Creme Renversee...

For the past two classes, and until the last class, we were simulating the routine in which the midterm will be administered. We choose a folded up piece of paper which has a letter and number on it. The letter represents the kitchen role we will be cooking as (garde manger/saucier, or poissoner/patissier), and the number represents the order in which we present our dish.

Because we knew which positions we were going to be cooking as, the important part was the number in which we presented. I drew the last presenter spot both times so far. Which is a real help. It not only gives you more time for your first dish, but it also pushes back your last dish. If you present first, your next dish is still due up 30 or so minutes after your first. If you present last, your last dish is still due up 30 or so minutes after your first, which is up to 30 minutes after the first presenter. Basically, you get an additional 30 minutes for everything.

With that said, even though you think you have time... you really don't. I laid everything out and waited until 25 minutes to go to get my fish cooking. My flan was already out of the oven at this point. So I got my fish cooking, removed it when it was barely done, and started reducing my sauce. Chef Rob didn't notice because he was assisting someone with something else, but I was 3 minutes late. I guess I learned that I will need 30 minutes before I start the fish.

Its incredible how much time it takes to reduce sauces. Its also difficult to time everything as far as getting your plates in and out of the oven and reheating your fish and other components of your dish. The timing is SO crucial that if your plates are PIPING hot, and you put on a cream sauce it may actually evaporate the liquid and turn into a brown crust on the plate. Am I just saying this to dramatize the importance of timing? No. I'm not that much of a queen. It happened to the person I was working next to.

But timing is important. Do you want cold food, or even warm food? You want hot food! A hot plate helps, but too hot can be detrimental. You want hot food on pretty hot plates, as if it came straight out of the pan and neatly organized (or strategically tossed) onto your plate. If 4 people order a the shallow poached flounder, 4 people get the exact same looking plate. We have the option of rolling or folding the flounder. However, you cannot serve two rolled and two folded. Its a detail oriented service, like any service should be.

Anyhow, my plates could have been hotter, and the shrimp was slightly overcooked. Shrimp takes NO time to cook. I know you know that, but I'm just reiterating. And, reinforcing it for myself.

Moving right along, the flan, or creme renversee, was the desert. In fact, the flan was done before the fish was done, chilling in the fridge (literally). All I had to do was make the rolled up cookies (tuilles?), for which I already prepared the batter, and had it chilling in the fridge as well.
Let me tell you how to make a flan. Its too simple to ever really justify buying a mix. ESPECIALY since the mix is probably the same procedure minus the eggs.

Caramel:
200g sugar
touch of water
few drops of lemon juice helps

Custard:
500ml milk
1/4 vanilla bean (or extract)
75g sugar
3 whole eggs

Make the caramel first. Heat the sugar until it melts, and then to a golden color, the color in which you want your caramel to be. The darker the more bitter (which actually contrasts the sweetness of the flan nicely). The lighter, the sweeter, which can be overpowering and make it too sweet, so choose a happy medium.

Pour these into ramekins and let set.

Yyou don't want your flan to have air bubbles inside. With that said, combine the eggs and sugar. Whisk together, trying not to incorporate too much air (if any) . Have the milk boiling with the vanilla. When it comes to a boil, remove it from the heat. skim off some of the bubbles, and temper the egg yolk mixture with some hot milk. Then combine it all. Combine without incorporating too much air. When fully incorporated, strain through a chinois, and then skim the bubbles off the top again.

Let cool a little bit, then add it to the ramekins.
Put the ramekins in a pan with sides at least 2" tall, pour boiling water into the pan coming between 1/2 and 3/4 up on the ramekins, and pop it all into a 325F oven.

35-45 minutes later, take them out (when they stop jiggling when touched), and immediately place them in the fridge for a while. Let cool. Invert onto a plate.. and there's delicious homemade flan!

So, my sugar was on the darker side. At first I was worried, thinking it was going to be too bitter. It was on the bitter side. BUT, Chef Rob actually reassured me that a) the French love the sugar this way, and b) the custard was perfect and in all, it was a great job. Americans like their caramel sweeter, who am I to disagree? But I was thrilled that he claimed mine was really good. I would have preferred a lighter caramel (I failed to mention that Chef Rob assisted me in making the caramel, and said it was fine. I'm glad he didn't reneg his earlier opinon.)

Also, I tasted it, and to be perfectly honest, the custard was delicious, and the sugar wasn't super bitter, and in fact, it was quite complimentary!

At the end of class we had a little pow wow to kill some extra time. I'll end this post with something he mentioned. He opened a book called "Becoming a Chef," and mentioned that it had some really great quotes. He went on to explain how one of the best chefs (was it Escoffier?) would go home every night, and write in a journal, explaining his kitchen mishaps. What he did, why something went wrong, what was done to compensate, and just reflections on the days work. This blog is my journal. If for no other reason, I will have this to enjoy and reflect on my learning experience, and hopefully become a better chef.