The Culinary

Carmine

Well Known Member
Supporting Member 10
Hi everyone. Not sure how many members among us like to cook, but I do. I've learned a lot from my family over the years. Today, I went to the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, NY, for a cooking class in making bread. I went with my oldest son and this is the 5th class we have taken together. Previously, we took classes in soup making, gourmet meals in less then 30 minutes, grilling and BBQing and my favorite, hor devours for the home. It was very interesting. We learned how different ingredients interact with each other. The use of yeast. How to make a good dough for bread. Baking the bread itself. Had about an hour presentation and then went to our individual stations. All the ingredients were laid out for us and we began the bread making process. I made 4 different types of bread plus pretzels. While the bread was baking, we ate lunch on the grounds. They teach everything and anything there, with whatever the different classes are making, is brought to where we are and served for lunch. Definitely get to sample some different things. Nice way to spend a Saturday. You meet some nice people. Sixteen of us in class. We take home what we made, which was delicious. I think best of all, I got a chance to share some quality time with one of my children. I don't seem to have as much of that as I like and this was a perfect opportunity. A win-win for all, Carmine.
 

blkblk63ss

Well Seasoned Member
Supporting Member 5
Good for you Carmine ,if you like to cook nothing wrong with that . I myself do not have the patience to cook. About all I do is grill burgers and boil hot dogs . :D Are you the better cook ,or your wife???
 

Carmine

Well Known Member
Supporting Member 10
Yes, overall, much better. The few things that she makes, are very good, but she doesn't have a large assortment of dishes. She actually prefers me to cook and she does the cleanup. I'm trying to be humble here, but most of what I make is very good. Sometimes on occasion, not good at all. Actually, terrible. I recall making something one time and I tried feeding it to our dog, who I knew was hungry, but she wanted nothing to do with it. Smart dog. At least once a week, I try to do a gourmet meal. Something a little different. Above and beyond the usual. I also get tired of the same stuff so I look to be creative with a dish. They kind of teach you this at the CIA in some of the classes. Sometimes, I don't like an ingredient in a recipe and I have to figure something out for it's replacement. For instance, anchovies. I don't like anchovies, so I never cook with them. Depending on what I'm making, I either leave them out all together or find a substitute. When we have company over, I concentrate on presentation. We eat with our eyes, so I try and make it look real appealing. Dress things up a little. Maybe a color contrast of food items on the plate. It could be the worse tasting crap in the world, but your eyes tell you, boy that is going to taste great. That's half the argument. I really enjoy making hor devours. I have about 10-12 different ones that I make. Some are from the CIA and some are my own recipe that I developed. They always go over well. Geez, all this talk about food made me hungry. Time for a bowl of Captain Crunch, Carmine.
 

skipxt4

Well Seasoned Member
Supporting Member 18
Way to go, Carmine.:applItalians, are born, to cook. :clapWhen my wife, and I first got married, she could cook, a little.:rolleyes We borrowed a line, from Rodney Dangerfield. "In our house, we pray, after we eat":doh:teehee After some tutoring, from my Dad, who was an Army Chef, and cooked in various restaurant's his whole life, she became Excellent.:clap
 

Carmine

Well Known Member
Supporting Member 10
My mother is English and I remember asking her one day, how she learned to cook all the different Italian dishes, not something she grew up around.
She said my father taught her. She did a good job with what she made and I also learned from then both. Funny thing, for the longest time my father would insist on having an Italian dish with the traditional turkey, ham, etc. I got to enjoy the best of both worlds. I continue this tradition myself. As we get closer to Thanksgiving, I'll ask my kids who come over, what Italian dish they want me to make this year. Most of the time, it's lasagna followed closely by baked ravioli. I get what I need from an Italian delicacy store in the Bronx, NY, and it's a world of difference in comparison to what is available in my area. I know the Italian dish is the first to go. Never any leftovers on that. Then we sit and look at 20 lbs. of turkey and 12 lbs. of ham.
Plenty to take home, Carmine,
 

oleblu72

Well Known Member
Supporting Member 5
I'm not much of a cook but I haven't poisoned myself yet I guess that's saying something. I use to bake the ham for the family get together for Christmas but I was dethroned a couple of years ago I think it might have been to much garlic.....bunch of wimps.

Mark
 
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