Blog assignment #3 "Hug a Farmer"

      Today i visited a local fish shop named Coral Sea Fish at Kensington
Market where I  interview the owner to the shop  and this is what
I got.

Lovis Qarlos and man who was born in Portugal at The Azores Island. When Lovis was a young he started selling fish to help with a family business. Lovis started working with fish at the age of six. After he got older he moved to Canada where he then open a fish shop this started 19 years ago.


This is Lovis' philosophy on choosing non-organic vs organic foods.  

What he think about non-organic and organic foods is that these food are to satisfy the customers. What he does is buy both organic and non organic foods to support both types of consumers.


I asked Lovis where does he get his fish from he told me that they were shipped from all over the world from the west coast to the east cost.

This is Lovis though on environment waste.

What he said was the in a huge disappointment that a lot of wood goes to waste he said that he wishes people would understand how hard it is the get these food that is should he cherish.

I asked Lovis what he does with his waste he told me that he recycles them.

What i learn from is experience was that it does not matter if your a high end restaurant or a small bakery it doesn't matter because if you love what you do that's all it matters. When i saw Lovis he was enjoying what he did interacting with his customer to satisfy  there needs. Lovis taught me that u need passion for your work if you want to succeed.

 The Azores Island-http://themindunleashed.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/atlantic.gif

     

Blog assignment #2 cooking the meat and game

Braise Ox-tail
Aka: For my Onii-Chan 
  2 carrots-150 g
 1 celery -100 g
 1 onion - 200 g
  beef stock - 900 ml
  Ox-tail- 2 lb
  red wine- 200 ml
 3 garlic cloves
 4 sprigs of thyme
 dry Rosemary- 1 g
 1 bay leaf
 vegetable oil - 50ml
  salt

My chose of animal is beef cattle and my cut is ox-tail. The cooking method for my ox-tail is braising because ox-tail has a lot of connective tissue and it takes long to break down connective tissue so braising is the best method to break down these connective tissues.













1. prepare mirpoix and other ingredients next season the ox-tail with salt and add oil to a pan or roasting pan. preheat the oven to 300 degrees Celsius
2. Next start browning the ox-tail after remove any left over oil. In the same pan add a little of oil and start sauteing mirpoix. First start with Onions then add carrot after that add celery.

3. Once onions start to get translucent add the garlic and saute for another minute. After deglaze the pan with red wine and reduce liquid by half.













4. Once the red wine is reduce add the beef stock and herbs and bring to a boil.
5. Once the liquid starts boiling add back the ox-tail cover with a lid and place it into the oven for 2 hours

6. After the 2 hours remove the lid and the ox-tail and strain the liquid into a separate pot or pan.
Reduce the liquid to a Jue lie consistency

Final product


Consistency for the Jue Lie is able to coat the back of the spoon.












The ox-tail is fork tender

Blog assignment #1 purchasing meat

My local grocery store Hong Tai super market is located on 2555 Victoria Park Avenue. Has a large selection of meat cuts for a cheap price it also has a wide selection of fish and charcuterie.  My chose of animal is beef cattle and the cut is ox-tail. The reason why I chose ox-tail as my cut is because ox-tail is cheap piece of cut and has gelatin-rich meat.

http://www.blogto.com/listings/grocery/upload/2011/10/20111020-hong-tai-supermarket.jpg

          The Cattle was first domesticated 10 000 years ago and was raised in all region from America to Asia. Study shows that there are currently 134 different types of cattle and the average weight 60-100 pounds when they are born and are slaughter after 6-10 months and the average weight before there slaughter is 450-700 pounds. There are two sexes of cattle male and female the male is used for meat, leather and sports. The female is used for dairy and meat as well.

                          

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cattle

http://www.bbc.co.uk/food/beef

The ox-tail comes from cattle’s tail and has an average weight of 2-4 pounds. Ox-tail is a bony cut and the meat is very tough but the meat is very gelatinous and rich. The best method to cook ox tail is any type of slow cooking method examples like stewing and braising.  The reason why ox tail is best for slow cooking because the tail has a lot of connective tissue if you were to pan fry or grill the ox-tail it would still be tough to eat. So slow cooking is the best method for cooking ox tail because it’s the best way to break down connective tissue without burning the ox-tail. When I’m buying ox-tail I make sure that the cut does not have an odor and it has a nice red colour. 

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/94/Raw_oxtail-01.jpg

http://caribbeanpot.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/guinness-oxtails-13.jpg

Week 7: Pickles, Preserves & Fermentation

                                           What i chose was red onions and white onions

What i did was pickle onion i combine the vinegar, sugar and the spices and the peppers in a pot and bring it to a boil. After that i sliced onions placed it in a jar and pour the brine in jar with the sliced onion close lid and let in sit in the fridge for 10 hours.

• 2 cups cider vinegar
• pepper
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 dried thyme bayleaf
• Pepper corns
• 2 cloves garlic           ( modifed version   http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Vegetable-Pickling-Liquid-395572)

After 10 hours

The pickled onions tasted acidic,sweet, spicy and sour. It has a strong onion and vinegar smell. I tasted a bit of the brine and it was acidic. For the red onion it had a light red colour and for the yellow it had a light yellow colour. The taste is kinda similar to dill pickles because of the acidic taste. What makes this food unique is that the technique that is use to make pickled onions was used back in the day when refrigerator weren't invented. The pickled onions was a success the thing i would do differently is instead of pickling the onions i should ferment them instead of pickling because it may have a different taste.

Soup and stocks

The soup i chose is a sweet red bean soup. The reason why i chose this soup because its something from my culture and in Chinese we call it Tong sui which is called sweet water in english. There is no story but i know there are alot of variety for red bean soup example for japanese version of red bean soup they add chestnut.

Chinese Coconut Red Bean Soup with Tapioca Pearls

Serves: 8

Ingredients

10 cups water, divided

1/4 cup tapioca pearls

2 cups small red beans (or Japanese azuki beans), soaked overnight, rinsed, and drained

Rock sugar, to taste (depending on your preferred level of sweetness)

1 13.5-oz can coconut milk
https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7169276769205228491#editor/target=post;postID=3400205919791874290

In a small saucepan, bring 2 cups of water to a boil. Add tapioca pearls and simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes. Cover with a lid and remove from heat. The tapioca pearls should plump up and turn translucent in about 10 minutes (if not, let it reboil for 5 minutes and keep it covered again for 10 minutes). Drain the liquid through a sieve and rinse with cold water until water runs clear. Set aside.

In a large pot, bring the beans and 8 cups of water to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low and let simmer, covered, stirring occasionally. Make sure there is enough water covering the beans at all time; add more boiling water if necessary. Cook for about 1.5 hours, or until the beans are tender and the liquid reduces to a thick consistency.

Stir in rock sugar and allow to dissolve completely. Stir in tapioca pearls and coconut milk before serving. Serve hot or chilled.

The sweet red bean soup is sweet and had a light purple colour. It also smells like a mix of coconut and sweet paste. What makes this soup unique is that is can be both serve cold and hot depending on the season. What i learn about this dish is that soup doesn't always have to be savory and can be served as a dessert. This dish was enjoyable especially in the winter because its nice and warm and it's not too sweet.

I let my younger brother try it he enjoyed it because it had a nice texture in the soup and has a nice coconut sweetness.

What was challenging about this dish is allowing the red beans to soak long enough because if i cook them to early it would still have a crunchy texture which is something i am not looking for in the is soup. Another challenge i had with this soup is cooking the tapioca pearls because i can't over cook them because if i do they would turn to mush and if i under cook them they would still have a crunch to them, The dish was a success and what i would do differently is i would add shredded coconut into the soup or i can is a different type of bean.

What i took away from this experience is getting the ability to make a dessert soup. What i learn is that china is not the only country to serve dessert soup it is also served in Japan, Korea, and other part of Asia and I also learn how to make tapioca. How i can apply this to my future culinary endeavors is by creating other Asian dishes are aren't widely serve in Canada and modifying them so it can serve peoples taste buds.

Fruit Hunter

The market that i explored was the St. Lawrence market and the reason why i explored that market because at St. Lawrence market there is a verity of fruits and a large selection of meats, cheese, and bread. How i choose my fruit was by looking for something unfamiliar and something that has a nice bright colour. what i avoid is fruits with bruises and dark spots. The persimmon is from Ebony family and size can be from 1.5 cm to 9 cm in diameter. The American persimmon is grown in eastern United states like California and ripens late in the year. The marketing price for the persimmon is $1.00/lb. The persimmon has a sweet taste and has a bright orange colour both outside and inside of the fruit. The fruit has a firm texture like a nectarine. The persimmon tastes like a combination of a mango and apple. What makes the persimmon unique is that it has not sour or acidic taste. A cooking method i would use for the persimmon is baking is say this because persimmon is sweet and would work well with desserts.
What i learn from this experience is that the persimmon a sweet fruit and can been grown in many different regions.


persimmon cookies

2 ripe persimmons, pureed                                          1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon baking soda                                               1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups all-purpose flour                                               1 cup white sugar                     
1 egg                                                                          1/2 cup butter                                                                   
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup raisins

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C).
2. Dissolve baking soda in persimmon pulp and set aside.
3. Sift flour, spices and salt together, set aside.
4. Cream together butter or margarine and sugar until fluffy, beat in egg and persimmon. Stir in dry ingredients. Stir in nuts and raisins.
5. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto greased cookie sheet. Bake for 15 minutes.

Work citied

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persimmon#Diospyros_virginiana_.28American_persimmon.29

http://www.chestnuthilltreefarm.com/store/c/39-Native-and-Oriental-Persimmon-Trees.aspx

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/persimmon-cookies-i/

Culinary Blog Activity 2: Sensory Evaluation

This week i tried the pork schnitzel it tasted umame.
i use sense of touch, taste, and smell.
The pork schnitzel tasted similar to pork cutlet.
What made this food unique was the texture of the pork schnitzel because panko bread crumbs was used.

What i learn about that palate is where you get your sense of taste from.
Yes i enjoyed the food.
Yes i am willing to eat it again because it is nice and crispy.
The flavors that i find more appealing would something that is umame.
How this change my way in tasting, analyze and use foods in my cooking is by trying out new flavors.