to learn not only how to cook food with Southwestern flavors, but drinks as well. I love drinks such as agua fresca, which is a delicious fruit-flavored water, and flavorful Mexican hot cocoa, so learning how to make them should be both informational and tasty.
Even though I will be making my food for others, I will be judging my own success. Unless the dish is a complete failure, I will continue along my timeline, but will also be looking to my Puerto Rican family members for advice.
By the end of this project, I would like to be able to make a full meal with multiple courses based solely on Southwestern flavors.
Stay tuned for more cooking updates!
Blog Post #2
2/6/2017
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!
Blog Post #3
3/5/2017
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.
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