Before
today I could have told you exactly two things about Korean food; they have it
and they seem to like BBQ. That is it. I am very proud to announce that I now
love it and will promptly find my local Korean establishment and put it on the
regular rotation list. Korean food is similar to Japanese food but on flavor
steroids. There Japanese food looks for simple subtleties, Korean food goes for
full power explosions in your mouth. Japanese food is to French food as Korean
food is to Mexican food.
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| Scallion Pancake |
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| Bibimbap |
We had a
wonderful instructor who let us get a hands on experience to the simple nature
of Korean food while also getting all the flavors. We made the very typical
bibimbop, which was incredible, a scallion pancake (!!!!!!!!!), a spinach and sesame
dish, and crunchy cucumbers with a spicy dipping sauce. Everything blended so
well together yet all the parts were distinct and flavorful.
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| My scallops with butternut squash pure |
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| Roasted cauliflower and fingerling potatoes with steak with an apple pan sauce |
The
afternoon was about as far away from Korean food as possible. We had a
technique review with Chef Michael Leviton where we tried to recreate a well-cooked
steak, scallops, a butternut squash pure and roasting cauliflower. Overall not
very eventful.
I am proud of learning about new cultures and new flavors. I
really need to broaden my horizons and appreciate the amazing foods in the world
I need to work on perfecting my cooking and simplifying my
plating.
Take aways: Chef Leviton made an excellent point in class
while talking about perfecting our techniques. He said that we really need to
work on nuanced flavors rather than relying on salt and acid to make our food
taste good. He noted that it is nearly impossible to pair a good wine with some
of these modern foods because they are too bold to go with anything besides a
vinegary wine or beer. To keep wine pairing alive, we need to know how to cook
to complement the whole meal.
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