Brekkie à la polonaise

Oh, lordy. My last post was at the end of January.

It’s not that I haven’t been cooking. In fact, I’ve been cooking with steel toed shoes and a chef’s hat: For the last twelve weeks, Wednesday nights have been George Brown College nights—as in, cooking school.

The twelve-week class, Culinary Arts I, is the first step to a certificate in culinary arts, something I think I’d like to pursue. It’s fun, I get to wear my cheffie gear, and cook on gas.

The first course, obligatory, was introductory. Soups, salads, poached fish, sauces, braises, pan roasting. None of it was totally new to me, and yet I gathered up a thousand tips and nuggets of knowledge for the chef instructor (like, hey guys! Onions skins added to your chicken stock will turn it a lovely golden brown. True story.)

I believe the program is making me a better cook. I’m getting acquainted with basic French sauces. And, well, frankly, quite a few recipes of the yester-decades (salad in a pineapple boat, anyone?).  Without getting into to much detail, it’s a pursuit worth taking, and I plan to go back in the fall for more.

Now for the polonaise, which I knew nothing about before this Wednesday's class. It’s a very tasty garnish, made up of chopped boiled eggs, beurre noisette (browned butter, and lots of it), bread crumbs and parsley.

I made a tasty rendition of it, this morning. I roasted cauliflower, yellow bell pepper, and finished them off by sprinkling the polonaise, and toasting it a tad. Topped with a fried egg. Voilà ! Déjeuner à la polonaise ! Sort of…

For recipes, email me: dianeeros AT gmail.com