Relief, Relief, Relief

I wanted to start this week with some pictures but for some reason it will not let me. Lindsay is coming to see me this week maybe she can help. I will do a post with just pictures when I get it figured out. This week was a big week. On friday of last week we had a Italian test. Then on monday we had a theory, practical and a evaluation. The theory was the written part, the practical was cooking and the evaulation was from day one. Then on friday this week we had another theory test. I am happy to say I did really good on everything. I can't spell for S!@#$$ but I will try to get better. I also found out I passed my safe serve. That I was worried about.

On the practical we had to make Caponata and Ravioli with swiss chard and ricotta. We were timed and watched. Our stations had to be clean and organized at all times. The food had to be ready by a certain time. Not a minute before or a minute after. If you are working at a restaurant and you have your food early it is not good, and if it is late it is still not good. So we were learning to adjust our time and prepare some thing ahead. It was exhausting but kinda neat. Did I tell ya'll I HATE BEING TESTED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Well I do. I think I am to old to be tested. I just wish they thought I was to old to be tested.

This week was Chicken, game birds, and some beef. The chicken was real good at first then we were all tired of it. We made Breaded cutlets with tomato and arugula salad, Chicken scaloppine with lemon and wine with egg fettucini, chicken liver crostini, roast chicken with roasted potatoes, grilled chicken, chicken cacciatora, roasted duck, confit duck leg, roasted guinea hen with mushrooms, braised squab, grilled quail with fregola. Then we moved on to beef: meatloaf and polenta with stewed beans with tomato, stuffed and rolled beef, and braised oxtail. Well all in all most were good. We have to try everything. Some things surprise us and are better than we think, and some thing are exactly the way we think. My favorite was the roasted chicken. It was better than any roasted chicken I have ever eaten and so pretty to look at. The next was the quail with fregola.

Steve came into town on friday. We had reservations to eat at 10:00pm but we got there early and could seat us. Great restaurant www.scarpettanyc.com We ordered a martini and a cosmo and enjoyed looking through our choices. The first course was a plate of fried seafood and vegetables very tall and looking alot like a upside down basket. the batter was so spicy (not hot) just full of flavor. They give the recipe on their web page. You never knew what you were eating until you put it in your mouth. Every bite was a good surprise. Steve ordered the veal wrapped in prosciutto, it was so tender and the flavors were. I can hardly do it justice. It screams, where can I buy veal like that? If I got the veal I just hope I could make something taste that good. Well I guess that is why I am going to school and he has a successful restaurant. The next night we went to www.themermaidnyc.com . It is a very small place with small tables. I really hate small tables. The food was very good. We ordered sauted calamari with wilted greens and goat cheese, very different and very good. Steve got the crab cake and I got fish and chips. We were both very happy. I wanted something not Italian or healthy. Boy was I NOT dissappointed. The breading was flaky and brown, not greasy. The chips were chips. Have I ever had a bad chip? I probably have but so many good ones outnumber the few bad ones. I really enjoyed the change in diet. Steve's crabcake was very good. It had very different spices, we tried to figure it out without success. Well back to reality. Steve left today. Always a bad time. I really miss him. I think he misses me too. Back to the grind. I have some Italian to study.
Talk to ya'll next week
Yvonne