Phew...I don't know if I can survive this week with as well as I've been eating. I know, I know-- "What a terrible problem to have, Shugar." I hear you...
Today began our chocolate cream pie practical in Pastry Kitchen. I secured all points possible through the cream-making process, and I hope to do the same tomorrow during the piping part of the practical. The best part is my banana cream pie will have a new chocolate friend to chill with in the refrigerator by day's end tomorrow. I feel like that last line should be on a pro-unity poster.
Catering and Buffet was full of good food today, as the above slideshow is depicting. We've also got a lot of stuff brining and marinating for future consumption (including homemade corn beef, pastrami and the aforementioned pickles). There was still plenty to eat today though.
The homemade brats were tasty, right up there with the best brats I've ever had. If only I had a KitchenAid Mixer with the meat grinding attachment and a Tuber to fill my own casings. I'm only half kidding on wanting a KitchenAid Mixer...I could go without filling and creating my own sausages at home. At least for the time being.
Pumpkin spaetzles are a bit much (they have cinnamon in them!). I'd go for my mom's plain with just some gravy or butter any day. It's not that they tasted bad, I just don't see the need for that flavor combination. The cabbage was tasty...it really soaked up the white wine and other seasonings it was braised in.
I thought I would hate the Pate de Campagne, as I'm still not in the right mindset to think pates look appetizing. It wasn't terrible, and I think it helped it was wrapped in prosciutto. It essentially had a ham flavor...but it's not something I'd make just to have, for sure.
I'm saving the best for last, and that by far was the Turkey Ballotine. Whereas the Chicken Galantine was poached and served cold, a Ballotine is roasted and served hot. That alone would probably make it a lot more edible to most of you who read this blog, and let me say that the Ballotine didn't disappoint. It was delicious.
A quick rundown of how it's made:
**Take a whole, uncooked turkey and peel back the skin from the breasts, doing your best to keep the skin in one whole piece. Remove the breasts, separating the tenderloins in the process (sidenote: a turkey tenderloin is the size of a chicken breast!).
**Continue to peel the skin back from the leg and thighs to the best of your ability. Eventually separate the leg and thigh from the carcass. Keep them attached.
**Pound the tenderloins flat ala the chicken tenderloins in the Chicken Galantine.
**Create a forcemeat (ground meat) of pork, pork fat, garnishes and some spices.
**Begin assembly. Take some caul fat (it's a fat that looks like spider web) and lay it flat on some aluminum foil. Caul fat encases a lot of animal's stomachs and is used to wrap products like this since the fat essentially melts into the product, basting it in the process.
**Place your turkey "leg" down with excess skin laying down along the caul fat as evenly and neatly as possible.
**Place pounded tenderloins inside the excess turkey skin protruding from the leg.
**Place forcemeat in a cylinder shape inside of the pounded tenderloins.
**Roll it up (it almost looks like you're recreating one enormous turkey leg. I mean imagine if a turkey had a leg about a foot long. Refer to pics above to get an idea of the final shape).
**Bake in foil until proteins set up a bit. Remove foil and roast until golden brown and internal temp is in around 160 degrees.
**Slice and devour.
If this exact platter was served at your next Thanksgiving you would die by deliciousness. I promise. The turkey is a good combo of light and dark meat, the pork is cooked perfectly inside, the garnishes set it off-- just tasty all around.
Whew. Tried to be shorter winded on that one. Enjoy the pics, and thanks for stopping by...
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