Chuck Tender Wellington … A High School Lunch??

Posted on 9 January 2008 under Cooking Classes, Instruction, School Lunches | 1 Comment

Did you ever have one of those moments like Bourdain or Zimmern when they find something wonderful in a totally unexpected place, made by the least likely individual?

Lunch was like that today.

I’d headed down to the Penta Career Center in Perrysburg to have something signed and, since I’d gotten there at about 11 a.m., decided to have a bite to eat. Eating at Penta is always interesting in all the best meanings of the word. Chef Jim Rhegness, Food Network gingerbread competitor, is one of the Culinary Arts instructors at this high-school-level school. I’ve eaten in his classroom’s dining room before and have always enjoyed his students’ dishes. Chef Denise Schaefer teaches the Food Service side of things. She and her students run one student cafeteria and a place called the Snack Bar. I’d met Chef Denise at Taste of the Nation: Toledo last April but had never eaten anything her students have made. Her Snack Bar was where I ended up today.

I’m glad I did.

What I ordered appeared a little confusing on the menu; “Hot Sandwich: Chuck Tender Wellington - The chuck tenderloin has been seasoned with a ground steak rub and coated with finely chopped mushroom medley, wrapped in puff pastry and baked to medium.”

That was weird. I found myself thinking, “Is it a hot sandwich … or is it a Beef Wellington?”

My lunch entree turned out to be very similar to the Individual Filet Wellingtons Chef Tad Cousino made for the Chef’s Table (and for my video camera) at the Frog Leg Inn in Erie, Michigan on November 8, 2007. (You can watch the instructional video we made here.)

Not only was I surprised to be able to get any kind of Beef Wellington at a high school-level facility during a normal lunch hour (i.e., not a special event), what was even more surprising was the quality of this entree. It was cooked correctly, the beef medium as advertised. The “finely chopped mushroom medley” (a psuedo-duxelles) was more of a nice touch than I’d expected. The puff pastry was wonderfully flaky, and honestly, I could have cut that beef with a butterknife. There was a bit of A1 sauce for dipping, but I didn’t use it. I also had a dish of Wild & Brown Rice, and a Seasonal Fresh Fruit Parfait, both of which went quite well with the Wellington.

All this for … four bucks??? Amazing.

Heading back downstairs to drop off the trays, I showed Chef Denise the above photo in the camera’s viewscreen. She then pulled over Damien, the shaggy-headed young man who’d made these Wellingtons so he could also see the image. Damien seemed shy, almost embarrassed, almost as though he felt that a high-schooler like himself shouldn’t be told what he’d made was actually quite good indeed.

I think back to those awful Home Ec classes I had to take in Middle School in the early 1970s, with the classroom having multiple installations of cheap almond-colored electric ranges, complete with ratty cabinetry and old Formica counters. We were lucky if our single stack of four pancakes turned out right after 4 weeks of class.

These kids at Penta are training on commercial and professional equipment, preparing real-world dishes for lunch on a daily basis, and doing it well.

Damien’s Chuck Tender Wellingtons would have been more than acceptable in any number of good restaurants.

I hope Damien keeps going with his studies. If he does, he’s going to go places.

Fall Cooking Classes, Un Coup de Main, Dundee

Posted on 25 September 2007 under Cooking Classes | No Comments

The fall class schedule is out for Georgeann Brown’s Un Coup de Main in Dundee, and there are some nice menus in there! This one in particular caught my eye … and my taste buds …

742 - Autumn in the Wine Country
October 10, 10:00 am - 2:00 pm, $65.00
Butternut Squash & Apple Bisque; Pear, Pancetta & Walnut Salad; Pork Tenderloin with Cider Cream Sauce; Roasted Carrots with Thyme; Baby Boo Pumpkins with Pumpkin Mousse

As class size is limited to six students (classes are held in her home kitchen), make sure to register early.

Le Chat Gourmet, Updated Calendar of Classes

Posted on 22 March 2007 under Cooking Classes | No Comments

Chef Denene at Le Chat Gourmet in Eaton Rapids just north of Jackson has filled in her calendar of classes from April through June. Some of the classes that pique my interest:

  • Junior Chef French Bistro Cooking, April 14th, ages 8 - 14
  • Saveur Italian II, April 20th
  • Filet Mignon Beef Tips with Morel Mushrooms, May 11th
  • French Brassiere Table, May 24th
  • Strawberry Fields Forever, June 19th
  • Southern Bourbon BBQ Ribs, June 22nd

If you peek ahead in the calendar to July, you’ll find a week-long Junior Chef day camp for kids from July 9th through Friday the 13th (yikes!)

Be sure to look through the entire calendar, as it’s packed with all kinds of excellent classes.

Le Chat Gourmet, Eaton Rapids: Knifing Skills & Cookware ID Class

Posted on 23 February 2007 under Cooking Classes | No Comments

Here’s an interesting class. It’s just been added to the schedule at Le Chat Gourmet in Eaton Rapids, northwest of Jackson, Michigan. If you have the time and the funds, this is one class to definitely sign up for. It’s this-coming Wednesday, so you’d better hurry …

Here’s the info I received:

New! “HANDS-ON” KNIFE SKILLS and COOKWARE IDENTIFICATION-just added!!   

Wednesday, February 28th at 6 PM

Have you ever wondered…is there really a difference between the variety of whisks on the market or when to use which one, what does a channel knife do, what’s that giant garlic press contraption chefs use for potatoes and so on?! Then join Executive Chef Denene Vincent as we discover the functions of over 2 dozen different cook’s tools and cookware pieces. Then we’ll move on to the wonderful world of knives-where you’ll receive “hands-on” knife training-learn to create the following knife cutting technique-dicing an onion, julienne, brunoise, batonnet, paysanne, lozenge, bias, rondelle, fans and more. We’ll also discuss the functions of over a dozen varieties of knives, how to properly sharpen and hone a knife using our knife guide…one for everyone to take home and educating you on what to look for when purchasing a knife.

In addition, save an additional 10% on ALL your retail purchases over $100 including knives the day of class only! Purchase knives totaling $150 or more and receive your choice of a FREE Wusthof 9-slot Knife Block, 12″ Magnetic Wall Knife Holder, 9-slot Under Cabinet Knife Black or an 11-slot Drawer Tray! This is a great opportunity to update those tired and worn out knives or add a specialty knife or two to your collection. Remember class size is extremely limited!

$65 per person

Le Chat Gourmet; Fine Cooking Classes in Eaton Rapids, Michigan

Posted on 16 February 2007 under Cooking Classes | No Comments

One of the things I enjoy about this blog, and about my Michigan Cuisine web site, is the array of people who contact me to chat about cooking, get their site listed, or even to make corrections to what I’ve written. Others, such as Mary Beth at 101.5 The River in Toledo, or The Kitchen blog on the massive Apartment Therapy site in NYC, talk about what I’m doing here without telling me first. All this just makes life interesting.

So, it’s nice to hear from people like Chef Denene Vincent, Owner and Executive Chef of Le Chat Gourmet Culinary Arts in Eaton Rapids, Michigan. Chef Denene had found my Michigan Cuisine site, and emailed me yesterday to ask for a link from there to her site.

Once I looked up her own web site, discovered more about what she does, and realized she’s not that far away, just off M-50 northwest of Jackson, I decided she deserves more than just a simple link on my other site (which I’ve already done). Like Chef Tad of the Frog Leg Inn in Erie, Michigan, Chef Denene loves to teach. And from what I can tell, she loves it quite a bit, celebrating her 4th year of devoting a lot of her time to teaching anyone who’d like to take one of her diverse classes.

For example, on February 23rd she’s teaming up with Saveur magazine (one of my faves) to teach a class called Classic Italian II.

And on March 17th for the Guinness Beer Bash class, all the dishes she’ll teach have Guinness as the “secret ingredient”, including a Guinness Stout Ice Cream with Homemade Chocolate Fudge Sauce.

I might have to attend that one myself …

Read the rest of this entry…

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