Dear Chef 9

Let me just start off by saying thank you for all you have done for me this year. you have taught me more than just how to cook. you helped me get a job and how to keep a job just by being in your class. I appreciat all you have done for me.

RESUME

-OBJECTIVE-

Landscape Architect


-SUMMARY-

Student at Belleview High
Getting ready to graduate
OSHA certified
CPR certified


-EXPERIENCE-

Worked with a Landscape Architect General Contractor

Deep-Fried Beef Chimichangas with Guacamole

Ingredients
For the guacamole:
3 ripe avocados
1 large red onion, diced
2 serrano chiles, stems and seeds removed and chopped (use gloves to handle these)
1/4 cup freshly chopped cilantro leaves
1/4 cup fresh lime juice (1 or 2 limes depending on size)
3 ripe tomatoes, seeds removed and diced
3 cloves garlic, roughly diced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the chimichangas:
12 large flour tortillas
1 1/2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 liter vegetable or canola oil
For the ground beef filling:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large red onion, sliced
3 pounds ground beef
1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
4 teaspoons chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons celery salt
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Special equipment: Wooden skewers or round toothpicks
Directions
Slice each avocado in half lengthwise, pop out seed and slip off the skin. Smash the avocado in a bowl and add onion, chiles, cilantro, lime juice, tomatoes, and garlic and mix well. Season with salt and pepper, cover, and let sit in refrigerator for a couple of hours to allow flavors to combine.

Lay out tortillas and sprinkle about 1/8 cup cheese on each. Begin heating vegetable oil to 350 degrees F in deep-fryer.


In a large skillet heat olive oil over medium-high heat and saute onion until translucent. To this pan, add ground beef, tomato paste, chili powder, cumin, celery salt, and salt and pepper, and cook until browned. Divide meat mixture into equal amounts in the pan. Then using a slotted spoon to leave excess liquid behind, transfer meat mixture to the center of each tortilla and fold the tortilla into a closed packet and secure using a wooden skewer or round toothpicks. Deep fry chimichangas until golden brown. (Alternatively, you can skip the deep frying step altogether by arranging the chimichanga packets on a baking sheet and bake until cheese melts and tortillas begin to firm up, about 5 to 10 minutes in a preheated 350 degrees F oven.) Remove skewers/toothpicks before serving.


I choose this because I really enjoy beef. Everyone in my house also enjoys beef as wall so this dish could be a dinner i could prepare for my whole family. My parents especially favor this recipe because they both love this type of meal.

Fried Wild Mushroom Mini Buns

Ingredients
3/4 cup warm water
1/8 cup sugar
1/2 tablespoon dry yeast
1/2 tablespoon melted lard
2 1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
5 tablespoons water
Directions
Mix warm water with sugar to dissolve. Add yeast and let stand for 10 minutes. Mixture should get foamy or the yeast is dead. Mix in lard. In a food processor, add flour and yeast mixture. While blade is spinning, pour in water until a ball forms. If dough is too sticky, add more flour. If dough appears dry and doesn't form a ball, add more water. As soon as a ball forms, take dough out and knead by hand on a floured surface. For 10 minutes roll dough into one long log about 2 inches thick. Cut into 2-inch pieces.

Fried Wild Mushroom Mini-Buns:
Canola oil, for sauteeing, as well as deep-frying
3 sliced shallots
Salt and black pepper
1 cup crimini or button mushrooms, sliced
1 cup chanterelle mushrooms, broken into small pieces
1 cup shiitake mushrooms, sliced
2 teaspoons fresh minced thyme
1/2 cup red wine
1/2 cup veal demi-glace (1/2-cup chicken stock with 1/2-tablespoon dark soy sauce
In a hot saute pan coated with canola oil caramelize the shallots. Season. Add the crimini mushrooms and cook for one minute. Add the remaining mushrooms and thyme. Check for seasoning. Deglaze with red wine. Let reduce by 75 percent, then add the demi-glace and reduce until dry. Cool mixture before stuffing the buns. Form small circles (1 1/2 inches in diameter) with the dough and place mushroom mixture in the middle. Encircle stuffing with the dough and seal with a little twist. Let rest in a warm place for 30 minutes. Fry at 350 degrees until golden brown.


Again I dont eat mushrooms either but my parents do and they love them. I could make this for them as a present. This is a nice way to show your parents you care about them.

Fried Wild Mushroom Mini Buns

Ingredients
3/4 cup warm water
1/8 cup sugar
1/2 tablespoon dry yeast
1/2 tablespoon melted lard
2 1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
5 tablespoons water
Directions
Mix warm water with sugar to dissolve. Add yeast and let stand for 10 minutes. Mixture should get foamy or the yeast is dead. Mix in lard. In a food processor, add flour and yeast mixture. While blade is spinning, pour in water until a ball forms. If dough is too sticky, add more flour. If dough appears dry and doesn't form a ball, add more water. As soon as a ball forms, take dough out and knead by hand on a floured surface. For 10 minutes roll dough into one long log about 2 inches thick. Cut into 2-inch pieces.

Fried Wild Mushroom Mini-Buns:
Canola oil, for sauteeing, as well as deep-frying
3 sliced shallots
Salt and black pepper
1 cup crimini or button mushrooms, sliced
1 cup chanterelle mushrooms, broken into small pieces
1 cup shiitake mushrooms, sliced
2 teaspoons fresh minced thyme
1/2 cup red wine
1/2 cup veal demi-glace (1/2-cup chicken stock with 1/2-tablespoon dark soy sauce
In a hot saute pan coated with canola oil caramelize the shallots. Season. Add the crimini mushrooms and cook for one minute. Add the remaining mushrooms and thyme. Check for seasoning. Deglaze with red wine. Let reduce by 75 percent, then add the demi-glace and reduce until dry. Cool mixture before stuffing the buns. Form small circles (1 1/2 inches in diameter) with the dough and place mushroom mixture in the middle. Encircle stuffing with the dough and seal with a little twist. Let rest in a warm place for 30 minutes. Fry at 350 degrees until golden brown.


Again I dont eat mushrooms either but my parents do. they love to mushroom hunt then eat their findings. I could make this for them as a reminder of mushroom hunting in Michigan.

Low Carb Deep-fried Onion Rings

Ingredients
3 to 6 cups vegetable oil (more or less depending on pot size)
3 eggs
1/4 cup heavy cream or water
3 large yellow onions
Breading:
2 1/3 cups soy flour
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
Directions
Place a heavy pot over medium-high heat with at least an inch of vegetable oil. Heat oil to 350 degrees F; it is important to monitor and maintain the temperature, or the soy flour breading and your oil will burn. (Portable deep fryers at home are great for this.)

In a medium bowl, mix the eggs and cream to make an egg wash. In a separate larger bowl, mix the breading ingredients together.

Peel and slice the onions in thick slices and carefully separate the rings. Then dip individual onion rings in the breading, then the egg wash, and then back in the breading again, making sure to coat well. Pat off any excess breading and carefully place into hot oil, in batches as necessary, and fry until golden brown and crisp, just 1 to 2 minutes. Remove and drain on paper towels. Serve immediately

Cook's Note: Soy flour is made from toasted soybeans and has already been "cooked."

Therefore it has a tendency to brown faster than plain flour when frying.

Hint: Try this same breading for baked pork chops, okra, mozzarella sticks, mushrooms, chicken, and eggplant.

I dont eat or enjay eating mushrooms but my parents do. I think this recipe can be something I could make for them as a special gift. They would really enjoy this.

Fried Soft-Shell Crabs with a Shellfish Ragu

Ingredients
Vegetable oil for deep frying
8 soft-shell crabs, cleaned and rinsed gently under cold running water
4 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon Essence, recipe follows, plus more for sprinkling
1 cup all-purpose flour, or more if needed
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 egg
2 cups bread crumbs
6 tablespoons butter
1/3 cup minced shallots
1/2 pound raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
3/4 cup shrimp or seafood stock
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 pound cooked crawfish tails, peeled and seasoned with Essence
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
Snipped chives
Directions
Preheat the oil in a large saucepan or deep fryer to 360 degrees F.

Rinse crabs in water, then pat dry with paper towel. Season each crab with 1 teaspoon of the Essence and set aside.

Combine flour with 4 teaspoons of the remaining Essence, salt and ground black pepper and stir to combine well. Beat the egg with a splash of water in a shallow dish. Lay out the breadcrumbs in a separate shallow dish.

Lightly dredge each crab in the seasoned flour, making sure that the crabs are completely coated.

Dip each crab in eggwash to cover, then coat in bread crumbs.

Holding the crabs by long tongs or balanced on a small skimmer, hold them so that the legs dangle down into the hot oil and fry for 1 minute, or until the legs are stiff. Lower the crab completely into the oil and fry until golden brown, about 2 to 3 minutes. Turn crab over and allow to fry an additional 2 to 3 minutes, or until golden brown and crispy all over. Carefully transfer crabs to paper-lined plates to drain briefly before serving. Sprinkle with Essence when still hot.

In a large skillet over medium high heat melt 2 tablespoons of the butter and saute the shallots until soft, about 2 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the shrimp and the remaining teaspoon of Essence and saute for 1 minute, or until the shrimp turn pink around the edges. Add the shrimp stock, bring to a boil and cook over high heat until the stock is reduced by half. Add the heavy cream and cook until sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 3 minutes. Add the crawfish tails, fresh thyme and snipped chives and cook until heated through. Whisk in the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter and remove sauce from the heat. Taste, adjust seasoning if necessary, and serve the ragu ladled over the fried softshell crabs.

Essence (Emeril's Creole Seasoning):

2 1/2 tablespoons paprika

2 tablespoons salt

2 tablespoons garlic powder

1 tablespoon black pepper

1 tablespoon onion powder

1 tablespoon cayenne pepper

1 tablespoon dried leaf oregano

1 tablespoon dried thyme

Combine all ingredients thoroughly and store in an airtight jar or container.

Yield: about 2/3 cup


I like shrimp and love deep-fried foods. What a great combination. I feel this dish will be good, even though I have never tried this before.