My Centaurs Digital Portfolio
My Reflection
For this lab, we made a Spanish rice to put in the tortilla shell for our burritos. In the Spanish rice, there were beans, corn, spices, brown rice, peppers, onions, tomatoes and a couple other things. The rice was super flavourful and tasted amazing. We had the option to add in meat which I did to give it more flavor. I got to practice my wrapping and sautéing skills in this lab. I would definitely make this recipe again.
My Reflection
After we made our chili and corn bread, we had to make brownies. We had a lot of time to make these so we weren’t rushed. These brownies were quite simple and easy to make because the steps were easy to follow and they didn’t have a lot of ingredients in them. The brownie turned out well because it was moist, fluffy and fully cooked. I could have improved on putting the parchment paper better in the pan because it didn’t cover the sides which made the brownie stick a bit and the brownie collapsed in the middle. Overall, the taste was excellent but it wasn’t that visually appealing. I would make this recipe again and also add a few things into my brownies.
My Reflection
Mashed Potatoes: I thought that our mashed potatoes turned out well because they were light, fluffy and they were well seasoned. We used a masher to mash the potatoes which left a few little clumps in it which I didn’t really like. I think that if I made potatoes again I would use an electric mixer because it is really easy to use and I think it would get all the clumps out.
Stuffing: Our stuffing tasted good but I think that it could have used a little more salt and pepper. I think that the amount of bread and onions we used was perfect because one didn’t over power the other. The only thing that I could have improved on is making the stuffing more dry because it was little soggy.
Maple Glazed Carrots: I really enjoyed how these carrots tasted because they were sweet and a little salty at the same time. I think that I cut them into the perfect size. The only thing that I could have improved on is cooking the carrots a little longer because they were crunchy instead of being soft.
Chicken Breast: For the chicken we put butter, and a herb blend underneath the skin and seasoned it with pepper and salt to make the chicken more flavorful. I think that the chicken tasted really good but it was a bit dry. I wish we could have made gravy or something to put on the chicken.
This lab was kind of overwhelming because we had to make a lot of food but it was really fun and the food tasted good. In this lab, I got to practice my knife skills and learn new methods. I would make these recipes again but maybe tweak them a bit.
My Reflection
For this lab, we made a handmade ravioli and spinach ricotta filling. The first day we made our dough and filling. The second day we made a brown butter sauce which was made with oil, butter, chili flakes, and garlic. I really enjoyed doing this lab because I have never made a stuffed pasta before. I think that the most challenging part was putting the filling on the dough and folding it to shut it because if I put too much filling then it would squeeze out and if I put too little, then there would be air pockets that could have effected the pasta when it was cooking. My partner and I worked well together because we used our time efficiently and we communicated which helped the pasta turn out well because it was al dente. In this lab, I practiced the flour mixture method and the handmade pasta method. The only thing I would change is chopping the spinach that was in the filling into smaller pieces because they were too big. I would eat this again but try a different sauce.
My Reflection
For this lab, we made handmade spaghetti and carbonara sauce. The first day we had to make the pasta because it took a long time to make so we decided to just freeze it and cook it the next day. I didn’t find the pasta too hard to make because I have made it before but when I was cutting it, it stuck together a bit which took a while to separate. For the pasta, I learned how to cut the pasta, knead and stretch it as well as using the flour mixture method and the handmade pasta method. With the pasta, we made a carbonara sauce. The sauce consisted of bacon, garlic, eggs, parmesan, and pasta water. I also added in broccoli but I wouldn’t next time because I didn’t really like them in the sauce and I could’ve cut them into smaller pieces. I would say the most challenging part about making the sauce was pouring the eggs and cheese into the pan because we had to mix it quickly so we didn’t scramble the eggs. I thought the pasta ended up turning out really well because it was al dente and the sauce was flavorful and creamy. I would definitely eat this again.
My Reflection
This lab was a test that we had to do by ourselves. The lava cake recipe wasn’t very hard to make but it was difficult to get out of the little glass cup we made them in. My cakes didn’t really rise in the oven and they took longer to cook then what is said. In the end, the cakes tasted good but they were really sweet. They also turned out well because they were moist, fluffy and had a gooey center. I would make these lava cakes again but add less sugar because they were too sweet.
My Reflection
For Ms. Bolli’s birthday, every body had to make an appetizer because staff came in to try them and we were also going to try them. My partner and I decided to make potato rounds for our appetizer. This recipe was super simple and didn’t take long at all. We first boiled the potatoes, then cut them into slices, sprinkled them with grated cheese and added ham and green onion onto them. Then we had to bake them in the oven. Even though they were simple, they tasted really good. The only thing is that I think they were a bit too oily and they could have been baked longer because I wanted the potato to be more cooked but I didn’t want the cheese to burn. Overall, I enjoyed eating these and I think that others did to.
My Reflection
This was a really fun lab to do. On Halloween, everyone had to choose what Halloween dessert they were going to make with their partner. My partner and I decided to make mummy brownies. The brownie recipe was easy to follow and make. When we made our brownies, we had store them on the shelf for the next day when we were going to decorate and eat them. The brownies were sort of hard the next day because I didn’t put saran wrap on them because the pan was still hot. Also, when I was trying to get the brownies out of the pan, some of them stuck to the bottom of the pan which wasn’t good but luckily it wasn’t a lot. For the icing, we just used pre made icing which we just squeezed back and forth. There wasn’t enough candy eyes for all of our brownies so we decided not to put them on. I think that the brownies tasted really good because they were still chewy and soft in the middle even though they were hard on the outside. I would probably make this recipe again but there are also so many other brownie recipes that are out there.
My Reflection
For this lab, we had to cooked boxed pasta but decide what sauce we were going to make and what ingredients we were going to put in our pasta. My partner and I decided to make a cheese sauce and put in spinach and bacon. I have made cheese sauces before so it wasn’t that hard to make. I thought that it turned out well because the sauce was thick and it was flavorful, the pasta was al dente, the bacon was fully cooked, the spinach was well sautéed and overall it tasted pretty good. I would make this recipe again and would also try a new sauce and add some new things in with the pasta.
My Reflection
The day we made our risotto, we saved some of it to make risotto balls the next day. We had to roll the risotto into a ball, then roll it in and egg then in breadcrumbs. If you wanted to, you could also put cheese inside the ball to. We then fried the risotto balls in a pan with lots of oil. While frying my risotto balls, the oil kept splashing up which was annoying. In the end, they turned out great because they were fully fried and crunchy. I this lab, I worked well independently and learned how to make these so that I could possibly make them again in the future. The only thing I didn’t enjoy about this lab was that when I was cooking them in the oil, the oil kept splashing out of the pan onto me. I would definitely make this recipe again because they are easy to make, don’t take very long and taste really good.