Whetting our appetites...

Last week the PM Advanced students turned out some tasty morsels to fire up an appetite. Each day they were challenged to turn out at least ten appetizers, with no repetitions from one day to the next. By Thursday they were in the groove, demonstrating their skill, speed and creativity as they plated at least a dozen appetizers each within a two-hour time frame. By the end of the day, staff were standing by, waiting for Chef to finish tasting so they could do some sampling of their own.

Tony does a last minute touch up on the rim of his soup bowl.
He created 15 appetizers on Thursday afternoon.  

Rattakone adds some sweet corn to his salad. 

The countdown is on...

Often a hectic and happy place, the kitchen at Liaison Hamilton today is infused with a tension that speaks volumes. Our A.M. Basic students are getting ready for their final practical exam, prepping ahead as much as possible so their time in the kitchen tomorrow will run as smooth as clockwork.

Conferring with their colleagues is not an option, as silence is the order of the day. Their heads are down, their minds are focused and their real estate is limited to a half table each. Today they can consult their notes. Tomorrow, with strict deadlines for each course they turn out, all eyes will be on the clock, and they will be relying on their training and their memories to guide them to the finish line.

Sarah readies the ring molds for her chocolate mousse.   

Kitti uses an acetate strip to transfer a coating of
chocolate onto his mousse.  

Marlene preps all of the vegetables that she will need to accompany her main dish. 

The ground rules: no talking, contain your work
to just one half  table and five stove burners, and set aside
everything you'll need for tomorrow's meal. 

Bianca carefully weighs the chocolate she needs
for her dessert. 

Chocolate - It's not just for dessert

Our A.M. Advanced class will be presenting their Chef's Table on February 6. With the date falling so close to Valentine's Day, they decided on an all-chocolate menu. This inimitable, bitter-sweet food of the Gods will appear in a variety of incarnations, in every course from amuse-bouche through dessert.

The students did a trial run today, serving lunch to their colleagues and chef instructors. The wine, fine linens and ambiance were missing, but the advanced feedback on seasoning, texture, flavour and presentation will be invaluable when they serve their final meal to invited guests in a few weeks.

Amuse-bouche: cream cheese with paprika & chives, layered with
chocolate and served with orange coulis.  

Pan-seared salmon with candied lemon zest. The sauce had a hint of white chocolate.   

Spinach and strawberry salad with feta cheese and berry vinaigrette, garnished with shaved chocolate.

Dessert was tiramisu, served in a martini glass, and finished with grated chocolate. 

Cooking in the Christmas Spirit

Students and staff are getting into the Christmas spirit as they take care of last minute preparations for the Christmas dinner at Hess Street School today. We will be heading over shortly to serve lunch to 300 elementary students! Watch our Facebook page for more photos from this fun day.

 

They may have turkey in the back of their minds, but pork is on the menu today

Our AM Advanced students are making sausage today from pork shoulder. They look like they are having way too much fun!

The sausage attachment on the stand mixer
works well for stuffing the casings.

Nancy (left) and Caitlynn prepare to
link the sausage coil.

Ruthann has separated the sausage into
individual links by twisting the casing.

Merry Christmas! See you in 2014.

Hess Street School Christmas dinner 2012

Our students and staff are gearing up to serve Christmas dinner to 400 students at Hess Street School on Thursday. We are all looking forward to this annual celebration to get us into  the festive spirit and start the wind-down to our holidays.  

There will be no Open House this week (December 17). We will be closed from December 20 through to January 12. Drop by for a visit during our next Tuesday evening Open House, January 14, 2014.

Merry Christmas! We hope to see you in the New Year.

Christmas 2012 at Hess Street School

The toughest job of all.....

Cook Basic students sit down with Chef Bill to sample a
10-course meal, and learn how to talk about food. 

It's not easy being a culinary student: weeks of studying theory, humbling test marks and the ego-busting reality of cuts, burns and burnt offerings when you finally get into the kitchen. The toughest job  of all, though, is actually learning to talk about food.

Cook Basic students are encouraged to taste everything that our Chefs turn out while demonstrating the fundamental techniques, so they will know how their own dish should taste. It's not often, though, that they are asked to give feedback on other students' cooking.

Last Thursday the afternoon Basic class sat down to a ten-course lunch, thanks to the PM Advanced class. The meal gave the cooks the chance to work as a team, turn out creative new dishes on a deadline and practice their plating skills. The lessons for the diners? Try every dish (fence-sitting is frowned upon), listen to the chefs at the table, and learn how to express their opinions on seasoning, presentation and flavour with confidence.

Sweet endings 

To view photos on the Advanced students in the kitchen, and the meal they served to fellow students, visit our Facebook page.  www.facebook.com/LiaisonCollegeHamilton