By Paul Suplee, MBA, CEC, PC-3

I have been up since 2:38 this morning. I can’t remember any particularly startling dreams, but I knew that I was up for the day. That happens sometimes when you have a mind that runs marathons daily.

Sadly, though, these marathons are never accompanied with any tangible health benefits. No, I simply wake up and know that my day has begun.

With significant changes abound in my near future, my mind is a non-stop whirlwind; restaurant renovations definite in one location and mostly certain in another at the top of my list.

Parting ways with my job in education as I wait patiently and hopefully for another opportunity to rear its head, I am bracing for changes to lifestyle, extra time on my hands and exploring the possibility of getting back into competition, videos and sponsorships. I am even toying with the idea of bringing the ever-popular truffles back, but there are a few phone calls that I need to make first. Only time will tell.

As I sit here thinking about the myriad challenges and blessings that I have had over the past 10 years at the college, I smile as I think of how many things I have learned from my students.

I went into the field 14 years ago (you simply could not pay me enough money to teach high school again), and I have kept in touch with a great many of my former students, both from high school and college.

It has been an honor to watch students grow and succeed, smashing everyone’s expectations, especially their own self-limiting ones.

It has been delightful to receive emails, messages and phone calls from former students who are doing anything from catering dignitaries to running restaurants and hotels, to serving our great nation in the military.

But, at the end of the day, I know that I have learned more from them than they ever learned from me. I guess that is the point of all of those “teach the teacher” moments in our field.

Just over the last two weeks, I learned two invaluable, practical things that will serve me well for the remainder of my short time here on earth, and they were both from students.

I have been dry-aging beef for about nine years now, as fascinating to me as making cheese, beer and bread. That is a glorious thing.

However, I was always taught to discard the bark as it can be a festering playground for bacteria. When a student questioned me on this, I simply stated “You can’t use it.”

However, when I got home, I researched it and found that if it is dried in a curing cabinet in a safe environment (ours is), then you can use the bark with all its rich and sharp flavors and nuances.

Fast forward to this past week, and that is where the meatloaf came in.

Then this week when the students were making profiteroles (cream puffs), one of my students walked up and asked if he could make gougères. I said “Sure. What the hell are those?”

He told me and I was hooked before I even tasted them. Savory, cheesy, doughy puffs? Yes, thank you. And using them as a slider roll? I’m dead. I am a new man, truly a new man, indeed.

So get out there, learn in your heart of hearts that you know nothing, and try new things. And stop waking up so damn early.

Dry-Aged Meatloaf Sliders on Gougères

makes about 30 sliders

1 batch dry-aged meatloaf (recipe follows)

30 ea. Fresh gougères (recipe follows)

1 ½ c. Spicy Mayo (or your favorite topping)

1. Cut the gougères like burger buns

2. Spread spicy mayonnaise on the top and bottom

3. Place burgers on the gougères & serve

Dry-Aged Meatloaf

makes one decent loaf

8 oz. Ground chuck

8 oz. Ground short rib

8 oz. Ground dry-aged beef scraps

1 c. finely processed panko breadcrumbs

2 fresh eggs (duck eggs are astonishing in this)

3/4 c. Whole milk (don’t skimp now!)

1/2 ea. Medium yellow onion, diced

2 ea. Roma tomato, skinned, peeled and diced

1/2 ea. Yellow bell pepper, diced

1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

3 Tbsp. Granulated garlic

1 Tbsp. Onion powder

1 tsp. Dry mustard

1 tsp. Celery seed

Salt and Pepper to taste

1. Combine all ingredients in a bowl and make a tester to make sure that it is good (cook a little piece to make sure the seasonings are correct).

2. Form into a loaf or cram it into a loaf pan.

3. Bake in a 375F oven until the internal temperature is around 150F.

4. Top the loaf with ketchup (I like homemade but store-bought will suffice) and return to the oven.

5. Cook until the internal temperature reaches 165F and the ketchup has turned into a nice, caramelized glaze.

6. Remove and allow to cool and set a bit before slicing it.

7. You can slice and serve immediately, or refrigerate and reheat at service time.

Fresh Gougères

makes about 30

1. I thought about this long and hard, and if I write this recipe out, there would simply be no room for my insightful musings.

2. As such, I am going to give you a homework assignment; look it up. Find a pâte a choux recipe and add cheesy cheese to it, and you will be fine.

—Paul Suplee is a Professor of Culinary Arts
at Wor-Wic Community College and
owner of boxcar40 and boxcar on main.
Visit him at www.boxcar40.com;
www.boxcaronmain.com