Last week on Tuesday, our class went to the annual NICCO Convention...it was a HUGE two-day event. They started off with the Ultimate Chef's Competition, where three chefs competed against each other using a 'Mystery Ingredient'. I didn't stay long enough to watch the entire thing since the judging took place at the end of the day.
There were a LOT of booths, from fresh produce to deli meats, pre-cut vegetables to gourmet desserts....
Chocolate Mousse and chocolate cheesecake.
Wine Ice Cream! I tried the Chocolate Cabernet...it was delicious! But with an alcohol content of 5%, I don't think I can eat a whole serving of this.
Flavored syrups for coffee and beverages. I was skeptical of the rose syrup at first, half-expecting it to have that gross "I-feel-like-I-just-drank-some-perfume" taste...but it was exquisite! The fragrance was not overpowering, just enough to get a lovely whiff.
Flavored syrups for coffee and beverages. I was skeptical of the rose syrup at first, half-expecting it to have that gross "I-feel-like-I-just-drank-some-perfume" taste...but it was exquisite! The fragrance was not overpowering, just enough to get a lovely whiff.
I got away with some freebies: A tiny bottle of Tabasco; Caramel, Vanilla, and Hazelnut flavor syrup packets; a bunch of brochures; and a cute tote bag with NICCO logo.
So that was Tuesday. We made California Regional dishes on Monday.
Appetizer: Warm Scallop Salad w/Tomatoes, Lime, & Mint
Entree: Sauteed Duck Breast w/Raspberry, Strawberry & Port Wine Reduction; Creamed Spinach; Monterey Jack & Green Chile Polenta
Dessert: Kiwi & Grape Rice Pudding w/Orange-Port Wine Sauce in a tuile cup
Everything turned out great except for the polenta and the tuile cup. The polenta didn't have enough liquid and got too stiff and grainy (a problem easily fixed).
I've never made tuile cups before, but I decided to give it a try. Looking at the recipe, it seemed easy enough to pull off, and it was off the Baking Textbook for the school. So I made the batter using the leftover egg whites (the yolk I incorporated into the rice pudding). The tuile cup turned out too soft. The recipe said that it can be formed while still hot; it will set into a firm, crisp cup in minutes. Well, mine never set--as a matter of fact, a few minutes after I spooned the pudding into it, it slooooooooowly started to fall open. I managed to save it by putting it back into the ramekin used to form the cup. Chef asked if I have taken the Intro to Baking class yet; told him I'll be taking that next quarter, and he said that they'll be making tuiles all the time, so I can get plenty of practice.
Overall, I didn't feel too bad about the pudding. The addition of egg yolks definitely made it more rich and custardy, and everyone gobbled mine down.
But the little tuile incident still bugged me. What went wrong? Temperature? Technique? Or the recipe itself? So over the weekend, I researched several different recipes and decided to try it again. Besides, it won't hurt to start practicing those tuiles now, right?
The result...
They turned out great! They solidified into golden, crispy wafer cups!
Now that I think about it, I may have added too much flour to the first ones I made in class and that's why they fell apart. Maybe I will try that recipe again using proper measuring equipment.
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