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Beginning Gourmet Cooking Techniques | Tuesday, 1st Period

They were back in the classroom again this week. There were fire extinguishers strategically placed by every setup.

"Our last class here we dealt with water," Hannibal announced to the students, "this week, we have oil. There are many different types of oils and fats, vegetable and animal, and they all have various purposes." He passed around a handout. "We could take an entire semester to cover them all. In general, please note that some oils are better for cooking, and some are better for eating.

He grimaced. "Most of what you are likely to find in stores is refined oils. If you imagine that means they have been processed with solvents and machinery until they have more chemicals than character, you would be correct. We will not be cooking with them here." He gestured at the oils in front of him, of various colors and consistencies. "Unrefined oils have much more flavor. I encourage you to taste these. They will take more skill to cook with, but they are worth it. You can't use as high a heat with them, however, so for such things as frying, you will generally prefer animal fats."

He continued, going over the list of oils and fats on the handout. "And of course," he concluded, "there is butter. Very good for baking, very easy to find."

He looked over the class. "Today, you will be making two things. First, bruschetta." Yes, after teaching them how to boil water, he was teaching them to make toast. Gourmet toast. "We will use olive oil for grilling the bread and for the pancetta, but we have walnut oil for cooking the mushrooms, so you can see what it's like to cook with something a little different. Then next, potatoes in goose fat. I think you'll find it quite superior to french fries." If you didn't, he would despair of your palate.

"Pair up if you like, since this is quite a bit to get through. When you've finished, I'll be sharing my versions of each of these dishes, as well as a sweeter bruschetta. Meanwhile, if you have questions, please ask."

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A toast!

Edited 2013-09-17 04:49 (UTC)

Sholeh Zeela a Zhahar

(Zhari)

Emma Swan

Isabelle Lightwood

Rill Blythe

Flick

Sparkle

Minako Aino

Billy Kaplan

Alana

Olive, nut oils, a couple infused with herbs, a few ~~moddable~~ others, with bread to use for tasting.

Also, any pre-cooking questions.

Edited 2013-09-17 04:49 (UTC)

Yeah, even if he wasn't actually curious about how these different oils were from one another, Sparkle was going to taste them. Because food, that's why.

The ones that were infused with herbs intrigued him... Though he'd never admit it.

"Each of them can impart a very different flavor and aroma to foods," Hannibal noted. "You can make or ruin a dish with the wrong oil."

Sparkle wasn't curious Sparkle wasn't curious Sparkle wasn't..

...

"So, what would you use, like, these herbed ones for? Or the nut oil?"

Yeah, he was curious.

"The herbed ones can be quite good in salads, or to give a bit of extra flavor when cooking. The same with the nuts. One reason I chose walnut for the class is that it's particularly delicate and can turn bitter. It's important to be careful with it."

Well, he had to have some level of difficulty in class.

Mmmmm it was like being at a fancy Italian restaurant without little siblings kicking him under the table. Billy was going to take his time to try each oil, thank you very much.

"Can you taste the differences?" Hannibal asked him. "A good oil should have its own character."

"The nut oils and the olive oil definitely taste different. I thought all oil was just, you know, the same for cooking," Billy admitted. "But I also haven't gotten a lot of chances to cook outside of classes."

"Well, I hope this class will broaden your knowledge somewhat." Hannibal made a slightly distasteful look. "I'm afraid most people these days never experience the true variety of food."

Even if his idea of variety was a bit more various than most.

Try not to set the place on fire.

Isabelle was probably going to set something on fire.

So whether it was a good thing that she was actually glancing around for a possible partner before doing that was anyone's guess.

Rilla was making toast with her hands and thinking of how the Canadian troops had been moved to the front lines of the Somme with her head.

Not surprisingly, she burned her toast.

Four times.

"You're very distracted today," Hannibal noted. "We can't have field trips every week." Not that he thought for a minute that was the problem.

Rilla's lower lip quivered for a second before she pulled it together. "I apologise," she said. "It was a rather trying weekend."

And she didn't know that half of the school had turned male!

"You've no need to apologize, but isn't like you to be so scattered." Hannibal swept the burnt crumbs from her latest attempt into the garbage. "Is there anything you'd like to talk about?"

Rilla chewed her lower lip for a moment before offering, "I'm from 1916 and my brothers have just been shifted to the front lines of the Somme in France."

Hannibal added this to his ever-growing list of "unanticipated challenges to teaching".

"It's natural to worry about those you care for," he prompted. "Is this the first time they've been in danger?"

Rilla shook her head. "Jem has been in France for almost two years now," she said, "and Walter was awarded the DC for valour earlier in the summer, but the casualty lists are just so long now."

"I imagine they are." And would get longer, if Hannibal remembered his history. "Have you thought of looking them up in the library?" he asked mildly.

"I've thought of it," Rilla said, "but I don't think I could bear to read their names there."

Hannibal nodded. "It's good that you know your limits." He cut another few pieces of bread for her to try grilling.

"I suggest you try this again. Focus on the bread, on the mushrooms, on the oils. Think of every step as you work your way through it. Use that focus to block out other thoughts. If you can manage that, I think both your bread and your mind will feel a little less burnt."

He squeezed her shoulder. "Know that even if the worst should happen, you can still continue. In class and in the rest."

Amazingly enough, Flick was doing pretty well with the start of the bruschetta. Jude had cooked toast for them before so a few things had stuck in his mind.

He figured the next part would be the tough part so while he got a start on the bruschetta, he glanced around to see if anyone looked like they might be able to handle the potatoes.

Sparkle was going to put more of his time into potatoes, since they generally took longer to cook than toast, right? That meant that he was squeaking the bruschetta in near the end of class, but it also meant that, since he had less time to cook it, there wasn't actually enough time for him to burn it.

So that was good, right?

There was no particular reason to cook the dishes in a specific order, so Sparkle got points for originality and initiative. And amusement at the fact that he apparently needed to be different even in this.

Enjoy Hannibal's cooking and discuss what you've learned!

Sparkle's experience while eating this one was, in no small part, "Oh, so that's what kumquat tastes like."

... And the requisite inhaling because god Hannibal, could you do any wrong in the kitchen? Really?

Don't answer that.

He certainly didn't think so.

Some of his meals might have argued that point.

Got anything to say after class?

Zhari and Sparkle will be happy to help you NOT set things on fire (RIGHT, Sparkle?)!

Well, Zhari would, anyway. Sparkle was always another story.

In addition to making bruschetta, Zhari was cutting up bread slices and putting them out next to tiny samples of the different oils. Dr Lecter had suggested people try the different oils in their basic form and she figured having bread to dip would help.

There was also a pepper grinder nearby, in case anyone wanted a touch more flavor on their bread and oil.

Who was the best TA now, Sparkle?

Edited 2013-09-17 05:06 (UTC)

Sparkle hadn't been aware that it was a contest, Zhari.

Besides, he had a fire extinguisher on hand and was ready to put out people's toast in between cooking his own food.

Look, he lit things on fire in his own time. Class time was for not burning down the school.

Because I like looking at Mads' abs.

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Beginning Gourmet Cooking Techniques | Tuesday, 1st Period

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