The Harmony
Modern American Cuisine is where “squirrel stock” will be forever engrained in my brain. Taught
by Chef Curtis Smith, this little anecdote (and subsequent test question) provided the perfect
avenue for remembering the ratio for making stock. Each stock type may differ in preparation
and ingredients but the process stays the same. All you need to remember is 8:1:1. For every 8 lbs.
of bones you need to have 1 pound of mirepoix and 1 gallon of water. Whether you are making
beef, chicken, and seafood, squirrel or unicorn stock, the ratio is 8:1:1! Got it! I don’t think I’ll ever
forget that example as long as I live. With Chef Smith, we also learn advanced techniques such
as stock infusions. Infused stock can be used to impart deeper flavors for a menu item that may
reflect a certain culture’s cuisine. For example, using curry powder, garlic and chili pods for Indian
cuisine, or an African flavor imparted with the addition of fennel seeds, cloves and coriander.
Our talents (and educational comprehension) are tested with “mystery basket” practical exams,
where students are required to prepare a meal with only the ingredients pre-selected and set out
in baskets on a prep table, in a pre-established amount of time. Pressure!! What does stock have to
do with this? Everything, it seems! You will need it for your soup, sauce(s), poaching liquid; or all
of the above. This defines the harmony of the Inland Northwest Culinary Academy. The stocks utilized in your practical finals are not made by you – those first- or second-quarter students learning the basics in the beginning of the program lovingly make them.
I have loved every step of my journey through the kitchens of INCA. One of the very last classes you get to experience is Fine Dining Service, where it all comes together as a plate in front of
the guest, lovingly prepared and “touched” by the many hands and levels of experience throughout the program. Aside from normal “guest interaction” jitters, there is a definite advantage to
knowing more about the menu items being served, having had a hand (or many hands, actually)
in preparing that dish throughout my 2 year INCA journey. Before you ever approach a paying
guest in Orlando’s Restaurant, hours are spent learning the history (or “story” as Instructor Julie
Litzenberger likes to say) of the food before it landed on your plate. As a culinary student, we
talk about food every day, and we encourage everyone around us to do the same. It doesn’t make
you a “foodie”, it makes you educated and informed. We travel around the world and introduce
techniques and menu items to our guests in Orlando’s as various parts of the curriculum. I can
see the manipulation of ingredients that once were so simple that are now part of a finished dish,
beautifully plated and pleasing to the pallet.
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