As I mentioned in my post on Saturday Executive Chef loaned me another book, Michel Roux’s; “Sauces.” I’ve been reading it this morning for about five hours I guess it is now and I’ve just finished tearing through it. This book is a must for anyone who is serious about cooking. Sauces are, as I’ve mentioned before, one of the foundations of all that is right and just in cooking. Of course, as I mentioned in a previous post, the French developed sauces because the ingredients they had were not great as a stand-alone item and therefore had to be hidden by a sauce. In a current context sauces are not used to hide ingredients or make something that doesn’t taste good taste good. Today sauces are used as a compliment. An element that can add colour, texture, aroma, etc.
Upon opening the book I got a wider understanding of the Roux principles. With a mastery that few have on the planet today he takes items and enhances them. Sauces, as the title would suggest, is all about sauces, how to make them and how to enhance them. One of the things that struck me was when Roux said; “Any excess is ridiculous!” This stands out in my mind because I have been in some of the finer eating establishments in the world and some of them practice excess as a means of disguising something, such as an inadequacy. I know this sounds like a harsh comment but after reading that I started to think to some of the restaurants I’ve been too and wondered whether what I was eating was adding complexity and character. I started to look at the excess of a certain one and was actually able to isolate what they were attempting and why. I could only think of two restaurants where I believe that excess was the principle and I will not name them here.
I spend a good portion of my work concentrating on stocks. As Roux says stocks are the base of a great sauce. As I’ve mentioned before the veal jus that I work on is the result of a veal stock and remi combination allowed to reduce which takes three days to come to the proper consistency, clarity, colour and flavour. A sauce, it would seem to me, among certain people, is nothing but an additive, something added as an afterthought for some unknown reason. I however, as stated earlier, look at sauce as one of two things. A wonderful compliment to an extraordinary meal or as a so so drab going through the motions experience. Stocks are the very lifeblood of sauces. It is from their complexity that the seemingly simple sauce is born.
Roux talks about striking a happy balance and that’s what I believe a sauce is for. To create harmony between the ingredients, to accentuate rather than to thrill. Sure a sauce can be absolutely divine and thrilling but what is its purpose?
Having read this book this morning and learning that Roux created more than 100 sauces (most of which were included in the book) caused me to see that there is so much to learn. For example he has one sauce that he uses that caused me to think that perhaps I would use it as a base and change minor elements within it to reflect the flavour profile that I am seeking. And I am seeking a flavour profile. I just don’t know exactly how to explain it yet.
Roux is a talented writer and an even more talented Chef. I would strongly recommend this book for anyone who is serious about cooking. It opened up my eyes to how I can create a dish starting at the end (the sauce) or at the beginning (the main ingredient or star of the plate). There are no hard and fast rules as to how to create a dish and lately I seem to find myself starting in the middle. With an ingredient but no divine inspiration with what to do with it. That is of course until I figure out accompaniments and sauce.
I understand why Executive Chef gave me this book to go through next. It is another element in the classical training that I am receiving.
I also went through the Nigel Didcock book over the past week or so. I really liked some of the elements of his dishes, he presents beautiful plates and without knowingly having eaten something he created (I’ve been to the Granite Club quite a bit growing up) I can’t comment on flavour. I can say that there is a great complexity to his dishes and I wondered whether or not the complexity would still allow the flavour to come through as the star or whether it was the presentation itself. I can tell you that the recipes sound incredible and I will attempt to do one or two of his dishes.
I keep going back to the question form over function. Form? Or Function? Or both? Can there be a harmony between the two on the plate. I believe there can be and it is something that I work on. I also believe that Head and Executive Chefs present plates that are beautiful but moreover that the taste is the star of the show no question.
At any rate, now I’m going back to read the CIA’s “The Professional Chef.” I will be back later today with an update on that. I’m so excited at all I am learning and I can actually feel it in the depth of my soul. Genuinely happy and out there trying to be me is a wonderful place to be in my life… FINALLY!
Ralph Waldo Emerson once said; “The high prize of life, the crowning fortune of man, is to be born with a bias to some pursuit which finds him in employment and happiness.” Happiness is not some elusive conceptual dreamland. It is a reality that you can choose to live each and every day. Finally, after 33 years of life I internally (and outwardly) know that I have found that purpose and moreover that that purpose has brought me endless happiness and hitherto untold joy. Who knew?
I’ll be back, but in the time between then and now, dream inspired, love life, laugh and sing.
A la prochaine
SDM
Showing posts with label Nigel Didcock. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Nigel Didcock. Show all posts
Monday, March 24, 2008
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Brunch Prep and Surprise Tasting Menu (file under exciting)
I hope this finds you all well. I myself am up at the crack of dawn because there is so much that I need to get done.
As always on Saturday I started doing prep for brunch. L was on vacation that meant that we all had to pick up the slack. I developed a further appreciation of L and how hard he works and the things he gets accomplished in a day. He really is a machin (misspelled on purpose). I didn’t really have to do anything for the line; my primary focus was on the brunch prep.
Brunch prep involves each of the following;
Crack 2 case eggs
Dice red onion, peppers, mushrooms, Kessler and green onion
Prep the sausage, bacon and peameal
Cut Top butt into useable sections (in this case 10)
Make Greek Salad, Tuscan Bean, Roasted Vegetables, Meat Platters (8), Cheese Platters (8), Fruit Platters (a lot), Chicken Salad, Potato Salad, Caprese Salad (8 platters), Waffle Batter, whipped cream, chocolate sauce, strawberry compote, babaganoush, whipped butter, whipped cream cheese
These are just some of the things that I got done today. I had only been scheduled until five but because there was so much to get done I said that I was more than willing and able to stay and that I was willing to come in earlier tomorrow in order to make sure that we got everything done.
Chef J was working near me and I saw that something was up and asked what was going on. As Head Chef was not there Chef J went out to deal with something and then came back. I asked what was up and he said that we had to do a tasting menu on the fly. He started thinking about it and I felt that I had an opportunity to assist both with the idea and construction. For about seven or eight minutes I blurted out things that came to mind that I would do if I had to build a menu quick. It was fun bouncing ideas off of him and he was bouncing ideas of me too. After this short time Chef J developed the plan and we started working it.
We made a four course appetizer tasting and a main course. We started with an amuse Bouche of Wild Mushroom Gnocchi with a cream sauce, spinach and crispy pancetta on top. Second tasting was a stuffed quail. Third course was a Salmon Tartare wrapped in a crepe. Fourth was Curried apricot and duck. It was exciting and exhilarating to develop something and execute it so quickly. I loved it. I really felt as if I was in my element. Moreover Chef J really appreciated it as well and said so several times. He actually said that my blurting things out helped him to create what he did and that he was super appreciative of my assistance.
I also realized again today that when I think about what I am doing too much rather than just do it it becomes like a chore, it is extremely difficult and I find that I fight my mind and my body. BUT, when I just do what I know how to do and don’t over complicate it with unnecessary thoughts I can execute quite well. I know that time and experience are my best teachers but I now also know that I need to quiet my mind quite a bit more when I am in the kitchen.
By quiet what I am referring to is that nagging little voice that is inside all of our heads. It is filled with malice, mean spiritedness, doubt, fear, etc. I’m sure you all know that little voice and the way that it causes you to respond either physically or through a loss of mental acuity. I am making a concerted effort this week to silence that voice and to allow my body to do what it knows how to do.
I also got a new knife today. This caused an excitement that used to be reserved for the death of a pen or the purchase of a new one. My heart actually skipped a beat as I put a new tool in my hand. A tool that means far more to me as I realize my life’s purpose and my own personal if not selfish realization of my dreams. I purchased another Mac knife (www.macknife.com ). (I really like the style, construction, weighting, ease of use and sharpness). The one I just bought can be found here; http://www.macknife.com/images/knives/pmsk65.gif .
As well I also wanted to make a side note about my last post. I often consider the other side of food. In Canada, and in fact in the industrialized world we take food for granted. It is a secondary concern or even lower. The reason for this is that we live in a society of gross (read a lot) abundance. Think of the industrialized world as if it were a child of wealth. There are two kinds of children who grow up in wealth. Those that have a full appreciation and understanding of it and then there are the wayward ones that become spoiled, complacent and unaware of the lengths that are gone to for wealth to amass. With food in the industrialized world we are the exact same as the second child. I mention all this because my mother lives on the ground in Africa. She is surrounded by poverty and lack and I felt that I needed to mention that we are spoiled here and have little or no understanding of how the food we eat arrives at our plate and have even less respect for it (in most cases). I wasn’t even going to make this side note but I felt it was important to try to get everyone to see that food is much more than what we put on our plate or is put on the plate in front of us. Yes of course it is sustenance but if you look at the world today you will see that food is used as a weapon, as a tool and there is an ugly side to it.
But this realization is something I have known my whole life. It is also something that I plan on working to correct. We have no attachment to our food here. Most kids could not tell you that a carrot grows underground or that a mushroom grows in the dark. Most kids today have not seen a farm, whether animal or vegetable, and as such there is little or no appreciation for the food we eat. Do you think that if we took a child from Africa, India or China and brought them to a farm that they would have a greater appreciation then would a child from the industrialized world?
At any rate Monday is my day off and I plan on finishing The Nigel Didcock book. Moreover, Executive Chef gave me another great book; Michel Roux’s “Sauces.” And let me just tell you how excited I am to tear through that while sipping a great whiskey.
Thus I leave you with the following thought from Albert Schweitzer; “Ethics cannot be based upon our obligations toward [people], but they are complete and natural only when we feel this Reverence for Life and the desire to have compassion for and to help all creatures insofar as it is in our power. I think that this ethic will become more and more recognized because of its great naturalness and because it is the foundation of a true humanism toward which we must strive if our culture is to become truly ethical.”
I hope you are all truly inspired today, tomorrow and next week. Dream big and HAPPY EASTER!
A la prochaine
SDM
As always on Saturday I started doing prep for brunch. L was on vacation that meant that we all had to pick up the slack. I developed a further appreciation of L and how hard he works and the things he gets accomplished in a day. He really is a machin (misspelled on purpose). I didn’t really have to do anything for the line; my primary focus was on the brunch prep.
Brunch prep involves each of the following;
Crack 2 case eggs
Dice red onion, peppers, mushrooms, Kessler and green onion
Prep the sausage, bacon and peameal
Cut Top butt into useable sections (in this case 10)
Make Greek Salad, Tuscan Bean, Roasted Vegetables, Meat Platters (8), Cheese Platters (8), Fruit Platters (a lot), Chicken Salad, Potato Salad, Caprese Salad (8 platters), Waffle Batter, whipped cream, chocolate sauce, strawberry compote, babaganoush, whipped butter, whipped cream cheese
These are just some of the things that I got done today. I had only been scheduled until five but because there was so much to get done I said that I was more than willing and able to stay and that I was willing to come in earlier tomorrow in order to make sure that we got everything done.
Chef J was working near me and I saw that something was up and asked what was going on. As Head Chef was not there Chef J went out to deal with something and then came back. I asked what was up and he said that we had to do a tasting menu on the fly. He started thinking about it and I felt that I had an opportunity to assist both with the idea and construction. For about seven or eight minutes I blurted out things that came to mind that I would do if I had to build a menu quick. It was fun bouncing ideas off of him and he was bouncing ideas of me too. After this short time Chef J developed the plan and we started working it.
We made a four course appetizer tasting and a main course. We started with an amuse Bouche of Wild Mushroom Gnocchi with a cream sauce, spinach and crispy pancetta on top. Second tasting was a stuffed quail. Third course was a Salmon Tartare wrapped in a crepe. Fourth was Curried apricot and duck. It was exciting and exhilarating to develop something and execute it so quickly. I loved it. I really felt as if I was in my element. Moreover Chef J really appreciated it as well and said so several times. He actually said that my blurting things out helped him to create what he did and that he was super appreciative of my assistance.
I also realized again today that when I think about what I am doing too much rather than just do it it becomes like a chore, it is extremely difficult and I find that I fight my mind and my body. BUT, when I just do what I know how to do and don’t over complicate it with unnecessary thoughts I can execute quite well. I know that time and experience are my best teachers but I now also know that I need to quiet my mind quite a bit more when I am in the kitchen.
By quiet what I am referring to is that nagging little voice that is inside all of our heads. It is filled with malice, mean spiritedness, doubt, fear, etc. I’m sure you all know that little voice and the way that it causes you to respond either physically or through a loss of mental acuity. I am making a concerted effort this week to silence that voice and to allow my body to do what it knows how to do.
I also got a new knife today. This caused an excitement that used to be reserved for the death of a pen or the purchase of a new one. My heart actually skipped a beat as I put a new tool in my hand. A tool that means far more to me as I realize my life’s purpose and my own personal if not selfish realization of my dreams. I purchased another Mac knife (www.macknife.com ). (I really like the style, construction, weighting, ease of use and sharpness). The one I just bought can be found here; http://www.macknife.com/images/knives/pmsk65.gif .
As well I also wanted to make a side note about my last post. I often consider the other side of food. In Canada, and in fact in the industrialized world we take food for granted. It is a secondary concern or even lower. The reason for this is that we live in a society of gross (read a lot) abundance. Think of the industrialized world as if it were a child of wealth. There are two kinds of children who grow up in wealth. Those that have a full appreciation and understanding of it and then there are the wayward ones that become spoiled, complacent and unaware of the lengths that are gone to for wealth to amass. With food in the industrialized world we are the exact same as the second child. I mention all this because my mother lives on the ground in Africa. She is surrounded by poverty and lack and I felt that I needed to mention that we are spoiled here and have little or no understanding of how the food we eat arrives at our plate and have even less respect for it (in most cases). I wasn’t even going to make this side note but I felt it was important to try to get everyone to see that food is much more than what we put on our plate or is put on the plate in front of us. Yes of course it is sustenance but if you look at the world today you will see that food is used as a weapon, as a tool and there is an ugly side to it.
But this realization is something I have known my whole life. It is also something that I plan on working to correct. We have no attachment to our food here. Most kids could not tell you that a carrot grows underground or that a mushroom grows in the dark. Most kids today have not seen a farm, whether animal or vegetable, and as such there is little or no appreciation for the food we eat. Do you think that if we took a child from Africa, India or China and brought them to a farm that they would have a greater appreciation then would a child from the industrialized world?
At any rate Monday is my day off and I plan on finishing The Nigel Didcock book. Moreover, Executive Chef gave me another great book; Michel Roux’s “Sauces.” And let me just tell you how excited I am to tear through that while sipping a great whiskey.
Thus I leave you with the following thought from Albert Schweitzer; “Ethics cannot be based upon our obligations toward [people], but they are complete and natural only when we feel this Reverence for Life and the desire to have compassion for and to help all creatures insofar as it is in our power. I think that this ethic will become more and more recognized because of its great naturalness and because it is the foundation of a true humanism toward which we must strive if our culture is to become truly ethical.”
I hope you are all truly inspired today, tomorrow and next week. Dream big and HAPPY EASTER!
A la prochaine
SDM
Monday, March 17, 2008
Days off and Paintball Kidnapping (file under great bonding experience)
Hello readers. I hope this finds you well and ready for the clearly upcoming spring. I say clearly as my back (as those of you that know me can attest) is a season changing barometer. I have had a bad back since I was a kid attending RSGC. Something had happened which kicked out some crazy heart palpitations that led to a white out and me falling to the ground. Long story short, when the seasons change, especially from fall to winter and winter to spring I am in an excruciating amount of pain. Today I am in the most pain I have been in all year and this leads me to believe that Spring has definitely Sprung (I’m almost as good a Weirton Willie).
So this week is rather slow and has afforded me the time to catch up with all my blogging, studying and reading. I’ve been rereading the Bible and today have finished Deuteronomy again. I’m not searching for any specific answer but rather looking at the broader issues of personal development as I reread the Bible and specifically how it relates to the way I grew up, the things that I was exposed to and the personal realizations that I have come to as a result. Spiritually well rounded I hope that I can bring the same knowledge to my children without force-feeding them. My own spiritual awakening is grounded in the belief is akin to Einstein’s in that his description of God is anything that he could not explain and I’ve always liked it when he said; “I don’t believe that God plays dice with the universe.” My God, for any of you who care to know, is not the Catholic God, or Lutheran or any other organized religion. I believe that God is everywhere around us, under trees, under stone, in the water, everywhere. I choose to believe that there is something out there that is far greater than I and that this belief keeps me grounded and centered.
I’ve gotten a little further in “The Professional Chef” by the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) and will post more on this later today. I will also include a detailed breakdown of my thoughts on Nigel Didcock and his food.
Monday was an awesome day. I woke up feeling refreshed after a good sleep and got ready to be kidnapped by the crew I work with. We went out near Hamilton for a paintball adventure that was incredible. I don’t do a lot of things for myself including buying clothes, or entertainment or going to play paintball. In fact the last time I went paintballing I’m pretty sure was before I started university. But it is kind of like riding a bike. You never forget.
The best part for me was that I got to spend forty-five minutes driving with Executive Chef and picking his brain on some of the things that I’ve been thinking about. Our conversation was not limited to the culinary field either, we spoke about love, kids, and life in general, likes, dislikes and my favorite, READING! Executive Chef and I both share a voracious appetite for reading and the genre that we both like best is the same. As if I needed more reasons to like this man. At any rate our conversation was a great one and was the perfect starting point to a day of fun, celebration, discovery and PAIN!
In all there were eleven of us that entered the field of battle that day. The first thing that occurred to most of us was that in the closed space we were fighting in there are people, right now, at that very moment, who were firing real bullets, in real closed quarters, at real people with real effect. It was not lost on me that Executive Chef was the first to vocalize this.
So the rag tag group of Back of House with a couple Front of House donned our masks, walked through the mesh, removed out barrel cover and were ready to battle. The teams were a free form mix of just joining whichever side you wanted. One of F.O.H, JP, and I were very good as a team and worked together quite well. We were able to develop strategy that served us well though there were a few times that I got my ass kicked.
For those of you who have not played paintball let me just say that the first time you get pinged you never forget it. My first shot was a blindside of my right knuckle (which is nicely bruised right now). I also took a few shots to the face, groin and arm. All of which have serious bruising. But let me say this, I gladly accept the bruises as I do feel that it brought us a little closer together as a team (all of us that is). To me that was the point of going. To further develop my feeling of being on the team and of course the obvious laughter that results in the controlled pain of someone you work with.
The final game was a real shit show. We had decided to do a reset game that meant that when you got shot you returned to the base and wiped off the shot. If you could not wipe off the shot you had to call someone to wipe it off for you. I had taken out a few first shots before I got mine. I returned and wiped off my shot. JP and I were hunkered down to the left of the playing field and had a pretty good scope of view. I was laid out on the floor trying to ding a player that had no idea where I was. Finally, ping. Nailed him and he was out. Then I tried to reposition to the other side to see if I could see anything. Out of nowhere, like a charging banshee, yet quiet as a mouse comes Chef J charging faster than a Cheetah. Tap, tap, tap, tap, and tap. Five shots right to the ass. And man does it still hurt. But it makes me laugh thinking about it now that I could get that sneak attacked with someone watching my back. JP got wasted too.
All in all it was a great experience and I can hardly wait to do it again. At any rate. I will be back with more Chef type stuff in a few hours.
A la prochaine
SDM
So this week is rather slow and has afforded me the time to catch up with all my blogging, studying and reading. I’ve been rereading the Bible and today have finished Deuteronomy again. I’m not searching for any specific answer but rather looking at the broader issues of personal development as I reread the Bible and specifically how it relates to the way I grew up, the things that I was exposed to and the personal realizations that I have come to as a result. Spiritually well rounded I hope that I can bring the same knowledge to my children without force-feeding them. My own spiritual awakening is grounded in the belief is akin to Einstein’s in that his description of God is anything that he could not explain and I’ve always liked it when he said; “I don’t believe that God plays dice with the universe.” My God, for any of you who care to know, is not the Catholic God, or Lutheran or any other organized religion. I believe that God is everywhere around us, under trees, under stone, in the water, everywhere. I choose to believe that there is something out there that is far greater than I and that this belief keeps me grounded and centered.
I’ve gotten a little further in “The Professional Chef” by the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) and will post more on this later today. I will also include a detailed breakdown of my thoughts on Nigel Didcock and his food.
Monday was an awesome day. I woke up feeling refreshed after a good sleep and got ready to be kidnapped by the crew I work with. We went out near Hamilton for a paintball adventure that was incredible. I don’t do a lot of things for myself including buying clothes, or entertainment or going to play paintball. In fact the last time I went paintballing I’m pretty sure was before I started university. But it is kind of like riding a bike. You never forget.
The best part for me was that I got to spend forty-five minutes driving with Executive Chef and picking his brain on some of the things that I’ve been thinking about. Our conversation was not limited to the culinary field either, we spoke about love, kids, and life in general, likes, dislikes and my favorite, READING! Executive Chef and I both share a voracious appetite for reading and the genre that we both like best is the same. As if I needed more reasons to like this man. At any rate our conversation was a great one and was the perfect starting point to a day of fun, celebration, discovery and PAIN!
In all there were eleven of us that entered the field of battle that day. The first thing that occurred to most of us was that in the closed space we were fighting in there are people, right now, at that very moment, who were firing real bullets, in real closed quarters, at real people with real effect. It was not lost on me that Executive Chef was the first to vocalize this.
So the rag tag group of Back of House with a couple Front of House donned our masks, walked through the mesh, removed out barrel cover and were ready to battle. The teams were a free form mix of just joining whichever side you wanted. One of F.O.H, JP, and I were very good as a team and worked together quite well. We were able to develop strategy that served us well though there were a few times that I got my ass kicked.
For those of you who have not played paintball let me just say that the first time you get pinged you never forget it. My first shot was a blindside of my right knuckle (which is nicely bruised right now). I also took a few shots to the face, groin and arm. All of which have serious bruising. But let me say this, I gladly accept the bruises as I do feel that it brought us a little closer together as a team (all of us that is). To me that was the point of going. To further develop my feeling of being on the team and of course the obvious laughter that results in the controlled pain of someone you work with.
The final game was a real shit show. We had decided to do a reset game that meant that when you got shot you returned to the base and wiped off the shot. If you could not wipe off the shot you had to call someone to wipe it off for you. I had taken out a few first shots before I got mine. I returned and wiped off my shot. JP and I were hunkered down to the left of the playing field and had a pretty good scope of view. I was laid out on the floor trying to ding a player that had no idea where I was. Finally, ping. Nailed him and he was out. Then I tried to reposition to the other side to see if I could see anything. Out of nowhere, like a charging banshee, yet quiet as a mouse comes Chef J charging faster than a Cheetah. Tap, tap, tap, tap, and tap. Five shots right to the ass. And man does it still hurt. But it makes me laugh thinking about it now that I could get that sneak attacked with someone watching my back. JP got wasted too.
All in all it was a great experience and I can hardly wait to do it again. At any rate. I will be back with more Chef type stuff in a few hours.
A la prochaine
SDM
Saturday, March 15, 2008
The CAC Effect (File under Cigarettes, Alcohol and Coffee)
I recall that someone, somewhere once said what a long strange trip it’s been. (Of course I know who it is but liked the line.) I also seem to recall about some fear and loathing. Perhaps I should write about that in the sense of the kitchen. Though the reason that I started with the CAC effect is that to some degree that is what the kitchen is fueled on. In some cases far more than others but it is interesting. Even before I started at Reservation I was aware of this (he says dryly as he sips a Tullamore Dew in honour of his Irish Heritage, care of the Catholic Church declaring that today is because of Holy Week Saint Patrick’s Day, I wonder how Saint Patrick feels about that). At any rate I have had a topsy-turvy kind of week. Ups and downs. Successes and failures yet I keep reminding myself that this is my dream and Mama said there’d be days like these. Days like these my Mama said.
I’d also like to give a massive shout out to Mon Petit Oiseau, C, on completing her introductory course at Stella Adler. I am so proud of you you can’t even understand. Way to go and I hope you have a blast tonight my Fendi Phoenix.
Choron Sauce
To make a Choron Sauce is not as easy as it sounds. I think that most people think of a Choron Sauce as something that you just whip together and it is bound to taste good. Au contrare mon amis, Choron can be one difficult guy to sauce. Pardon the humour (save of course on Saint Patrick’s Day when everyone is Irish).
This week I made the Choron four times. Once I had it split on me. Splitting for those not in the know is when the proper binding does not take place. In this case with eggs and butter. The temperament of the sauce is such that if you undercook the eggs it tastes too eggy and is not good (especially when it is meant as a compliment to Lobster Eggs Benedict). If you overcook the egg the butter will not bind. And if you add the butter too quickly and not whisking vigorously enough you might as well let the chickens come home to roost because your sauce is going to be CRAP. I did manage to make two this week that held all through service. Once Exec Chef said to me that it wasn’t too bad and the other time that it was pretty good. In making the sauce all the time now I am beginning to find the right acidity level and approximating the cooking times of the eggs to create the best environment for the butter to bind. By the way, we are not talking about a little bit of butter. I need to convince, cajole and placate the eggs in order to take in a full pound to a pound and a half of butter. Think it’s easy. Feel free to give it a try. Let me know how it works for you. As an aside, all the recipes I’ve seen on the Internet are not the way that we do it at Reservation.
My Hands
My hands have always been my lifeblood. At least in some way. Whether it was writing or delivering garbage bins, I have always used my hands. BUT NEVER like I do now. My hands constantly ache. I imagine that the pain is akin to osteoarthritis. They are consistently sore and I believe that it is because my hands are using muscles they have not used and certainly not to the same degree that they are used now. I peel hundreds of pounds of potatoes each week, at least one hundred pounds carrots, I chop, carve, cut, peel, slice, julienne, brunoise and that is just the tip of the iceberg. Please don’t take what I’m saying as complaining either because it certainly isn’t. It is merely acknowledging openly the pain connected with my dream. I am also certain that the pain will subside as time goes on. As the muscles get stronger. Just for now, it is quite interesting as it even hurts to pick up a pen and anyone that knows my history would know that my life has been riddled by the pain of not being able to pick up a pen. TRUE FACT!
Garde Manger
I WANT TO BE GARDE MANGER ASAP! I work each day paying attention to the Mise En Place. The way that things are done. Plating. Speed. Detail! I know that I am an apprentice cook but I have undertaken a very serious thing here. MY DREAMS! My hopes. My aspirations and I work each day toward them. It is my fervent wish to be the Garde Manger by the time the summer comes. This week I really wanted to get in there and plate some stuff but unfortunately (fortunately though in terms of work) we have a couple of students in for their co-op. In fact it is interesting because S, the Garde Manger, has taken the female co-op student under her wing and it has made it more difficult for me to step up to the plate.
I even remarked to both Head and Executive Chef today that I am itching to get to the line. To contribute even more than I already am. “Put me in the game coach. I’m ready!” Instead this week due to the circumstances I felt more like a Hanson in Slap Shot; “I go to the box, I feel shame.”
Butternut Squash Soup fort 190 People
Tonight there is an event at Reservation. One of the dishes is a Roasted Butternut Squash Soup. I stepped up to the plate yesterday and decided that I was going to make the soup. I didn’t ask nor did I wait for someone to tell me. I assumed the roll as I feel that that is the way that you advance inside the restaurant industry. I did ask how to go about making the soup but not much more. As it turns out I produced about 100 litres and it was a little thin. Ends up that the cream that I added is supposed to thicken the soup. However, as I was worried about volume being given conflicting answers as to the yield that I required I did water it down a bit. C, can tell you that the roasted Butternut Squash Soup that I make at home has an awesome consistency, is thick and much to my surprise is not far from the recipe used at Reservation. And I have never looked at a recipe (until recently). Much of today was spent reducing the soup and thickening it up by J (the Poissonier). Have any of you tried to make 70 litres of soup before?
My Joy and My Dream
Everyday I get better at what I am doing. I understand the concepts and the principles. As I said in an earlier post. I have never been good with rules, but principles on the other hand I have never had a problem with. I am more comfortable with Canapés, the line, prep, receiving and the kitchen environment. I have started to put my head down, nose to the grindstone, whatever you want to term it so that my work speaks for itself. Oh sure I will still laugh with L and others but I want to be respected, taken seriously and acknowledged by my peers as someone that is serious and will eventually own restaurants.
I now know joy beyond anything I have ever known. I wake up each day whether with two hours sleep or sixteen with a Cheshire Cat grin. Confidant in the knowledge that I am in the right place. Working with the right people and for the first time in my life dedicating myself to the right thing. A funny thing happened on the way to my dream. I’ve said this a few times but it is absolutely true. A funny thing did happen to me on the way to my dream. I found myself. I exposed my innards with devoted honesty; I looked myself in the mirror and took great time exploring who I was, what I wanted and what I wanted to be. Not for anyone else but myself. Everyday, I wake with a joy that I assumed was reserved for someone other than me. But no more.
Studying
All of my free time is spent either studying or sleeping. This week I did a couple of experiments and learned from them. I finished Michel Bras’ “Essential Cuisine” and found myself asking all kinds of questions related not only to food but also my future. I read voraciously, as anyone who know me can tell you. I am now applying all the knowledge that my mother rammed into my hard head and yes even some of my fathers too. It is funny how a thought about Plato’s Cave can lead to a realization about Choron, or Veal Stock or Remi. I find that the more I study the more questions I have. The more knowledge I seek the more holes I realize are there and it EXCITES me, it alleviates my fears and drives me ever forward. I know that some are expecting at Reservation that I will break, I will stop being happy, or enjoying what I’m doing but only C and I have a clear picture of what the future holds. And that is because we are active participants in our lives. That and you can make the decision to be happy, to enjoy what you’re doing (as long as it is truly what you want to do). I live for today because I know that thinking the future will be better is stupid. The future is grounded in the steps I take today. AND YOU TOO.
Tonight I am reading Nigel Didcock’s “Capturing the Spirit” (http://www.chefdb.com/nm/275/ ) his plates are gorgeous and I don’t know much more than that at the moment.
Life or something like it
In the past two months I have become a real man. I have found myself. I have realized that first step in the journey to my dream and I have found a genuine happiness that is resplendent with copious amounts of vibrant joy. As I’ve said before my only regret is that I did not start this journey earlier as so many people had tried to get me to do. C, you’ve stood by me and I appreciate it and adore you for your courage, strength and devotion. Get ready when you get home to see what my true joy looks like. I think it will surprise even you. Thanks to my family for being there for me on what seemed like an endless journey. J.M. thank you for your friendship and opening the door of possibility for my future. E, thank you for listening to J.M. Executive and Head Chefs, thank you for your faith, your belief and your chance. I strive each day to honour what you’ve enabled me to do and I look forward to the day I can have you both at my restaurant and I do think that a Petrus would be in order.
That said it is time for me to start studying but I leave you as I always do with a nugget of truth, a kernel of reason to allow you to open your pathway to your dream. Please dream inspired, big and shoot for the stars, they are ours for the taking if you are willing to work.
“There he goes. One of God's own prototypes. Some kind of high-powered mutant never even considered for mass production. Too weird to live, and too rare to die.”
Are you brave enough to be too weird AND TO LIVE! Be inspired today and do something that scares the shit out of you.
A la prochaine
SDM
I’d also like to give a massive shout out to Mon Petit Oiseau, C, on completing her introductory course at Stella Adler. I am so proud of you you can’t even understand. Way to go and I hope you have a blast tonight my Fendi Phoenix.
Choron Sauce
To make a Choron Sauce is not as easy as it sounds. I think that most people think of a Choron Sauce as something that you just whip together and it is bound to taste good. Au contrare mon amis, Choron can be one difficult guy to sauce. Pardon the humour (save of course on Saint Patrick’s Day when everyone is Irish).
This week I made the Choron four times. Once I had it split on me. Splitting for those not in the know is when the proper binding does not take place. In this case with eggs and butter. The temperament of the sauce is such that if you undercook the eggs it tastes too eggy and is not good (especially when it is meant as a compliment to Lobster Eggs Benedict). If you overcook the egg the butter will not bind. And if you add the butter too quickly and not whisking vigorously enough you might as well let the chickens come home to roost because your sauce is going to be CRAP. I did manage to make two this week that held all through service. Once Exec Chef said to me that it wasn’t too bad and the other time that it was pretty good. In making the sauce all the time now I am beginning to find the right acidity level and approximating the cooking times of the eggs to create the best environment for the butter to bind. By the way, we are not talking about a little bit of butter. I need to convince, cajole and placate the eggs in order to take in a full pound to a pound and a half of butter. Think it’s easy. Feel free to give it a try. Let me know how it works for you. As an aside, all the recipes I’ve seen on the Internet are not the way that we do it at Reservation.
My Hands
My hands have always been my lifeblood. At least in some way. Whether it was writing or delivering garbage bins, I have always used my hands. BUT NEVER like I do now. My hands constantly ache. I imagine that the pain is akin to osteoarthritis. They are consistently sore and I believe that it is because my hands are using muscles they have not used and certainly not to the same degree that they are used now. I peel hundreds of pounds of potatoes each week, at least one hundred pounds carrots, I chop, carve, cut, peel, slice, julienne, brunoise and that is just the tip of the iceberg. Please don’t take what I’m saying as complaining either because it certainly isn’t. It is merely acknowledging openly the pain connected with my dream. I am also certain that the pain will subside as time goes on. As the muscles get stronger. Just for now, it is quite interesting as it even hurts to pick up a pen and anyone that knows my history would know that my life has been riddled by the pain of not being able to pick up a pen. TRUE FACT!
Garde Manger
I WANT TO BE GARDE MANGER ASAP! I work each day paying attention to the Mise En Place. The way that things are done. Plating. Speed. Detail! I know that I am an apprentice cook but I have undertaken a very serious thing here. MY DREAMS! My hopes. My aspirations and I work each day toward them. It is my fervent wish to be the Garde Manger by the time the summer comes. This week I really wanted to get in there and plate some stuff but unfortunately (fortunately though in terms of work) we have a couple of students in for their co-op. In fact it is interesting because S, the Garde Manger, has taken the female co-op student under her wing and it has made it more difficult for me to step up to the plate.
I even remarked to both Head and Executive Chef today that I am itching to get to the line. To contribute even more than I already am. “Put me in the game coach. I’m ready!” Instead this week due to the circumstances I felt more like a Hanson in Slap Shot; “I go to the box, I feel shame.”
Butternut Squash Soup fort 190 People
Tonight there is an event at Reservation. One of the dishes is a Roasted Butternut Squash Soup. I stepped up to the plate yesterday and decided that I was going to make the soup. I didn’t ask nor did I wait for someone to tell me. I assumed the roll as I feel that that is the way that you advance inside the restaurant industry. I did ask how to go about making the soup but not much more. As it turns out I produced about 100 litres and it was a little thin. Ends up that the cream that I added is supposed to thicken the soup. However, as I was worried about volume being given conflicting answers as to the yield that I required I did water it down a bit. C, can tell you that the roasted Butternut Squash Soup that I make at home has an awesome consistency, is thick and much to my surprise is not far from the recipe used at Reservation. And I have never looked at a recipe (until recently). Much of today was spent reducing the soup and thickening it up by J (the Poissonier). Have any of you tried to make 70 litres of soup before?
My Joy and My Dream
Everyday I get better at what I am doing. I understand the concepts and the principles. As I said in an earlier post. I have never been good with rules, but principles on the other hand I have never had a problem with. I am more comfortable with Canapés, the line, prep, receiving and the kitchen environment. I have started to put my head down, nose to the grindstone, whatever you want to term it so that my work speaks for itself. Oh sure I will still laugh with L and others but I want to be respected, taken seriously and acknowledged by my peers as someone that is serious and will eventually own restaurants.
I now know joy beyond anything I have ever known. I wake up each day whether with two hours sleep or sixteen with a Cheshire Cat grin. Confidant in the knowledge that I am in the right place. Working with the right people and for the first time in my life dedicating myself to the right thing. A funny thing happened on the way to my dream. I’ve said this a few times but it is absolutely true. A funny thing did happen to me on the way to my dream. I found myself. I exposed my innards with devoted honesty; I looked myself in the mirror and took great time exploring who I was, what I wanted and what I wanted to be. Not for anyone else but myself. Everyday, I wake with a joy that I assumed was reserved for someone other than me. But no more.
Studying
All of my free time is spent either studying or sleeping. This week I did a couple of experiments and learned from them. I finished Michel Bras’ “Essential Cuisine” and found myself asking all kinds of questions related not only to food but also my future. I read voraciously, as anyone who know me can tell you. I am now applying all the knowledge that my mother rammed into my hard head and yes even some of my fathers too. It is funny how a thought about Plato’s Cave can lead to a realization about Choron, or Veal Stock or Remi. I find that the more I study the more questions I have. The more knowledge I seek the more holes I realize are there and it EXCITES me, it alleviates my fears and drives me ever forward. I know that some are expecting at Reservation that I will break, I will stop being happy, or enjoying what I’m doing but only C and I have a clear picture of what the future holds. And that is because we are active participants in our lives. That and you can make the decision to be happy, to enjoy what you’re doing (as long as it is truly what you want to do). I live for today because I know that thinking the future will be better is stupid. The future is grounded in the steps I take today. AND YOU TOO.
Tonight I am reading Nigel Didcock’s “Capturing the Spirit” (http://www.chefdb.com/nm/275/ ) his plates are gorgeous and I don’t know much more than that at the moment.
Life or something like it
In the past two months I have become a real man. I have found myself. I have realized that first step in the journey to my dream and I have found a genuine happiness that is resplendent with copious amounts of vibrant joy. As I’ve said before my only regret is that I did not start this journey earlier as so many people had tried to get me to do. C, you’ve stood by me and I appreciate it and adore you for your courage, strength and devotion. Get ready when you get home to see what my true joy looks like. I think it will surprise even you. Thanks to my family for being there for me on what seemed like an endless journey. J.M. thank you for your friendship and opening the door of possibility for my future. E, thank you for listening to J.M. Executive and Head Chefs, thank you for your faith, your belief and your chance. I strive each day to honour what you’ve enabled me to do and I look forward to the day I can have you both at my restaurant and I do think that a Petrus would be in order.
That said it is time for me to start studying but I leave you as I always do with a nugget of truth, a kernel of reason to allow you to open your pathway to your dream. Please dream inspired, big and shoot for the stars, they are ours for the taking if you are willing to work.
“There he goes. One of God's own prototypes. Some kind of high-powered mutant never even considered for mass production. Too weird to live, and too rare to die.”
Are you brave enough to be too weird AND TO LIVE! Be inspired today and do something that scares the shit out of you.
A la prochaine
SDM
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