This past weekend Reservation’s patio season began in full tilt. We have patio space for approximately thee hundred and the opening of it also means that the grilling season begins. I am going to explain about this in my next post as I want to catch up on some of the other things that I have been working on.
First off, I would like to welcome A, our Saucier home. While he was at Chewton Glen (http://www.chewtonglen.com/ ) he was sorely missed by all of us. Especially me though I think as I can see that A and I are going to become great friends over the course of time. His experience at Chewton Glen was rewarding and educational. He told me that it is a very different environment from Reservation and that the way the kitchen works is extremely regimented, even more so than ours.
At Chewton Glen, the kitchen is run very much in the classical gourmet style. The food is beyond reproach and the brigade is tight. The day is approximately eighteen hours, five days a week and there is only time for a couple of smoke breaks. He said that the people that worked there were incredibly talented and that their work ethic was incredible. I asked him if he felt that Chewton would be a good place for me to do a placement and he said that perhaps it would not be right for my first. Who knows though as this is something that I am now considering for January to April of next year.
As I said I am thrilled that he is back and it was nice sharing a couple beers and a conversation with him. This summer I know that I will have numerous opportunities to pick his brain and get some of his valued input into what I’m doing. Having him back I have already felt the impact of his mentoring on my skills and know that it is only going to get better. Thanks A!!!!
As far as prep work is concerned my speed has improved. I can make litres of Aioli in no time flat. In fact yesterday I was able to whip off approximately four litres of it in less than five minutes. I have also expanded my repertoire to include Lemon Caper, Spicy Mango, Roasted Garlic, Truffle and French Onion. Learning to make the base was the hardest part and requires a certain mastery of technique. But once you have it you can flavour it just about anyway that you want. I recall back when I first started that Aioli was the bain of my existence. There were days that I would go through no less than five or six attempts at it. (Thank God their gone) It would constantly split on me and as I continued to work on it I began to realize the number of reasons that it could happen and adjusted my technique accordingly.
Canapés, of which we make literally hundreds on a slow week and thousands on a quick one, I’ve also seen a marked improvement on. I have learned how to do so many that it is hard to figure out where my brain stores all this information. Canapés range from the relatively easy Bruschetta all the way to the very involved Indian Candy Salmon. I now have about fifteen or twenty types of canapés that I have worked on but only two or three that I consider myself really good at. The rest I can execute but I am not quite comfortable enough yet with all of them. After all L has been there for five years and has quite a leap ahead of me but I have learned that I can apply my life experience to the kitchen and the transformation helps me to keep pushing forward.
Somehow, I’m sure due to my level on the totem pole I have become responsible for making our Peking Duck Crepes. I have been tweaking the batter for a while and have finally come up with one which both Head Chef and Executive Chef say is passable if not good. Depends on the day. But the tweaking, which I’ve made notes on has included more egg, less oil and more salt and vice versa. I have experimented with the mixture of cream and milk. I have also played with putting herbs directly into the batter. The reason for this is that both Executive and Head Chef had said that the batter was a little boring. As such using a chiffonnade cute I tried cilantro which didn’t work because it seemed to take away from the duck. I then tried scallions as we include them in the crepe. This too did not work and then I finally decided upon chives. The chives give a nice visual to the presentation and punch up both the flavour of the duck.
I also have been in charge of making cheddar fritters for about the past few months when we have needed them. I started with a regular batter and started tweaking it as well. I am nowhere near the final product that I would like but I have been getting better with the crunch factor (so important to both customer enjoyment, mouth feel and appeal for reasons I will explain later), while at the same time have a well cooked consistency on the inside. Again it is a matter of playing with the base ingredients and having the patience to test out various things.
We also do a fish and chips canapé at Reservation that I have been making for months. I have experimented with all kinds of variables in the recipe in order to again punch up the crunch factor. I have tried six different beers at this point and also the amount of beer that I use. So far the most authentic old style fish and chips batter I have come up with involves the use of a dark beer. Stout would be ideal but we don’t have one so for now I am just using a dark beer that we have on tap. At home I am going to play with various stouts in order to get that perfect flavour. On Monday I did have the best batter I have made so far which gave me the desired consistency and crunch but not the exact flavour that I am looking for. Some people may say that beer batter is beer batter but I just don’t agree. I can recall the best beer batter I’ve ever had (in Ireland) and it was far and above the most outrageously tasty and sensational batter I have ever come across. If I can recreate that I will be extremely pleased with myself. But as it stands I experiment.
As you can see from the images I have included my right pinky is already growing back quite nicely. My left hand seems to take quite a bit of damage as well just from the regular wear and tear of the kitchen. But I find that each time something happens which brings me pain it causes me to learn the lesson quite quickly. Jokingly I refer to them as my growing pains but in reality I do feel that way. As if they are helping me to get better.
In terms of receiving, as I’ve mentioned before, I track everything that comes in. One for a practical reason (that of knowing if the question gets asked what we have in house) and the other is for my long term project which is always at the front of my mind, my Restaurant. In any given week, now that the busy season is upon us I may be required to move as much as five tones to various storage areas. A point I will touch on in my next post about the weekend.
Veal Stock has become second nature to me. Though there are numerous variables that I need to contend with each and every time. Consistency of heat, water levels, vegetables for the Mire Pois, red wine, peppercorns, etc. There are so many variables that can affect the outcome that I must be aware of and attempt to control. The remi, demi and jus that result from three days work in total are my baby and I now am confident that I am doing it the way that Chef wants and expects. My yields are a variable obviously but I am shooting for anywhere between thirty six to forty eight litres yield on stock and remi to produce approximately twenty litres (if left a little soupy) or sixteen litres which is the ideal level for perfect clarity, consistency and colour as well as taste.
My knife skills are improving. I know that as time goes forward I will be even more able than I am now. My brunoise at least looks like a brunoise now. My rissole is getting closer to an ability where I can eyeball it though I know that Head Chef would say I have a long way to go AND whats more I know that and strive to improve each and every day that I am at work. My stated goal is to have my complete knife compliment by October so that I can start working on all things kitchen, including butchery. I have already butchered a few things, tenderloin, a striploin, and some Bronzini but I want to get to the point that I can butcher anything. This is one of the things I want to have a good handle on by January.
So these things said I leave with you the following thought from William Makepeace Thackeray; “To endure is greater than to dare; to tire out hostile fortune; to be daunted by no difficulty; to keep heart when all have lost it; to go through intrigue spotless; to forego even ambition when the end is gained - who can say this is not greatness?”
This is how I live my life… to the fullest, with a smile on my face and love firing from my soul. I choose greatness every time I enter the kitchen. Can you choose greatness?
Dream big and inspired!!!!
A la prochaine
SDM
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