Rick's, getting the most from
The Black Sheep Bistro's Video Cookbook Volume 1
"Cooking like a Pro"
Part 1 - My Station as Chef de CuisineLesson 1 - Watch
All chef's learn by watching a mentor and that's why in the old school you started as a dishwasher, went to prep then worked your way through the kitchen. Each job you did you watched the station ahead of you so that by the time it was your turn to move up, you had already seen it a thousand times. That's why in most of these recipes we shot the entire dish and put the "slow" parts in fast forward so that although each segment is only 1:30 to 5 minutes long, you'll get a quick birds eye view of the most of the process quickly. We suggest you watch the video as many times as it takes to get a handle on exactly what's going on. Pay special attention to when each item is added, how it is cut and how much of each is used. You should also br thinking of how you might tweak the process if it needs changing to suite your own taste, style, number of people, etc.
Lesson 2 - Getting ready to cook
Please remember prep is important! In a professional kitchen we already have many things ready to go; the garlic is minced, onions, peppers, tomatoes etc are chopped, diced or julienned. Sauces that can be made ahead are. The grill is going full blast, the oven is heated, and boiling water is on the stove ready to add to the pastas, paellas, mussel and/or any dish we don't want to stall or cool down by adding room temperature water. In addition, all my herbs, spices and chef's salt is in easy reach. Knives, pans, tongs and anything else we might need is in it's place!
Lesson 3 - The Pantry
I personally do 90% of the cooking every night and most all of it is put together last minute. All the main courses and most the appetizers are all in done in my small station where I have one 24" grill and 5 burners (the 6th always has boiling water.) The following list might seem pretty small, but from it I make everything you see on the videos except the salads (although I cook the meat items), desserts, pre-made sauces (aioli etc), bread, and both the goat cheese and escargot appetizers. Everything else is done by me, in my station!
Here is a list of what I have in easy reach of my station;
1. Refrigerated but ready to go - The sausages and jamon from La Espanola, both whole (for slicing) and quartered Cremini mushrooms, julienne red & green bell peppers, diced onions, diced fresh tomatoes, minced garlic, pitted dates, mustard sauce, fresh whole potatoes (which are cut right before using).
2. My herbs, spices and condiments- Rick's Chef Salt, salt, Herbs de Provence, Italian Herbs, thyme, parsley, basil and saffron (believe it or not you can make many different combinations with just that and you'll notice it's all I use in all those recipes I've give you on the video!) Add to that Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Cream Sherry, canola oil and unsalted butter.
3. Then for dry goods I have; Valencia Rice (for paella), Arborio Rice (for risotto), Fideo (for our fideo dishes) and a couple of different kinds of Italian pasta.
4. Last but certainly not least, all our top quality meats we've trimmed that day; lamb loins, baby lamb racks, large lamb chops, New York Steak, duck breast, our aged duck confit, chicken breast, chicken tenders, large shrimp (peeled and de veined), mussels (bearded), and the fresh fish of the day.
Lesson 4 - Doing it!
If you just had all the items from 1, 2, & 3 on hand in your refrigerator and pantry, which by the way is a heck of a lot less than most have hiding in their fridge and spice cabinet right now, all you'd have to do is pick up something fresh from # 4 and lunch or dinner is pretty quick! You'd not only be able to make many dishes from our menu, just be adding one or two other ingredients to the mix would allow you to make something new and different every night for years! And that fellow healthy food lovers, is exactly where our cooking program is different, we're here to make better cooks, out of all of us!
And for those who want to take a hard copy onto the kitchen, you can get the recipe cards free when you join the Black Sheep Cooking Club, or get the Companion Cookbook in our store!
Go on to Part 2 - The Dessert Station
Favorite places to find ingredients:
These are some of the resources I've used for many years.
As time goes on I'll be adding more.Good Cooking and Thank you,
Rick and Diana Boufford
©2011 Just Good Fun and Rick & Diana Boufford
P.O. Box 15427, Newport Beach, California USA 92659-5427
