As part of its 6-part Asian carp series, the Free Press asked Schoolcraft College certified executive chef Shawn Loving to do a taste test.

“Mild” with “a steak-y texture.”

That’s how some tasters described bighead Asian carp during a culinary experiment conducted for the Free Press by certified executive chef Shawn Loving at Schoolcraft College.

Prepared in certain ways with the right spices and other ingredients, the fish can be turned into restaurant-quality offerings, five tasters agreed after trying three carp dishes Loving created in the Schoolcraft kitchens. During the test, none of the tasters — two students, two graduates and one instructor — knew what kind of fish they were eating.

The fish is “as clean as most fish” and “definitely edible,” said Loving, chairman of Schoolcraft’s culinary arts department.

Because the heavy, fatty, extremely bony carp is so difficult to process — to skin, debone and prepare for cooking — he was unable to get anything resembling traditional fillets from the 3-foot-long, 40-pound fish, shipped cleaned, frozen and whole from Schafer Fisheries in Thomson, Ill. Instead, he got about a dozen usable pieces, each roughly a half-inch thick and about the size of a playing card.

“The actual carcass on that fish was as hard as a chop on a lamb,” Loving said, shaking his head. He even resorted to using his scimitar knife — a curving knife used to cut up beef and lamb. The carp bones, however, are flat and curving with “a slight horseshoe feeling,” he said. When he pulled them out, chunks of meat clung to them.

That shredding effect is why Schafer Fisheries sells a chopped, frozen, raw product it calls “mince” or “grind,” produced in an effort to obtain more salable, usable meat from the bony carcasses. The company ships it as well as frozen cleaned whole fish to Asian buyers in California.

For the taste test, Loving prepared a salad of fresh spinach and grapefruit sections with a vinaigrette dressing, topped with small medallions of fish encrusted with panko, sliced almonds and spices; a carp cake in a bun dressed with lettuce, tomato, cucumber slices and remoulade sauce; and a pan of paella made with roasted vegetables, smoked paprika, chorizo sausage and seared strips of carp.

For the carp cakes, Loving mixed some chunky meat he had scraped from the bones with the watery, frozen, minced product in an effort to improve the cakes’ texture; similarly, he coated them with a combination of crisp panko crumbs and cornmeal for additional crunch. The fresh sliced tomato added a desirable acidic note, and spices in both the coating and the remoulade sauce added much-needed flavor. The panel gave it mixed reviews. One called it mushy and fishy-tasting; another said it was excellent.

The nut-encrusted carp medallions on the salad gave them a more accurate impression of its texture. Taste tester Chris Misiak, a certified executive chef and culinary instructor at Schoolcraft, found the texture “very strange … like a cross between tuna and whitefish. … Not bad, just different.” The acidic grapefruit and vinaigrette helped balance the oiliness of the fish, he said.

The group’s unanimous favorite dish was the colorful, spicy paella — a rice-based Spanish dish.

“I think this fish likes to be spiced up,” Misiak said. “It needs acid, and it needs spice.”

Loving said the carp might also make good deep-fried nuggets. But he doesn’t think it’s destined to be Michigan’s next fried perch or planked whitefish, beloved for its clean, simple flavors.

“I turned it into a paella because that had a stew feeling. That’s the only way I think that fish can operate,” he said. “I don’t think it can operate like a sauté with beurre blanc. It’s not ready for that.”

Contact Sylvia Rector: 313-222-5026 or srector@freepress.com

Without knowing what species of fish they were eating, four current and former Schoolcraft College culinary students and one Schoolcraft instructor tried three Asian carp dishes — a spinach-grapefruit salad dressed with vinaigrette and topped with almond-encrusted carp; a carp cake sandwich with lettuce, tomato, cucumber and remoulade sauce, and an oven-baked paella with chorizo and carp — prepared by culinary department chairman Shawn Loving. Here are some of the tasters’ comments:

1. Jason Jesse of Wayne (starting his second year at Schoolcraft)

Salad: “I really like the texture from the breading. It’s not a strong fish taste” and has “a soft, flaky texture.”

Sandwich: “The texture is a little mushy to me. The flavor is kind of strong … and fishy.”

Paella: “I think the flavor and actually the texture of the chorizo and fish go together well, especially with the rice. I probably enjoyed this dish the most of all.”

2. DeDe Dezelski of Northville (Schoolcraft graduate; now Loving’s sous chef)

Salad: “The fish is mild, so the flavor of the seasoning comes through.”

Sandwich: “It makes an excellent cake. Everything works together. … I’m pleasantly surprised by the texture.”

Paella: “The fish absorbed the taste of the chorizo, with the other spices. Excellent. This is my favorite application of the fish.”

3. Gary Kelly Jr. of Detroit (starting his second year at Schoolcraft)

Salad: Kelly skipped the salad because of an allergy.

Sandwich: “The acid from the tomato goes well with the fish itself. I don’t think the flavor is as strong as I’ve seen with some other fish. … I think when you combine the flavors this way, it makes a very good sandwich.”

Paella: “It seems to be a fish that absorbs flavors well, so pairing it with chorizo is a very good decision — you get the spice and flavor from the chorizo absorbed by the fish.”

4. Chef Chris Misiak of Livonia (Schoolcraft instructor; certified executive chef and certified culinary educator

Salad: “The fish itself is very interesting. It has a high fat content. … I expected (the texture) to be more like a freshwater fish, more flaky. This is stringy, fibrous, protein. … Even though the fish has a different texture, it is very mild. … Standing on its own, I think it is kind of like a cross between tuna and whitefish.”

Sandwich: “It’s kind of stringy but firm. In the same way, I can almost imagine it being crab, because the texture is almost the same. I’m not sure it’s a fish that could stand on its own without some kind of acid, but most people add lemon or capers to their fish anyway.” He might order it in a restaurant, “but I like local products; I love perch and walleye and fresh pike.”

Paella: “The fish itself is heavy, sturdy enough and holds together well enough for a paella. The blending of the flavors with this fish is very nice. This is something I definitely would order.”

5. Andrew Ossowski-Blair of Birmingham (Schoolcraft culinary graduate)

Salad: “The fish is very mild. To me, it has almost a steak-y texture. It’s more dense than many fish I’ve eaten. Great flavor. I’m not big on fish, but because of how mild the flavor is, it’s definitely something I would consider eating.”

Sandwich: “I think the flavor is more prominent in this preparation. I think I could have used more acid to hide the flavor — like I say, I don’t really like fish.”

Paella: “The paella is delicious. The fish’s texture comes through, where it’s more of a dense fish. This is something I would definitely eat multiple times at a restaurant.”

Commonly an afterthought at college functions, the hors d’oeuvres stole the show Tuesday afternoon during the ribbon-cutting ceremony for Central Virginia Community College’s $2.4 million culinary arts building.

The chocolate and peanut butter tarts were baked to perfection by a team of CVCC students. One by one, the tarts disappeared from their silver trays in rapid succession.

The building was completed in late spring and hosted its first round of classes this summer. After an eight-month construction delay, the brick-and-glass building is now home to CVCC’s culinary arts program.

More than 80 spectators gathered for the building’s dedication, which featured remarks by Sen. Steve Newman, Del. Scott Garrett and leaders from CVCC.

 “It provides a home to what has become a wildly popular curriculum, the culinary arts program, and it provides a state-of-the-art learning environment that is second to none,” said CVCC president John Capps.

Newman and Garrett both praised CVCC for its commitment to meeting the needs of the local business community.

 “This facility we have here is another opportunity for CVCC to provide jobs for a community that desperately needs them,” Newman said.

The building was named Staat Hall after former president Darrell Staat, who travelled from his home in South Carolina to accept the honor.

In 2005, Staat planted the seeds for the project after CVCC identified food services as a growth industry in Lynchburg. Despite the turbulent economy, Staat secured funding from the General Assembly and the Virginia Tobacco Commission for building expenses and equipment, and construction began in the fall of 2009. 

“It is a phenomenal honor for having a facility at this school that will have my name on it. I appreciate that so much,” said Staat, who left CVCC last summer to sign on as president of South Carolina Technical College System.

The culinary arts school launched last fall with 53 students. After a successful debut, enrollment has risen to more than 80 students, said program head Dominick Launi.

The culinary school offers two tracks: a one-year certificate program in restaurant management and a two-year associate degree for students looking to become chefs. Courses cover everything from food preparation to sanitation and safety.

Geoff Bell, 19, of Madison Heights, was among the first students to enroll in the culinary arts school. Bell has aspired to be a cook since middle school, and hopes eventually to run his own restaurant.

“It’s all brand-new equipment,” Bell said of the new building. “Everything’s pretty much never been used before. It’s a pretty awesome place.”

By Elaine Lies

TOKYO |
Tue Jul 19, 2011 8:31am EDT

TOKYO (Reuters Life!) – Like many people who love to cook, Jonathan Dixon had long dreamed of going to culinary school for training. Unlike many, he actually did it.

“Beaten, Seared and Sauced” is the story of his two years at the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) and how he went from a passionate, but far from professional cook, to working as an intern in a noted New York restaurant and, finally, to graduation and a foray into cooking for private clients.

In between came intensive training in knife skills, fish identification, classic cooking techniques like sauteing, and mad dashes through regional cuisines including Asian.

Older than most of his classmates from the start at age 38, Dixon spoke with Reuters about his immersion in cooking, what he learned about food, and what he learned about himself.

Q: You’ve been away from the experience for about a year, how do you view it now?

A: “I remember my father telling me about losing people when they died, how you forget all the bad stuff, and then it’s just the good memories. School is a little bit like that. I look back on it now with a pretty rosy view, but at the time … that’s one reason I’m glad I was writing the book as I went, because there were warts and there were some really, really rough periods. It might be harder, looking back now, to get the nuances of the more negative stuff.

“I look back on the experience as this incredibly intense two years. It just never let up. You never got a break, there wasn’t spring break, there wasn’t a big semester break around Christmas, you just kept going and going and going.”

Q: What were the highs and the lows of training?

A: “The high point and the low points are connected, in a way. The high point is that you’re forced to perform, and you’re forced to perform at a certain level, otherwise you fail. The low point, which is directly related to that, were all the rules and regulations you had to follow, the constant discipline.”

Q: What did you take away from your time there?

A: “It’s done before you think it is. It’s never as hard as you think it is. Basically, I learned that you can actually really accomplish stuff. Eventually you wound up cooking for the other students, and it’s not the high-pressure environment that working in a restaurant is obviously, but you still had the mindset that you needed to get something done at a certain time. And no one held your hand, nobody walked you through it in a nice, gentle kind of way. You got tossed in the pool. It was amazing to realize what you were actually capable of doing.”

Q: Name one really good memory and one really bad memory.

A: “The first good memory that came to mind was from the fish class. The fish class started at 4:30 in the morning, which meant that I had to be up at 2:00 in the morning, which isn’t that far after I actually go to sleep usually. I have to be up at 2:00, on the road, with my head just absolutely pounding with caffeine and exhaustion, get to school, learn how to cut up fish, identify fish, and then sit through three hours of lecture about … fish.

“I was miserable, and I was absolutely convinced that I was going to bomb the class. I studied like I’d never studied before. I went in after class to keep learning about cutting up fish, and I got an A- in the class. That was the first truly great memory …

“The most physically bad memory — and this is a piece of knowledge I would love to pass on — is that if you are cutting a potato on a mandoline, and it sticks, let it go. Don’t force it. Because otherwise you’re getting carted off to the Emergency Room to get a bunch of stitches in the palm of your hand.

“There were moments when I really did just want to stop, when I felt really burned out from months and months of being yelled at all day, and being reprimanded all day, and nothing you ever did was right.”

Q: How has the experience affected how you cook now?

A: “I had been cooking since I was a kid, but I was slow as molasses and I had no idea about really basic things. I had no idea how to really saute something, I had no idea how to really braise something. Most importantly, I had no idea about seasoning things.”

Q: What do you mean, you didn’t know about seasonings?

A: “I just never understood how salt enhances flavor. I always sort of thought salt was something you dumped on french fries or dumped on your food when it got to the table. I learned with seasoning that if you start throwing salt in early, in little increments, it tastes really good. I’m kind of paraphrasing Thomas Keller right now, but it doesn’t taste as if it was salted, it tastes seasoned. It’s a world of difference.”

Perfect Roasted Chicken

Dry the skin of the bird with a paper towel; you don’t want moisture. Remove the wishbone. Salt the cavity of the bird.

Truss the bird — there are a hundred dozen ways to do this; choose one — and salt the exterior of the chicken as well. Have your oven at around 425 F. Put your chicken in a pan, up and off the pan’s floor. Some people use a rack, I roll aluminum foil up, wrap it around my fingers into a coil, and perch the chicken on top. Put it into the over and let it go for 20, 25 minutes, until the skin begins turning color.

Drop the heat to 375 F and let it go for another 35 minutes. Tip the chicken; red juices will run out. Close the over on it for another four to five minutes. Tip again. There will be less red in the juices, and they will be darker. Close the oven. After a couple of minutes, tip again. The juices will be a dark, cooked red with some gray. Take the bird out; it’s done. Let it rest, uncovered, for 20 minutes — no less. Then cut it up.

(Reporting by Elaine Lies; editing by Patricia Reaney; For the latest Reuters lifestyle news see: www.reuters.com/news/lifestyle))

With over 40 years of experience, numerous culinary awards and a passion for teaching the art of pastry making, Executive Pastry Chef Michael Ostrander has transformed Sweet Caroline’s bakery in Palm Harbor into an upscale pastry shop and learning facility.

This full service, one of a kind bakery provides an old-time feel to the community it serves. Specializing in traditional pastries, breads, European-style desserts and cakes everything is made from scratch and nothing is out of the question. “Customers are always welcome to suggest their favorites,” said Ostrander.

Ostrander says quality is never compromised at Sweet Caroline’s. “When it comes to quality, costs doesn’t matter,” said Ostrander who lives by and instructs his students to never purchase pre-made items, to take their time when baking and to bake from the heart.

Supporting local schools, Sweet Caroline’s utilizes and trains interns who have a passion for the industry and as an added bonus they offer core baking classes to the public which are taught by Ostrander himself on specific Sundays throughout the year. These classes include learning the art of Italian pastries, cookies, gluten-free desserts, cake baking, bread and summer desserts. Specialized classes can also be customized for groups that are interested.

Ostrander began his culinary career in 1968 at a vocational school in Middlesex, NJ when he was only 15. He continued in the U.S. Army where he taught baking at the U.S. Army Capital Foodservice Headquarters in Ft. Lee, VA. His culinary journey led him overseas to Europe for six years under the VII Corporate Headquarters Foodservice Team and then to the Ft. Dix, NJ baking school for an additional three years.

Continuing with his culinary career after leaving the military, Ostrander had the opportunity to work as the Executive Pastry Chef for numerous upscale hotels and resorts throughout the U.S. which included the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress in Orlando; the Beverly Hills Hilton; Resorts International Casino Hotel Showboat Casino Hotel in Atlantic City, NJ; Turnberry Isle Hotel Country Club in Adventura, FL; and the Intercontinental Hotel in Miami, FL.

In addition to providing his talents to top ranking hotels and resorts, Ostrander also owned a bakery café in the San Diego area, and consulted such properties as the Hotel Del Coronado in Coronado, CA; the Trop World Casino Hotel in Atlantic City, NJ and Donald Trump’s Mar a Largo Club in Palm Beach, FL.

Ostrander has had the opportunity to showcase his baking talents for many notable individuals over the years including Presidents Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton, and celebrities Donald Trump, Martha Stewart, Julia Child, Michael Douglas, Don Rickles, Mick Jagger and Johnny Carson.

Ostrander has taught pastry-making at several prestigious culinary art schools including Johnson and Whales University in Providence, RI, the California Culinary Academy in San Francisco, CA, and The Academy of Culinary Arts in Atlantic City, NJ.

“I am so inspired when teaching students that have a passion for baking and who enjoy sharing my knowledge and experience,” said Ostrander.