Louisa Chu

Urg. Fava beans. I love to eat them - hate to prepare them. I prep them pretty much the same way Jim does, but I only blanche them about 30 seconds. I find that any more than that - especially at this time of the year - the skin gets a little harder to remove and the bean itself a little overcooked for my taste. I just did a variation of a very traditional Provencal dish - fava beans and artichokes with thyme in olive oil. It really is pretty much that. Prep your beans. I used mini artichokes and just peel the tough outer leaves, quartered them. Used some garlic, rosemary, and basil infused olive oil to cook them through until tender - be generous with the oil, added the fava beans, then quite a bit of thyme to taste. I've also used fava beans in a crushed new potato salad. Just boiled the potatoes with skins on to tender, fork crushed, add fava beans, roasted garlic, thyme, lemon, season to taste. Edited to add that I did also top the potato salad with crisp, julienned pancetta.

Bux, in practicals we use the classic Bron all stainless mandolines - French. The chefs usually use them as well in demos but quite a few of them use the Benriners - which they acquired during tours of duty in Japan. I have the Williams-Sonoma one - gift - but the slicer I use at school - and most often - is the Swiss/German Borner - or Boerner - V slicer. I think it was like 30 bucks too - and I may have even bought it through an infomercial! I keep that - and my ricer - in my locker. The chefs have never seen the ricer - which I so prefer over the food mills for potatoes. mags, sorry! Ooh, you're really not going to like it then when I tell you the next day I snagged some crispy skinned duck breasts from some of the Basic students - with Sauce a l'Orange! And yes, those midday breaks, now I understand why one sees people napping in parks all over Paris - that will soon be me! And thanks!

It is easy but it does depend on how much sugar you have left in the pan. The safest way to do it is to just heat it - no water - until the sugar melts, pour it out into a heat proof container, then carefully fill it with water, bring the water to a boil, then wash as normal. If you have too much sugar at the bottom of a pan and then put water in over to boil, you will have a dangerous explosion. If you have a neglible amount of sugar left, then fill with water, boil, clean.

5 euros a day for lunch in France? Easy. Most baguette sandwiches from a boulangerie's only about 3 euros. A loaded crepe 3 to 5. A panini about the same. A sandwich grecque avec frites about 4 to 5. An Asian traiteur's basic menu - rice and main - about 5. A liter of Cristalline's only about 20 or 30 centimes. And go to Leader Price grocery stores if you can for the cheapest prices and best basic quality. Bon voyage.

Pan, thank you so much! And sorry, not marginal at all, I should have explained. To chinois is probably multilingually grammatically incorrect. When I say "to chinois" I mean to pass through a chinois/a conical fine-mesh sieve - supposedly named so for its resemblance to a stereotypical Chinese hat. And yes, in the kitchen a mandoline is a slicer. Here's one at Williams-Sonoma. The mandoline frightens me more than any other tool in the kitchen - especially the ones at Cordon Bleu which have long lost their hand guards - forget about safety gloves - so I refuse to use them and always use my own. And no, sorry, when I said points on the asparagus, I did not mean the tips or heads - I meant the very small, thin, pointed flaps around the stalk of the aspargus itself. You've probably never even noticed these things - I never really did - much less thought they were so offensive - as French chefs do - that they needed to be so rigorously removed. And I'm actually more of a stalk eater - asparagus, broccoli, etc. - it's a texture thing.

oraklet, thank you. And thanks for the luck - I need it. mamster, oh you've just set me back on my re-conditioning with G. He does not need to be told he or his name are cool. But yes, he actually does have a nickname - one that Chef Thivet gave him: Romarin - Rosemary in French. Because he was always asking for it with every dish. Not cool maybe but - uncharacteristically for him - cute. And yes, you can use good salmon trimmings for mousse, but of course in French haute cuisine, why not puree a whole filet! In Basic we made a salmon mousse and my hand still cramps from the memory of scraping that sucker through a tami. KNorthrup, some of my classmates were going out right after. And most just don't have the fridge - much less freezer - space to keep all the food we make. Most are here by themselves and don't have a hungry sister and dog to feed the way I do. But it was pretty ridiculous that day. Like I'd burgled a butcher. Jon, oh puh-leeze! Soggy? As if! First of all, the beef was perfectly seared; secondly, I let it rest, and then I blotted it on paper before plating on the onions - a very good habit to get into especially with fish; finally when Chef Thivet sliced into the beef, then the juices were released on cue! nightscotsman, you should see Chin Sin in civilian clothes and shades - pure Japanimation inspiration. And it actually is a lot of fun. hollywood, I get my final exam grades at graduation. If you don't pass - and that has happened - they call you right after your exam to warn you not to show up. This happened to a girl last session - and her friends had to call the paramedics because she hyperventilated and passed out. JosephB, welcome to eGullet - and thank you! I promise to post the recipe very soon. Basically you take a duck breast, trim off most of the skin, wrap it in a sea salt studded bread crust and bake it. herbacidal, fish fat?! I don't know this! Give it up! What kind of fish and how? And I credit my mom for my love of fish skin. She makes the most amazing whole, wok-fried, gorgeous, red snapper.

LQ, it's Chef Guy - Guy Shock - who's usually down in the sous-sol, who looks like Tricky Dick. My classmate Chin Sin dubbed him Chef Mirepoix back in Basic because of one of his early rave outs on the cut. That and because he demanded the same kind of uniformity from us students. And I suspect because we were anticipating that he'd be the victim in some kind of Poirot murder mystery. Chef Bruno - Bruno Strill - just started last fall 2002. You would love him. An officer and a gentleman. What kind of cherries are you using? And sans chocolat they are non-fat too. What did you eat at ADPA? And did you go during CB? I hope to dine there before and after my hopeful stage. See how my perceptions will inevitably change. But I can't go there during - that's too weird.

Bux, it's so funny that you mention the classic pairing of asparagus and hollandaise. When we first cooked asparagus at CB I thought for sure - for sure, as the sun rises, as the Seine flows, as the tower at Montparnasse is ugly - that we'd serve it with hollandaise. No. Shocking. And I love the story about Jacques Pepin's daughter - Claudine, unless he has another daughter - I must read The Apprentice!

Jeanne d'Arc, non? Oui, Chef! Jeanne d'Arc!

LQ, sorry. I should have warned you. No, no butter. No, no ribbons. Yeah, I'm a regular Jean d'Arc. I trust you've sufficiently recovered. And I did bring my dog Karli to our Basic Seine cruise. And to Intermediate class dinner. At the Intermediate certificate ceremony, we made it through the foyer at Monsieur Cointreau's club, but she was then very unceremoniously asked to leave. Dogs are not allowed at Ledoyen. And at Le Grand Diplome graduation, we declined to grace the club with her presence again. Apparently Madame Gallagher made speeches before a number of demos warning students that no animals would be allowed. Funny - you do remember how the student body eats? And we do hope to see you around here more often - perhaps while you tend to scratch time.

Speedy, your asparagus sounds really good! Where to snap - start by holding the spear at the very bottom and feeling your way up. Flex slightly. It will naturally snap where the more fibrous bottom stops and the crisper stalk starts. When I make asparagus for myself I don't bother trimming them to a uniform length.

I'm so sorry. Every time I read about your plights with cheese, I tearily spread some runny ripe Camembert on a fresh baguette and wash it down with some artisanal cider. This one's for you.

Bux, ah yes, why the candied zest - as opposed to just lemon or just zest? I'd thought about doing lemon but thought the sourness would take the dish too far - jar the palate too much. And I find simply blanched zest still too bitter - though I like bitter - and potentially too offensive in an otherwise inviting dish. So I went with the lemon zest confit for the initial visual attraction and then the texture and then the slightly, pleasing sweetness. Just a few julienned strips for garnish.

Hey speedie, thanks and welcome to eGullet. The asapargus with lemon zest. Warm your plate. Start with the oil. Peel some garlic cloves, toss them in a small pot, add the stems of some assorted herbs - parsley, basil, rosemary, etc. - cover with olive oil. Heat on a medium-high heat until it just starts to bubble and then take it off heat. Then the zest. With a vegetable peeler, peel the zest - Bux is right, the coloured part only - off a lemon. If there's a little of the pith - Bux, right again, the white part - and it's patchy here and there, that's OK. If it's a thick layer, then carefully slice it off with a knife held flat. Julienne. Blanche, drain, refresh. Make simple syrup - equal parts water and sugar, 1/2 cup each is enough, boiled. Add the zest, bring to boil, take off heat, cool, repeat about 5-6 times until the zest is supple. The asparagus. Boil a large pan of water. If your asparagus is thin and tender then just snap off the tough bottoms and remove the points on the stalk. If they're thicker then snap off the bottoms, carefully score around the stalk below the head, peel them down to the base. Trim them all to uniform length. Tie them with kitchen string. When the water boils, add salt, then the aspargus. Bring back to boil, cook as needed, refresh in ice water, then set aside to drain. Finely chop some flat-leaf parsley. Drain some lemon zest. Warm some of the perfumed olive oil, crush in some soft garlic from the oil, carefully untie and add the aspargus, warm through, test tenderness, taste and season. Add some parsley, remove to your warm plate, then sprinkle with the lemon zest as desired. Can be served warm or cool. Pan, thanks - but it's not an episode! It's my life! The Saveurs salons are always held at the Espace Champerret - in Paris at Porte de Champerret. The next one - the big winter one - is already scheduled for 05 to 08 December. It alone is worth a visit to Paris. The Saveurs Salon d'Hiver makes the spring one look like a diet camp. As for the marinades, it's just old school French haute cuisine. Meat should taste like meat. You salt and pepper it - maybe oil and butter it - then cook it - correctly. Also any kind of tenderizer - physical or chemical - is illegal in French professional kitchens. Bux, as to the why I used the lemon zest with the asparagus, the usual reasons - visual, flavour, and textural interest. It was inspired by an asapargus dish I had from Dallouyau - asparagus with citrus vinaigrette - which I loved but would have been too much of a contrast with my exam dish. Their vinaigrette was very light and balanced, garnished with lemon and orange and chives - which I think were the key element and not available in our market basket. I wanted to capture the jewel-like element in that dish - which I think I did.

Shiro, thanks! What's on the plate? Fish? Is the asparagus glazed? And tomatoes around? LQ, exams done! And yes, served a hot dish! Well, three actually. And yes, I have a French palate as well - is it wrong to want to eat fleur de sel by the spoonful? We had everything I needed on the list - I made sure when I walked in - but can you believe that we were running low on onions of all things? And yes, it's always brik not phyllo at LCBP. And nice job remembering the puree to stick! And I actually used no butter in my exam dish. Heresy! And you got it for the Basic and Intermediate technicals. But they did add fileting a fish to Basic. I'm so surprised to learn that they changed the Superior finals so dramatically in such a short amount of time. How much time did you have to cook? And had you ever worked in teams before? And yes, that's crazy that they didn't let you practice in that kitchen. I have cooked in all the LCBP kitchens - and each bruner can vary a bit, much less kitchens. And the demo kitchens are completely different. I used them between demos a few times - since I don't have a stove at home - which used to make the academic staff nuts, but the chefs loved it. And dare I say it - really tall, 4 colours, and no ribbons for me in the Pastry final! Rebel! The organic chocolate sounds amazing. And you should talk to a friend of mine who did a triangular Opera cake for his Intermediate Pastry final! Let's all get together and pray for a stronger dollar. Thanks.

Correctly, apples are pommes while potatoes are pommes de terre. But you're right that in the kitchen you can just say pommes for either - and hopefully you're understood within context!

That was the funniest thing I've read in a long time! Yeah! Who you calling "we" sucka?! Bux rules!

I've only made baguettes once - under the guidance of a pastry chef - not a boulanger - but damn if they didn't turn out perfect! Sorry. I'd make them all the time but I don't have an oven but since I live in Paris right across the street from a great boulangerie, who needs to right? Wait, I can almost smell the bread from my salon window. Ha! Sorry again. Slashing. Yes, use a razor blade. Pinch the dough slightly, slice, then bake immediately. Don't let it sit around after slashing - this is imperative! Rising. Two rises. Once, out; the second, after shaping the loaves, in a proofing oven. Wetness. The dough was not that wet and certainly not sticky. And the many, many times I've see baguettes being made the dough was not what I would call wet. gsquared, what's your recipe?

Bux, my whole career will be mere vapour compared to the vast, deep ocean of real French food. And you and me and French chefs themselves would trade a lifetime of three-star meals for la cuisine des grand-meres. And sure the average French person eats it less than they used to but more often than you'd think - that's why those salon stalls were so overrun. And what Lyon bouchon?

Malawry, yes, yes, now I remember your final from your diary. The infamous chasseur sauce. I want to hear all about your final-final! You will need a new thread of course - but could you please link it here! LQ, well yes, you have to cook for your clients - and then maybe, if you're lucky, express yourself within those parameters as a chef. The salt thing! Early on in Basic I had a chef taste my sauce, stare me down, and ask if that's actually how I thought it should taste, if that's how I would make it at home. I stared him back down, and just said, oui chef. He threw the spoon back into the pot, turned, walked away, muttering, well then you shouldn't have any problems here. So you had one principal ingredient and one composed garnish? Plus the sauce of course. And did you use daikon in your exam dish? I was so surprised to learn that when we have turnips as ingredients at LCBP, we usually use daikon. No, no technical in Superior, but we still have them in Basic and Intermediate - and we did do the Glazed Sole as a practical. And that's crazy to use a salamander without practice. In the practical we gratineed in an extremely hot oven. And I agree with what LCBP teaches in general - but I have to qualify that and say I agree only as that applies to exams. Do what you do well. But in regular Superior practicals I took every chance I could get - take - to experiment as hard and far as I could - it is a culinary school. What are you doing in LA?

Beanbag, as Bux said, even for the bistros call ahead. I'd add as soon as possible. I just tried getting a table this past Saturday afternoon for Saturday night for about half the choices on your list and they were all booked. The other half I didn't even bother because I knew for sure they'd be booked. As for a Sunday market, I strongly second the Bio/Organic market on Raspail. It's one of the few true farmers' markets in Paris - where the vendors are the actual farmers/producers. The others just get their stuff from Rungis. And chocolate. I have been doing a study of Paris chocolate. I again second Bux for Jean-Paul Hevin. There's just no one else in Paris who does chocolate at his level. He is a chocolatier - not a patissier who also does chocolate. Try the infamous aperitif cheese chocolates and his chocolate patisserie items are quite good too.

Yes, it's fine to share. Especially if you'll be ordering a la carte as well. A small detail, you may want to have your husband order the prix fixe and you order the entree and plat. And with a one-year-old and especially if you're visibly pregnant, don't worry about offense - you will be doted upon and forgiven.

haide, welcome to eGullet. Holly, Suzanne and nightscotman have given you great advice. I can answer your questions about Le Cordon Bleu Paris. Are you too old? No. But that's not even a question you should be asking yourself. Do you have the physical and mental stamina? Yes, French chefs typically start their culinary education at 14 - but you cannot compare yourself to that system. How do people cope with the fees? Some people don't need to cope. I received a James Beard Foundation scholarship which covered part of my tuition. If my then-boyfriend had not talked me into coming to Paris immediately, I would have found scholarships to cover all of it. Check out JBF and IACP but there are many, many others. At LCBP, students with a Basic pre-req or equivalent can work one session as an assitant for the next session's course credit. For example, finish 10-week Basic Cuisine and/or Patisserie, work 10 weeks as an assistant, then receive credit for Intermediate Cuisine OR Patisserie. And you're better off taking Cuisine as the credit since it costs more than Patisserie. Do they generally work part-time? No. Some people do but unless it's as an assistant it will be under the table. Babysitting, bartending, private cheffing, etc. - variations on the same thing. Do the schools expect fluent French? No. But it really, really helps. Basic and Intermediate demos have an English translator. None of the practicals do. Superior demos in French. The best stages go to students who speak some French. The abuse. It's real. At LCBP, Basic is boot camp. They will break you down. I've had chefs screaming in my face so hard they're spitting. Throwing razor sharp knives down in front of me. Yelling at me to dip my fingers into hot sugar. But that's nothing compared to the top pro kitchens. One friend tells me she saw chefs shoving cooks - women included - down on to the floors, on to their backs. It's not this way with all chefs but expect that it can be. Terrible hours? If you own your own business there's almost no such thing as hours. It's your life. But the bottom line is that - I'm sorry to say - LCBP will not teach you how to own your own food business. We do not deal with money. We deal in French haute cuisine.

LQ, I'm so excited to hear from an LCBP alum here! I will ask Chef Chantefort tomorrow if he remembers your classmate - and see if they still have a pic of his dish. Yes, I'm very aware of the jury - old school chefs that make our chefs look like Gagnaire. But the thing that I've been amazed by is while Chef Chantefort and Chef Boucheret caution us about the traditional tastes that we must remember that the character of the chefs - us - must be on our plates. And no, I've never worried about grades. What was your final dish? Thanks so much.

Pan, French presentation of Italian dishes. Think pasta - in a ring mold. Think risotto - in a ring mold. Tomatoes - must be peeled and seeded and if served hot cooked thoroughly through. I once did a pasta with the peeled, seeded, chopped tomatoes but made the mistake of just warming them through in olive oil and I think my chef thought I was trying to poison him. But I guess that's really more preparation. Though I should qualify this is traditional French haute cuisine. And I'm sorry to say that I haven't had any Italian haute cuisine experiences to know whether or not they're as rigid as French. Rachel, I still really need a stove for the fava beans! Best to blanche them in salted boiling water for about 30 seconds to shell them. But thanks for the torturous suggestion! hollywood, I see the cruel - not the funny! Malawry, one assistant - for eight students! And really just to ensure that we have what we're supposed to have - no cooking assistance! Only three plates? OK, give it up - what's your exam like? Sounds like a lot of fun. And for your finals - merde! KNorthrup, yes, that too! Sometimes French haute cuisine reminds me of that Wendy's commercial where he's served a carrot, a pea and a tiny hamster-sized chop. Yes, yes, it's the number of courses and the tasting menus, blah, blah, blah. herbacidal, they don't always mean to be snooty - they're just French.