Amateur

Today was one of those bad days....overcooked red lentils TWICE. The first time was complete mush...the second time, I burnt the bottom of the pot so all the lentils had a smoky/burnt flavor. It was so bad, we couldn't serve it. Sigh. Just when I think I'm learning and improving, I go and pull an amateur move.

The bright side of my day was my dinner with Tina at Scarpetta...one of my absolute favorite restaurants in the NY. We over ordered as usual, but I ate it all and it was delicious. I went straight home to change into loose pants. I had burned the roof of my mouth at work earlier so every sip of wine and every bite of food was painful, but I powered through. Will post pictures at some point. The dining room was pretty dimly lit so they aren't the best quality.

Seared scallop with sunchoke puree and white truffle oil. We weren't suppose to get the truffle oil but they accidentally put it on by mistake! Yippee! Free truffle oil!

Ah...spaghetti....the stuff I dream about. It was just as amazing as I remember.

Duck and foie gras ravioli. I didn't like this as much as I thought I would. Had a soy sauce flavor to me....kinda weird.

Duck breast with orange glaze and caramelized fennel. The duck was great but the the garnish was just ok.
Banana budino....totally delicious. I was stuffed to the gills but managed to finish this off!

Scarpetta Spaghetti

Tonight, I tried to recreate the amazing spaghetti I had at Scarpetta. The recipe was posted on their website at one point, but not anymore. I also made garlic bread and meatballs, a nod to Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs which I have yet to see! It wasn't quite as good as Scott Conant's but still damn tasty and whole lot cheaper! I was trying to figure out why it didn't taste the same....and it's probably because I didn't have freshly made pasta nor did I buy 20 vine ripened tomatoes (far too pricey for my budget)....I setttled for a mixture of vine ripened and good ol' plum tomatoes. I'm determined to try making this again and experimenting with the sauce with actual vine ripened tomatoes...and buying a pasta machine. I'm dying to make my own fresh pasta. The recipe is so simple that I think good quality ingredients really make a difference. Any volunteers for taste testers?

Graduation

Yesterday was graduation day. I can't believe i made it through 6 months of culinary school. Surprisingly, I didn't feel at all sad. Not that I won't miss going to class every day and being around cool people who share my interests. I just felt more proud than anything else. I was extremely focused and disciplined during my time at FCI...which meant very little drinking or late night partying because I always wanted to be fresh for class. I'm paying thousands of dollars to be there, I wanted to be there mentally and physically (not hung over.) Congrats to the Culinary Arts class of 2009!


I took away some valuable lessons during my time at FCI. I'll share them with those of you who didn't have the opportunity to endure 600 hours of intensive training.

1. Taste everything. Repeatedly.
2. Salt is your friend.
3. Never sacrifice quality. Take pride in what you're cooking.
4. Cook with your heart.
5. Always strive to be better and faster.


To celebrate, I had dinner at Scarpetta.....a place I've been dying to try for months and haven't been able to get reservations. I took the chance that it was relatively early on a Wednesday and not too busy...luckily I got seated right away. It was too dark to take pictures but I had an amazing meal there. I'd have to say it's on my top 5 list of favorite restaurants in New York. I had zero complaints...the bread basket was delicious (complete with a trio of olive oil, butter and some sort of tomato-eggplant caponata), the wine suggestion was excellent, my appetizer of braised short rib and risotto was perfect....AND the infamous spaghetti was the best I have ever had! It was so simple...just tomatoes, basil and cheese, I think. I was in heaven. Of course I had dessert...a chocolate and vanilla parfait with biscotti and hazelnut milkshake...perfect way to end the meal. Oh and to top it off, I got to meet the chef and see the kitchen! I was one happy camper.




Restaurants mentioned:
Scarpetta
355 West 14th St.
New York, NY 10014