SUSTA at John Folse Culinary Institute

Thursday, May 26

So here we are, the grand finale of SUSTA 2011 – the FINAL DINNER!  This farewell dinner buffet is the meal where our distinguished visiting chefs have planned and prepared for well over a week. Chefs will highlight their own dishes but incorporate cooking methods and/or ingredients from their time here.

Included are pictures and videos from the evening.  The order of the pictures will begin on the left side of the room with the appetizers and will progress around to the right side of the room where the desserts were served.  Overall pictures and then individual pictures of the dishes will be displayed.

Our visiting SUSTA chefs from Shanghai expressed their gratitude in this video following dinner.  The highlight of the evening was when Chef Randy Cheramie handed out certificates of completion to our SUSTA chefs (another video).  I sincerely hope all of our wonderful SUSTA chefs had a fabulous time at the John Folse Culinary Institute!

Dining Room at the Carmel Inn

Bar area

Additional space in the dining room.

The sun room for additional seating.

Appetizers at farewell dinner buffet

A closer look at the appetizers.

Double Flavor Rolls (1st stand-top plate)

Chicken in Cucumber Cup (1st stand-middle plate)

Stuffed Egg with Vegetables (1st stand-bottom plate)

Pulpy Green Bean w/ Conpoy (2nd stand-top plate) Not pictured: Additional "Shanghai" style smoked fish was on the middle plate.

Crispy Fried Vegetarian Spring Rolls (2nd stand-bottom plate)

Smoked fish "Shanghai" style on decorative fish tray

Pork Terrine with "Pu Er" Tea

Stir-Fried Eggplant Cake with Spicy Sauce

3rd stand of appetizers

Cucumber with Homemade Sauce (top plate)

Sesame Fish with Turnip (middle plate) Not picutred: additional Pulpy Green Bean with Conpoy (bottom plate)

Main table: soup and entree options

Hot and Sour Seafood Soup

Braised Tofu with Special Sauce

Spicy Shrimp with Minced Pork and Fermented Grains

Stir-Fried Spicy Chicken Dice

Stewed Cod Fish with Sauce

Stir-Fried Asparagus

Braised Pork with American Potato

Noodle Mixed with Meat, Onion and Mushroom Sauce

First of three punches/beverages served.

2nd punch: hints of clove and spices

3rd punch: flavors of grapefruit and other fruits

Sweetened Fermented Rice Soup with Glutinous Rice Ball

Dessert Stand

Honey Glazed Pumpkin (top and middle plates)

Deep Fried Glutinous Rice Sesame Balls (bottom plate)

Wednesday, May 25

Before participants came for the gumbo taste testing, Chef Randy Cheramie shared some information about gumbo and thanked the visiting SUSTA chefs for doing an outstanding job preparing the various types of gumbos.  Here is the video of Chef Randy.

Chicken and Oyster Gumbo

Duck and Andouille Gumbo

Egg and Dried Shrimp Gumbo

Louisiana Seafood Gumbo

Seven Steak and Okra Gumbo

Shrimp, Okra and Andouille Sausage Gumbo

Participants enjoying the taste testing.

The dining area for gumbo taste testing.

Tuesday, May 24

Soul Food

Soul food is closely related to the cuisine of the southern United States and the origins of soul food can be traced back to Africa and to a certain extent, to Europe.   Foods such as okra, rice and sorghum are common ingredients in West African cuisine and were introduced to the Americas as a result of the trans-Atlantic slave trade.  Historians believe that in the 14th century, around the time of early Euro-African exploration, European explorers brought their own foods (corn, turnips and cabbage) and introduced them into the African diets.

European enslavers fed their captive workers (slaves) as cheaply as possible which led to the slaves making do with crops and ingredients they could easily obtain.  “Vegetables” consisted of the tops of turnips, beets and dandelions and “greens” were introduced as well – consisting of collards, kale, cress, mustart and pokeweed.  Their recipes aslo used lard, cornmeal, and discarded cuts of meats (pigs’ feet, oxtail, ham hocks, chitlins, jowls, tripe and skin).  Flavor enhancers like onions, garlic, bay leaves and thyme were added to their dishes.  To supplement their diets, many turned to hunting and fishing and up until the 1950′s foods such as opossum, turtle, squirrel, raccoon and rabbit were very common among the diet.

Baked Macaroni and Cheese

Real Soul Potato Salad

Collard Greens

Mustard Greens

Black Eyed Peas

Red Beans

Stewed Okra

Dirty Rice

Fried Catfish and Fried Chicken

Candied Yams with Pineapple

Close-up of the Yams

Cornbread and Buttermilk Biscuits

Mama's Bread Pudding

Chef Carmen Bazile

Group picture with Chef Carmen.

Puerto Rico

Mixing all the ingredients for the arroz con pollo.

Arroz Con Pollo

Making the tostones (plantains that have been sauteed and flattened into patties).

Spicy Mango Salsa on Tostones

Chili-Lime Crab Cakes with Chipotle-Avacado Mayonnaise

Coconut Crumbed Mahi-Mahi

Black Eyed Pea Battered Shrimp

Carne Guisada

Group photo with guest chef.

Monday, May 23

The term Appalachian refers to several different regions associated with the Appalachian Mountains but the central and southern regions (Kentucky, Tenessee, Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland and North Carolina) are the most well-known areas. 

Did you know there was a trinity of ingredients in the Appalachian region?  Just as we have our trinity of onions, bell peppers and celery, Appalachian’s trinity consists of corn, beans and squash and has been around for hundreds, if not thousands of years.  Since the Appalachian region is geographically isolated, settlers ate what they grew.  Foods are typically flavored with locally grown ramps (wild leeks), ginger, hot chilis, honey and sweet sorghum syrup which is similar to molasses.

Chef Dale Hawkins was the instructor for the Appalachian section and here are the dishes the chefs prepared.

Chefs busy at work cooking and preparing.

Mixing final ingredients together for the salad.

Potherb Salad with Hot Ramp Vinaigrette

Danny cooking the shrimp corndogs!

Mayport White Shrimp Corn Dogs with Mango Ketchup

Moxies and Butterflies

Chicken and Dumplings

Eggrolls

Roasted Apple Crisp with Granola Topping

Chef Dale Hawkins giving an overview of the meal.

Enjoying the moment!

Baking II

The second part of the day was devoted to baking more southern desserts and treats.  Some of our traditional treats like pralines, beignets and king cakes were on the menu to share with our chefs.  Here are the final products:

Homemade Biscuits

Uncle Buddy's Bayou Brownies

Beignets (See if you can find king cake baby in the beignets?!)

King Cake

Southern Pecan Pralines

Sunday, May 22

Barbecue/BBQ

Who better to learn BBQ from than an award winning pit master!  Chef J. T. Handy was our guest chef for the BBQ class.  To barbecue means to cook meats at a low temperature for a long period of time over a wood fire which adds a smoky taste.  In the United States, there are four major styles of barbecue:

Memphis barbecue – is primarily ribs, served ”wet” (brushed with sauce before and after cooking) and “dry” (seasoned with a dry rub).   Pulled pork is also popular and it is served with a hot, sweet, tomato-based sauce.

Carolina barbecue – usually pork, served pulled, chopped, shredded or sometimes sliced.  Even within each state, there are various BBQing styles.  North Carolina barbecue has two different styles.  Eastern North Carolina BBQ uses the “whole hog” where all parts of the pig are chopped and mixed together.  The sauce is a thin sauce made of spices and vinegar.  Western North Carolina BBQ is made from the pork shoulder only and has a thicker, sweetened tomato-based sauce.  South Carolina barbecue consists of three different styles found in different parts of the state.  The western region uses a ketchup-based peppery tomato sauce; the central region uses a yellow mustard, vinegar, brown sugar and spices for their sauce; and the coastal region uses spicy, watery, vinegar and pepper sauce (as well as the whole hog).

Kansas City barbecue – Their signature ingredient is not so much the type of protein (meat) barbecued, but the sauce that is used.  Meats are smoked with a dry rub and then the sauce is served on the side.  The sauce is based on tomatoes and molasses and is thick and sweet.  K. C. Masterpiece barbecue sauce is a popular brand of sauce sold in stores.

 Texas barbecue – there are four general styles of barbecue with the Central and East Texas BBQ methods being the most popular.  The Central Texas style has the meat rubbed with spices and cooked over indirect heat from oak or pecan wood.  The East Texas style is cooked slowly to where the meat is “falling off the bone” and the meat is marinated in a sweet, tomato-based sauce.  The West Texas style involves meats cooked directly over mesquite wood.  The South Texas style has a thick molasses-like sauce that kept the meat moist.  More specific to the South Texas BBQ is a Mexican style of preparation called barbacoa.

Now that we have a little background on some of the main styles of BBQ, let’s move onto the meal itself. 

Getting the ribs ready for the meal and hanging out with Chef J. T.!

Slow Smoked Texas Beef Brisket

Fried Chicken - an extra dish for this meal.

Grilled Tequila-Citrus Marinated Chicken Thighs

Southern BBQ Pork Hash over White Rice

BBQ Baked Beans with Peaches

Corn and Butterbean Succotash

Red Cabbage and Apple Cole Slaw

Deviled Eggs - a barbecue isn't complete without these!

One of our student chef's plates!

Friday, May 20:  greetings from sunny Florida!  The morning session centered around Florida cuisine which is a combination of the following influences:  Caribbean, Spanish, African, Puerto Rican and Cuban fruits, vegetables, legumes and spices.  Notable ingredients include chili peppers, pineapple, guava, cilantro, coconut, plantains, black beans, poultry and seafood to name a few.  The mixtures of sweet fruits and savory vegetables/legumes and spices makes for a perfect blend to satisfy any palate.  Guest Chef Justin Timineri is from the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services and he taught the section on Florida cuisine.

Preparing the tortillas for the fish tacos.

Plating up the ingredients for the fish tacos.

Florida Style Grilled Fish Tacos

Black Bean and Tropical Fruit Salad

Close up of the salad.

Florida Blue Crab en Avocado Boats

Forgotten Coast Seafood Chile Rellenos

Crispy Pan Seared Florida Snapper with Passion Fruit Cream with Florida Gulf Shrimp and Green Mango Jam

Florida Key Lime Pie

Picture with guest chef, Justin Timineri

Baking I

In the afternoon session, Chef John Kozar taught the section on baking and the following items were prepared:  coconut macaroons, french bread for the bread pudding and flaky pie dough for pecan pies.  Pictures will be uploaded soon.  Please check back later.

Howdy!  The cuisines covered on Thursday, May 19 were Texas and DelMarVa.  Guest Chef James Sanchez taught the class for the Texas foods. Everything was bigger and more with the Texas meal – several salsas, sauces, and individual dishes made up the main items.  The sandwich alone consisted of four different items (tamarindo chicken and pork, black bean puree, pickled onions, and tomatillo avacado salsa verde) and dipped in a fifth item (mole guerrero) and drizzled with the sixth ingredient – Mexican cream.  What a sandwich!!  

The fried fish tacos also had several different ingredients:  handmade corn tortillas, fried fish, cabbage slaw, jalapeno honey mayonnaise, jalapeno olive oil salsa and guacamole.  Other items prepared included chili relleno, quail and sweet potato hay. 

As an added extra, the chefs prepared some taramind tea flavored with honey and lime.  The ingredients are simmered together and then strained and cooled over ice.  Very refreshing and delicious.  Pictures of the preparation and presentation have been included.

Making the black bean puree for the sandwiches.

Assembling the sandwiches with guest Chef James Sanchez.

Dipping the sandwiches into the mole guerro.

Drizzling the sandwiches with Mexican cream.

Final product of the Mole Guerrero-dipped sandwiches.

Straining the taramind tea.

Taramind tea garnished with limes.

Fried fish tacos with handmade corn tortillas, cabbage slaw, jalapeno honey mayonnaise, jalapeno olive oil salsa and guacamole.

Close up of the fried fish taco.

Chili Rellenos garnished with sweet potato hay (fried sweet potato slivers).

Marinated quail with creamy chimi churri sauce.

Dr. Al Davis, Dean of University College, came by for a lunch visit and took pictures with the chefs.

DelMarVa Cuisine

Map of DelMarVa Peninsula

DelMarVa is a peninsula in the northeastern area of the United States and consists of three states:  Delaware, Maryland and Virginia. The peninsula is bordered by the Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic Ocean.  The map helps give a visual of the peninsula.  Seafood is abundant from this region because of it close proximity to the water.

The seafood in this meal included oysters, crabs, shrimp, and sea scallops.

Combining the shallots and the walnuts for the scallops.

Cooking the scallops.

Virginia Sea Scallops with Shallots and Walnuts

Stirring the pot of oyster stew.

Oyster Stew

Finishing up the last minute details of the dishes.

Emeril's Chowder of Love

Cafe Bethesda's Crabcakes with Orange Remoulade

Old Bay Crusted Shrimp

Corn Tomato Salad

Describing the dishes and how they were made.

Hey again and sorry for my absence from blogging for a couple of days.  On Tuesday, May 17, the chefs prepared Native American type foods for lunch and Low Country cuisine for dinner.  Chef Krut Fleischfresser from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, was our visiting chef to teach them about foods that are typically found from that area – items like corn, buffalo, rabbit, peanuts, and more corn!  Pictures of these dishes are provided below.

Grilled Catfish with a Sweet Potato "Tamale" Chile-Peanut Sauce

Seared Buffalo with Braised Wild Onions

Three Sisters Salad

Pumpkin Rabbit Pozole

Seared Gulf Shrimp with Roasted Corn Cakes

Corn and Mashed Sweet Potatoes in Corn Husk

Native Peach Buckle

The afternoon session dealt with Low Country cuisine – cuisine that is typically found around the South Carolina low country (coastal area) and Georgia coast.   Seafood is a main focus of Low Country cuisine but also has Caribbean, African, and Cajun/Creole or New Orleans  influences. 

The scallops used for today’s meal are smaller than what we typically use but were the perfect size for the salad.  It was interesting to note that there was more of a Chinese influence in this meal than ever seen before during this trip.  Up until now, we didn’t have a significant presence of Chinese side dishes but this meal was the first (or our first) introduction of Chinese food to us from these talented chefs.  Absolutely delicious – stir fry cabbage and stir fry shrimp.  The cabbage was full-flavored and crunchy yet tender and the shrimp was spicy and very tasty!

Here are pictures of the preparation and dishes of Low Country cuisine (and the side dishes, too).

Preparing shrimp for the stir fry.

Chopping vegetables for the stir fry shrimp.

Plating the grouper onto the tray.

Fried Green Tomatoes with Crab Remoulade

Seared Bay Scallops on a Bed of Mesclun Green, Citris Balsamic Vinaigrette

Fricassee of Chicken with Carrots, Pearl Onions Cremini, Mustard Greens and Bacon

Creamy Grits with Shrimp

Pan Sauteed Grouper with Lemon Majoram Butter

Stir Fry Cabbage

Stir Fry Shrimp

Here we are day one of the SUSTA program and our chefs are already cooking typical dishes from south Louisiana!  Chef Randy gave the chefs some background history of black pot cooking which is a very popular method of cooking that has been around here for a very long time.  The concept is that all of the meal or a majority of the meal is cooked in one pot (preferably a well-seasoned black iron pot), layer upon layer, adding in the flavors and ingredients as you go.  Let the flavors mingle and blend together for a fantastic dish.  Here are pictures of the chefs preparing lunch:

Adding the stuffing for the Oytsers Bienville.

Preparing the Oysters Bienville.

Getting the shrimp stuffed mirlitons ready for lunch.

Putting the stuffing into the mirlitons.

Lunch is ready!

Grillades for the Grillades and Grits

Smothered Rabbit

Turtle Soup

Soft Shell Crab

Oysters Bienville

Shrimp Stuffed Mirliton

The afternoon session was a continuation of the morning’s session but still a little different in that the dishes prepared for session II were all tomato/roux based dishes.   All of afternoon dishes start out with a roux (dark to light roux), and utilize the ingredients of the trinity (onions, celery, and peppers), tomatoes, and products indigenous to Louisiana.

Redfish Courtbouillon

Chicken Sauce Piquante

Shrimp Creole

Tomato Bisque

Welcome chefs!  We are very excited to have you on our campus for the next two weeks.  There will be much to see, learn, do, and of course cook.  Throughout the time of your visit, we will be posting pictures and updates of activities you have accomplished.  Again welcome and we look forward to having a great time with each and everyone of you.