FORAGING FRIDAY: SCHOOLBOOK EDITION

Foraging Friday documents Kitchen Toro's exploration of New York's diverse restaurants, neighborhoods, stores and their ingredients and flavors.

I was hoping to bring you bubble tea from Chinatown this week but things took a more practical turn. Somehow on Wednesday after cooking in the school's restaurant kitchen, I lost my recipe book. I looked everywhere for it but alas, it had disappeared and I had to go over to the bursar's office for a replacement book ($10).

But while I was there there were a few other things I decided to pick up, namely, a new uniform (I've only got two right now) so I don't have to do two washes a week which is truly a pain when you don't have your own washing machine.

I also picked up three new books (books, always more books!). My growing interest in pastry has led me to ask a few pastry students if I might borrow their books for the levels they've completed so as to practice their recipes on my own. But I've waited long enough and it would just be better to have my own copies so I bought the three pastry books and hope to start playing with the recipes soon. Not working a day job means turning into a consumer, full-time, but I think it was money well spent. I'd also be interested in buying the recipe/textbook used by the course on international bread-baking but that might have to wait, at least until I've worked my way through some pastry recipes.

The last thing I picked up was the black binder and plastic sleeves (image above, background) to clean up the mess of menus, recipes and receipts I've been collecting since the beginning of Kitchen Toro. Time for a little housecleaning!