Certified Master Chef Exam

26 Sunday Oct 2014

Posted by Bob and Robin in Awards, Classic Cuisines, Classic Sauces, Cooking Styles, Ethnic Foods, Food Prep, Photos By: Bob Young, Special Events, Special Information, What's For Dinner?

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ACF, American Culinary Federation, Certified Master Chef, CMC

Bonet alla Piemontese Chocolate-Coffee Amaretti Terrine

Ever dream of joining the ranks of such notable Certified Master Chefs as Gordon Ramsay, Jamie Oliver, Anthony Bourdain, Paul Boluse, Rocco DiSpirito, Wolfgang Puck, Emeril Lagasse, Todd English or Charlie Trotter? Well, this just might be your chance. An 8 day Chef exam, very similar to the exam for Master Sommelier in the wine industry. The American Culinary Federation is holding the exam this year. In 2012, out of seven starters of the 8 day ordeal, only one succeeded in finishing, Chef Jason Hall, CMC from the Hammock Dunes Club in Florida. It is a grueling 8 day experience and one that is loaded with high stress. But the rewards in the cooking industry are tremendous. Here is some more information that Robin found from the ACF. Enjoy!

The title of Certified Master Chef (CMC), presented solely by the American Culinary Federation (ACF) in the U.S., is the highest level of certification a chef can receive. It represents the pinnacle of professionalism and skill. Today, there are only 67 CMCs and 11 Certified Master Pastry Chefs® (CMPC) in the nation. The last CMC exam was held in 2012 at The Culinary Institute of America, Hyde Park, New York. Jason Hall, CMC®, executive chef at Hammock Dunes Club, Palm Coast, Florida, was the only candidate out of seven to pass the exam.

Eleven chefs from across the nation will soon vie for the chance to join the ranks of Hall and the other 66 CMCs during an eight-day exam held Oct. 26–Nov. 2, at Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Los Angeles, Pasadena, California. Candidates for the CMC exam must possess proficiency in a broad range of styles and techniques, and have the ability to perform for eight days under extreme pressure.

To apply for the CMC exam, a candidate must be a Certified Executive Chef® or Certified Culinary Educator®, provide two letters of recommendation from current CMCs or CMPCs, and have completed education courses on sanitation and food safety, cost management, management and wine. The candidate must also secure funding for the cost of the exam process including the exam fee, travel expenses and practice materials.

During the eight-day exam, candidates must maintain an average score of 75 out of 100 points to be eligible to continue. Scores are tallied based on kitchen skills, plate presentation and taste. Candidates are tested on the following subjects by ACF-certified chefs:

Healthy cooking
Buffet catering
Classical cuisine
Freestyle cooking
Global cuisine
Baking and pastry
Continental and Northern Europe cuisines
Market basket

This credential is considered the highest and most demanding achievement level of ACF certification and successful candidates will join an elite group of only 67 chefs in the United States.

Did you notice that they consider wine as part of the testing curricula and therefore a part of the exam and the candidates for the Certification must have “… completed education courses on … wine”. Wine and food – The perfect Match.

Two Great Cookie Recipes

23 Thursday Oct 2014

Posted by Bob and Robin in Captain's Shack, Cookies, Dessert, Local Farmers Markets, Party Time, Photos By: Bob Young, Recipe by: Robin and Bob Young, Recipes, What's For Dessert?, What's For Dinner?

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Basil Lime Cookies, cookie recipes, Pistachio Cookies

Robin found two really great and surprisingly different and good cookie recipes. These are really so very easy to make that you must give them a try. I ate one of the Basil Lime Cookies and immediately thought of a lamb dinner. Hmmmm. Oh well, make them and let us know what you think. Like them? Don’t like them? The recipe links are highlighted under the photos. I’m thinking that you might be able to get the herbs and maybe the flour too, from your local farmers market.

Basil Lime Cookies

Pistachio Cookies

5-Hour Duck For Dinner!

19 Sunday Oct 2014

Posted by Bob and Robin in 5 Hour Duck, Buy Idaho, Cream Sauces, Dinner With Family, Dinner With Robin, Duck, Idaho Wine, Local Farmers Markets, Main Dish, Mirepoix, Photos By: Bob Young, Slow Cooking, Special Dinners, What's For Dinner?, Wine and Food

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5 hour roasted duck, Baked Sweet Potato, Creamed Spinach, Grand Marnier, Idaho wines

Oh yes once again! We do like the duck done this way. Made Creamed Spinach with Grand Marnier Cream and Baked Sweet Potato and Duck Gravy. Certainly was delicious! And then top that off with a super good 1985 Rose Creek Winery Cabernet Sauvignon. That is still a super wine. On a scale of 1-20, easily a 19.7. So close to the perfect 29 year old Cab. Enjoy these photos. Cheers!

A perfect wine! Great job Jamie Martin, winemaker, now at Cold Springs Winery in Hammett, Idaho

5-Hour Duck resting after coming from the oven. Roasted some sweet potatoes with it. Yummers!

5-Hour Duck
Creamed Spinach with Grand Marnier Cream
Baked Sweet Potato with Duck Gravy

Oktoberfest At “The Buzz”

15 Wednesday Oct 2014

Posted by Bob and Robin in Bacon, Beer and Food, Cabbage, Cakes, Celebrations, Classic Cuisines, Dinner With Friends, Ethnic Foods, German Food, Oktoberfest, Photos By: Bob Young, Photos By: Robin Young, Pork, Special Beers, Special Dinners, Special Events, Special Information, Things To Do, What's For Dinner?, Wine Dinners, Wines - German

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Benedictine Abbey Weilhenstephan, Oktoberfest, Smit & Van Wyk

A good party at The Buzz last night for the October Wine Dinner – Oktoberfest! A little bit of a change in the program. There were two beers offered that were pretty good, especially the Weihenstephaner, which was a light and refreshing lager. Very drinkable. From the Smit & Van Wyk blog, “The world’s longest continuously used trademark goes to the Benedictine Abbey Weilhenstephan in Germany, which has been using the mark Weilhenstephaner to identify its beer since 1040 AD When Britain enacted its trademark registration statute in 1876, beer was first and second in line, Bass’s Red Triangle became U.K. Reg. 1 for pale ale, and its Red Diamond for strong ale became U.K. Reg. 2.” A fun night. Hope to see you7 next month on November 11 and/or 12 for “Party Foods to Prepare Ahead” along with “Holiday and Gift Wines”. Then Beaujolais Nouveau Night on November 20. Cheers!!

Brats, Pretzels, Mustard and Zwiebelkuchen
Weihenstaphaner Beer
7.7% alc. great with these appetizers. light and refreshing [19] $6.00, 16oz

“Zwiebelkuchen, which literally means onion cake in the German language, is either a one-crust pie made of steamed onions, diced bacon, cream, and caraway seeds on a yeast dough or a leavened dough that is particularly popular in the German wine-growing regions mostly of Rhenish Hesse, the Palatinate, Franconia, Baden and Swabia (a similar pie called Flammkuchen is also eaten in Alsace), or a quiche variant in Switzerland, traditionally eaten in Basel during the Carnival and in Bern for the Zibelemärit.” [Wikipedia]

Cucumber Salad
This was an awesome salad and Cristi said so very easy to make.
2015 Star Lane Sauvignon Blanc
14.2% alc. really good with this salad. [18] $22.00

Erbsensuppe mit Speck (Pea Soup with Bacon)
Il Canapone
14% alc. an OK wine that still went well with the soup. [16] $18.00

I think Cristi used ground pork. Speck is, “Speck Alto Adige PGI (German: Südtiroler Speck) is a dry-cured, lightly smoked ham (prosciutto in Italian), produced in South Tyrol, northern Italy. Parts of its production are regulated by the European Union under the protected geographical indication (PGI) status, also known as Tyrolean Speck.”

Pork and Apples with turnip and potato gratin and red cabbage 2011 Il Canapone 14% alc an OK wine that went pretty good with the pork [16] $18.00

Pork and Apples
with
turnip and potato gratin and red cabbage
Rye Bread
2011 Il Canapone
14% alc an OK wine that went pretty good with the pork [16] $18.00

German Chocolate Cake 2013 Monga Zin Carol Shelton [17] $21.00 good paring with the chocolate

German Chocolate Cake
2013 Monga Zin Carol Shelton
14.9% alc.good paring with the chocolate [17] $21.00

An interesting comment from Cristi about Oktoberfest mugs (steins) and attendance at the event. "Consumption about 5 million, 1-liter mugs [of beer] filled. Mugs are to be returned; Fine for stealing one is $60 US; security usually catches 150,000 each year, but the Hofbrau tent alone looses about 35,000 a year...6.3 million guests attended the 2014 Oktoberfest. 112 oxen, 48 calves and 6.4 million liters of beer were consumed. Tent security stopped 112,000 people from taking their mug home with them."

An interesting comment from Cristi about Oktoberfest mugs (steins) “Consumption about 5 million, 1-liter mugs [of beer] filled. Mugs are to be returned; Fine for stealing one is $60 US; security usually catches 150,000 each year, but the Hofbrau tent alone looses about 35,000 a year. ..6.3 million guests attended the 2014 Oktoberfest. 112 oxen, 48 calves and 6.4 million liters of beer were consumed. Tent security stopped 112,000 people from taking their mug home with them.” No, this is not one of “those” mugs!

Awesome Dinner For The Boise Farmers Market

06 Monday Oct 2014

Posted by Bob and Robin in Acme Bake Shop, Appetizers, Beef, Beets, Boise Adventures, Boise Farmers Market, Bread, Butternut Squash, Buy Idaho, Cheese, Classic Cuisines, Coffee, Dinner With Friends, Dinner With Robin, Healthy Eating, Heirloom Squash, Heirloom Tomatoes, Idaho Beef, Idaho Breweries, Idaho Chefs, Idaho Wine, Interesting Information, Local Farmers Markets, Local Harvests, Local Markets, Locavore, Organic Foods, Party Time, Peaceful Belly Farms, Photos By: Bob Young, Purple Sage Farms, Restaurants, Restaurants To Try, Rice Family Farms, Saint Lawrence Gridiron, Salad, Soup, Special Information, Vegetables, What's For Dessert?, What's For Dinner?, Wines - Idaho

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beef short ribs, eat local, micro greens, neckar coffee

Yes it was! And many thanks to all of the Boise Farmers Market producers for supplying the awesome meal items and the Saint Lawrence Gridiron, at 703 W Bannock in Boise (208) 433-5598, for supplying the space, the Waite Staff and an awesome Chef! Just a super, super night!
I do believe that this was the first of dinners like this to raise funds for the Boise Farmers Market. And I do hope that they continue to do this Fund Raising Dinner next year and many years to follow. When you look at the menu and photos below, you will see the superb meal that we had. Congratulations to all who worked so hard to make this a success! Left-Click any of these photos to see them enlarged.

The flyer for this year’s event.

Delightful table center pieces added to the Fall theme.

The wonderful menu!

Butternut Agnolotti with Sage Beurre Monté

Fraiche Tartine open faced gougere chipotle fraiche cucumber

Fraîche Tartine
open faced gougére, chipotle fraîche and cucumber

Yellow Tomato Gazpacho heirloom tomatoes brown butter crouton

Yellow Tomato Gazpacho
heirloom tomatoes and brown butter crouton

Harvest Vegetable Salad seasonal root vegetables candied walnuts local greens

Harvest Vegetable Salad
seasonal root vegetables, candied walnuts and local greens

Short Ribs
smoked and braised short ribs, Carolina grits, salt roasted carrots, braised leeks and pan jus

Apple Galette cinnamon custard brulee with fresh grated nutmeg whipped cream

Apple Galette
cinnamon custard brûlée with fresh grated nutmeg whipped cream

Neckar Coffee added some delightful coffee to our dinner. Thank-You!

Snake River Winery offered wines with the dinner and beer was also available from Woodland Empire Brewery.

The Check-In table

The Chef for the meal and on the right owner Brian Garrett. Thank-You both for this delightful evening.

Robin enjoys some Neckar Coffee.

Thank-You everyone for this event. It takes a lot of hard work to arrange this. Karen Ellis – Thank-You!

Lamb Dinner with Chris

03 Friday Oct 2014

Posted by Bob and Robin in Apple, Brussels Sprouts, Buy Idaho, Captain's Shack, Celebrations, Dinner At The Captains Shack, Dinner With Chris, Dinner With Family, Dinner With Robin, Herbs and Spices, Idaho Lamb, Lamb, Local Farmers Markets, Local Harvests, Local Markets, Main Dish, Party Time, Photos By: Bob Young, Recipes, Special Dinners, Vegetables, What's For Dessert?, What's For Dinner?, Wine and Food, Wines - Italian

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Boise Farmers Market, Boneless Leg of Lamb, brussels sprouts, heirloom carrots, lamb

Yes, a full and complete Lamb Dinner with Chris. The occasion? I don’t know. Maybe “Just Because”. Here Oma Robin holds him the day after(?) he was born. Or is she still holding him after delivery? Anyway, a cute baby boy! And his birthday is just past. 24 years! So it makes this photo 24 years old! So on with the dinner. Enjoy the photos as much as we enjoyed the dinner. Everything Chris – and us – like! Left-Click any of these photos to see them enlarged. Cheers! Oh! And Yes. Most of the ingredients of this meal were grown or raised locally. The lamb was a Felzien Farms lamb. Veggies from the Boise Farmers Market. Etc.

Rolled and Stuffed Bonelessx Leg of Lamg Orange Balsamic Brussels Sprouts Oven Roasted Rosemary and Thyme New Potatoes Oven Roasted Heirloom Carrots

Rolled and Stuffed Boneless Leg of Lamb
Oven Roasted Rosemary and Thyme New Potatoes
Orange Infused Balsamic Brussels Sprouts
Oven Roasted Heirloom Carrots

I boned the lamb and then rolled it with fresh oregano, fresh mint, salt and pepper and spinach. Then on the outside I dusted it lightly with Greek Spice. It was so yummy!

The dinner plated. We served this with a 2013 Honor Vera Garnacha. And believe it or not, it was just a little light with the Brussels sprouts. Other than that, it was a good match.

Skillet Apple Pie
with
Cinnamon Fresh Whipped Cream

This is so easy to make and so delicious. The only other thing, outside of the butter and brown sugar, to make this slightly better would be the addition of lattice designed bacon on top! Here is the recipe if you want it. Skillet Apple Pie recipe. (We added some fresh vanilla seeds to the mix too. Scrapped the bean to get the seeds.)

Good Visit to the Modern Hotel Brunch

28 Sunday Sep 2014

Posted by Bob and Robin in Acme Bake Shop, Boise Farmers Market, Breakfast With Robin, Brunch, Buy Idaho, Eggs, Fruit, Local Farmers Markets, Local Harvests, Local Markets, Modern Hotel, New Restaurant Trial, Photos By: Bob Young, Restaurant Reviews, Restaurants, Restaurants To Try, Things To Do, What's For Dinner?, Whats For Breakfast?

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brunch, Modern Hotel

Yes, it was a good brunch. Different. And we rate this a 3 1/2 to 4 Stars out of 5-Stars. But we will have to go back for their dinner menu to make sure of the rating. This was our first time. They made a good impression on us. The staff was extremely friendly and helpful and loved to talk to all of their clients. They like their work and it shows. Here is a link to The Modern Hotel where you can view their menus, make room and restaurant reservations and get on their mailing list. An interesting point: They really do try to use local products as much as possible.

The Modern Hotel & Bar thanks Peaceful Belly, Homestead Natural Foods, Waterwheel Gar- dens, Purple Sage Farms, Next Generation Organics, Sweet Valley Organics, Gaston’s Bakery,
Idaho’s Bounty, Lava Lake Lamb, Malheur River Meats, Life Spring Farms, Cloverleaf Cream- ery, Meadowlark Farm, M & N Cattle Co., Acme Bakeshop and Miss Mona’s Chicken Ranch for
their local products

If you are in the area or are visiting Boise, please visit their website. Here are some photos of our visit. Enjoy!

Artwork at the entrance.

45 rpm records in the Men’s Room and they say, in the Women’s Room.

I won’t say the location of this Little Demon in the restroom.

Fresh Scone with Mascarpone Cheese

Lomo Side Dish

Lomo is the Spanish word for tenderloin. Pork tenderloin is known as lomo de cerdo, whereas beef tenderloin is just called lomo. A specific type of lomo is lomo embuchado, which is a dry-cured meat made from a pork tenderloin. [This is what we had and pictured here] It is similar to cecina, but with pork instead of beef. An Italian version exists called lonza stagionata. [Wikipedia]

Gâteau de Crêpe ( Cake)stewed fruits and mascarpone

Gâteau de Crêpe (Crêpe Cake)
stewed fruits and mascarpone

Fried Egg Moroccan Black Beans with Lemon Cream Polenta

Fried Egg
Moroccan Black Beans
with
lemon cream and cilantro
Fried Polenta

This was a Special for today. Our Waitperson, Ceci, said they were trying this out to place as a regular addition to their menu. We said they should add it.

Time For A Tailgate Party!

27 Saturday Sep 2014

Posted by Bob and Robin in Acme Bake Shop Breads, Beef, Beer and Ale, Beer and Food, Boise Farmers Market, Buy Idaho, Cast Iron, Comfort Food, Dinner At The Captains Shack, Dinner With Robin, Idaho Beef, Local Farmers Markets, Local Harvests, Local Markets, Main Dish, Party Time, Photos By: Bob Young, Recipe by: Robin and Bob Young, Sloppy Joe, Tailgate At The Captains Shack, Tailgate Party, Tomatoes, What's For Dinner?

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Boise State, sloppy joe, Sloppy Joe Tailgate Party, tailgate party

It ’tis the season!! Time to do some Tailgating at a stadium or at home watching the Big Game! It’s raining here and the game is in Colorado at the Air Force Academy. Final score should be – I said should be – Boise State 27, Air Force 14. Sit back. Relax. Have a Brew and some Sloppy Joe! Hoot and Holler all you want. Time for some fun and good food. Here is the recipe for our Sloppy Joe Tailgate Party. Enjoy! The game starts at 5:00 MDT on CBSSN, Channel 221 on DirecTV.

Sloppy Joe getting happy. Let it cool. Heat it up. Let it cool. Heat it up and serve it. It is far better after several cool/heat cycles. The flavors marry better.

Sqlaw and Wonderful Appetizers!

23 Tuesday Sep 2014

Posted by Bob and Robin in Acme Bake Shop, Acme Bake Shop Rye, Acme Bakery, Anchovy, Appetizers, Boise Artisan Bakery's, Boise Farmers Market, Buy Idaho, Capers, Captain's Shack, Garlic, Herbs and Spices, Local Farmers Markets, Meatless Monday, Panini Sandwiches, Pastrami, Photos By: Bob Young, Salad, Seafood, Spinach, Tapas, Tomatoes, Vegetables, What's For Dinner?

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anchovy, pissaladiere, sqlaw, tomato tart

Sqlaw? What is that? Acually it is a roasted spaghetti squash slaw, thus Sqlaw. Here is the recipe for the Sqlaw. It is also in the recipe file above.
But, before you can have a sandwich or a full meal, one must have some type of appetizer. Here are two that Robin found online and the recipe link is posted with the photo. Which one do we like best? Well, maybe if you come to maybe the November Treasure Valley Wine Society tasting in November, you just may have the opportunity to try our favorite. We really did enjoy and like all of these offerings. Try them. Let us know what you think. Cheers!

Hot Turkey Pastrami and Sqlaw on Acme Bake Shop Toasted Rye Garden Fresh Tomato and Basil Salad with Fresh Arugula

Hot Turkey Pastrami and Sqlaw on Acme Bake Shop Toasted Rye
Garden Fresh Tomato and Basil Salad on Fresh Baby Spinach

Pissaladiere

Don’t be frightened by the title. Here is the link to the recipe. Cheers! Pissaladiere Recipe

Herbed Tomato and Roasted Garlic Tart

A really very good tomato tart. Almost like a pizza on puff pastry. Here is The Recipe.

“Tailgating” with Gumbo

21 Sunday Sep 2014

Posted by Bob and Robin in Acme Bake Shop, Acme Bake Shop Breads, Birthdays, Boise Farmers Market, Buy Idaho, Captain's Shack, Chicken, Classic Cuisines, Corn, Corn Bread, Dinner With Robin, Ethnic Foods, Local Farmers Markets, Main Dish, Photos By: Bob Young, Recipe by: Robin and Bob Young, Sausage, Seafood, Shrimp, Tailgate Party, Traditional Food, Vegetables, What's For Dinner?

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Acme Bake Shop, corn bread, Guatemalan Corn Bread, gumbo, tailgate party

You can not have a successful Tailgate Feast without Acme Bake Shop bread. We had some of their Baguette with our own Gumbo and Corn Bread. If you would like a good corn bread recipe, here is the one we use, Guatemalan Corn Bread. I just adapt it and put the corn from 1 ear in the batter without chopping the kernels. I still use the 3 ears mixed with the eggs. This reduces the amount of sugar I add to the batter. I only used 1/4 cup of sugar instead of 1 cup. See the recipe.
As for the gumbo, we use our “stand-by” recipe that we used for Robin’s 70th Birthday. I just reduced the ingredient amounts to satisfy our needs. Robin’s 70th Birthday Gumbo. Do enjoy the recipes and these photos. It made for a great Tailgate adventure. And, BSU won the game with Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns, 34-9. That makes BSU 3-1 for the season, their only loss to Ole Miss.