tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-39824428720867634732009-10-14T00:11:49.426-07:00Emma Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03004468532692748333Emma.Christensen@gmail.comBlogger58125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3982442872086763473.post-79491077482867240042008-08-24T11:18:00.000-07:002008-08-24T11:19:16.512-07:00

Have you heard that Joe Biden, theoretically Obama's top choice for VP, loves to cook?I have to say, I'm not sure what to think about this tendency to attribute "home cook" status to our presidential candidates and their associated flocks. Is this supposed to make them friendlier? More "American"? More approachable and down-to-earth? Because honestly, it would be more American to admit you eat

Emma Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03004468532692748333Emma.Christensen@gmail.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3982442872086763473.post-36282228474382693932008-08-18T10:48:00.000-07:002008-08-18T10:53:26.592-07:00

KitchenAid agreed that the lift mechanism should NOT sound like a portcullis, and they're sending me a new mixer! They were so pleasant and nice on the phone, and didn't even make a big deal out of the problem. They said the new mixer should arrive in about a week and will include a mailing label for returning the other mixer.Sweet! Thanks, Carla from KitchenAid!

Emma Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03004468532692748333Emma.Christensen@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3982442872086763473.post-85555622004417842692008-08-17T19:39:00.000-07:002008-08-17T19:40:45.514-07:00

A KitchenAid Pro 600, in fact! Wheee!! Thanks, Internets, for making it oh-so-very easy to locate and acquire expensive pretty things! Thanks, Food Writing Career, for providing me with the suitable justification for this purchase! Thanks, Engineer, for making me hit "Purchase" and also validating my color choice!This is a shot of its maiden voyage kneading some ciabatta. I've been longing to

Emma Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03004468532692748333Emma.Christensen@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3982442872086763473.post-42607146024037073832008-08-12T12:12:00.000-07:002008-08-12T13:06:08.661-07:00

I've had it on my list to write down all these master recipes FOREVER, but kept procrastinating for one reason or another. Why procrastinate something that you actually want to do? Something that you know will be darn useful to you in the future? And that you will probably kick yourself for if you don't to do and then end up forgetting everything in the fog of post-culinary school life?Humph.

Emma Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03004468532692748333Emma.Christensen@gmail.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3982442872086763473.post-44535072315407555962008-07-19T17:32:00.001-07:002008-12-10T23:41:40.208-08:00

A few months ago, long before culinary school final exams were a worry to be fretted, the Engineer's mom asked me to cater a small party she would be throwing in honor of a friend's 50th birthday. This party was going to be in July (ie, last weekend), but she knows me very well and wanted to give me plenty of advanced notice. She's a swell lady.Of course, I accepted and immediately started making

Emma Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03004468532692748333Emma.Christensen@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3982442872086763473.post-2576207799344510462008-07-11T05:56:00.001-07:002008-12-10T23:41:40.534-08:00

Last night I dreamed of chili peppers.I've been having trouble getting my pepper plants to pollinate, and have been fretting over them. Watching the pale white flowers unfurl so enthusiastically only to shrivel up a few days later and fall off--stem and all--is rather heartbreaking. Besides, I want my peppers. So far I've only got the one guy pictured above, an anaheim. So obviously I dote on

Emma Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03004468532692748333Emma.Christensen@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3982442872086763473.post-52599626352042754332008-05-27T18:49:00.001-07:002008-12-10T23:41:40.648-08:00

This was the last picture to make it into my final portfolio for school. I made the cake in class on Thursday night and then the Engineer forced me to hit SEND on Friday morning to get all the pictures off to Snapfish for printing.It's called a coffee crunch cake--angel food cake layered with whipped cream and these coffee crunches on the outside. The crunchies were fun to make--essentially, you

Emma Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03004468532692748333Emma.Christensen@gmail.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3982442872086763473.post-19559189744768162682008-05-16T13:24:00.000-07:002008-12-10T23:41:41.025-08:00

I've always been a bit...overenthusiastic when it comes to the science behind the dinner, but doing this weekly food science post for the Kitchn has really put me over the edge into True Nerdom. And let me tell you, my friends, it feels like home.For the last few months, I've been almost exclusively relying on my main man Harold McGee and his book On Food and Cooking as my source for food science

Emma Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03004468532692748333Emma.Christensen@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3982442872086763473.post-17121943236767496732008-05-04T20:14:00.001-07:002008-12-10T23:41:41.421-08:00

Hello? Hello? This thing on?Oh! Hi! Hello! So glad to see you again! I was gone for ever and ever and I've missed you!I've been on so many adventures the past few months and I can hardly wait to tell you. There were so many moments that I've wanted to share with you, but the time? It just kept disappearing. Poof!So here I am again. Hello! Oh, I'm so excited. I've been kinda nervous to come back.

Emma Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03004468532692748333Emma.Christensen@gmail.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3982442872086763473.post-68660017307966533082008-03-08T06:26:00.000-08:002008-03-08T06:46:57.577-08:00

Hello, folks! So hip hip hooray, the Kitchn offered me the writing job! I'm so excited and thrilled and excited some more. Here's my introduction on the site and a picture of me looking like a goober:Emma in the Kitchn I've been getting the biggest kick out of being able to 'officially' tell people I'm a food writer when they ask me what I do. I try to go for a cool, breezy, "Oh, me? I'm a food

Emma Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03004468532692748333Emma.Christensen@gmail.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3982442872086763473.post-26648910222418926542008-02-24T09:18:00.000-08:002008-12-10T23:41:41.603-08:00

It doesn't look like much, but I was more proud of this little dish than words can say. Plating dishes--actually arranging the food on the plate in an artful and (hopefully) appetizing way has been a source of anxiety for me since the beginning of the program. It just doesn't come naturally to me. I'd look over at other people's dishes and see spirals of sauce elegantly dripped around the plate

Emma Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03004468532692748333Emma.Christensen@gmail.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3982442872086763473.post-27930844683235838812008-02-13T19:00:00.000-08:002008-12-10T23:41:41.824-08:00

"Leave the gun. Take the cannolis."I am too embarrassed to admit how many times that phrase crept into conversation last night or how we still laughed every time someone said it. But them was some miiiighty fine tasting cannolis.I will say that my first cannoli experience left me with the impression that cannolis are rather a pain in the arse and are best enjoyed when one does not have to make

Emma Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03004468532692748333Emma.Christensen@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3982442872086763473.post-2319217687191510882008-02-11T20:53:00.001-08:002008-02-11T20:53:56.942-08:00

Hello, friends!I recently applied for a writing position with a national food website called "Apartment Therapy: The Kitchn" and guess what?! It turns out they like me and they EVEN want me to write some more! Groovy, eh?!This is a really neat site--more of a community blog of sorts, really--that does reviews, posts recipes, explores current topics in the food world, and all that good stuff that

Emma Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03004468532692748333Emma.Christensen@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3982442872086763473.post-47242703816893590762008-01-30T15:53:00.001-08:002008-12-10T23:41:42.060-08:00

A small delivery of mangosteens appeared at the culinary school on Monday! I'm not sure how or where they came from, but a few of the chef instructors had them, and my Monday night instructor was generous enough to share his with us.None of us really knew much about the mangosteen other than, 'Hey, isn't this that really crazy fruit that was banned in the US until last year and costs so much

Emma Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03004468532692748333Emma.Christensen@gmail.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3982442872086763473.post-83021415531424668192008-01-27T19:20:00.000-08:002008-12-10T23:41:43.424-08:00

I had some leftover brisket wallowing in my fridge on last week and got it in my head to make some mini-calzones over the weekend. I thought I'd add some caramelized onions and roasted red peppers, but got stumped on the cheese. I stood in front of the cheese fridge at Trader Joe's for at least fifteen minutes picking up one cheese and then another, squinting my eyes and tasting various

Emma Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03004468532692748333Emma.Christensen@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3982442872086763473.post-38835900427175875292008-01-18T08:15:00.000-08:002008-12-10T23:41:43.694-08:00

Shaking excess flour from cut pasta.I know! Pasta! It's really just so cool! And I know you're all out there going, "Yes, Emma! I'm with you! Pasta is really just so cool!" Excellent. I knew I liked you.This here's some spinach pasta--same basic pasta recipe with a pound of steamed spinach cuz it's pretty. And also because it's "good for growing girls and boys." We rolled it out fairly thick (

Emma Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03004468532692748333Emma.Christensen@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3982442872086763473.post-2525605126396347762008-01-13T20:35:00.001-08:002008-12-10T23:41:44.009-08:00

Well. This is it. The end of an era. This Friday was my last day at the Noodle Factory. I'm off to try my hand at making actual, edible noodles instead of intellectual ones! That's right--it's time to see how this whole 'cooking thing' works out.This change has been in the works for quite a while, but I haven't wanted to talk about it much until it was real. I'm actually not sure what to say now

Emma Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03004468532692748333Emma.Christensen@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3982442872086763473.post-47186467321728677782008-01-08T15:24:00.001-08:002008-12-10T23:41:44.240-08:00

I am finding that I love love love making pasta. Perhaps this is unsurprising given my fondness for all things carbohydrate, but still. Pasta! By hand! How cool is that?! And it's surprisingly simple, if labor intensive. The pasta dough itself comes together pretty quickly. Combine ingredients. Knead knead knead until smooth and uniform and, if you cut into it with a knife, you don't see any air

Emma Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03004468532692748333Emma.Christensen@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3982442872086763473.post-40552016296741251822008-01-05T16:37:00.001-08:002008-12-10T23:41:44.415-08:00

We're in the home stretch of winter with daylight hours increasing bit by bit, but with farmer's markets and fresh produce still many months away. This cous cous salad made with winter squash and a handful of pantry staples is a bright and tangy hint of springtime, and yet it's hearty enough to fuel us through another day of slush and wind. This salad can be served room temperature or cold.

Emma Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03004468532692748333Emma.Christensen@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3982442872086763473.post-44741303523509149472007-12-18T06:46:00.001-08:002008-12-10T23:41:44.641-08:00

If you've ever wondered what happens if you forget to slash the top of your bread, this is it. Hard to tell if the loaf is eating itself or giving birth to a Brave New Loaf. Either way, it ain't pretty.But golly GEE, it tastes good! This is the second loaf from the Simple Crispy Bread recipe I made last Thursday, baked after lazing about (I mean, fermenting) in the fridge for three days. The

Emma Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03004468532692748333Emma.Christensen@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3982442872086763473.post-86646110329002382542007-12-16T11:16:00.000-08:002008-12-10T23:41:45.728-08:00

This past Thursday, I left my cube to get something at the printer and by the time I walked back (muttering to myself because I'd ALREADY found a typo I'd have to fix), the sky out the window was full of thick, fat flakes. Our offices closed about an hour after that. I was supposed to have class later, but honestly? I just wasn't feelin' it. What I WAS feelin' was going home, curling up on the

Emma Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03004468532692748333Emma.Christensen@gmail.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3982442872086763473.post-15899725409024700932007-12-13T05:54:00.001-08:002008-12-10T23:41:46.224-08:00

I haven't thought of a good name for these puppies yet. Can't quite figure out a name grand enough, nuanced enough to appropriately describe these layers of chocolate genoise, pomegranate whipped cream, and hazelnut dacquoise. Oh, man, they were tasty!Hazelnut dacquoise, for those who don't know, is a basic meringue (egg whites beaten with sugar) with ground hazelnuts mixed in. I spread them into

Emma Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03004468532692748333Emma.Christensen@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3982442872086763473.post-81284450456269699812007-12-02T16:17:00.000-08:002008-12-10T23:41:46.459-08:00

These bite-sized souffles have been one of my favorite things that I've made so far in culinary school. The base is a thin fillet of sole coiled into a ring and tied with a thin strip of blanched scallion. Around this, we wrapped a "collar" of aluminum foil and spooned the Parmesan souffle on top of the sole. (The collar is used to support the souffle as it rises and is removed right before

Emma Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03004468532692748333Emma.Christensen@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3982442872086763473.post-76207740068479389512007-11-14T19:37:00.001-08:002008-12-10T23:41:47.067-08:00

Chef Louise's first instruction for phyllo pastry: "Open the box.""Maybe there are folks out there who LOVE to make phyllo pastry, she said, but not me." And so, dutiful students that we are, we all opened our boxes.These napoleons were a lot of fun to make. I used 8 sheets of phyllo pastry and layered them with melted butter (clarified butter, or else you get brown spots), cinnamon, and sugar. I

Emma Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03004468532692748333Emma.Christensen@gmail.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3982442872086763473.post-38180125070727076312007-10-26T18:11:00.000-07:002008-12-10T23:41:47.251-08:00

Hmm....apparently this whole idea of blogging my experience of being in culinary school is....not so much happening. Oh, I mean, I'm experiencing all right. I'm experiencing all kinds of crazy, bizarre, blog-worthy happenings. But somehow, the part where it actually gets, you know, posted to my blog? Hmm, not happening. Or at least not happening quite as frequently as I oh-so enthusiastically

Emma Chttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03004468532692748333Emma.Christensen@gmail.com0