These days a significant number of people are interested in pursuing a culinary arts education. In fact a culinary arts education has become one of the most popular courses of further education in recent years.

The culinary arts are considered by many people as both an art and a science. Culinary arts are complex endeavors that involve not only the need for cooking talents and skills, but also knowledge about everything involved with the craft of preparing and presenting great tasting food.

As a result, it is no wonder that experts strongly advise modern chefs to wear many different “hats” at the same time in order to be successful. A culinary arts education generally reflects this school of thought, so to speak.

In this day and age a quality culinary arts education is available almost anywhere in the world. There are many different culinary arts education programs from which you can select if you are so inclined. According to a recent report by the American Culinary Federation - a leader of standards in the culinary professions - there are more than 100 accredited schools which offering culinary arts programs in the USA alone at this time.

As mentioned, a culinary arts education starts with choosing a particular program and specific course of study. It is important to know that culinary arts programs generally keep to the strict rules and guide lines of the American Culinary Federation in order to maintain their certification.

There are certain culinary arts programs that were created for those people who want to earn an associates degree or certification in culinary arts - that are designed to provide a person with a more in-depth course of education and study. These culinary arts education programs are designed to provide students with a significant foundation allowing them to pursue a satisfying and successful career in the culinary arts.

An important part of culinary arts education includes the training or the apprenticeship element of such a course of education. Experts agree that hands-on experience is crucial to training a person appropriately in the culinary arts. Apprenticeship programs are used in significant numbers today. In fact nearly all culinary arts education programs require a student to participate in an apprenticeship type program for the purpose of obtaining a degree in the culinary arts.

Work experience.
About 80 of the 100 schools offering accredited culinary arts education programs offer apprenticeship programs as part of their courses of study today.

A culinary arts education can be rather expensive. However in a culinary arts school, obtaining an appropriate culinary arts education can be an excellent investment in a person’s future.

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Ingredients:

1 1/4 pounds ground turkey breast
10-ounce package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1/2 cup minced onion
1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon dried oregano
2 egg whites
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
4 ounces fresh mozzarella, cubed
2 tablespoons ketchup
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

Procedure:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. In a large bowl, combine turkey, spinach, onion, bread crumbs, parsley, oregano, egg whites, salt and peppers. Mix until combined and divide in half. Press 1/2 of the turkey into an 8-inch loaf pan covered in foil. Top bottom half with cubed mozzarella cheese. Press the rest of the turkey mixture over top and press down to flatten the top. In a small bowl, combine the ketchup and mustard and with a pastry brush, brush the top of the meatloaf. Bake about 1 hour, until top is golden and the loaf begins to pull away from sides of pan. Let stand 10 minutes before slicing. Makes 6 servings.

The Wattleseed Pavlova is Vic Cherikoff’s flagship dish and has to be a contender for an Australian national dish. Even if the Kiwis simultaneously concocted the same sort of meringue mixture, the idea of serving it with wattleseed and in Swiss roll fashion instead of as a cow pat must put us in front.

Ingredients:

7 egg whites
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon corn flour
1¼ cups castor sugar
300 ml. whipped cream
2 tablespoons Wattleseed extract
½ cup cereal or biscuit crumbs
strawberry jam
juice of 1 lemon
¼ teaspoon Fruit Spice

Add the Wattleseed extract to the cream and whip this to stiff peaks; this can and is best done the day before to allow the full flavour to develop; taste and add more extract if you want a stronger flavour. In another bowl whip the egg whites to soft peaks; add the sugar and lemon juice slowly until stiff peaks form. Line a baking tray with baking paper to cover an area the width of the baking paper and 1¼ times the length. Sread the pavlova mix over the baking paper in a rectangular shape to a depth of 2 cm. Bake at 150°C for 10 to 15 minutes or until firm and nearly touch dry but not browned; it should look like soft meringue at this stage. Remove from the oven and slide it off the tray to stop it cooking on; sprinkle the top with the crumbed breakfast cereal evenly coating the surface. Flip the meringue over, seasoned side down, onto a clean tea towel and remove the baking paper carefully; if it sticks, place a wet towel which has been heated in a microwave (or soaked with really hot water) on to the baking paper for 30 seconds; try peeling the paper away again and it should come away cleanly. Spread the Wattleseed cream evenly over the meringue to a thickness of around 1cm or 1/2 an inch. Roll up the pavlova using the long edge of the towel; cut the ends on an angle. Before removing the towel completely, lift the pavlova onto a platter and roll the pavlova off the towel. Serve with a sour fruit coulis, for example, a berry jam mixed with enough lemon juice to taste tart and to pour like a thick sauce. Add a pinch of Fruit Spice to this sauce as well to enhance the fruitiness.

Samanoo is usually made at the Iranian new year (or No-Rooz, starts on the first day of spring: 20 or 21 March).

Ingredients:

500 grams wheat
2 kg. wheat flour

Procedure:

Wash wheat with cold water, then rinse. Add cold water until there is 2-3 cm of water over the wheat. Leave for about two days, changing the water after the first day. The wheat should begin to germinate. Rinse thoroughly. Hold a thin piece of cloth under cold water until it is completely wet. Pour wheat inside and wrap the cloth around it. Place it in a bowl and leave the bowl in a warm place. Once or twice a day, sprinkle a bit of cold water over the cloth to make it wet but not soggy. When roots appear, spread wheat on a large plate, then spread the cloth over it and sprinkle with water. Continue sprinkling with water once or twice a day until silvery sprouts appear. Wheat should be used before the sprouts turn green. Grind the wheat, add two glasses of cold water, and mix well. Filter out the excess water. Press the wheat hard to squeeze out the extract. Add wheat extract to flour while mixing. The mix should become thin. Place the mix over medium heat, stirring frequently until the mix starts boiling and thickens. Continue heating until water disappears. Fry the mix without any oil or sugar for about 10-15 minutes. Gradually add 1-2 glasses of hot water and mix well. Allow to boil slowly, stirring occasionally until the mix slightly thickens. Place in the oven for about 30 minutes at low temperature. Makes 4 servings.

Ingredients:

1 cabbage
1 1/2 lb. ground beef
1 onion; chopped
1 cup rice
1 egg
1 tablespoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon paprika
2 cup sauerkraut
2 cup tomato sauce
1/2 cup water
1 cup sour cream

Procedure:

Core cabbage & place in large bowl. Cover cabbage with boiling water & let stand five minutes. (If cabbage is very large, repeat this process after you’ve stuffed half of the leaves). Combine meat, onion, rice, egg, salt, pepper & paprika. Drain cabbage & remove leaves, cutting off the thick end of the stem. Put about two tablespoon of filling on a leaf. Fold sides in and roll. Place seam side down in a slow cooker. Spread sauerkraut on top. Add tomato sauce & water. Cook on low six to eight hours. Remove rolls, blend sour cream with sauce & serve with cabbage rolls.

Crock Pot Method: Fill Crock Pot with 1/2 inch water; Place cabbage rolls in pot, arrange sauerkraut on top; add tomato juice. Cover and heat on high 4 hours then spread sour cream on top, cover and heat on low 2 more hours or until done.