It has been a slightly sad week with the news that 3.8 million dollars have been stripped from City College of SF due to the nation’s debt crisis and state’s budget cuts. News is spreading that food cost has to go down, teachers must take pay cuts, and if things don’t get better the cafeteria may have to stop some services or, worse yet, close down all together! It’s frightening to think what the culinary program would be like if that possibility turns into reality: there would be no service and students wouldn’t get to learn how to treat and work with customers (a fundamental in the hospitality world), the breakfast station would be null and students wouldn’t get to experience working ‘the line’, the public wouldn’t get to enjoy the fruition of the kitchen, and worst yet, some folks would lose their jobs . I try not to think about these kinds of things while actually in my culinary uniform, but I would be devastated if the program that I moved to San Francisco for is so drastically changed it adversely affects my education. Super sad face.

On to brighter topics, I made my first seafood sausage (actually, my first ever sausage) this week: a blend of sea bass, scallops, shrimp, salmon, panada (breadcrumbs soaked in cream), eggs whites, and seasoning (we actually made our own blend of ‘Old Bay’). Pretty fun and quite educating but I need to get my hands on some pork butt and casings so I can experience the real thing, if you know what I mean. The only negative about the final product was the consistency: it was fragile and a bit crumbly. Next time, I will make sure to whip the mixture with the egg whites for a longer period of time to ensure proper binding effectiveness.

Another great creation were the pie crusts for the breakfast quiche lorraine this morning. All the Chefs complimented the team on consistency, flavor, and appeal and I must admit, it was quite delicious. I need to practice more on my crimping skills, though, so when the pie bakes the crust doesn’t shrink as much.