...le chinois shrimp

I love Chinese food. Any Chinese food, not even "real" Chinese food. My favourite place for a Chinese meal is probably Mandarin, haha. I think I like it so much because there are so many things deep fried. As bad as it sounds, greasy, deep fried foods will always be a weakness. I attended McMaster Univeristy in Hamilton, ON before I came to Stratford Chef School. I was at a friends house one night and we ordered Chinese take-out from a place downtown called Le Chinois. Everything was good. The chicken balls were huge, the noodles were full of vegetables, chicken, and seafood and the beef and broccoli was one of the best I've had. Then I tried the dish called "le chinois shrimp" and I can't even describe the way it made me feel! I have eaten a lot of amazing food in my life. I have been to many different restaurants, in many different places. I did a full semester at chef school and ate dishes that blew me away; yet, to this day, that shrimp is still the best thing I have ever eaten, ever. It's perfect. The shrimp is deep fried, but the batter is the perfect consistency and texture. The crispiness is just right and the shrimp is plump and juicy. The sauce is sweet, tangy, sour and super spicy at the same time. I can't even describe what it tastes like, it's so good! There are also fresh, cool, chunks of cucumber in it that balance out the spiciness of the sauce and they make it feel like what you are eating isn't so bad for you, lol. I ate that dish for the first time five years ago, and anytime we ordered it again we would hide it from others so we could eat it to ourselves. I would mission to Hamilton just for that.

...crispy green beans

In may, I took a little vacay to Las Vegas with a couple of my friends. One night, we went to PF Changs for dinner the the Planet Hollywood hotel. The entire meal was delicious, but the crispy green were by far my favourite. They are cooked green beans, lightly battered and fried to crispy, golden perfection. The sauce served with them is the perfect match. It's a sweet, tangy, spicy honey mustard sauce. They are soooo addicting, I just wanted to keep ordering them. The description on the menu even says "More addicting than potato chips". YUM!!!

...peanut butter ice cream pie

One of my favourite flavours is peanut butter. I like peanut butter anything. If I go to a restaurant and a dessert has peanut butter in the description I will order it. My bff's and I like to eat at a restaurant downtown in London, ON that has peanut butter ice cream pie as one of the desserts. It's amazing. We get it every single time we go. For my birthday this year, they made me a peanut butter ice cream pie from scratch! Best birthday cake ever (and it was obviously better than the one we always get!). If you like peanut butter, I suggest you try this pie. I would never give away their secret recipe, but this one looks like it would be pretty good...

Ingredients

9 graham crackers, crushed
3/4 cup salted peanuts, finely chopped
1/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 quart vanilla ice cream, softened
1/2 cup crunchy peanut butter
1/4 cup chopped salted peanuts

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
In a small bowl, mix together crushed graham crackers, 3/4 cup finely chopped peanuts, and sugar. Stir in melted butter or margarine. Press mixture into a 9 inch pie plate.
Bake crust in preheated oven for 8 minutes. Chill.
In a medium mixing bowl, mix ice cream and peanut butter together on medium-low speed until combined. Pour mixture into chilled crust. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup chopped peanuts. Freeze for at least 6 hours. Remove from freezer 10 minutes before serving. 

 

...nachos

I was home in London, ON this weekend and went out for dinner at El Ranchito (elranchito.ca) with my parents. We got the nachos to start, and I must say they were to die for! They were easily the best nachos I have ever had. When and if I am on "The Best Thing I Ever Ate" and the theme is nachos, I would share these ones! The chips were fresh right out of the fryer, and loaded with bell peppers, lettuce, jalapenos, cucumbers, sour cream, bean dip, fresh avocados, amazingly seasoned ground beef, and of course, CHEESE! They were very rustic, and very delicious. Each bite was slightly different as there was so much going on. A must try!!!

...foie gras

I went to eat dinner at the Prune for the Wednesday dinner lab with chef Benjamin Darnaud. It's so much fun going to these labs as the food and service is always exceptional! One of the first courses for this menu was foie gras. Surprisingly, this was my first time having foie gras and I REALLY enjoyed it! Foie gras is french for "fat liver". It is the liver of, in this case, a duck that has been specially fattened. It is soooo delicious. Mine was served with frozen sea buckthorn berries which gave it a fun texture and surprise in the mouth. Some of the people I was dining with weren't fans of how it was prepared but I was in love with it. This makes me want to go on a foie gras adventure as it excites me that there are better preparations out there. It was so buttery and rich...it kind of tasted like duck flavoured butter haha...I love when food is so good that it melts in your mouth, and this did just that...

...yorkshire pudding

For as long as I can remember, Yorkshire Pudding has been one of my favourite foods. I could go as far as saying it is definitely one of the greatest things I have ever eaten. I eat it hot, cold, plain, covered in gravy or another savoury sauce.
My dad makes Yorkshire Pudding the best. It always turns out light, fluffy and perfect. I have been told that the secret to a good Yorkshire Pudding is making sure the oven and the oil you coat your pan with is very hot, while the batter is at room temperature. It is also important to get it into the oven quickly while the oil in the pan is still hot, this will ensure a perfect puff!

First Post!

Hello, and welcome to my blog!

I have never been much of a blogger before, but I am starting to become more and more interested in it while having Clotilde here at SCS.

I just started my second year at the Stratford Chef School and I have been introduced to so many different foods and techniques I didn't know existed. I had not really had much experience in French fine dining before coming to the school, but I must say, the flavours and combinations of food I have had here goes beyond what I thought was amazing.

I don't have time to write now, but I am excited to share my eating adventures with you! Who knows...maybe this will become a popular blog!