Day 7 at FCI

I'm going to try to pick up the pace to bring you up to speed on where I'm at and what I'm up to at culinary school.  Last night was my Level 2 (of 6 levels) final at FCI.  There were 2 written exams and a practical exam.  I was a little nervous.  I gave myself a little pep talk, and once I walked into the exam, but nerves more or less faded away, I got to work and nailed it.

Here's a flashback to the 7th day of Level 1, May 17, 2011, and making emulsified sauces......

Most nights I leave class thinking that I've just had my favorite night of class yet.  I'm coming to realize I say this after every class though.  The first 2 weeks of class have felt a little surreal.  I woke up each Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday (the days I have class) brimming with excitement, waiting for 5:45pm for roll around.  I love my being at FCI and I'm so excited about everything I'm learning.  Finally following my dream of going to culinary school is one of the best decisions I've ever made, and it just keeps getting better and better!

Last night's lesson was on emulsified sauces. What are emulsions & emulsified sauces, you ask?  Well, I'm happy to tell you.  Emulsions are essentially a smooth combination of liquids that don't normally mix together.  Think oil & vinegar...when you mix them together, they might bind for a few moments, but ultimately they separate.  Add an egg yolk, or some Dijon mustard to that oil & vinegar, mix it together again, and you'll notice the mixture remains together now.....voila, you've got yourself an emulsion.  And, when you use that emulsion in a sauce, bam, you have yourself an emulsified sauce. 

If I learned nothing else last night, I learned that emulsified sauces demand your utmost attention.  If the sauce gets to hot, it breaks.  If the sauce gets to cold, it breaks.  Add the clarified butter in too fast, it breaks.  I'm happy to report, I managed to avoid breaking any of my sauces last night.

I never thought I'd a couple spoonfuls of mayo straight from a bowl, but that's what happened tonight.  We kicked off tonight's lesson with making mayonnaise....one of the most basic, everyday emulisified sauces.  Let me just say this, if homemade mayo lasted more than a couple days, you could be sure that you'd never find another jar of Helmann's in my fridge again.  One of the cardinal rules of the kitchen (which is now ingrained in my head forever) is taste as you go, then season-correct-rectify.  As I cook, it's not uncommon for me to taste something 5, 6, 7 times to make sure it's seasoned properly.  Do you see where I'm going with this?  As fond as I am about homemade mayo, by my 5th taste it started to hit my gag reflex just a little.

We went on the make a hollandaise, a bearnaise and a beurre blanc.  And just when I thought my arm might fall off from all the whisking, we saved the best for last....a sweet sabayon.  It was the highlight of the night.  De-licious!  I'm sure I've had a sweet sabayon at some point in time, although I can't remember.  And while I haven't made this quick & surprisingly simple dessert prior to class, you better believe this will be making it into the line up now. 

Print Recipe

Sweet Sabayon
(Inspired by FCI)

Serves 2

3 egg yolks

3 tablespoons sugar, plus 1/4 cup extra for garnish

3 tablespoons Marsala wine

strawberries, chopped

lemon wedge

Heat a small amount of water in a sauce pan, and bring to a boil.

Add egg yolks, sugar and marsala wine to a metal mixing bowl.  Whisk ingredients together.  Lower the heat on the sauce pan, and whisk the egg mixture over the simmering water (do not let the bowl touch the water) until it thickens & doubles in volume.  It will take about 5 minutes of heavy whisking, and the sabayon will develop a creamy, thick consistency.

To serve...run a lemon wedge around the rim of the serving glass to moisten it.  Add remaining sugar on a plate, and dip the rim of the glass in the sugar.  Add a large spoonful of berries to the bottom of the glass.  Spoon the sabayon over the chopped berries. 

Serve warm or chilled.

Enjoy!