So, Hey, Maybe I Can Actually Learn Something

That's the point of going to school, right? And I'd be the first to admit that my plating technique often leaves something to be desired. So it should come as no surprise that Chef Rhoda was about as impressed with my appetizer plate today as she was with my entrée yesterday; in fact, my score was 80% on both items. But I liked my own work better today, so it didn't feel so bad.

My assignment today was "Appetizer, Thai" -- same geography as yesterday, so I didn't have to stretch much when pulling ingredients. I had about an hour to cook. During the night, before I'd been startled awake by the earthquake, I'd decided to make mini noodle pillows as a base, if I was assigned an appetizer. I also had an alternate plan for making soup. (I gave Andy my idea about including both plain and deep-fried cubes of tofu in his miso soup.)

I started the water boiling and grabbed a handful of fresh egg noodles, and I pulled some ahi, pork loin, and shrimp out of the refrigerator. I cooked the noodles and tossed them with some sesame oil and minced green onions. I started on the shrimp by peeling and deveining them, then sautéing them until partially cooked in garlic and ginger. I took out the shrimp and added some chicken stock, yellow curry paste and curry powder to the pan, and reduced it a bit. Then I stirred in some coconut milk and some diced mango, and let that simmer slowly. I marinated the ahi (soy, fish sauce, ginger, garlic, honey) and the pork (sweet chili sauce, hot chili sauce, lime juice, ginger, garlic) and heated up a sauté pan for the noodle pillows. I curled up a couple of noodles for each pillow and fried them gently in oil, until they were browned. Then I pan-seared the tuna and the pork, added the shrimp back to the curry sauce, plated, garnished, and served it up to the Chef.
"Oh, doesn't this look nice!" Chef said, when I placed the plate in front of her. Then she began poking it with her fork. She thought the plate would be more interesting if I had a different base for each appetizer, like a slice of cucumber, or some soft noodles ("so the sauce could drip on them"), or a pile of shredded carrots. "Thais like those pickled vegetables," she said, obviously forgetting the ones I served yesterday that she dissed. She wanted stronger Thai flavors in the ahi and the pork, but she thought the shrimp was perfect. 12 out of 15.

By the time we finished our dish presentations, it was only 9:15. While some of the class did dishes and "deep cleaned" the stoves, Andy and Andrea and I made a "family meal," utilizing some of the product we had left in the refrigerator. Andy made seafood penne pasta with basil/spinach cream sauce. Andrea fried some calamari and made a spicy mayo sauce. I cooked another three duck breasts (five in two days: I can do this!) and made a big salad platter with mangoes, cashews, cilantro, cherry tomatoes, red bell peppers, and chopped eggs.

We ate and cleaned up, then took the second part of our written final. The first half was yesterday: 60 true/false questions about Asian products. Today was 30 more questions about ingredients and techniques. (What are the four major ingredients in Japanese cooking? Soy sauce, dashi, miso, sake.) We watched the final episode of "Cooking Under Fire," the PBS series, and the tough, ballsy girl got the job. Then we were dismissed. I asked Chef Rhoda to sign my copy of her 1977 Dim Sum book. She said, "When you read this, it will sound like me! I wrote every word!"

I'll be lucky to get a B.