First and foremost, I’ve gotten this far without really expressing how much I hate my job. But I think it deserves a little blurb. I hate my job. I didn’t mind paralegaling at the law firm, late hours and a low salary, but this one (legal department at a massive mutual fund/asset management firm), with shorter hours (especially when I go to school) and twice the pay, sucks lamb tongue. It’s just a couple of the people, but that’s enough to do it. You may have gathered that I am a reasonably bright young adult, graduated from a reputable college, with a lot of ambition to succeed and do my best (particularly in the kitchen). But this job… Let’s just say, I can’t wait to be in a real kitchen.
So I am still doing the garde manger/saucier role. I was supposed to work by myself, but it seems like another member of our class dropped out!? That’s currently unofficial, but missing the first two classes of a new level seems a little suspect. (By the way, we ran into the guy who got "left back." He's in a class with his buddies so I think he's happier there.) So I didn’t work by myself, but instead this one guy in Level 4 who was doing a make-up class, ended up working by himself. He should have already done the class recipes multiple times, mostly by himself, and be good at it. He was pretty late on the dishes, particularly the main dish, and the quality was sub par at best.
I was working with my new partner, who mentioned that she took not one, but TWO leaves of absence, and currently works in an Italian restaurant. She showed up for our level 2 final, and according to everyone, she was hot shit. But you know what. I think she’s just tepid shit. I’m not being mean, she’s pretty good (and perhaps better than me), and fairly quick, but she’s not the scalding hot, fresh steaming shit on the sidewalk on a cold winter day.
Anyhow, we had to make 2 dishes. The first was pretty amazing (they both were, but a sauce hollandaise is a pretty special sauce). It was a poached egg on a bed of macedoined vegetables, topped with hollandaise. The hollandaise isn’t really difficult, but it is technical. I’ll give a brief review that I think you could replicate without seeing it.
2 egg yolks
Tablespoon of warm water (and some more on the side)
200 mL clarified butter
Lemon juice
Small pinch of Cayenne Pepper
Salt
1) Bring about an inch of water to boil in a russe (saucepan, anything you can place a metal bowl over without the bottom touching the water, or the bowl falling into it).
2) In a bowl, combine the egg yolks, tablespoon of water, and a few drops of lemon juice (can add the lemon at the end, and probably will have to adjust the acidity with the lemon). Whisk it a bit. Then turn the boiling water down so that it’s still steaming, but not boiling. Place the bowl over the pot and whisk away. If it gets too hot, and it will, remove it from the pot. You’re not trying to aerate it so much, but you’re cooking the egg without scrambling it.
3) You’re ready for the butter when a whisk leaves a visible streak of bowl underneath and closes in on itself.
4) If you can get some help, the butter step would be a lot easier, but if not, take the pan off the stove top. Place a damp (wet, but not sopping) towel over the top and cradle the bowl in it. You can add more water to make it a sturdier set up. Take a ladle or so of the butter and hold it over the bowl (DO NOT DUMP IT IN). start whisking, and odds are drops of butter will fall into the bowl. That’s the speed and amount you want to add the butter in, especially at first. Keep whisking. Keep ladling.
5) When you start to see a glisten on the hollandaise, a nice sheen come over it, its time to stop. You may need to add more water before you get her so it’s not as thick as a mayonnaise.
6) Add salt, acid (lemon juice) to taste, and a pinch of cayenne. That’s it. Use immediately, or hold in a warm place. Too cool and the butter will solidify and fall out of emulsification. Too hot and the eggs will curdle. It’s a fragile sauce. Best when used immediately.
That’s a long in depth description, but you should be able to make a hollandaise with it.
The vegetables (carrots, turnips, peas, green beans) were cut down to macedoine, about the size of the peas, boiled a l’anglaise, individually, combined, then molded into a ring in the center of the plate. The eggs were poached (water with a little vinegar, or else you’ll have egg water) cleaned up and rinsed in a warm salty water bath. We placed it over the veggies, some hollandaise, and an “X” of two julienned tomato slivers on top.
It was beautiful, and tasty. Really delicious actually.
The next was a roasted chicken. One we made before, but this one was really good. We trussed it nice and tight.
Here’s an aside, when we’re told to get the temperature of the chicken by sticking the thermometer in between the thigh and the body, you would think it’s too thin to get an accurate reading. But when you truss it properly, it’s so compact that it is actually the best place to get the temp since it takes the longest to cook, and it’s actually pretty dense. We’re talking getting a good truss.
What was pretty difficult for me, and I took my time doing it in an effort to comprehend what I was doing, was butchering the already cooked chicken. I am super confident in hacking away at a raw carcass, but a cooked chicken is more delicate and you can ruin a beautifully cooked chicken if you do this incorrectly.
Anyways, class went well, and we had some time at the end. Chef Rob says, “Who feels good about butchering a chicken?” And the words, “I DO!!” popped out of my mouth and my hand went straight up.
He said, ok… everyone, come here, Edwin’s gonna butcher the chicken and explain what he’s doing. What’d I just get myself into? I was a little nervous, but I knew what I was doing. Everyone huddled around and so I went… “First, you remove the wishbone…”
By the way, the title of this post reflects the fact that we bust our asses to get our meals done within the schedule he sets forth, but when we’re done with our 2 dishes (which get present first and third, we have about an hour to relax, clean up, watch other people… etc. Also, I have a feeling this level is gonna breeze by. Hopefully we all do well, but it’s so intense and quick, you don’t have time to look back.
Friday, November 30, 2007
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Aaaaaaaaand… GO!
It’s been a long 7 days since our last class. It was also our last class of Level 2. Everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving and cooked their birds perfectly, supposedly. I could write a post on my thanksgiving and all the wonderful food we prepared, but I’ll spare you the glory.
There was a different air in the place. Every time we advance a level, and for that matter, all of the Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday classes, a new class comes in. The last class that came in was only a level below us. The new class is a whopping TWO levels below us. There were people asking ME how to tie their neckerchiefs, and about their side towels. But to be honest, this was not much of a concern. I was thinking about Level 3.
The new class is now on the second floor. The Kitchen is a lot older than the one we were using, but it feels like it has more of what we need. First off, there are about 5 or 6 scales for measuring ingredients. Our last class had, at best, 2. The pots and pans looked a little more beat up and weathered… but that just means they’ve been around and have tasted more food.
Oh, an interesting point to consider. Level 3 is all about consistency and TIME MANAGEMENT. We have 4 sets of recipes that we do every 4 classes. The recipes consist of a soup/appetizer, fish, entrée and dessert. The first 4 classes we work in teams of 2, then we go solo. As a team, we only need to do 2 of the recipes, and when we go solo, we still do 2.
Most importantly, there is a time frame. Chef Rob wants them done at a certain time, and that is a pretty set time. He did state, I’d rather your dishes be 10 minutes late and perfect, than on time and incomplete.
Chef Rob
The first time we met him was in one of our last classes in Level 2. He came up to our class and was pretty strict. Asking why some people had their aprons off while we were still in class. He was very succinct. “I don’t want to see the book in class, you better bring notes, and be prepared.” That was our initial impression. Downstairs in Level 3, Chef Rob seemed really different. He was very nice, and was helping us out, not trying to break our balls or anything. He helped us with our food, and brought us necessary pots. The assistant chef showed us a technique of cooling down our marmite that we were using for our consommé. He didn’t just tell us, he brought us the bain marie with ice. I did not expect such assistance, but it was very much appreciated.
Chef Rob walked around the class assisting everyone, seeing what he had to work with. But as a team’s time approached, he focused more of his attention on them, giving pointers on serving, and finishing the dish. Speaking of which, service is more heavily graded in level 3. Presentation, temperature of the food (as I have learned the hard way with my mashed potatoes), cleanliness of the plate, temperature of the plate, etc., is all scrutinized more carefully. Finger prints on a plate is unacceptable. A bowl of soup is served with a plate and a doily beneath it.
We’re working on the details now. But Chef Rob seems really great so far. He’s enthusiastic and loves to teach, so he said. He is definitely on par with Chef Tom. Most importantly, he was very nice in the critique of our food. We did a pretty good job to begin with, but where we were slightly off, he was very nice in explaining what went wrong and how to fix it the next time.
Moving right along, I was paired up with the new girl. I won’t mention her name yet because I don’t know her well enough to trust that it’s ok. But she was the one who did really well on the test, and I was ready to learn a thing or two. What I do know is that she is quick with the knife. She is confident in her cuts, and makes them quickly. She worked on the julienne and cuts for actually making the consommé, including mixing in the meat and egg whites, etc. I worked on the macedoine garnish for the consommé. The consommé was the first thing to be prepared, with a service time of 8:00. As a refresher, the consommé is a disgusting mush of lean meat, julienned veggies, chopped tomatoes and egg whites, gently simmered in beef marmite. After a little while the mush starts to congeal and form a raft at the top. You have to let the raft collect all the fat and particles and then ladle out the consommé into a chinois, degrease, and serve over the macedoine of vegetables.
Ours was looking great from the beginning, so chef said. Everything was going really well until my partner accidentally cracked some pepper into the consommé. It’s supposed to be peppered before it’s ladled, and only salted afterwards. He said the first thing he tasted was pepper. We also had a little fat on top, which may have been a result of using a fat laden ladle. I also put too many vegetables in the bowl.
It was a little stressful getting the dish served but we did it. Imagine those Iron chefs plating 5 or 6 master dishes in about an hour (including prep work)?! That’s damn impressive.
The next dish we got cracking on was a poached chicken. I don’t feel a chicken, or any meat really lends itself to being poached. But it was actually not bad. I’ll make this description very brief. First we wash, remove the wishbone and wingtips and poach the chicken in cold water. Bring to a boil, and simmer for 2 minutes. Take it out, and put it in an ice bath to stop the cooking. Next we’re supposed to cover with stock and bring to BELOW a simmer for about 20-30 minutes. I mentioned this previously, but I believe most, if not all of the cooking times we are told is more than enough. The chicken cooked in less than 20 minutes, and it was almost 160 degrees, which is ok, but can be considered over cooked. That’s barely enough time to make enough cocotte and prepare the rest of the vegetables that go in the dish.
Either way, the dish came out about 5 minutes late, but everything was cooked perfectly minus that fact that we cooked the potatoes in the broth we served it in, which lent itself to being a little on the cloudy side. Not the end of the world. The food and our plates were hot, and the taste was good, especially considering it was a poached chicken.
After this dish, we were done. Some other people needed to present their apple tart, but we completed our dishes. I feel, for our first class, we did a great job. Chef was pleased with everyone in the class, and we all (including the chef), set a good impression.
I’m not exactly sure what’s on the menu for the next class, but I am working alone. I will be doing the garde manger and saucier positions alone, and I will be on top of my game. This is my first chance to shine, and I’m sure I will. I’m not user when I became so competitive, maybe it was day 1, but I guess I am only out for me. When you work as a team, you obviously succeed and fail as a team, but when you go solo everything that’s great was created from your own to hands, and everything that sucks came from your own ass.
Some words to live by in Level 3: discipline and consistency.
There was a different air in the place. Every time we advance a level, and for that matter, all of the Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday classes, a new class comes in. The last class that came in was only a level below us. The new class is a whopping TWO levels below us. There were people asking ME how to tie their neckerchiefs, and about their side towels. But to be honest, this was not much of a concern. I was thinking about Level 3.
The new class is now on the second floor. The Kitchen is a lot older than the one we were using, but it feels like it has more of what we need. First off, there are about 5 or 6 scales for measuring ingredients. Our last class had, at best, 2. The pots and pans looked a little more beat up and weathered… but that just means they’ve been around and have tasted more food.
Oh, an interesting point to consider. Level 3 is all about consistency and TIME MANAGEMENT. We have 4 sets of recipes that we do every 4 classes. The recipes consist of a soup/appetizer, fish, entrée and dessert. The first 4 classes we work in teams of 2, then we go solo. As a team, we only need to do 2 of the recipes, and when we go solo, we still do 2.
Most importantly, there is a time frame. Chef Rob wants them done at a certain time, and that is a pretty set time. He did state, I’d rather your dishes be 10 minutes late and perfect, than on time and incomplete.
Chef Rob
The first time we met him was in one of our last classes in Level 2. He came up to our class and was pretty strict. Asking why some people had their aprons off while we were still in class. He was very succinct. “I don’t want to see the book in class, you better bring notes, and be prepared.” That was our initial impression. Downstairs in Level 3, Chef Rob seemed really different. He was very nice, and was helping us out, not trying to break our balls or anything. He helped us with our food, and brought us necessary pots. The assistant chef showed us a technique of cooling down our marmite that we were using for our consommé. He didn’t just tell us, he brought us the bain marie with ice. I did not expect such assistance, but it was very much appreciated.
Chef Rob walked around the class assisting everyone, seeing what he had to work with. But as a team’s time approached, he focused more of his attention on them, giving pointers on serving, and finishing the dish. Speaking of which, service is more heavily graded in level 3. Presentation, temperature of the food (as I have learned the hard way with my mashed potatoes), cleanliness of the plate, temperature of the plate, etc., is all scrutinized more carefully. Finger prints on a plate is unacceptable. A bowl of soup is served with a plate and a doily beneath it.
We’re working on the details now. But Chef Rob seems really great so far. He’s enthusiastic and loves to teach, so he said. He is definitely on par with Chef Tom. Most importantly, he was very nice in the critique of our food. We did a pretty good job to begin with, but where we were slightly off, he was very nice in explaining what went wrong and how to fix it the next time.
Moving right along, I was paired up with the new girl. I won’t mention her name yet because I don’t know her well enough to trust that it’s ok. But she was the one who did really well on the test, and I was ready to learn a thing or two. What I do know is that she is quick with the knife. She is confident in her cuts, and makes them quickly. She worked on the julienne and cuts for actually making the consommé, including mixing in the meat and egg whites, etc. I worked on the macedoine garnish for the consommé. The consommé was the first thing to be prepared, with a service time of 8:00. As a refresher, the consommé is a disgusting mush of lean meat, julienned veggies, chopped tomatoes and egg whites, gently simmered in beef marmite. After a little while the mush starts to congeal and form a raft at the top. You have to let the raft collect all the fat and particles and then ladle out the consommé into a chinois, degrease, and serve over the macedoine of vegetables.
Ours was looking great from the beginning, so chef said. Everything was going really well until my partner accidentally cracked some pepper into the consommé. It’s supposed to be peppered before it’s ladled, and only salted afterwards. He said the first thing he tasted was pepper. We also had a little fat on top, which may have been a result of using a fat laden ladle. I also put too many vegetables in the bowl.
It was a little stressful getting the dish served but we did it. Imagine those Iron chefs plating 5 or 6 master dishes in about an hour (including prep work)?! That’s damn impressive.
The next dish we got cracking on was a poached chicken. I don’t feel a chicken, or any meat really lends itself to being poached. But it was actually not bad. I’ll make this description very brief. First we wash, remove the wishbone and wingtips and poach the chicken in cold water. Bring to a boil, and simmer for 2 minutes. Take it out, and put it in an ice bath to stop the cooking. Next we’re supposed to cover with stock and bring to BELOW a simmer for about 20-30 minutes. I mentioned this previously, but I believe most, if not all of the cooking times we are told is more than enough. The chicken cooked in less than 20 minutes, and it was almost 160 degrees, which is ok, but can be considered over cooked. That’s barely enough time to make enough cocotte and prepare the rest of the vegetables that go in the dish.
Either way, the dish came out about 5 minutes late, but everything was cooked perfectly minus that fact that we cooked the potatoes in the broth we served it in, which lent itself to being a little on the cloudy side. Not the end of the world. The food and our plates were hot, and the taste was good, especially considering it was a poached chicken.
After this dish, we were done. Some other people needed to present their apple tart, but we completed our dishes. I feel, for our first class, we did a great job. Chef was pleased with everyone in the class, and we all (including the chef), set a good impression.
I’m not exactly sure what’s on the menu for the next class, but I am working alone. I will be doing the garde manger and saucier positions alone, and I will be on top of my game. This is my first chance to shine, and I’m sure I will. I’m not user when I became so competitive, maybe it was day 1, but I guess I am only out for me. When you work as a team, you obviously succeed and fail as a team, but when you go solo everything that’s great was created from your own to hands, and everything that sucks came from your own ass.
Some words to live by in Level 3: discipline and consistency.
Monday, November 26, 2007
Level 2 – Complete
I suppose this is the equivalent of a final in a college level class (considering the school is an “accredited institution”). And I was nervous as if I was taking a final in college.
The first thing we did was take the written test, or the “theory” portion. This was basically the same as any other written test we took so far. Chef Tom provided the materials we needed to know, in detail, the class before. We were wondering if the other chefs were going to provide the information the way Chef Tom did. You had to either, leave your notes at school and not study them, or just be an idiot, to score less than a 95 on these tests/quizzes.
I did perfectly on the written portion. I may have been the only one to not have a couple of points taken away. At least that’s the impression I got after talking to everyone that night, most of whom seemed to be upset about losing a few points here or there.
After this portion of the test, we had a looong boring lecture on different pieces of restaurant equipment, and how to perform simple maintenance on them. Apparently, one girl passed out and was full on snoring. Everyone got a kick out of that.
After this lecture and a nerve wracking family meal, we had our practical.
We had 20 minutes to perform each of a few different tasks. The first was butchering the chicken. I was most comfortable with this. I practiced this a lot, and decided that I would rock it. I sure did. Let me list a few (hopefully all of the steps)
1) take out the wish bone;
2) manchonner the wings (cut off the tip and the two boned part, and clean the edge of the remaining bone);
3) make a cross (pull back the remaining wing pieces and score a cross into the back of the bird where the wing pieces meet);
4) cut along the inner thighs to start to separate the legs. The cut should connect with the horizontal line of the cross on the back of the bird (Leave as much skin on the breast as possible);
5) pop the thighs (physically pop the thigh bones out of their sockets);
6) being careful to keep the oysters in tact, remove the legs;
7) twist, tear and cut out the remaining back bone;
8) on the inside of the chest, score the cartilage down the center;
9) pop the chest in half (like the thighs) and remove the breast bone;
10) cut the breast in half down the middle;
11) return to the legs and manchonner the tips (expose the end of the drumstick);
12) cut the joint between the legs and thigh; and
13) scrape the meat away from the thigh bone, exposing the bone.
This may not mean a whole lot to you, nor will you be able to butcher the chicken properly if you were simply reading this list, but I promise you it makes perfect sense to anyone who has an idea of what needs to be done, and have been shown before.
The next thing we did was fillet a trout. First we had to remove the scales. I HATE THIS! Scaling fish is such a pain and it’s so messy. Scales flying all over the place, and getting stuck on the knife. Speaking of which, I sharpened my fillet knife the night before, as I found it to be quite dull.
My first fillet was perfect. It was flush against the bone and very clean. The second half was less than perfect. I was starting to get a little nervous about this. I managed to relax and just carefully finish taking off the fillet. It wasn’t bad! It just wasn’t perfect. I removed the bones, clean up the edges, and it was ok.
The next part of the test was to take 2 potatoes and turn as many cocottes as possible. Chef suggested we get 8 out of each potato, though I personally felt my potatoes were on the smaller side and this would be difficult. I pointed it out to him, and he said do the best you could. In 20 minutes I was able to get 8 or 9 piece. They were not as nice as I would have liked. I really go frustrated since my pieces were so thin. Apparently, it was ok, but if I could have only attempted 6 per potato, I would have been happier. And I still would have only turned 8 or 9, but of better quality. One guy got about 15, though his were a little on the small side, and this new girl who will be in our class, got all 16, and apparently they were perfect. Her fillets and chicken were perfect as well, so I was told by the guy working next to her.
Lastly, we needed to make an herbed mayo. This calls for 1 egg yolk, a teaspoon of Dijon mustard, salt, white pepper, a teaspoon of vinegar, and 150mL-175mL of oil. I whipped my butt off and made that mayo. The herbs we added were chives, which we chopped and added at the end. I thought it was pretty good, well, I know it was pretty good, but chef felt it could have used a touch more vinegar and a touch more salt. But I know it was good.
I know this because besides the new girl, who apparently did everything pretty perfectly, I got the second highest score in the class (which should make me second in the class, but I guess its 3rd with the new girl). I got an 88 on the practical. The other guy, I’m led to believe got an 89 or 90. Not much higher. But I think an 89. With the combination of the theory and the rest of the quizzes, I got a 95 and change in the class, which I am extremely proud of. It could, theoretically (or empirically) put me at the top of the class, but I personally believe I am second.
Ultimately, I’ve neglected to quote chef mainly due to the fact that I forgot to, but he said something that is very important. When all is said and done, and we graduate, no restaurant or chef will ever ask your grade. They will see what you can do with a knife and how well you cook. So this 95, second in the class business is worth its weight in the useless nonsense it is. (But it’s still a 95!)
The first thing we did was take the written test, or the “theory” portion. This was basically the same as any other written test we took so far. Chef Tom provided the materials we needed to know, in detail, the class before. We were wondering if the other chefs were going to provide the information the way Chef Tom did. You had to either, leave your notes at school and not study them, or just be an idiot, to score less than a 95 on these tests/quizzes.
I did perfectly on the written portion. I may have been the only one to not have a couple of points taken away. At least that’s the impression I got after talking to everyone that night, most of whom seemed to be upset about losing a few points here or there.
After this portion of the test, we had a looong boring lecture on different pieces of restaurant equipment, and how to perform simple maintenance on them. Apparently, one girl passed out and was full on snoring. Everyone got a kick out of that.
After this lecture and a nerve wracking family meal, we had our practical.
We had 20 minutes to perform each of a few different tasks. The first was butchering the chicken. I was most comfortable with this. I practiced this a lot, and decided that I would rock it. I sure did. Let me list a few (hopefully all of the steps)
1) take out the wish bone;
2) manchonner the wings (cut off the tip and the two boned part, and clean the edge of the remaining bone);
3) make a cross (pull back the remaining wing pieces and score a cross into the back of the bird where the wing pieces meet);
4) cut along the inner thighs to start to separate the legs. The cut should connect with the horizontal line of the cross on the back of the bird (Leave as much skin on the breast as possible);
5) pop the thighs (physically pop the thigh bones out of their sockets);
6) being careful to keep the oysters in tact, remove the legs;
7) twist, tear and cut out the remaining back bone;
8) on the inside of the chest, score the cartilage down the center;
9) pop the chest in half (like the thighs) and remove the breast bone;
10) cut the breast in half down the middle;
11) return to the legs and manchonner the tips (expose the end of the drumstick);
12) cut the joint between the legs and thigh; and
13) scrape the meat away from the thigh bone, exposing the bone.
This may not mean a whole lot to you, nor will you be able to butcher the chicken properly if you were simply reading this list, but I promise you it makes perfect sense to anyone who has an idea of what needs to be done, and have been shown before.
The next thing we did was fillet a trout. First we had to remove the scales. I HATE THIS! Scaling fish is such a pain and it’s so messy. Scales flying all over the place, and getting stuck on the knife. Speaking of which, I sharpened my fillet knife the night before, as I found it to be quite dull.
My first fillet was perfect. It was flush against the bone and very clean. The second half was less than perfect. I was starting to get a little nervous about this. I managed to relax and just carefully finish taking off the fillet. It wasn’t bad! It just wasn’t perfect. I removed the bones, clean up the edges, and it was ok.
The next part of the test was to take 2 potatoes and turn as many cocottes as possible. Chef suggested we get 8 out of each potato, though I personally felt my potatoes were on the smaller side and this would be difficult. I pointed it out to him, and he said do the best you could. In 20 minutes I was able to get 8 or 9 piece. They were not as nice as I would have liked. I really go frustrated since my pieces were so thin. Apparently, it was ok, but if I could have only attempted 6 per potato, I would have been happier. And I still would have only turned 8 or 9, but of better quality. One guy got about 15, though his were a little on the small side, and this new girl who will be in our class, got all 16, and apparently they were perfect. Her fillets and chicken were perfect as well, so I was told by the guy working next to her.
Lastly, we needed to make an herbed mayo. This calls for 1 egg yolk, a teaspoon of Dijon mustard, salt, white pepper, a teaspoon of vinegar, and 150mL-175mL of oil. I whipped my butt off and made that mayo. The herbs we added were chives, which we chopped and added at the end. I thought it was pretty good, well, I know it was pretty good, but chef felt it could have used a touch more vinegar and a touch more salt. But I know it was good.
I know this because besides the new girl, who apparently did everything pretty perfectly, I got the second highest score in the class (which should make me second in the class, but I guess its 3rd with the new girl). I got an 88 on the practical. The other guy, I’m led to believe got an 89 or 90. Not much higher. But I think an 89. With the combination of the theory and the rest of the quizzes, I got a 95 and change in the class, which I am extremely proud of. It could, theoretically (or empirically) put me at the top of the class, but I personally believe I am second.
Ultimately, I’ve neglected to quote chef mainly due to the fact that I forgot to, but he said something that is very important. When all is said and done, and we graduate, no restaurant or chef will ever ask your grade. They will see what you can do with a knife and how well you cook. So this 95, second in the class business is worth its weight in the useless nonsense it is. (But it’s still a 95!)
The Quintessential
So this was our first class sans that one guy. It was a little different. The air felt a little more mature, if that’s possible. I know the guy’s partner was happy to not work with him, so maybe that helped the atmosphere. Ultimately, Chef Tom seemed really pleased about it. Not for “failing” or leaving a kid behind, but because he did the right thing and the class was filled with able and intelligent chefs-to-be.
Anyhow, we took our HACCP test. I am writing this post 3 days after it happened, and therefore my mind isn’t preoccupied with the HACCP. In fact it’s preoccupied with the Level 2 final that we’re taking in 2 hours. But you’ll hear more about that later. I'm pretty confident that I passed the HACCP test, but who knows for sure. I did some last minute studying, and I think I secured a few of the answers that could have otherwise had me retake the test. But I'm not worried about it.
I’ve titled this post as I did because these are two of the most popular, and exemplary vegetable preparations in French cuisine. Chef Tom was glad that we had almost an entire class to just these two fairly simple dishes. And after tasting them, I understood it.
The ratatouille calls for a tomate fondue as its base, and, according to the recipe, we add the other ingredients to this base. However, Chef Tom said it’s important that we cook the vegetables separately, and combined them afterwards. I’m not exactly sure why this makes a difference, but I think its concentrates the individual flavors which are then incorporated in the tomate fondue to meld with the other flavors. The eggplant is a little bit of a disappointment. It turns to a mush, but that’s what eggplant does.
I must say, Chef demoed some of the cuts, particularly the pepper tiles, which were about a half inch to ¾ inch squared, and my partner made them about a cm squared. They looked fine, but I was cutting vegetables at ½ inch squared and hers were smaller, and therefore incongruous. Did this make a difference? Not at all. But to me, I was a little disturbed by it. I’m getting a little picky on some things. It can be bad, but when we’re showed something, as Chef repeatedly tells us, it’s to reproduce, practice and learn. Not to do it a bit differently, unless we’re given permission to do so (en votre facon).
Anyhow, we combined it all, let the flavors mesh, and we served it in a round mold shape, with some chiffonade of basil on top. It was gorgeous, and very flavorful, particularly for a mostly brown vegetable mush. The next dish, however, was better, in my opinion.
The Confit Bayaldi was a beautiful pinwheel of colored vegetables baked in the oven on a bed of sautéed onions and peppers. We filled a round ring mold with the onions and peppers and carefully laid out the sliced eggplant, zucchini, yellow squash and tomatoes around like a pinwheel, within the ring. It took a little finesse and time (something you probably don’t have in excess in a restaurant), but it really looked beautiful. The flavors were delicate but together they made a delicious dish.
Considering we only had to make these two dishes, we had plenty of time, and as tradition has been playing itself out, Chef talked to us about his life experiences for the remaining hour that we had.
This was our last class until the final, and our last class with Chef Tom, not including the final and the lecture we were going to have on kitchen equipment. Chef Tom has been our first impression of the French Culinary Institute and to the professional kitchen. And what a good first impression it was. He is indeed a great chef, and despite his military background, is pretty easy going and very lenient. He talked a big talk, but hey, he walked the walk.
We learned a lot from him, and now its time to see what the other master chefs of the FCI can bestow on us. (after the Level 2 test that is)
Anyhow, we took our HACCP test. I am writing this post 3 days after it happened, and therefore my mind isn’t preoccupied with the HACCP. In fact it’s preoccupied with the Level 2 final that we’re taking in 2 hours. But you’ll hear more about that later. I'm pretty confident that I passed the HACCP test, but who knows for sure. I did some last minute studying, and I think I secured a few of the answers that could have otherwise had me retake the test. But I'm not worried about it.
I’ve titled this post as I did because these are two of the most popular, and exemplary vegetable preparations in French cuisine. Chef Tom was glad that we had almost an entire class to just these two fairly simple dishes. And after tasting them, I understood it.
The ratatouille calls for a tomate fondue as its base, and, according to the recipe, we add the other ingredients to this base. However, Chef Tom said it’s important that we cook the vegetables separately, and combined them afterwards. I’m not exactly sure why this makes a difference, but I think its concentrates the individual flavors which are then incorporated in the tomate fondue to meld with the other flavors. The eggplant is a little bit of a disappointment. It turns to a mush, but that’s what eggplant does.
I must say, Chef demoed some of the cuts, particularly the pepper tiles, which were about a half inch to ¾ inch squared, and my partner made them about a cm squared. They looked fine, but I was cutting vegetables at ½ inch squared and hers were smaller, and therefore incongruous. Did this make a difference? Not at all. But to me, I was a little disturbed by it. I’m getting a little picky on some things. It can be bad, but when we’re showed something, as Chef repeatedly tells us, it’s to reproduce, practice and learn. Not to do it a bit differently, unless we’re given permission to do so (en votre facon).
Anyhow, we combined it all, let the flavors mesh, and we served it in a round mold shape, with some chiffonade of basil on top. It was gorgeous, and very flavorful, particularly for a mostly brown vegetable mush. The next dish, however, was better, in my opinion.
The Confit Bayaldi was a beautiful pinwheel of colored vegetables baked in the oven on a bed of sautéed onions and peppers. We filled a round ring mold with the onions and peppers and carefully laid out the sliced eggplant, zucchini, yellow squash and tomatoes around like a pinwheel, within the ring. It took a little finesse and time (something you probably don’t have in excess in a restaurant), but it really looked beautiful. The flavors were delicate but together they made a delicious dish.
Considering we only had to make these two dishes, we had plenty of time, and as tradition has been playing itself out, Chef talked to us about his life experiences for the remaining hour that we had.
This was our last class until the final, and our last class with Chef Tom, not including the final and the lecture we were going to have on kitchen equipment. Chef Tom has been our first impression of the French Culinary Institute and to the professional kitchen. And what a good first impression it was. He is indeed a great chef, and despite his military background, is pretty easy going and very lenient. He talked a big talk, but hey, he walked the walk.
We learned a lot from him, and now its time to see what the other master chefs of the FCI can bestow on us. (after the Level 2 test that is)
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