Josie's Back!!!

Back at last! It has been an interesting two months, with high points, low points, and somewhere in between. I am about to begin my third session (called “blocks”) at the Culinary Institute of America, in St. Helena, CA. And honestly, I love it. My family and friends are dubious of my new attitude (but relieved); I have to admit that after the first week I was ready to leave. It was a rough introduction, I struggled, managed to find my way, and have fallen in love with Napa and the life of a chef (such that I am).
Rather than revisiting my failures in the kitchen, I want to share one of my successes.
At some point, I stopped being afraid of messing up, and gave it everything I could. I tried to have fun, be a good team player, and forgot about the rest. It worked.
The assignment was Truite aux Almands- a whole trout with almonds, haricot verts, and a brown butter sauce. We had a set time to prepare it, along with many other things. I finished my dish on time, plated it, garnished it, and presented it to the chef for evaluation.
She took a little bite of the flaky white fish bathed in a nutty brown butter sauce. She chewed, swallowed, and nodded. She took a bigger bite of the fish, swirling it in the pool of almonds. She nodded again, picked up a green bean and chewed thoughtfully.
“Delicious. Restaurant quality food. Well done Josie.”
Elation! Finally! After so many failures! But I learned to savor the successes; those are what matters- no one will remember the over salted pot roast, overcooked green beans or sour vinaigrette. They will remember your stunning salmon soufflé, omelet roulade, seven layer torte, or brioche sweet rolls. So don’t be afraid to open your heart and just cook. That’s my kitchen philosophy, and it seems to be working. :-)
-Josie