Culinary Journey: Mastering Pork Aspicius, Spanakopita, and Exquisite Desserts in Culinary School

Crafting the Exotic: Le Porc Aspicius Stew

Today’s culinary adventure took a delightful turn towards the more exotic, venturing slightly beyond our usual repertoire of classic French dishes. Our main course, the intriguing LE PORC ASPICIUS stew, while unique in its flavor profile, employed a cooking technique remarkably similar to the renowned Beef Bourguignon. This particular dish highlights pork shoulder, a wonderfully flavorful yet inherently tough cut of meat. The secret to its melt-in-your-mouth tenderness lies in patient, low-heat cooking over an extended period, allowing the collagen to slowly break down and transform the meat into a succulent delight.

Named after Apicius, the legendary Roman gourmand, this stew is a vibrant symphony of flavors. It’s uniquely seasoned with delicate saffron, aromatic toasted and ground cumin seeds, refreshing fresh mint, and distinctively marinated dried fruit. For our version, the dried fruit underwent a meticulous pre-marinade in a balanced blend of equal parts red wine and red wine vinegar, infused with fresh mint and a surprising hint of anchovy. While the combination of anchovy and dried fruit might sound unconventional at first, the resulting taste was a harmonious balance of sweet, savory, and tangy notes that truly elevated the dish.

The Art of Aspicius: From Prep to Plate

My partner for the day, Tasha, and I wasted no time diving into our stews immediately after the morning’s demonstration. We began by carefully trimming and cutting our pork shoulder into uniform, bite-sized pieces. These were then generously seasoned with a precise blend of salt, pepper, fragrant saffron threads, and freshly ground cumin seeds, ensuring every piece was coated for maximum flavor penetration. The seasoned meat was subsequently seared in canola oil over incredibly high heat, creating a beautiful caramelized crust that locks in juices and adds depth. Once perfectly seared, we set the pork aside.

In the same pan, leveraging the flavorful fond left behind, we sautéed a classic mirepoix (a medley of finely diced carrots, onions, and celery) until softened, followed by a small amount of concentrated tomato paste to add richness and color. The pan was then expertly deglazed with red wine, scraping up all the delicious browned bits, before adding a robust veal stock. With the aromatic base established, the seared pork was returned to the pot. We then covered the stew with a cartouche – a parchment paper lid cut to fit snugly – and transferred it to the oven. There, it patiently cooked, slowly tenderizing and allowing all the flavors to meld together until lunchtime.

Once the pork reached peak tenderness, we carefully removed all the mirepoix, which had imparted its essence to the stew. The marinated dried fruit was then lightly cooked to soften and release its sweetness before being reunited with the rich jus and tender meat. This exceptional stew was elegantly served alongside crisp asparagus and perfectly cooked couscous. Though couscous had never particularly excited me in the past, today’s rendition was truly delicious and a perfect accompaniment.

Mastering the Art of Couscous

During our demonstration and lecture, we were taught a nuanced technique for preparing couscous that ensures a wonderfully light and fluffy texture. We started with approximately two cups of dry couscous, adding just a small amount of water to moisten it. The key step involves using your fingertips to gently crumble and break up the grains once they begin to harden, before incorporating a little more water. This repeated process, known as “rubbing” or “working” the couscous, is crucial for tenderizing the grains and preventing them from clumping together, resulting in that desirable airy consistency.

We cooked our couscous in a traditional couscous-erie – essentially a specialized steamer pot designed to sit over a simmering pot of water, allowing the grains to cook gently by steam. While many methods exist for cooking couscous, this traditional approach yields superior results. Once perfectly steamed, we enriched the couscous by adding it to a small amount of chicken broth, which we had previously flavored with additional saffron threads for a golden hue and delicate aroma, freshly julienned mint for brightness, and a hint of cumin for warmth. The finished couscous was incredibly flavorful and absolutely delicious, a testament to the meticulous preparation process.

First Foray into Phyllo: Crafting Spanakopita

For our “appetizer,” we embarked on an exciting new challenge: working with delicate phyllo dough for the very first time to create savory spanakopita – a personal favorite of mine! Phyllo dough, renowned for its paper-thin translucence, is traditionally made with very high-gluten flour and meticulously stretched to achieve its ethereal consistency. While the thought of making it from scratch is tempting, we used pre-made dough today, and honestly, I’m not convinced the arduous effort of making it from scratch is truly worth it for such a demanding dough.

Phyllo dough typically comes in convenient boxed rolls found in the freezer section of most grocery stores. However, it’s notoriously temperamental to work with, as it can dry out and become brittle and unusable with remarkable speed. Chef Somchet imparted invaluable wisdom, stressing the absolute necessity of having a complete “mise en place” (everything in its place) meticulously set up even before you dare to unroll the delicate sheets. This critical preparation includes:

• An ample supply of clarified butter – and believe me, you’ll need lots of it, as it’s generously brushed between each layer of phyllo to ensure flakiness.
• A clean, damp towel – this is essential for protecting any unused phyllo sheets from drying out while you work.
• A good quality pastry brush – for evenly applying that crucial clarified butter.
• A large, clean cutting board or work surface – providing ample space to handle the expansive sheets of dough.

**And heed this warning:** don’t even contemplate trying to substitute a “healthier” alternative like olive oil! Trust me, I asked. Apparently, using any other type of fat will result in a much less light and airy texture, and regrettably, a greasy finish after baking. There’s simply no way to circumvent the generous use of butter in culinary school when perfection is the goal!

The Rewards of Patience: Our Homemade Brioche

Shifting our focus to the delightful world of baking and desserts, we finally completed the baking of our exquisite brioche bread, which we had prepared yesterday. The results were absolutely stunning – a testament to patience and proper technique. I couldn’t resist sneaking a couple of delicious bites during lunch! While we didn’t incorporate it into today’s meal, this versatile and rich bread is destined for many future uses next week, from luxurious French toast and comforting bread pudding to an endless list of other delectable possibilities.

Though brioche demands significant resting and proofing time, the actual process of making this rich, buttery bread is surprisingly straightforward. The experience has certainly inspired me to try making it at home! The accompanying picture (above) beautifully illustrates a crucial stage of the process: meticulously rolling the risen dough into two-ounce strips, carefully arranging them in a loaf pan, and allowing them to undergo a final rise before the magical transformation in the oven. The end product is a wonderfully fluffy, golden-crusted bread that embodies comfort and indulgence.

A Sweet Necessity: La Galette aux Framboises

Of course, no culinary school lunch is complete without a proper dessert! It’s a daily necessity that, while delightful, often proves irresistible, leading me to enjoy more than I probably should.

Our featured dessert, the elegant LA GALETTE AUX FRAMBOISES, consisted of delicate cookies crafted from galette cookie dough. This dough is expertly spread thinly onto a silpat baking mat and immediately cut into charming scalloped discs straight out of the oven, ensuring a crisp yet tender texture.

We piped the bottom cookie with a vibrant lemon curd, a delicious leftover from yesterday’s class, and fresh, juicy raspberries, creating a bright and tangy filling. This was then delicately topped with another cookie, forming what was essentially a gourmet cookie sandwich – a delightful treat for the senses.

Each of these delightful creations was carefully placed – just before service – atop a bed of silky crème anglaise. This classic custardy, cold sauce, which we had prepared the day before, provided a luxurious and creamy foundation. The crème anglaise was then beautifully garnished with a small swirl of rich blackberry coulis, adding a touch of sophisticated color and a hint of tartness.

As our chef candidly remarked, the presentation of this dessert admittedly possessed a certain 80’s and dated charm. Yet, despite its retro aesthetic, it was undeniably beautiful when plated, demonstrating that timeless flavors can sometimes be presented with a nostalgic flair.

While the concept might sound deceptively simple, this dessert was, in fact, truly superb. The luxurious creaminess of the crème anglaise perfectly complemented the bright tanginess of the lemon curd and the refreshing burst of the fresh raspberries. It was a wonderful symphony of textures and flavors that left a lasting impression.

Yum! This combination truly highlights the joy of classical desserts reimagined.

Culinary School Life: Learning, Presenting, and Reflecting

Long gone are the days of healthy salads and light, brothy soups that once characterized our early lessons. Thankfully, we still get the opportunity to burn off some of these indulgent calories with our vigorous cleaning sessions that rigorously follow lunch each day! These sessions, while tiring, are a crucial part of the culinary school discipline, teaching us the importance of cleanliness and efficiency in a professional kitchen.

Today, our class managed to be exceptionally speedy, which finally afforded me the much-needed chance to deliver my presentation for the paper on saffron that was due weeks ago. While I’m not naturally a lover of public speaking, it wasn’t nearly as bad as I anticipated. Knowing all my classmates so well at this point certainly helped ease the nerves, and the overwhelming feeling of relief at finally getting it over with was immense. Looking ahead, our next report will delve into the fascinating world of fruits, and I’ve been assigned the delightful task of researching raspberries and blackberries.

It still feels incredibly surreal to be writing extensive reports about fruits and spices, of all things! This truly defines my life now, and I must admit, I like it. A lot. This journey through culinary arts is proving to be far more enriching and engaging than I could have ever imagined, blending practical skills with academic exploration in the most delicious way possible.