Cooking 101 Recap: Week IV

by Northeastern Dining Quality Assurance Manager Chris Jennings

We dove right into stocks and sauces this week. Chef Tom had a beautiful chicken stock already simmering before class started. The aroma filtered thru the XK and set the tone for a stimulating experience on how to create your own stocks and sauces.

Once we covered the different types of stocks and how to create them thru many variations, we figured we would transform some of them into sauces. Most sauces require a thickening agent and the type of thickening agent used depends on the desired texture, flavor and appearance of the sauce you want. Many were discussed but the class tried their hand at it with a roux, corn starch, beurre manié and a liaison. Quite a bit of whisking, tempering, and straining was involved but the end results were very nice.

The goal was achieved. We transformed chicken stock into chicken velouté; a Béchamel sauce became a Mornay sauce; but the highlight was the hollandaise. Chef Andy and Chef Jennifer created the hollandaise with an emulsion of egg yolks, butter and lemon juice. It took some time, but the double boiler method, along with some TLC, prevented overheating and presented us with a warm, velvety sauce. A pinch of salt and tarragon and it was a job well done.

We want to wish all of Northeastern a safe and happy Spring Break. We will pick up where we left off after the week off with entremetier - preparing vegetables, soups, starches, and eggs. Until then, happy cooking!