i make perfect chicken stock, and my chicken butchering skills are perfect. it's true. i'm not being cocky. chef brian told me so.

class tuesday went well, obviously. we started learning about proteins, and learned to turn a perfectly good whole chicken into 8 little pieces. i have to admit, i have never butchered a raw chicken. i have disassembled plenty of roasted chickens, but have never done anything to a whole chicken but season and throw it in a roasting pan or dutch oven. guess what? it's EASY! you just follow the curve of the bones and lines of fat and the connections of the joints and then you have boneless skinless chicken breasts and deboned thighs and a carcass ready to make chicken stock!

speaking of stock...after we were all done butchering our chickens and ducks (we're making confit out of the drumsticks next week! i can't wait!), we threw all of the bones into the gigantic stock pot in the corner of the kitchen. i was asking chef brian (the assistant chef instructor to chef pierre) about my homemade stock, how i felt like it was a little bit too gelatinous after it cooled, and he tells me "that is a sign that the stock is very well made. it means you got everything out of the bones. you make very good stock." well ok, then! that is what i like to hear. craig, however, reinterprets my story as follows:

me: "hey, chef? i have a question. when i make perfect delicious well made stock, is that a problem? i mean, when my stock is finished, it is just absolutely ideal in every way, shape, and form. is that ok?"

chef: "yes. that is ok."

every single one of my classmates: (rolling eyes) "bitch."

so, my spirits continue to be high, and my uniform continues to be too big, and my knife skills are improving. i bought three chickens yesterday. guess what we're having for dinner all weekend?

i'll be posting some photos soon - i let a classmate use my iphone during class this week to document for HER blog, which has given me the idea to start taking photos myself. i did take one: chef pierre showing us an fancy pants (and economical!) chicken dish. i'm totally making this next time we have dinner guests.