Variation: Crab eggs Benedict

It was raining last night but the ride into the City this morning was clear and sparkling. First thing on the agenda: slight schedule change. Knife test postponed until Wednesday, which means tests three days in a row this week. Today's safety exam was multiple choice questions that we had reviewed extensively in class, so not so tough. I wasn't sure about three of the 65 answers; ended up with 62/65 or 95% which is OK by me.

We began food science talking about atomic theory. Chef Joseph reassured the class that our exposure to chemistry will be minimal — just what we need to know to understand why food reacts the way it does when cooked. "If you know more science, keep it to yourself," he urged. Apparently we're not particularly worried about accuracy either: our class notes indicate that there are 106 elements, while Wikipedia is reporting 117 or 118.

At any rate, we will learn about the chemical properties of salt, sugar, and water. If you know more, keep it to yourself.

In the kitchen, we made emulsified sauces: mayonnaise, hollandaise, beurre blanc, and vinaigrette. Regarding mayonnaise, Chef said, "Later in life, you'll make it in a blender." It's not that hard to do in a bowl. It just helps if you can maneuver a whisk ambidextrously. Following our food science rules, homemade mayo is made with raw eggs and should not be served to people with compromised immune systems. Additionally, it should be stored at or below 41 degrees, and should not be kept at higher temperatures for more than four hours.

Hollandaise — well, I had to start over after I scrambled the egg yolks on the first batch. But when it's right, it's heaven. Three egg yolks, half a pound of butter. What's not to like about that? (Season it heavily if you're using it on poached eggs, because the richness of the runny egg yolk will overpower a lightly seasoned sauce.)

Beurre blanc will be great on pan-fried Dover sole. David should be prepared for that, in his near future. And we were instructed never to purchase vinaigrette again. Silvia did an incredible mince job on the mixed herbs (parsley, sage, rosemary, thyme — do I hear you humming? ) and it was delicious.

After class, I spent the afternoon with my parents. Believe it or not, we've started to prepare Christmas Eve dinner. There'll be about 30 this year, as the out-of-towners are all planning to make an appearance, simultaneously. Today's project was pierogi, the sauerkraut-filled dumplings that come from the Polish side of the family. Mom hates making pierogi, despite her ease with doughs of all kinds. For some reason, she allowed herself to become intimidated at an early age — perhaps by her mother-in-law's easy ability and vague instructions ("add flour until dough is workable"). Today, the sauerkraut/onion filling was cooked and cooling when I arrived. We mixed up some dough and then basically played with it, kindergarten-style, making about six dumplings and a big mess. Quick change of plans, a trip to the grocery store, and within an hour, we had 6 dozen neat pierogi in the freezer, beautifully wrapped in round won ton skins. On Christmas Eve, they'll get a quick boil in salted water, then they're drained and covered with a "sauce" made of crushed saltines and lots and lots of butter. Hey, it's an acquired taste, but it's tradition. With a twist. Over a generation or two, things change.

Before I left, Dad showed me an article from the December issue of Sunset magazine: three things to do with Dungeness crab, including eggs Benedict. Just make sure your hollandaise is well-seasoned, and your muffins are crisp.