Our (Jose,Sherry,Evelyn) gazpacho served in cucumber cups like Martha Stewart!!!! LOL just kidding! : )

Cantaloupe Rum Soup

Walnut and Fig Salad

Our sushi tray (Jose,Sherry and Evelyn) with CA Rolls, Maki Sushi and Nigiri-zushi

Close up on the shrimp canapes NICE colors!

Mitchell holding his Sushi masterpiece! MMM

Close up on Mitchell's sushi tray

Close up on Mitchell's group sushi tray SUPER!!!!! love the way they arranged them! A+

Joseph and Chelsea making the spanakopita

By the time I reached the spanakopita this was all left and as soon as I returned for seconds HA! they where GONE!!!!!! A True hit! and don't worry no paper ones this time! LOL LOL LOL

DESSERT!!!! MMMMM courtesy of the Fundamentals of baking class and Chef Warner!
We got Sugar Cookies, thumprint cookies, peanut butter cookies, hazelnut biscotti and brownies!

Almost Ready!!!!

Everyone checking the buffet and getting ready to EAT!!!!!!!!!

My Plate with bits of everything in the buffet...Gazpacho, shrimp canapes, fig walnut salad, sushi and spanakopita....plus Cantaloupe Rum Soup and peach tea MMM!!!

My plate with a bit of everything from the buffet

Garde Manger / Week 4 - Appetizers, Sushi & Cananpes

Roasting the Jalapenos for the cajun canapes

Jose "working it" like Coretta says... LOL

Chef Currie demo'ing how to cool and season sushi rice.

Jose making the Cajun Shrimp Canapes ... such precision!

Cajun Shrimp Canapes

Joseph making Spanakopita ... hummmm I wonder if the paper spanakopita came from here....... LOL

Shrimp canapes by: Jose, Evelyn and Shery

Canapes and Crostini with Tapenade by: Jose, Evelyn and Sherry

Mise en Place for SUSHI!!!

Jose making sushi and as always having too much fun! He is the "hand model" Just like Joey Tribiani (Friends) L-O-L!!! in the next pictures.

Molding the rice to fit the nori sheet

Making a California Roll (sushi) with toasted sesame seeds.

Making the Sushi... you will need a bambo mat, a sheet of nori (sea weed) + wasabi (optional), sushi rice and filling(s) of your choice.

crostini with tapenade.

Maki Sushi and a Temaki ( lit. hand rolls). A large cone-shaped piece, with the nori on the outside and the ingredients spilling out the wide end. Plus some crostini with tapenade.

Maki Sushi and CA Roll by: Jose,Evelyn and Sherry

Sushi tray by Jose,Evelyn and Sherry... for wasabi we used the hot sauce we had made with JALAPENOS!!! MMMMMMM!

A tray of Spanakopita that turned our to be PARCHMENT PAPER!!!!! YES! someone confused the parchement with PHYLLO dough and I was the lucky one that got a bite of PAPER SPANAKOPITA!

5 ways to do Spanakopita

assorted trays of sushi, crostini and spanakopita

Tapende Crostini

Cajun Shrimp Canapes

Mise en Place for Miso Soup / Soba noodles (in bowl), shredded cabbage, sliced mushrooms, diced onion and carrots julienne...also my miso book and a bag og Hacho Miso which is a hearty chocolate brown miso with deep flavor.

Finished miso soup with Soba noodles (buckwheat noodles) and Nori (seaweed)

Zweifarbiges Kastenbrot (Vienna)

[The fermented doughs (white and pumpernickle) right before punching and make up.]

This is one of those things / recipes I had always wanted to make but never found the time to actually do thinking it would be too complicated... but it actually wasn't that bad.

This is a Viennese bread called: "Zweifarbiges Kastenbrot" or Two-colored box bread or Twisted Box Bread.
The recipe comes from a very old cookbook published by: Gourmet circa 1959 called: Gourmet's Old Vienna Cookbook. (excellent book).
The white bread is excellent in texture and flavor unfortunatelly the pumpernickle bread recipe wasn't good at all. The recipe was not well proportionate and ended up needing more water and the final product didn't rise and was tough, too chewy and compact textured.

I plan to do another one in the near future and use my own pumpernickle recipe plus make it a bit more eye bewildering by twisting 3 ropes one white, one pumpernickle and one whole wheat.

The makeup for this bread is done by twisting a rope of white bread dough and a pumpernickle one. Then it is placed in the mold (closed) to proof and later bake.

Just out of the oven and opening the mold. I had some dough leaks here and there but still the loaves came out perfect no voids or bubbles.

The 4 loaves with trimed edges and out of the mold.

Sliced bread....the ridges served nicely as guides for cutting even slices!!! Still as mentioned the pumpernickle recipe needs modification. In all it was still MMM!!!!

Sunday's Breakfast - Homemade Belgian Waffles with Dulce de Leche (caramel) MMM devine combination!!!!

PAIN DE MIE / Pullman Bread

PAIN DE MIE (fr.) Lit. Crumb Bread / This is french for sandwich bread or pullman loaf or loaf of bread. Either way this is a bread that has been baked in a sealed pan (bread box or pullman mold). The one in the picture baked by my MOM : ) !!!! Is a honey wheat bread that was MMM!!!!! The mold is a 1/2 Lb. mold which is rare since the molds come in 1 1/2, 2 and 3 Lbs. from what I've read. The mold was inherited by my mom from a professional baker friend that retired long ago. The mold must be around 50 + yrs. old but still works as new.

International Cuisine (Week 3) FRANCE!!!

MITCHELL!!!! Saving the day chopping apples 3 seconds before lecture! Give him a BREAK! and don't ask him where stuff is !!! LOL Just kidding thanks for always been so nice Mitchell!!!! : )

Toblerone Fondue with Strawberries MMM!!!! To Die For!!!

The Classic Cheese Fondue made with Swiss cheese and Gruyere cheese