April Le Cordon Bleu Mystery Basket Cooking Demonstration!

Persian Spiced Incan Quinoa Grain and Minced Veal Stuffed Grape Leaves 

Veal Loin Cutlets with Garlic Sage Beurre Noisette

Bette à carde braisée

Roasted Pork Loin

Kosher Salt Roasted Beets and Turnips

Persian Spiced Incan Quinoa Grain and Minced Veal Stuffed Grape Leaves 

Garlic Sage Beurre Noisette Artichokes and Candied Smoked Bacon Veal Topping

Veal Loin Cutlets with Garlic Sage Beurre Noisette

Bette à carde braisée

Alabama Style Rice and Beans

Mystery Basket!

     Le Cordon Bleu offers some nice extracurricular activities for students.  Last weekend I participated in a Mystery Basket cook off.  That was a fun event!  A huge mystery basket full of odd food items was placed on a table and the participants were expected to create a few entrees with the items of the mystery basket.

     There were some pricy gourmet items in the mystery basket!  A boneless veal loin was the high dollar ticket item in the basket.  The executive chef asked me to prepare that item in a specific way.  That left no room for creativity, but I do enjoy cooking classic veal preparations.  The veal loin section was cut into cutlets and pounded thin.  The cutlets were sauteed and the veal was finished with a garlic sage beurre noisette.  A topping of garlic sage beurre noisette artichoke hearts and candied smoked bacon was also prepared for the veal loin cutlets.  This turned out to be a very nice uncomplicated modern veal presentation that was based on classic veal recipes!

     The braised swiss chard was another simple item that I cooked.  I like how the braising liquid of swiss chard turns pink in color.  That creates a nice-dream like presentation.

     The stuffed grape leaves were my idea.  I minced the veal trimmings from butchering the veal loin and cooked them with Incan quinoa grain.  Other students were cooking a couple of rice dishes, so I figured that I would try a different grain than rice for the stuffed grape leaves.  The ancho chile jack cheese polenta stuffed grape leaves that I made a few moths ago turned out nice, so alternative grains were more than just an option.  I used Arabic Persian spices to flavor the dolmeh barg quinoa veal stuffing.

     One student made a nice roasted whole pork loin that was flavored with an asian marinade.  An Alabama style beans and rice entree that was made by a student showed that that there is room for good old fashioned home comfort cooking in modern French cuisine.

     The executive chef created a salt and pepper roasted chiogga beet and turnip plate that tasted very nice.  This gourmet salt roasting method brings nice flavors out of the root vegetables.

     Le Cordon Bleu offers many cooking classes and clubs that are open to the public on Saturdays.  The Knife Skills Club and the Baking Club had quite a large group of interested attendees!  The fees are reasonable and the learning experience is good for home cooks who wish to learn from experienced professional executive chefs and master chefs.  By attending a few of the Le Cordon Bleu cooking demonstrations, an amateur can take a few steps toward cooking like a professional!  The class or demonstration atmosphere is informative, fun and upbeat.  Look into attending a Saturday Le Cordon Bleu cooking club or cooking demonstration sometime!  Its a good way to make the best of a weekend and to have fun, while learning cooking skills that will last a lifetime!  Yum!  ...  Shawna