White Jacket Required: A Culinary Coming-of-Age Story

by Jenna Weber

Overview

What do you do when you've just graduated from college and aren't sure what your next step should be? Jenna Weber, whose Eat, Live, Run blog has a huge following, turned to culinary school--but to become a food writer, not a chef. Jenna's charming coming-of-age story follows her ups-and-downs as she confronts the rigors of training, gets her first job, deals with a family crisis, and enters into a love affair.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781402793783
Publisher:	Union Square & Co.
Publication date:	09/04/2012
Sold by:	Hachette Digital, Inc.
Format:	eBook
Pages:	216
File size:	1 MB

About the Author

Jenna Weber attended Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Orlando, FL, with the goal of landing a job at one of the top food magazines. Instead, she ended up becoming a hugely popular blogger and writing this, her first book. Visit her blog at eatliverun.com to get an up-to-the-minute look at Jenna's world of food. She lives in Santa Rosa, CA.

Table of Contents

Prologue vii

Introduction 1

1 Origins 5

Linguine and Clam Sauce 13

All-Occasion Yellow Cake 14

Chocolate-Buttercream Frosting 15

2 Make It Happen 16

My Mother's Spaghetti Sauce 19

3 Fact Finding 20

Girls' Night Turkey Burgers with Spicy Sweet Potato Fries 34

4 Working Girls 35

Kicked-up Turkey Meatloaf 41

Homemade Baked Beans 42

5 Running on Empty 43

Potato Pancake for the Blues 51

Slow-Cooker Pulled Pork 52

6 Oui, Chef! 53

Pasta with Sautéed Vegetables and Pesto 62

Spicy Roasted Root Vegetables 63

Chicken-Pepperoni Parmesan 64

7 Make Them Feel Like You Care 65

Old-Fashioned Gingerbread Cookies 73

8 Knives Out 74

Croque Monsieur 82

Lemon-Brown Sugar Chicken 83

Spicy Chicken Tortilla Soup 84

Homemade Chicken Stock 85

9 Home for the Holidays 86

Linguine with Escarole and Brie 94

Old-Fashioned Chocolate-Walnut Torte 95

10 Moving On 96

First-Day-of-Class Biscuits 103

Spicy Sesame Noodle Bowls 104

11 Breaking Bread 105

Whole-Wheat Pizza Dough 113

12 Written in Chocolate 114

Raspberry-Rose Macarons 121

Blood Orange Tarts 122

13 Piece of Cake 124

Flourless Chocolate Cake with Vanilla-Buttercream Frosting 132

14 The Claw 133

15 Going Home Again 138

Pumpkin Whoopee Pies 144

16 Night and Day 146

Creamy Tomato Soup 152

17 When Everything Chanced 153

My Brother's Favorite Banana Bread 157

18 John's Gone 158

19 The New Normal 163

Lowcountry Shrimp and Grits 170

Benne Seed Sugar Cookies 171

20 Unexpected Travels 172

Old-Fashioned Potato Rolls 176

Simple Greek Salad 177

21 New Friends 178

Golden Granola 186

22 Strange Electricity 187

Mushroom Risotto 196

Adam's Mexican Cheesecake 197

23 Dislodging 198

Acknowledgments 206

Index 207

Recipe

Kicked-up Turkey Meatloaf

Serves 6

Truth be told, I have never liked meatloaf. Until, that is, I tried making it with turkey instead of the traditional beef, pork and veal mix. Mushrooms and lentils jazz things up a bit, and you'll love sandwiches made with leftovers the next day.

1/2 tablespoon olive oil

1 large onion, diced

1 large carrot, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 cups mushrooms, chopped

1 cup cooked black or green lentils

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

11/2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

1/4 cup ketchup

3/4 cup panko breadcrumbs

1/3 cup milk

1 pound lean ground turkey

1 egg, lightly beaten

For the glaze:

2 tablespoons ketchup

1 tablespoons pure maple syrup

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

Preheat the oven to 400° F. and grease a loaf pan.

In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking. Add the diced onions and sauté until soft and translucent, about 6 minutes. Add the carrot and garlic and cook for 3 minutes. Add the chopped mushrooms and cook until all vegetables are softened, about 5 more minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and transfer the mixture to a large bowl. Add the cooked lentils, salt, pepper, Worcestershire sauce, and ketchup and mix well.

In a small bowl, combine the panko breadcrumbs and milk. Let sit for 3 minutes so the crumbs can absorb a little of the milk. Add to vegetable mixture.

Add ground turkey and beaten egg and mix well with your hands. Transfer to the loaf pan and press down to smooth top.

Combine the ingredients for the glaze and pour over top of meatloaf. Spread with a spoon to cover the top.

Bake for 55 minutes or until a meat thermometer reads 165°F.

Potato Pancake for the Blues

Makes one jumbo pancake

Best made and eaten while wearing fuzzy pajamas and slippers. Things just taste better that way.

1 large russet potato

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 tablespoon canola oil for light frying

Applesauce or sour cream for topping

Peel the potato and grate using a box grater. Season with sea salt and pepper and add the beaten egg, mixing everything until well combined.

Heat the canola oil in a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. When oil is sizzling, gently drop in the potato batter and fry until golden brown and crispy, about 3 minutes per side.

Remove and serve.