Chef Shane brought on the creativity for us as our final Final was not just an evaluation meal produced as a group from an established menu, but a "Black Box" event wherein we were given the opportunity to freestyle and improvise in a "Chopped" scenario. Chef stocked the refrigerator with various meats, fish, and veggies and we were told to each prepare a dish with entree, starch, vegetable, and sauce. Being the gentleman that I am (I also didn't fully understand the instructions), I waited quietly while Jessica hogged the pork chops, Sandy hooked the mahi mahi, and Van rustled up the beef. That left me with sea bass and/or shrimp. I felt pretty good about both, and finished up 1 1/2 hours or so later with pan-fried sea bass and sauteed lemon/parmesan shrimp with a lightly seasoned julienne vegetable medley (carrot, leek, yellow squash, green beans) that turned out just as I had hoped, colorful and tasty. This with the slightly sweet parsnip puree that I wish I'd put a little more onion into scored me a 15 out of 20. I was unsure if I should be disappointed or happy with that score until I found out that everyone had scored 15, so no big deal either way. The judges were our class administrator, Terry (who you know is a cool guy because he took a cruise to Alaska this fall), and a young dude I learned was a former student that works in a restaurant somewhere, and if girth is any indicator of your ability to judge food, then I have complete faith in his decisions.
We passed our final evaluation and have met all the requirements so I guess that leaves us with only Graduation Day! Arriving right on time and accompanied by my entourage of good friends that were willing to give up a couple hours of their lives, Mel, Patti, and Brandon, I was whisked upstairs to have my tall hat fitted and fill out a very short bio. Sandy arrived about 10 minutes later, thereby allaying the fear that I'd be the only one to show, having been informed by Jessica a few days ago that she wouldn't be attending because she didn't want to make the drive to school that she's been making for a year now. (I know, right?). Terry informed us that we would walk to the podium in alphabetic order. I guess to avoid the two of us getting confused. Then the festivities began and as I predicted there were 12 people there, including the graduates. A couple short speeches, one by our kitchen manager Robin, and one by the school President who I've never seen before, and we were ready for the year's picture montage played on a small screen TV and I noticed something right off...if there are only 3 of you left, you get to be in almost all of the pictures.
So the preliminaries are over, and it's time to trade out our year-old shapeless flat hat for the Tall Hat, The Gros Bonnet. Sandy walks up to Chef Klaus, takes off her mushroom hat, and as Chef puts her hat on her head, it slides down over her eyes and ears. It's about an inch too wide, and won't stay on the top of her head! Now I'm the one that set the size, but she told me when it was snug enough, so we both have to be held accountable for poor Sandy walking around with a hat that came down over her eyes ala Beetle Bailey.
With a nice medal hanging around my neck, a diploma in hand, and a copy of the picture montage in my pocket, my groupies and I then headed to Helena's Hawaiian Restaurant for a celebratory dinner that included some dandy pipikaula ribs and kahlua pig.
Missing on the big night were a few key players in our year of school: Chefs Sigi and Otto and Enju. Chef Sigi's medical issues have, unfortunately, worsened. He is currently in treatment for cancer, and we're hoping he can recover and come back to the kitchen. He did send us his congratulations, though, and I found that to be pretty damned noble, considering. Don't know if I ever mentioned Chef Sigi's background, but he has been the Executive Chef at the Savoy hotel in London, the Biltmore Resort and Spa in Phoenix, the Hilton Waikiki and the Ala Moana Hotel here in Honolulu, and has served as Personal Chef for President Ronald Reagan. When you look him up on Google, he's usually referred to as "Renowned Chef Siegbert Wendler". I'm very proud to have trained under him for even a short time. Enju is going through some home issues and will be coming back to finish her course in the Spring. Chef Otto is off gallivanting around Southeast Asia somewhere.
I was wondering a couple of months ago when I was slacking off and not doing a post every week whether The Innocent would make it to the magical 2000 view plateau and as of last week we did! This week makes post number 43 (has it really been that many?!) with over 2100 views, so I thank you all for your continued interest in my progress and be sure to check back from time to time to see if I can actually make this education work for me. I've gotten some good advice from the folks here at the school, and a couple of former students are doing well working outside of the traditional restaurant environment in catering and cruise ships. Where to go from here? El Paso, Texas. Other than that, I don't know. I'll be in touch.
A FEW MORE QUOTES:
There is a good reason they call these ceremonies "commencement exercises." Graduation is not the end; it's the beginning. ~Orrin Hatch
The roots of education are bitter, but the fruit is sweet. ~Aristotle
Things turn out best for the people who make the best out of the way things turn out. ~Art Linkletter
You have brains in your head.
You have feet in your shoes.
You can steer yourself in any direction you choose.
You're on your own.
And you know what you know.
You are the guy who'll decide where to go.~Dr. Seuss
Thursday, December 15, 2011
Sunday, December 11, 2011
Three...More...Days...
I have to apologize for the three-week lapse in postings, but the time has...oh...I guess it's only been a week.
*Sigh*...You ever notice how slow time seems to move when you are getting near the end of one thing and are excited to move on to the next? That's where we are right now, and thankfully Chef Shane is keeping us busy with interesting cooking and timely observations as to what we can expect to find when we move into the professional side of our work. I'm thinking I might try a dinner at his restaurant to see how things are in the real world. Don't suppose I'll get a student discount, though.
Our world for the last 11 months has revolved around the Gros Bonnet kitchens and our education in the culinary arts. I've made several references over this time as to our experiences with the facilities, equipment, and personnel here at the school, and this seems a good time to offer up some advice as to how the school can improve it's image and very likely it's enrollment. I will offer up my unsolicited opinions in the spirit of helping to improve what will in four days be my Alma Mater.
1. Buy some new stuff, already! Functionality is the most important aspect of kitchen equipment, I get that. What I don't see is why when something wears out, or is no longer serviceable, it can't be replaced promptly. Keeping a chinois with a hole in the bottom is just silly.
2. Clean it up. I see no reason for the kitchens and entire school area to look like a converted storage unit for closed restaurants. Need some ideas on how to accomplish this? Ask Chef Chad, his Bake Shop is beautiful.
3. Get the students out there. In the past, groups from Gros Bonnet have participated in culinary competitions and demonstrations, so why did you give up on that? Get them involved and keep it interesting.
4. Aim higher in recruiting. Why be satisfied with starting classes of 8 to 12 students (knowing that most will be gone by the third rotation) when with moderate effort and the current popularity of culinary subjects there could be nearly twice that number?
5. If you've got it, flaunt it. One tremendous benefit of being here in Honolulu is the chance to brand your culinary training with the local and Pacific Rim influences that dominate our regional cuisine. I know that being "classically trained" means a focus on older methods and cooking styles, but would it hurt to switch that horrible week of aspic and pate' for a week of Asian style or even Hawaii-specific foods? Most people attending this school remain in Hawaii and will be working here, and as a guy that is moving away after the course is over, I fully intend to use as much of this local flavor as I can no matter where I end up.
6. Keep your faculty intact. Chefs Klaus, Sigi, Shane, Chad, and Masa (despite the communication gap) are all excellent teachers in their own way. Keep them motivated, let them hold to their standards, and for Gods sake, get them the supplies and ingredients that they ask for. With the experience and information these teachers are able to offer, the students will learn as much or as little as they are willing to learn.
I have great respect for the Chefs, management, and staff at the school and offer these comments in the spirit of constructive criticism. I am no expert in The Industry, but with a few years background in sales, marketing, and training I feel like this school is just cruising in low gear when it could be reaching for more.
Just a short blog for this week, as I'm saving up material for the big After Graduation Special Edition of The Innocent. Anyone here on Island that would like to attend the graduation ceremony, here are the particulars:
Thursday, December 15th, 2011 at 6 P.M.
Gros Bonnet School and Kitchens
1431 S. Beretania Street Honolulu
PH: (808) 591-2708
As there is limited parking at the school, please try to arrive a few minutes early. Really, though, parking shouldn't be too bad as there are only a few of us left to graduate.
*Sigh*...You ever notice how slow time seems to move when you are getting near the end of one thing and are excited to move on to the next? That's where we are right now, and thankfully Chef Shane is keeping us busy with interesting cooking and timely observations as to what we can expect to find when we move into the professional side of our work. I'm thinking I might try a dinner at his restaurant to see how things are in the real world. Don't suppose I'll get a student discount, though.
Our world for the last 11 months has revolved around the Gros Bonnet kitchens and our education in the culinary arts. I've made several references over this time as to our experiences with the facilities, equipment, and personnel here at the school, and this seems a good time to offer up some advice as to how the school can improve it's image and very likely it's enrollment. I will offer up my unsolicited opinions in the spirit of helping to improve what will in four days be my Alma Mater.
1. Buy some new stuff, already! Functionality is the most important aspect of kitchen equipment, I get that. What I don't see is why when something wears out, or is no longer serviceable, it can't be replaced promptly. Keeping a chinois with a hole in the bottom is just silly.
2. Clean it up. I see no reason for the kitchens and entire school area to look like a converted storage unit for closed restaurants. Need some ideas on how to accomplish this? Ask Chef Chad, his Bake Shop is beautiful.
3. Get the students out there. In the past, groups from Gros Bonnet have participated in culinary competitions and demonstrations, so why did you give up on that? Get them involved and keep it interesting.
4. Aim higher in recruiting. Why be satisfied with starting classes of 8 to 12 students (knowing that most will be gone by the third rotation) when with moderate effort and the current popularity of culinary subjects there could be nearly twice that number?
5. If you've got it, flaunt it. One tremendous benefit of being here in Honolulu is the chance to brand your culinary training with the local and Pacific Rim influences that dominate our regional cuisine. I know that being "classically trained" means a focus on older methods and cooking styles, but would it hurt to switch that horrible week of aspic and pate' for a week of Asian style or even Hawaii-specific foods? Most people attending this school remain in Hawaii and will be working here, and as a guy that is moving away after the course is over, I fully intend to use as much of this local flavor as I can no matter where I end up.
6. Keep your faculty intact. Chefs Klaus, Sigi, Shane, Chad, and Masa (despite the communication gap) are all excellent teachers in their own way. Keep them motivated, let them hold to their standards, and for Gods sake, get them the supplies and ingredients that they ask for. With the experience and information these teachers are able to offer, the students will learn as much or as little as they are willing to learn.
I have great respect for the Chefs, management, and staff at the school and offer these comments in the spirit of constructive criticism. I am no expert in The Industry, but with a few years background in sales, marketing, and training I feel like this school is just cruising in low gear when it could be reaching for more.
Just a short blog for this week, as I'm saving up material for the big After Graduation Special Edition of The Innocent. Anyone here on Island that would like to attend the graduation ceremony, here are the particulars:
Thursday, December 15th, 2011 at 6 P.M.
Gros Bonnet School and Kitchens
1431 S. Beretania Street Honolulu
PH: (808) 591-2708
As there is limited parking at the school, please try to arrive a few minutes early. Really, though, parking shouldn't be too bad as there are only a few of us left to graduate.
Saturday, December 3, 2011
Testing, Testing...1,2,3
Well, we waited and we wondered. We talked with the other classes and got their opinions. Now, after a week in the kitchen with our new Chef Instructor, the truth has come out: Chef Shane is pretty cool. And not just cool like all of us with names that end in -ANE are cool. He's a calm, soft-spoken man with an impressive bank of knowledge and many years of experience in the food service industry. A Hawaii native, he started in restaurants at the tender age of 16, attended culinary school in Portland, Oregon, and in addition to our classes at Gros Bonnet, he runs the kitchen at a popular restaurant in town. I guess the most pleasant aspect of his cooking style to me is the Pacific Rim influence that he brings to most of our dishes. Lots of fresh herbs (some of which we harvest right outside the door) and bright flavors. Citrus, ginger, lemongrass, and rosemary have gotten a lot of attention this week with some really delicious results.
Chef Shane's teaching style is just what the doctor ordered for our little trio (yes, three...more on that later). He puts our daily production recipes on a large board so we have all the specifics without having to spend 30 minutes trying to copy it from verbal instructions. Some of the sauce recipes in particular are pretty complex and it would be tough to get the sequence and process right without a reference. We are free to copy down the recipes at the end of the day (and I do), which works out perfectly for that little sit and relax time after a good meal...which they have all been so far. Let's see, what else? He was apparently a pretty impressive Little League baseball player back in the day and he drives one of those little low-down cars that have a wing on the back and a muffler that sounds like a lawn mower. All in all, we are pretty pleased.
Our thoughts have gone from wondering to mild concern to full on worry about our good friend Enju. We haven't seen her since the first week of Chef Chad's Bake Shop, which makes three weeks now that she has been out of school. Despite repeated attempts to reach her, she has thus far been incommunicado, so we'll just have to hope she's alright and able to make up the lost school time in the future. It's a shame that after toughing it out for 10 months her completion of this course will likely be delayed. And not just a shame for her, but for all of us because she's a good classmate and friend and we like her and it'll suck if we can't all graduate together.
Our dishes this week have centered around braising and the incorporation of our seasoned braising liquid into sauces to augment the dish. The sauces have been pretty incredible, using various methods involving steeping, infusing, de-glazing and reductions that keep the flavors drawn from the meats and vegetables being cooked in the sauce. We've also used a few very local items such as taro and long rice noodles to interesting and tasty effect. I have to grade this week an "A".
So we were briefed (briefly) about the events of our Graduation Night. Thursday, December 15th at 6:00 P.M. the Gros Bonnet class 12-2011 will hold our ceremony. This will take place at our main school building which will be transformed via the magic of the moment, drapes covering the ugly stuff, and rearranged furniture into a commencement hall that should be able to accomodate the estimated 12 people that will be attending. And in that 12 I included the three students that are graduating. And the faculty.
Actually, there will be the some family there, friends that have suffered with us, and the odd boyfriend or two, so I suppose it will be a pretty well-attended event. We'll also be joined by a couple of Advanced Patisserie students finishing school that same week.
A common topic for discussion is the amount of actual learning we have been doing over the course of this course. I usually have a pretty fair idea of what I do or don't know, but as all the lessons, examples, demonstrations, and practice have started to blend together into what sometimes seems like a ten-month haze, it is difficult to say "I learned THIS..." or "I learned THAT..."
I have learned a lot and I know this because I tested myself. Our textbook, which is ridiculously overpriced and far inferior to other text available (specifically, the CIA-published text "The Professional Chef") comes with a DVD that provides videos of almost every procedure we've worked on and an area for testing your knowlege through numerous quizzes, matching excercises, and product identification tests. The first day that I had this video in hand I ran through the first level (there are 3 total) of testing just to see where I stood. I did...OK, getting the right answer to roughly 1/2 of the first level questions. This last week I found that the DVD is still in my computer drive (guess I don't use that drive much) so I sat down and worked my way through the entire testing portion.
And I did great.
Kitchen equipment, ingredients, history of cuisines, food origins, cuts of meat, spices and herbs, cooking science, identification of vegetables, fruits, seafood, and herbs, and about a dozen other subjects are covered and I can say with all the modesty that my substantial ego allows that I pretty much knocked them out of the park at all levels of the testing. I don't tell you this to show how awesome I am (you should know that by now), but to say that while the course can at times be mind-numbing and the materials and facilities (far) below expectations, the learning is very real and barring some cosmic meltdown in the next ten days I will come away having learned what I came here hoping to learn. Next week we'll discuss some things this school could easily do to improve, stay tuned.
Interesting Quotes I Found:
I thank Thee first because I was never robbed before; second, because although they took my purse they did not take my life; third, because although they took my all, it was not much; and fourth because it was I who was robbed, and not I who robbed. ~Matthew Henry
For the human mind is seldom at stay: If you do not grow better, you will most undoubtedly grow worse. ~Samuel Richardson
YOU WILL GAIN WEIGHT
"I beg to differ, I say to the world right now - I will lose weight!" - This is quoted from my very first post of
The Innocent, and I was RIGHT - I now weigh 11 pounds less than the day the course started!
Chef Shane's teaching style is just what the doctor ordered for our little trio (yes, three...more on that later). He puts our daily production recipes on a large board so we have all the specifics without having to spend 30 minutes trying to copy it from verbal instructions. Some of the sauce recipes in particular are pretty complex and it would be tough to get the sequence and process right without a reference. We are free to copy down the recipes at the end of the day (and I do), which works out perfectly for that little sit and relax time after a good meal...which they have all been so far. Let's see, what else? He was apparently a pretty impressive Little League baseball player back in the day and he drives one of those little low-down cars that have a wing on the back and a muffler that sounds like a lawn mower. All in all, we are pretty pleased.
Our thoughts have gone from wondering to mild concern to full on worry about our good friend Enju. We haven't seen her since the first week of Chef Chad's Bake Shop, which makes three weeks now that she has been out of school. Despite repeated attempts to reach her, she has thus far been incommunicado, so we'll just have to hope she's alright and able to make up the lost school time in the future. It's a shame that after toughing it out for 10 months her completion of this course will likely be delayed. And not just a shame for her, but for all of us because she's a good classmate and friend and we like her and it'll suck if we can't all graduate together.
Our dishes this week have centered around braising and the incorporation of our seasoned braising liquid into sauces to augment the dish. The sauces have been pretty incredible, using various methods involving steeping, infusing, de-glazing and reductions that keep the flavors drawn from the meats and vegetables being cooked in the sauce. We've also used a few very local items such as taro and long rice noodles to interesting and tasty effect. I have to grade this week an "A".
So we were briefed (briefly) about the events of our Graduation Night. Thursday, December 15th at 6:00 P.M. the Gros Bonnet class 12-2011 will hold our ceremony. This will take place at our main school building which will be transformed via the magic of the moment, drapes covering the ugly stuff, and rearranged furniture into a commencement hall that should be able to accomodate the estimated 12 people that will be attending. And in that 12 I included the three students that are graduating. And the faculty.
Actually, there will be the some family there, friends that have suffered with us, and the odd boyfriend or two, so I suppose it will be a pretty well-attended event. We'll also be joined by a couple of Advanced Patisserie students finishing school that same week.
A common topic for discussion is the amount of actual learning we have been doing over the course of this course. I usually have a pretty fair idea of what I do or don't know, but as all the lessons, examples, demonstrations, and practice have started to blend together into what sometimes seems like a ten-month haze, it is difficult to say "I learned THIS..." or "I learned THAT..."
I have learned a lot and I know this because I tested myself. Our textbook, which is ridiculously overpriced and far inferior to other text available (specifically, the CIA-published text "The Professional Chef") comes with a DVD that provides videos of almost every procedure we've worked on and an area for testing your knowlege through numerous quizzes, matching excercises, and product identification tests. The first day that I had this video in hand I ran through the first level (there are 3 total) of testing just to see where I stood. I did...OK, getting the right answer to roughly 1/2 of the first level questions. This last week I found that the DVD is still in my computer drive (guess I don't use that drive much) so I sat down and worked my way through the entire testing portion.
And I did great.
Kitchen equipment, ingredients, history of cuisines, food origins, cuts of meat, spices and herbs, cooking science, identification of vegetables, fruits, seafood, and herbs, and about a dozen other subjects are covered and I can say with all the modesty that my substantial ego allows that I pretty much knocked them out of the park at all levels of the testing. I don't tell you this to show how awesome I am (you should know that by now), but to say that while the course can at times be mind-numbing and the materials and facilities (far) below expectations, the learning is very real and barring some cosmic meltdown in the next ten days I will come away having learned what I came here hoping to learn. Next week we'll discuss some things this school could easily do to improve, stay tuned.
Interesting Quotes I Found:
I thank Thee first because I was never robbed before; second, because although they took my purse they did not take my life; third, because although they took my all, it was not much; and fourth because it was I who was robbed, and not I who robbed. ~Matthew Henry
For the human mind is seldom at stay: If you do not grow better, you will most undoubtedly grow worse. ~Samuel Richardson
YOU WILL GAIN WEIGHT
"I beg to differ, I say to the world right now - I will lose weight!" - This is quoted from my very first post of
The Innocent, and I was RIGHT - I now weigh 11 pounds less than the day the course started!
Friday, November 25, 2011
Don't need help at Thanksgiving? Then yeah, I'll have a beer.
Well, our last run through Chef Chad's Bake Shop is now over. We finished our last week with the ovens off as we first went soft, then got hard with some cool and cold desserts. Soft day was centered around Chocolate Mousse, Parfait, and Bavarian Cream. Then on our last day (the week being cut short for Thanksgiving and all) we took our test, had our notebooks graded, and then enjoyed some Kiwi Sorbet and Vanilla Bean Ice Cream, both of which were excellent. Although it's a bit of a downer for me that our time with Chef Chad is over, I know that Sandy and Jessica are very relieved to move on to our last phase in the course, Hot Kitchen II with the thus-far unknown quantity: Chef Shane.
I haven't mentioned Enju as she has been absent for over a week with a hurt back, and there is apparently some doubt as to whether she will be able to graduate with us in three weeks. I sure hope so, it just wouldn't be the same without the four of us together at the end. Van was gone a few days this week, too so I'm not sure about his grad status either. I guess we'll just have to wait and see.
Had a few laughs this week when we discussed what I've decided to call:
The Case of the Moving Mise en Place!
When starting a project, the first step is to gather all the ingredients and equipment needed to complete the task. Jessica got a variety of containers together for her ingredients when making chocolate mousse. After scaling something, she returned to the table only to find that her containers were gone. This is actually a pretty common occurrence, as Chef Chad CAN NOT STAND to see something not in it's place, so he will often start to put things away before we've even used them. So when he saw the empty containers on the work area, he just HAD to put them away. Jessica got them back and kept an eye on them as she finished her scaling and measuring. Okay, this project has to be done in a very specific sequence so she lines up her 5 or 6 ingredients in the order they are to be used, turns to plug in the mixer, and when she turns back...I kid you not, it was at most 5 seconds...Chef Chad has gone back and picked it all up and placed it on a tray so it would be "together". Jessica was obviously frustrated, but it was good for a laugh, and really it may have been karma at work...Chef has a set of weights for scaling in 1, 2, 4, and 8 pounds. He keeps these in a straight line and in order all the time. Jessica admitted that she has occasionally moved them around and swapped their places just to mess with Chef Chad. I won't even mention what she did with his clean-up towel. Despite his almost manic orderliness, I'll say here that Chef Chad is absolutely determined to provide the best and most thorough instruction possible and I'm really glad that I had the opportunity to train under his guidance.
Yesterday was Thanksgiving Day. Like probably more than a few of you out there I ate a little too much and enjoyed it thoroughly. People emailed and texted me "What are you making?" and "Are you doing the cooking?" Alas, my contribution to what was a great feast was to whip out my trusty Wusthof 10" fingernail clipper and dice two bunches of celery and 3 onions. I was also asked to carve the ham, which I sorta butchered. Moms, Grandmas, and Wives have certain favorite foods, specialities, and traditions that they don't want you messing with, so if you get a chance to cut the celery, mix biscuit dough, or just put up the folding table you do it with a smile on your face knowing that you helped make the Holiday special.
I had a very nice chat yesterday with an "Auntie" that started with some complaints about the traffic here in Honolulu and ended with her telling me about growing up here (she's 71) back when it was mostly sugar cane and being raised on the plantation. I wish I could have seen it then.
Nothing to do with school, but I saw these movies:
(I know, I see a lot of movies.)
Happy Feet 2 - Fun movie for kids, the thrill was Bill and Will, the Krill.
Puss in Boots - Also a good kid movie, but adults will like it too.
Immortals - I didn't pay for the 3D version, but found the movie to be better than I expected.
Descendants - Very well acted film, George Cloony is excellent, very realistic filming here in Hawaii.
Hugo - Beautifully filmed, good 3D effects, heartwarming. I liked it a lot.
J. Edgar - Leo won't get an oscar for this boring biopic. The old age special effects were terrific.
Muppets - Great movie. Takes you back. Tame one-liners that are still funny. The voices are off, though.
Tower Heist - This one was fun, although it got a little silly toward the end.
Yes, I'm ashamed to say that I went to:
Jack and Jill - Typical Adam Sandler crap, and worse than most of them. But not as bad as:
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part I - Terrible: Acting, Direction, Cinematography, Special Effects, Story, Script, Characters, and I would be willing to bet that the food sucked at Craft Services.
[Breadbaking is] one of those almost hypnotic businesses, like a dance from some ancient ceremony. It leaves you filled with one of the world's sweetest smells... there is no chiropractic treatment, no Yoga exercise, no hour of meditation in a music-throbbing chapel, that will leave you emptier of bad thoughts than this homely ceremony of making bread. ~M.F.K. Fisher
I haven't mentioned Enju as she has been absent for over a week with a hurt back, and there is apparently some doubt as to whether she will be able to graduate with us in three weeks. I sure hope so, it just wouldn't be the same without the four of us together at the end. Van was gone a few days this week, too so I'm not sure about his grad status either. I guess we'll just have to wait and see.
Had a few laughs this week when we discussed what I've decided to call:
The Case of the Moving Mise en Place!
When starting a project, the first step is to gather all the ingredients and equipment needed to complete the task. Jessica got a variety of containers together for her ingredients when making chocolate mousse. After scaling something, she returned to the table only to find that her containers were gone. This is actually a pretty common occurrence, as Chef Chad CAN NOT STAND to see something not in it's place, so he will often start to put things away before we've even used them. So when he saw the empty containers on the work area, he just HAD to put them away. Jessica got them back and kept an eye on them as she finished her scaling and measuring. Okay, this project has to be done in a very specific sequence so she lines up her 5 or 6 ingredients in the order they are to be used, turns to plug in the mixer, and when she turns back...I kid you not, it was at most 5 seconds...Chef Chad has gone back and picked it all up and placed it on a tray so it would be "together". Jessica was obviously frustrated, but it was good for a laugh, and really it may have been karma at work...Chef has a set of weights for scaling in 1, 2, 4, and 8 pounds. He keeps these in a straight line and in order all the time. Jessica admitted that she has occasionally moved them around and swapped their places just to mess with Chef Chad. I won't even mention what she did with his clean-up towel. Despite his almost manic orderliness, I'll say here that Chef Chad is absolutely determined to provide the best and most thorough instruction possible and I'm really glad that I had the opportunity to train under his guidance.
Yesterday was Thanksgiving Day. Like probably more than a few of you out there I ate a little too much and enjoyed it thoroughly. People emailed and texted me "What are you making?" and "Are you doing the cooking?" Alas, my contribution to what was a great feast was to whip out my trusty Wusthof 10" fingernail clipper and dice two bunches of celery and 3 onions. I was also asked to carve the ham, which I sorta butchered. Moms, Grandmas, and Wives have certain favorite foods, specialities, and traditions that they don't want you messing with, so if you get a chance to cut the celery, mix biscuit dough, or just put up the folding table you do it with a smile on your face knowing that you helped make the Holiday special.
I had a very nice chat yesterday with an "Auntie" that started with some complaints about the traffic here in Honolulu and ended with her telling me about growing up here (she's 71) back when it was mostly sugar cane and being raised on the plantation. I wish I could have seen it then.
Nothing to do with school, but I saw these movies:
(I know, I see a lot of movies.)
Happy Feet 2 - Fun movie for kids, the thrill was Bill and Will, the Krill.
Puss in Boots - Also a good kid movie, but adults will like it too.
Immortals - I didn't pay for the 3D version, but found the movie to be better than I expected.
Descendants - Very well acted film, George Cloony is excellent, very realistic filming here in Hawaii.
Hugo - Beautifully filmed, good 3D effects, heartwarming. I liked it a lot.
J. Edgar - Leo won't get an oscar for this boring biopic. The old age special effects were terrific.
Muppets - Great movie. Takes you back. Tame one-liners that are still funny. The voices are off, though.
Tower Heist - This one was fun, although it got a little silly toward the end.
Yes, I'm ashamed to say that I went to:
Jack and Jill - Typical Adam Sandler crap, and worse than most of them. But not as bad as:
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part I - Terrible: Acting, Direction, Cinematography, Special Effects, Story, Script, Characters, and I would be willing to bet that the food sucked at Craft Services.
[Breadbaking is] one of those almost hypnotic businesses, like a dance from some ancient ceremony. It leaves you filled with one of the world's sweetest smells... there is no chiropractic treatment, no Yoga exercise, no hour of meditation in a music-throbbing chapel, that will leave you emptier of bad thoughts than this homely ceremony of making bread. ~M.F.K. Fisher
Friday, November 18, 2011
Who wants Omelet Surprise?
If you remember last week's ramblings, I had a talk with a restaurant chef that was a downer, with his assertion that all the culinary schooling he received was useless. Well I am very pleased to say that in a chat with Gabe, a guy that graduated a couple months ago and is now working in catering in San Fransisco I was informed that he finds uses for the things he learned almost every day, and the skills and attitude that he picked up from our chefs here have stood the test of professional work. He's also making some pretty sweet coin, so it seems to be working for him. He was the first advanced student that I talked to so many months ago, and has been a good source of information and support. Way to go, Gabe!
Chef Chad has been giving us a little more autonomy in the bake shop. He reasons (rightly, I think) that we have been around long enough to get things done without constant supervision. Of course he keeps his eye on us and has offered improvements and fixes for the projects that went even slightly astray. Thankfully he wasn't watching when, after Jessica and I had painstakingly measured and divided the very last egg in the refrigerator into egg white for my recipe and whole egg for hers, I bumped into the table and spilled several ounces. A brisk walk up to the main kitchen for 5 dozen more eggs and all was well. This week has been good, with some baked items that I had never seen before. The heavy high-ratio cake seemed like a brick until he explained that we would cut it in thin disks and use if as the base of our Ice Cream Cake. We also completed baked Alaska, joconde cake, pecan bars, and pumpkin bread (for the bake sale, of course). A few absences through the week left us short-handed, with Enju experiencing a hurt back and Sandy recovering from a weekend on Kauai with the Marines. She's so patriotic, helping our boys with their adjustment in returning from overseas.
Staying at the home of some terrific friends, I've tried to make myself useful by helping with the cooking and it's brought home the fact that even with all the stuff I've learned this last year there are millions of moms and grandmas out there that can cook me under the table. Now I realize that professional cooking will be much different in the quantities, timing, equipment, and such, and I know that if I do my best that it will turn out ok, but I can't shake the feeling that they eat it and smile and say it's good just to be polite. I need to work on my confidence.
We had an extensive discussion about some of the more intricate things we've learned and how once we learned them we were told that we would probably never make it again. Hmmmmm. Demi Glace, the base for most of the brown sauces, is time consuming to make and the formula, while sounding simple enough, is a little tricky to get right. So we learned to make it and then Chef told us that "You probably won't find a professional kitchen that makes their own, they buy it in a prepared base." O.K. Stocks, the basic building block of almost all soups, sauces, gravies, braises and stews, is pretty easy to make, but the large pots and lack of storage make the concentrated bases far more desirable for the pro kitchen. We learned Cherries Jubilee and Crepes Suzette complete with the flambe flourish, then were told that most restaurants can't do the flame anymore because of fire hazard. This is all a part of being "classically" trained. I for one am glad I've had the chance to work on these sorts of items, because when they look in the pantry and find they are out of beef stock, I'll be right there to save the day! Assuming I remember how.
So it didn't take much calculation to realize that we have exactly 15 school days left, a short Thanksgiving week with Chef Chad, and then our final phase, Hot Kitchen II for three more weeks. I've been asked if I will continue to post The Innocent, keeping those few that are still interested apprised of my success or lack thereof in The Industry. I think I will, at least until I'm a real pro or my culinary aspirations come crashing down around me. Honestly can't say which it is more likely to be at this point. But until then, there's still a month of learning in store so stay tuned.
Chef Chad has been giving us a little more autonomy in the bake shop. He reasons (rightly, I think) that we have been around long enough to get things done without constant supervision. Of course he keeps his eye on us and has offered improvements and fixes for the projects that went even slightly astray. Thankfully he wasn't watching when, after Jessica and I had painstakingly measured and divided the very last egg in the refrigerator into egg white for my recipe and whole egg for hers, I bumped into the table and spilled several ounces. A brisk walk up to the main kitchen for 5 dozen more eggs and all was well. This week has been good, with some baked items that I had never seen before. The heavy high-ratio cake seemed like a brick until he explained that we would cut it in thin disks and use if as the base of our Ice Cream Cake. We also completed baked Alaska, joconde cake, pecan bars, and pumpkin bread (for the bake sale, of course). A few absences through the week left us short-handed, with Enju experiencing a hurt back and Sandy recovering from a weekend on Kauai with the Marines. She's so patriotic, helping our boys with their adjustment in returning from overseas.
Staying at the home of some terrific friends, I've tried to make myself useful by helping with the cooking and it's brought home the fact that even with all the stuff I've learned this last year there are millions of moms and grandmas out there that can cook me under the table. Now I realize that professional cooking will be much different in the quantities, timing, equipment, and such, and I know that if I do my best that it will turn out ok, but I can't shake the feeling that they eat it and smile and say it's good just to be polite. I need to work on my confidence.
We had an extensive discussion about some of the more intricate things we've learned and how once we learned them we were told that we would probably never make it again. Hmmmmm. Demi Glace, the base for most of the brown sauces, is time consuming to make and the formula, while sounding simple enough, is a little tricky to get right. So we learned to make it and then Chef told us that "You probably won't find a professional kitchen that makes their own, they buy it in a prepared base." O.K. Stocks, the basic building block of almost all soups, sauces, gravies, braises and stews, is pretty easy to make, but the large pots and lack of storage make the concentrated bases far more desirable for the pro kitchen. We learned Cherries Jubilee and Crepes Suzette complete with the flambe flourish, then were told that most restaurants can't do the flame anymore because of fire hazard. This is all a part of being "classically" trained. I for one am glad I've had the chance to work on these sorts of items, because when they look in the pantry and find they are out of beef stock, I'll be right there to save the day! Assuming I remember how.
So it didn't take much calculation to realize that we have exactly 15 school days left, a short Thanksgiving week with Chef Chad, and then our final phase, Hot Kitchen II for three more weeks. I've been asked if I will continue to post The Innocent, keeping those few that are still interested apprised of my success or lack thereof in The Industry. I think I will, at least until I'm a real pro or my culinary aspirations come crashing down around me. Honestly can't say which it is more likely to be at this point. But until then, there's still a month of learning in store so stay tuned.
“The best way to execute French cooking is to get good and loaded and whack the hell out of a chicken. Bon appétit. ” ― Julia Child
Friday, November 11, 2011
Who doesn't like cookies?
Welcome to another edition of the international juggernaut that is The Innocent. In checking out the statistics for this humble blog I've learned that we have been viewed by a lot of tasteful folks around the world, and I'd like to take this opportunity to say Thank You to our readers in:
Malaysia - Terima kasih!
Germany - Danke!
Brazil - Gracias!
Russia - спасибо!
Denmark - Tak!
Taiwan - 谢谢
Canada - Thanks, eh?
Philippines - salamat
Australia - Good on ya, mate!
Although the huge majority of page views have come from the U.S., it's gratifying to know that good people everywhere are interested in the story of my time at Gros Bonnet. Or that good people everywhere used the word "innocent" in some google search and went as far as page 14 of the results and checked us out.
Also a shout out to the obviously cool staff at Scribnia, who said of The Innocent:
"This entertaining blog follows his journey with a humorous look as he chops, sautes and bakes his way to graduation."
For the most part, I have been feeling pretty good about the work and learning that I've been doing at school, and a lot of that has to do with the support and positive encouragement I've gotten from family and friends. But every once in a while I come across a person that seems determined to jam a stick in the spokes of my positive outlook. Wendy and I went to dinner a couple weeks ago at a pretty nice Japanese restaurant in Honolulu (one of those places where they tap and throw the knives and toss shrimp tails into their hats) for a night out before she headed to school. Our "chef" was Brandon, who had the title "Executive Chef" on his whites, which I reasoned meant that he was very experienced and qualified. We had our own table and plenty of opportunity to chat and Wendy mentioned that I was going to Gros Bonnet, which elicited a lengthy story of how Brandon had graduated the culinary course at Kapiolani Community College but had found that once he started working in the restaurant biz that "Everything we learned at school was useless and a waste of time." He had me bumming, but Wendy reminded me after he left that pretty much all he did was cut up shrimp, steak, and chicken on a hot grill. And that wasn't even any good, as despite all the tapping and rattling of the salt and pepper shakers he wasn't able to get ANY seasoning on our food. So F%#k him, he tosses shrimp tails into his hat for a living.
He DID make one of the better onion slice volcanoes I've seen, though.
I've dubbed this week Cookie Week in the bake shop. We did lots of different types, drop cookies, bar cookies, molded and/or stencil cookies, tuile cookies, springerle cookies, macaroons. All turned out pretty good, most tasted great, and some were just pretty. Sadly, the marble pound cake that I suspect was for the bake sale ended up mushy in the middle due to either 1. It was not mixed properly, or 2. Something was off in the measuring. For whatever reason, they couldn't be sold, so we each ended up with a loaf, and I'm not ashamed to say that I ate the good firm parts around the outside (which tasted great) and tossed the goo. Waste not, want not.
In looking back at the first few posting of this blog, I noticed some things we were told would happen but have never materialized. We haven't taken a single field trip, nor have we been asked to provide assistance to many restaurants around town, mostly just the small shops looking for free labor. Chef Masa asked us to come help with a banquet at the resort he works at, but between packing and getting Wendy off to her course, I wasn't able to participate. If his offer of continuing sushi instruction still stands I will try to get in a couple sessions with him, mostly because I really like sushi.
We've been through the fire, it now seems almost as though we are coasting to the finish line. I know Chef Chad has some work for us to do in the next couple weeks, and our last three weeks in the Hot Kitchen with the new Chef are an unknown...But from what I've heard, he's an excellent chef and instructor.
Thursday we experienced the road closures associated with the APEC Conference that the state has been warning about. I was chatting with a young Army private who was on road duty when a scroungy guy with a dirty hat on rode by quickly on a bicycle and said to the soldier "Dude, get a real job". It happened so fast that I only had the opportunity to shout "Asshole!" and he was gone. Two other people waiting on the street shouted at him, too, which I found very gratifying. But I wish I could have gotten a stick into his spokes.
Today is Veteran's Day. I hope that everyone has offered thanks and remembrances to all the Veterans that have served over the course of our history. I am proud and humbled to be included in that company, and wish the best for my comrades-in-arms now and in the future.
Well Said:
"As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them." -John Fitzgerald Kennedy
In war, there are no unwounded soldiers. -José Narosky
In the beginning of a change, the patriot is a scarce man, and brave, and hated and scorned. When his cause succeeds, the timid join him, for then it costs nothing to be a patriot. -Mark Twain
Neither a wise man nor a brave man lies down on the tracks of history to wait for the train of the future to run over him. -Dwight D. Eisenhower
We often take for granted the very things that most deserve our gratitude.
Cynthia Ozick
Malaysia - Terima kasih!
Germany - Danke!
Brazil - Gracias!
Russia - спасибо!
Denmark - Tak!
Taiwan - 谢谢
Canada - Thanks, eh?
Philippines - salamat
Australia - Good on ya, mate!
Although the huge majority of page views have come from the U.S., it's gratifying to know that good people everywhere are interested in the story of my time at Gros Bonnet. Or that good people everywhere used the word "innocent" in some google search and went as far as page 14 of the results and checked us out.
Also a shout out to the obviously cool staff at Scribnia, who said of The Innocent:
"This entertaining blog follows his journey with a humorous look as he chops, sautes and bakes his way to graduation."
For the most part, I have been feeling pretty good about the work and learning that I've been doing at school, and a lot of that has to do with the support and positive encouragement I've gotten from family and friends. But every once in a while I come across a person that seems determined to jam a stick in the spokes of my positive outlook. Wendy and I went to dinner a couple weeks ago at a pretty nice Japanese restaurant in Honolulu (one of those places where they tap and throw the knives and toss shrimp tails into their hats) for a night out before she headed to school. Our "chef" was Brandon, who had the title "Executive Chef" on his whites, which I reasoned meant that he was very experienced and qualified. We had our own table and plenty of opportunity to chat and Wendy mentioned that I was going to Gros Bonnet, which elicited a lengthy story of how Brandon had graduated the culinary course at Kapiolani Community College but had found that once he started working in the restaurant biz that "Everything we learned at school was useless and a waste of time." He had me bumming, but Wendy reminded me after he left that pretty much all he did was cut up shrimp, steak, and chicken on a hot grill. And that wasn't even any good, as despite all the tapping and rattling of the salt and pepper shakers he wasn't able to get ANY seasoning on our food. So F%#k him, he tosses shrimp tails into his hat for a living.
He DID make one of the better onion slice volcanoes I've seen, though.
I've dubbed this week Cookie Week in the bake shop. We did lots of different types, drop cookies, bar cookies, molded and/or stencil cookies, tuile cookies, springerle cookies, macaroons. All turned out pretty good, most tasted great, and some were just pretty. Sadly, the marble pound cake that I suspect was for the bake sale ended up mushy in the middle due to either 1. It was not mixed properly, or 2. Something was off in the measuring. For whatever reason, they couldn't be sold, so we each ended up with a loaf, and I'm not ashamed to say that I ate the good firm parts around the outside (which tasted great) and tossed the goo. Waste not, want not.
In looking back at the first few posting of this blog, I noticed some things we were told would happen but have never materialized. We haven't taken a single field trip, nor have we been asked to provide assistance to many restaurants around town, mostly just the small shops looking for free labor. Chef Masa asked us to come help with a banquet at the resort he works at, but between packing and getting Wendy off to her course, I wasn't able to participate. If his offer of continuing sushi instruction still stands I will try to get in a couple sessions with him, mostly because I really like sushi.
We've been through the fire, it now seems almost as though we are coasting to the finish line. I know Chef Chad has some work for us to do in the next couple weeks, and our last three weeks in the Hot Kitchen with the new Chef are an unknown...But from what I've heard, he's an excellent chef and instructor.
Thursday we experienced the road closures associated with the APEC Conference that the state has been warning about. I was chatting with a young Army private who was on road duty when a scroungy guy with a dirty hat on rode by quickly on a bicycle and said to the soldier "Dude, get a real job". It happened so fast that I only had the opportunity to shout "Asshole!" and he was gone. Two other people waiting on the street shouted at him, too, which I found very gratifying. But I wish I could have gotten a stick into his spokes.
Today is Veteran's Day. I hope that everyone has offered thanks and remembrances to all the Veterans that have served over the course of our history. I am proud and humbled to be included in that company, and wish the best for my comrades-in-arms now and in the future.
Well Said:
"As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them." -John Fitzgerald Kennedy
In war, there are no unwounded soldiers. -José Narosky
In the beginning of a change, the patriot is a scarce man, and brave, and hated and scorned. When his cause succeeds, the timid join him, for then it costs nothing to be a patriot. -Mark Twain
Neither a wise man nor a brave man lies down on the tracks of history to wait for the train of the future to run over him. -Dwight D. Eisenhower
We often take for granted the very things that most deserve our gratitude.
Cynthia Ozick
Sunday, November 6, 2011
The Road to Morocco
Halfway home in our third and last rotation through the kitchens of Gros Bonnet. Our third trip through Chef Klaus' Hot Kitchen I ended up being interesting and quite successful. Chef Klaus himself was for the most part patient, pleasant, and helpful. I hope he's ok. Of course it wouldn't seem right if we breezed through with no issues or arguments, and there were a few. The subject of test questions came up and where we would normally get not only the answers we need, but also the background, history, and expanded explanations, it was suggested that we save time and just get the answers. This didn't set too well with Chef Klaus, as his teaching style involves flexing his considerable knowledge for us. I also disagreed with the idea of just getting the answers because my pointy little brain likes to grasp context and reference to learn, so I voiced my opinion one time and then let the subject work itself out. Work itself out it did, with Chef Klaus getting a little pissy and refusing to expound on answers even when more information was obviously needed. I guess he showed us!
In the end it was of no matter, as everyone did well on the written test. The elusive perfect score escaped me yet again as I got 35.5 out of a possible 36. And no one to blame but my own dumb self, as I forgot to write down the most important step in making a hollandaise reduction....reducing. I thought it, I listed it to myself in the steps, I even had the 2/3 ratio right, but if you don't write it down, you blow it. C'est la Vie.
On Wednesday we prepared our evaluation meal, an excellent menu that Jessica and Sandy spearheaded that included a mixed greens salad with a nice creamy vinaigrette and shrimp mousse-filled savory pastry for the appetizer. This was simple, and allowed Van to redeem a failed vinaigrette from earlier in the week. Jessica's pate au choux pastries refused to expand when baked, and she was understandably very upset as we adjusted by using them as crumpets with the crab mousse on top...very tasty. We've had many issues with the temperatures in the ovens the last two weeks, and I think the pastries were a victim of that inconsistency.
The main course was my poached pork loin with a demi glace sauce that was good (without being outstanding), accompanied by potato fritters and sauteed green beans. Dessert was an excellent pumpkin roll with a sweetened cream cheese filling. Chef Klaus invited the ladies that develop the menu at Paradise Dinner Cruises to come and act as our evaluators and they were very nice, if not exactly generous with their scoring of our dishes. Chef's score is the one that counts the most, and he gave us 108 of a possible 120 points. This is a great improvement on our last rotation and we were very happy to get out of his kitchen in good academic shape.
When in doubt, go with your gut. While making vegetable ravioli, Jessica had them boiling and I asked if she was going to turn them over, thinking I had heard that instruction from Chef Klaus. She asked me if he had said to turn them, and I was overcome with doubt, so I decided to ask Chef...he said to "Yes, turn them over, didn't I tell you that?" To which I replied "yes, you did", thereby making Jessica look like she wasn't paying attention and making myself look like I sabotaged her by not saying that in the first place. All because of my self-doubt. Last week Chef Klaus told Jessica "Use your brain, you know a lot more than you think you do!" I asked why he had never said that to me...no answer was needed.
This rotation also found us introduced to some delicious and exotic dishes from around the world...Nasi Goreng from India, Paella from Spain, and in what I think was the best meal we've had all year at school, Moroccan Tajine (lamb, chicken, vegetables, dates slow braised in a covered pot) over cous cous, accompanied by an awesome creamy caramelized onion soup that was simply great. I also very much liked the small rolled balls of chopped dates, nuts, prunes, and raisins bound with honey and rolled in cinnamon and sugar. It was a good three weeks.
I have to add here that in Chef Masa's Garde last month I made a Baba Ganoush. I made it only because of it's repeated use on the old TV show MXC. If you know what I mean, you know what I mean.
Come Monday it's over to the Bake Shop and the precise instruction of Chef Chad. I'm very much looking forward to these three weeks, as I've had some real fun on the baking side of things and I believe we will be working with cookies, specialty cakes, and Bavarian Cream
Can we all just agree to disagree?
Our evaluation vinaigrette: Judges said too tart. We all agreed it was, if anything, too sweet.
The vegetable ravioli: Jessica kept calling it a "disaster". I thought they were dandy.
The World Series: Texas thought they had it won...The Cardinals disagreed.
The NBA lockout: 5 million/year average salary...Can we agree that we don't give a rat's ass?
The 99%: Yeah, whatever.
A gourmet who thinks of calories is like a tart who looks at her watch.James Beard
In the end it was of no matter, as everyone did well on the written test. The elusive perfect score escaped me yet again as I got 35.5 out of a possible 36. And no one to blame but my own dumb self, as I forgot to write down the most important step in making a hollandaise reduction....reducing. I thought it, I listed it to myself in the steps, I even had the 2/3 ratio right, but if you don't write it down, you blow it. C'est la Vie.
On Wednesday we prepared our evaluation meal, an excellent menu that Jessica and Sandy spearheaded that included a mixed greens salad with a nice creamy vinaigrette and shrimp mousse-filled savory pastry for the appetizer. This was simple, and allowed Van to redeem a failed vinaigrette from earlier in the week. Jessica's pate au choux pastries refused to expand when baked, and she was understandably very upset as we adjusted by using them as crumpets with the crab mousse on top...very tasty. We've had many issues with the temperatures in the ovens the last two weeks, and I think the pastries were a victim of that inconsistency.
The main course was my poached pork loin with a demi glace sauce that was good (without being outstanding), accompanied by potato fritters and sauteed green beans. Dessert was an excellent pumpkin roll with a sweetened cream cheese filling. Chef Klaus invited the ladies that develop the menu at Paradise Dinner Cruises to come and act as our evaluators and they were very nice, if not exactly generous with their scoring of our dishes. Chef's score is the one that counts the most, and he gave us 108 of a possible 120 points. This is a great improvement on our last rotation and we were very happy to get out of his kitchen in good academic shape.
When in doubt, go with your gut. While making vegetable ravioli, Jessica had them boiling and I asked if she was going to turn them over, thinking I had heard that instruction from Chef Klaus. She asked me if he had said to turn them, and I was overcome with doubt, so I decided to ask Chef...he said to "Yes, turn them over, didn't I tell you that?" To which I replied "yes, you did", thereby making Jessica look like she wasn't paying attention and making myself look like I sabotaged her by not saying that in the first place. All because of my self-doubt. Last week Chef Klaus told Jessica "Use your brain, you know a lot more than you think you do!" I asked why he had never said that to me...no answer was needed.
This rotation also found us introduced to some delicious and exotic dishes from around the world...Nasi Goreng from India, Paella from Spain, and in what I think was the best meal we've had all year at school, Moroccan Tajine (lamb, chicken, vegetables, dates slow braised in a covered pot) over cous cous, accompanied by an awesome creamy caramelized onion soup that was simply great. I also very much liked the small rolled balls of chopped dates, nuts, prunes, and raisins bound with honey and rolled in cinnamon and sugar. It was a good three weeks.
I have to add here that in Chef Masa's Garde last month I made a Baba Ganoush. I made it only because of it's repeated use on the old TV show MXC. If you know what I mean, you know what I mean.
Come Monday it's over to the Bake Shop and the precise instruction of Chef Chad. I'm very much looking forward to these three weeks, as I've had some real fun on the baking side of things and I believe we will be working with cookies, specialty cakes, and Bavarian Cream
Can we all just agree to disagree?
Our evaluation vinaigrette: Judges said too tart. We all agreed it was, if anything, too sweet.
The vegetable ravioli: Jessica kept calling it a "disaster". I thought they were dandy.
The World Series: Texas thought they had it won...The Cardinals disagreed.
The NBA lockout: 5 million/year average salary...Can we agree that we don't give a rat's ass?
The 99%: Yeah, whatever.
A gourmet who thinks of calories is like a tart who looks at her watch.James Beard
Friday, October 21, 2011
Long time, no see!
I've come to realize that I can be something of a fair-weather blogger. Between getting ready for the next few months of home and family turmoil and a head/chest cold that wiped me out for a solid week I have neglected The Innocent, and for that I apologize.
Having left you hanging on the edge of your seats with the question as to whether the school would actually provide the needed ingredients for our week of individual recipes in Chef Masa's kitchen, I must report very happily that we pretty much got everything that we wanted. No, I didn't get the whole salmon that I wanted, but the single large fillet that I did get was plenty for my needs, and I will admit here that I only wanted the whole salmon so that the others could get hands-on fillet experience. Mascarpone, butterfish, green-lipped mussels, scallops, New York strip, and plenty of multi-colored bell peppers (a simple veg, but ridiculously priced at over $6/pound here) were waiting for us on Monday morning. I'm not sure just how much flack Chef Masa got for ordering a lot of hot kitchen foods for the Garde Manger, but he came through big time. The few items that were missing or just wrong (a can of chopped chowder clams isn't the same as whole clams) were quickly fixed by Chef Masa, who hopped on his bike (literally-he rides a bicycle every day) and rode to the store 8 blocks away and got us what we needed. A Class act, that Chef Masa.
So, with everything we needed and a full week to produce, what sort of kitchen magic were we able to perform? I will sadly say that my gravlax (salt-, pepper-, and dill-cured salmon fillet) turned out exactly as it should, and while it made a nice canape topper and had an...interesting...flavor, I won't likely be sending it out with my holiday treats. My blackened NY strip sandwich, however, had a terrific and not-too- overpowering heat that we thought was excellent. Jessica offered up a poached butterfish that I thought was great, even if she obsessed over the few bones that were left in. Enju prepared mussels and in the interest of "If you can't say something nice..."
Our third week in the Garde was shortened by Columbus Day (I guess it's called Discoverer's Day now, but I'm old school) for everyone and further reduced for me by the worst cold I've had in many years. With the Monday holiday and staying home sick Tuesday, I felt compelled to come to class Wednesday. It was a terrible day, I was miserable and I made everybody else miserable. Chef Masa was concerned for me, asking if I wanted to sit down, take a break, etc... I became cranky and snapped at him a couple times for no reason, which makes me feel like a heel because he was just being nice. But I truly didn't want to sit down OR carve that radish. So I chose to miss Thursday, too. Friday and Saturday also found me home on the couch in a haze of Alka-seltzer Cold formula and Nyquil. I'm feeling much better, now, thanks.
As an added note, Chef Masa has upgraded to a motor scooter so that he can commute to his other full-time job as a sushi and buffet chef at Kahala Resort, a very fine property that is just a little too far for him to peddle to. Enju has taken a prep job there also and they roll a lot of rice together.
Out of the Garde Manger and over to Chef Klaus' Hot Kitchen this week. He's been in good spirits and so have we, our cooking has gone well with no one making enough of a mistake to get yelled at. Roasted lamb, poached pork loin, avocado mousse-stuffed chicken breast, crab-stuffed calamari, pork and polenta-stuffed peppers have all turned out terrific and gone very well with our goulash soup (there was some question on the spelling, which Chef attributed to being German) and fennel jus. We had some dandy eclairs for dessert Thursday, and I have to mention my own bread pudding with bourbon sauce that turned out much better than I expected. Chef Klaus rarely eats our products, but he had a full portion of bread pudding and declared it "A damn good whiskey sauce!". I don't think the others were as impressed, but if Chef likes it, Yay for me.
Chef Klaus spent some down time regaling us with scary tales of the cuts, burns, bruises and pains he has endured throughout his apprenticeship and career. Boiling stock poured down your arm, falling onto a broken bottle, having a cantankerous old chef literally kick you in the ass, and having a co-worker hit you in the back with a 1/2 gallon ladle sounds like a tough way to make a living, but I suppose over a 45-year career it's just par for the course. His apprenticeship was three years, working 5 days a week in the kitchen of a large hotel that serviced 4 restaurants ranging from fast food and sandwiches to gourmet dining. The 6th day of the week he was in class, and on the 7th day he rested. Makes our school time seem pretty manageable, eh?
A Chef Klaus added note: Chef started and forgot about a pan of lemon-honey sesame seeds on the stove, which we noticed when we smelled the smoke. He berated himself and cleaned it up himself. These things happen.
Yet another new class came into the fold this week, bringing home to us again how close we are getting to the end of our time here. When we talk with the students that are at different stages of the course, it is interesting to hear many of the same comments and complaints that we voiced throughout the last 10 months. The 2d rotation class seemed to enjoy "Pie Week" with Chef Chad in the adjoining bake shop this week, and the new guys are already anticipating getting their whites and knives. Ah, the cuts that are just waiting to happen!
Influences in My Life: Food Edition
Age 5 or 6: I found out that vanilla frosting and cold bacon grease look a lot alike. I learned to taste and smell things before putting a whole finger-full in my mouth.
Age 13/14: I read "Cannery Row" by John Steinbeck. When Doc took a long drive to La Jolla to collect octopus, stopping when he got hungry for sandwiches and beer. That seemed like the coolest thing ever, to drive where you wanted and stop and eat when and wherever you wanted.
Age 21: On my Birthday at Kuhnle's Tavern, Marysville, WA: I knocked over and spilled my first ever legally purchased beer.
Age 38: Carcross, Yukon Territory Train Station: Let the tourists eat the ice cream across the street, the brewed coffee with condensed milk became one of my all-time favorite stops on the road.
Currently: The many things I'd never seen or touched, let alone worked with in the kitchen. Lamb, veal, fennel, celeriac, aspic...and so many more to come.
Having left you hanging on the edge of your seats with the question as to whether the school would actually provide the needed ingredients for our week of individual recipes in Chef Masa's kitchen, I must report very happily that we pretty much got everything that we wanted. No, I didn't get the whole salmon that I wanted, but the single large fillet that I did get was plenty for my needs, and I will admit here that I only wanted the whole salmon so that the others could get hands-on fillet experience. Mascarpone, butterfish, green-lipped mussels, scallops, New York strip, and plenty of multi-colored bell peppers (a simple veg, but ridiculously priced at over $6/pound here) were waiting for us on Monday morning. I'm not sure just how much flack Chef Masa got for ordering a lot of hot kitchen foods for the Garde Manger, but he came through big time. The few items that were missing or just wrong (a can of chopped chowder clams isn't the same as whole clams) were quickly fixed by Chef Masa, who hopped on his bike (literally-he rides a bicycle every day) and rode to the store 8 blocks away and got us what we needed. A Class act, that Chef Masa.
So, with everything we needed and a full week to produce, what sort of kitchen magic were we able to perform? I will sadly say that my gravlax (salt-, pepper-, and dill-cured salmon fillet) turned out exactly as it should, and while it made a nice canape topper and had an...interesting...flavor, I won't likely be sending it out with my holiday treats. My blackened NY strip sandwich, however, had a terrific and not-too- overpowering heat that we thought was excellent. Jessica offered up a poached butterfish that I thought was great, even if she obsessed over the few bones that were left in. Enju prepared mussels and in the interest of "If you can't say something nice..."
Our third week in the Garde was shortened by Columbus Day (I guess it's called Discoverer's Day now, but I'm old school) for everyone and further reduced for me by the worst cold I've had in many years. With the Monday holiday and staying home sick Tuesday, I felt compelled to come to class Wednesday. It was a terrible day, I was miserable and I made everybody else miserable. Chef Masa was concerned for me, asking if I wanted to sit down, take a break, etc... I became cranky and snapped at him a couple times for no reason, which makes me feel like a heel because he was just being nice. But I truly didn't want to sit down OR carve that radish. So I chose to miss Thursday, too. Friday and Saturday also found me home on the couch in a haze of Alka-seltzer Cold formula and Nyquil. I'm feeling much better, now, thanks.
As an added note, Chef Masa has upgraded to a motor scooter so that he can commute to his other full-time job as a sushi and buffet chef at Kahala Resort, a very fine property that is just a little too far for him to peddle to. Enju has taken a prep job there also and they roll a lot of rice together.
Out of the Garde Manger and over to Chef Klaus' Hot Kitchen this week. He's been in good spirits and so have we, our cooking has gone well with no one making enough of a mistake to get yelled at. Roasted lamb, poached pork loin, avocado mousse-stuffed chicken breast, crab-stuffed calamari, pork and polenta-stuffed peppers have all turned out terrific and gone very well with our goulash soup (there was some question on the spelling, which Chef attributed to being German) and fennel jus. We had some dandy eclairs for dessert Thursday, and I have to mention my own bread pudding with bourbon sauce that turned out much better than I expected. Chef Klaus rarely eats our products, but he had a full portion of bread pudding and declared it "A damn good whiskey sauce!". I don't think the others were as impressed, but if Chef likes it, Yay for me.
Chef Klaus spent some down time regaling us with scary tales of the cuts, burns, bruises and pains he has endured throughout his apprenticeship and career. Boiling stock poured down your arm, falling onto a broken bottle, having a cantankerous old chef literally kick you in the ass, and having a co-worker hit you in the back with a 1/2 gallon ladle sounds like a tough way to make a living, but I suppose over a 45-year career it's just par for the course. His apprenticeship was three years, working 5 days a week in the kitchen of a large hotel that serviced 4 restaurants ranging from fast food and sandwiches to gourmet dining. The 6th day of the week he was in class, and on the 7th day he rested. Makes our school time seem pretty manageable, eh?
A Chef Klaus added note: Chef started and forgot about a pan of lemon-honey sesame seeds on the stove, which we noticed when we smelled the smoke. He berated himself and cleaned it up himself. These things happen.
Yet another new class came into the fold this week, bringing home to us again how close we are getting to the end of our time here. When we talk with the students that are at different stages of the course, it is interesting to hear many of the same comments and complaints that we voiced throughout the last 10 months. The 2d rotation class seemed to enjoy "Pie Week" with Chef Chad in the adjoining bake shop this week, and the new guys are already anticipating getting their whites and knives. Ah, the cuts that are just waiting to happen!
Influences in My Life: Food Edition
Age 5 or 6: I found out that vanilla frosting and cold bacon grease look a lot alike. I learned to taste and smell things before putting a whole finger-full in my mouth.
Age 13/14: I read "Cannery Row" by John Steinbeck. When Doc took a long drive to La Jolla to collect octopus, stopping when he got hungry for sandwiches and beer. That seemed like the coolest thing ever, to drive where you wanted and stop and eat when and wherever you wanted.
Age 21: On my Birthday at Kuhnle's Tavern, Marysville, WA: I knocked over and spilled my first ever legally purchased beer.
Age 38: Carcross, Yukon Territory Train Station: Let the tourists eat the ice cream across the street, the brewed coffee with condensed milk became one of my all-time favorite stops on the road.
Currently: The many things I'd never seen or touched, let alone worked with in the kitchen. Lamb, veal, fennel, celeriac, aspic...and so many more to come.
Sunday, October 2, 2011
Sushi and Fish...Not quite the same thing.
Well, it was a LONG three weeks of classroom instruction, but everyone passed the huge final test (I'm not even being a smart-ass this time, it was a long and challenging test). Chef Chad was given the thankless task of bringing us up to speed on mostly administrative topics and he got us through it with his usual thorough efficiency. Anyone who thought that math had no place in the kitchen never had to convert a recipe for 1 quart of mushroom soup to a recipe that would cover 320 guests at a banquet while establishing the cost of each ingredient (allowing for waste-vs-edible amount), determine the food cost percentage in relation to the income produced, and establish the conversions for volume measures-vs-weight. My simplified version:
1 quart soup = 320 guests X 4.5oz each < edible portion % + wild mushrooms @ 5.49/lb - 10% trim and waste *before cooking(using 3X as your integer)^720 oz stock/>4.63<fresh thyme multiplied by the square root of the diameter of Oprah Winfree's ass & whatever the hell else you can add to an equation. Then call Little Caesar's and tell them to eat the damn pizza pizza instead. You know why algebra has all those symbols you never use? Because it F*^#&>ING SUCKS!
But I digress. Chef Chad did a good job keeping us in the game and focused through subjects like time and employee management, culinary math, stress management, plating theory, and ordering/receiving. He also prepped us well for the big test, and for all this we thank him.
Last week it was back into the cold kitchen and Chef Masa, who has been hired on as the full time replacement for Chef Otto. Chef Masa has become a favorite among the students through his constantly good nature and very easy to meet kitchen demands. It has become a bit of a joke that no matter what we make, how it looks, or how far it is from the recipe, Chef Masa says "Is good!" or "Is OK!". Realizing that we tend to always say "that's great" or "wow, I really like that" when we try each other's dish, we've started using reverse compliments. The better something is, the less we claim to like it. So when Enju tries something and tells me "It's just OK, not very good" I am very pleased. We may be getting a little loopy.
Chef Masa has been a pro sushi dude for a long time and this week we spent a day doing sticky rice and various rolls trying to get the technique down as well as make them as pretty as we can. I am sadly lacking in arts and crafts skill, so while my rolls were certainly tasty and properly rolled, they weren't as pretty as the others. I used salmon caviar for some color, but it looked like eyes, so my tempura shrimp roll ended up looking like the star of an animated short film from Pixar. As with all things, I'll get better with practice.
On Wednesday, Chef Masa asked us to each write down 4 recipes that we wanted to make next week and provide a list of ingredients that he can order for Monday. We chose a lot of very nice sounding projects, but I have to admit to being skeptical about the odds on the school coming through with the ingredients that we asked for. If they will just get me the whole salmon that I wanted to make gravlax, I will be amazed and happy. Things like fresh berries and scallops shouldn't be a problem. Jessica mentioned and I agree that the morning we spent putting together our recipes was one of the most fun and interesting of the whole year because we were able to use our own thoughts on menu. This week could be a good time.
Chef Masa (at our request, and at his own personal expense) also brought in some whole tilapia,sole, and mackeral for us to work with, since our hands-on experience in fillet and cutting has been lacking. Seems it's just easier and cheaper to buy the salmon, mahi mahi, tuna, and sole processed and frozen. So the class got to do some real fish rendering. I've dealt with fish my whole life, but there was really a lot to learn for the others and it was a good, if short-lived experience.
Last week was the graduation of the class ahead of ours, making us the Seniors at the school. Our own grad date is December 15, and with our big final test out of the way we just need to concentrate on our kitchen performance and continue to ingrain the procedures and techniques. We are joined in this last rotation by Van, a guy that was in the class ahead but had to miss a couple months and so will be going through it with us. He's a cool guy and will be a welcome addition. Three weeks left in each of the kitchen phases where the expectations will be much higher and the dishes more complex. Here we go.
Things that make me :) or :(
Haleiwa Joe's furikake-crusted Opah :)
The Red Sox and Braves both crashing like lead balloons in September :)
The Mariners crashing in June :(
Getting ready to move :)
Getting ready to move to El Paso, TX :(
The last season of "Hell's Kitchen" :(
The neighbor lady that brings her month-old baby that squalls like a wounded dog out to the lanai at 6 am for the whole neighborhood to enjoy :(
Sandy didn't make the cut for "The Next Food Network Star" :(
But they told her they thought they'd be seeing her again sometime :)
1 quart soup = 320 guests X 4.5oz each < edible portion % + wild mushrooms @ 5.49/lb - 10% trim and waste *before cooking(using 3X as your integer)^720 oz stock/>4.63<fresh thyme multiplied by the square root of the diameter of Oprah Winfree's ass & whatever the hell else you can add to an equation. Then call Little Caesar's and tell them to eat the damn pizza pizza instead. You know why algebra has all those symbols you never use? Because it F*^#&>ING SUCKS!
But I digress. Chef Chad did a good job keeping us in the game and focused through subjects like time and employee management, culinary math, stress management, plating theory, and ordering/receiving. He also prepped us well for the big test, and for all this we thank him.
Last week it was back into the cold kitchen and Chef Masa, who has been hired on as the full time replacement for Chef Otto. Chef Masa has become a favorite among the students through his constantly good nature and very easy to meet kitchen demands. It has become a bit of a joke that no matter what we make, how it looks, or how far it is from the recipe, Chef Masa says "Is good!" or "Is OK!". Realizing that we tend to always say "that's great" or "wow, I really like that" when we try each other's dish, we've started using reverse compliments. The better something is, the less we claim to like it. So when Enju tries something and tells me "It's just OK, not very good" I am very pleased. We may be getting a little loopy.
Chef Masa has been a pro sushi dude for a long time and this week we spent a day doing sticky rice and various rolls trying to get the technique down as well as make them as pretty as we can. I am sadly lacking in arts and crafts skill, so while my rolls were certainly tasty and properly rolled, they weren't as pretty as the others. I used salmon caviar for some color, but it looked like eyes, so my tempura shrimp roll ended up looking like the star of an animated short film from Pixar. As with all things, I'll get better with practice.
On Wednesday, Chef Masa asked us to each write down 4 recipes that we wanted to make next week and provide a list of ingredients that he can order for Monday. We chose a lot of very nice sounding projects, but I have to admit to being skeptical about the odds on the school coming through with the ingredients that we asked for. If they will just get me the whole salmon that I wanted to make gravlax, I will be amazed and happy. Things like fresh berries and scallops shouldn't be a problem. Jessica mentioned and I agree that the morning we spent putting together our recipes was one of the most fun and interesting of the whole year because we were able to use our own thoughts on menu. This week could be a good time.
Chef Masa (at our request, and at his own personal expense) also brought in some whole tilapia,sole, and mackeral for us to work with, since our hands-on experience in fillet and cutting has been lacking. Seems it's just easier and cheaper to buy the salmon, mahi mahi, tuna, and sole processed and frozen. So the class got to do some real fish rendering. I've dealt with fish my whole life, but there was really a lot to learn for the others and it was a good, if short-lived experience.
Last week was the graduation of the class ahead of ours, making us the Seniors at the school. Our own grad date is December 15, and with our big final test out of the way we just need to concentrate on our kitchen performance and continue to ingrain the procedures and techniques. We are joined in this last rotation by Van, a guy that was in the class ahead but had to miss a couple months and so will be going through it with us. He's a cool guy and will be a welcome addition. Three weeks left in each of the kitchen phases where the expectations will be much higher and the dishes more complex. Here we go.
Things that make me :) or :(
Haleiwa Joe's furikake-crusted Opah :)
The Red Sox and Braves both crashing like lead balloons in September :)
The Mariners crashing in June :(
Getting ready to move :)
Getting ready to move to El Paso, TX :(
The last season of "Hell's Kitchen" :(
The neighbor lady that brings her month-old baby that squalls like a wounded dog out to the lanai at 6 am for the whole neighborhood to enjoy :(
Sandy didn't make the cut for "The Next Food Network Star" :(
But they told her they thought they'd be seeing her again sometime :)
"Bad cooks -- and the utter lack of reason in the Kitchen -- have delayed human development longest and impaired it most."
~ Friedrich Nietzsche (October 15, 1844 - August 25, 1900)
Saturday, September 17, 2011
The Innocent - Shameless plug edition
Yeah, yeah, yeah...I skipped a week. So Piss off!
Sorry, I've been watching a lot of Gordon Ramsay lately. Hell's Kitchen, Kitchen Nightmares, and The F Word are some of our favorite T.V. shows. Kitchen Nightmares in particular offers a real look at some of the problems that restaurants have to deal with (beyond the made-for-TV drama) when it comes to employees, menu, supply, and effort. It seems (in the TV world, at least) that most troubled eateries could be helped out by adaptability, quality control, and elbow grease. The fact that 8 out of 10 new restaurants close within the first two years of operation proves that it's not a business for the faint of heart or lazy.
My great friend Bryon runs Alaska Gourmet Subs, one of the highest-rated and most popular small operations in Anchorage, AK. With a staff of only seven, he has invested his LIFE into this little shop morning till night, 7 days a week, for the last 6 years. This guy is my measure of what it takes to make a successful operation - dedication, customer service, and economy. It doesn't hurt that he makes the best soups in Alaska.
So as some of the new students that I became more familiar with over the course of the Grande Buffet have been passed the link to The Innocent, I considered looking back at previous posts to see if I had made any off-hand comments that might offend but decided that I've kept it pretty real and haven't called anyone names, so they get it just as everyone else did. You'll take it and like it!
Chef Chad has been our classroom instructor for the third rotation, providing guidance and information on a variety of mostly non-cooking related subjects like culinary mathematics, stress management, interviewing, and plating theory. Who knew that that there were theories on plating? Strong lines, soft lines, interlocking swirls, height to portion ratios, and table-view perspective. By comparison Chef Klaus gave us the standard European plate: main item toward the diner, starch on the left, veg on the right. It's all about your style.
And Chef Chad hates that little parsley sprig that so many kitchens put on every plate. I agree, a parsley sprig is a useless addition whose little bit of green really doesn't matter. Let's keep the orange wedge, though, it's tasty.
The class currently going through Chef Masa's Garde Manger spent a little of their own coin to bring in and prepare a large lobster that was beautifully plated (at least by height to portion interlocking strong line table view swirl standards). Chef Masa is a cool guy, and I'm looking forward to getting into the Garde next week to get back to kitchen work.
Sorry, I've been watching a lot of Gordon Ramsay lately. Hell's Kitchen, Kitchen Nightmares, and The F Word are some of our favorite T.V. shows. Kitchen Nightmares in particular offers a real look at some of the problems that restaurants have to deal with (beyond the made-for-TV drama) when it comes to employees, menu, supply, and effort. It seems (in the TV world, at least) that most troubled eateries could be helped out by adaptability, quality control, and elbow grease. The fact that 8 out of 10 new restaurants close within the first two years of operation proves that it's not a business for the faint of heart or lazy.
My great friend Bryon runs Alaska Gourmet Subs, one of the highest-rated and most popular small operations in Anchorage, AK. With a staff of only seven, he has invested his LIFE into this little shop morning till night, 7 days a week, for the last 6 years. This guy is my measure of what it takes to make a successful operation - dedication, customer service, and economy. It doesn't hurt that he makes the best soups in Alaska.
So as some of the new students that I became more familiar with over the course of the Grande Buffet have been passed the link to The Innocent, I considered looking back at previous posts to see if I had made any off-hand comments that might offend but decided that I've kept it pretty real and haven't called anyone names, so they get it just as everyone else did. You'll take it and like it!
Chef Chad has been our classroom instructor for the third rotation, providing guidance and information on a variety of mostly non-cooking related subjects like culinary mathematics, stress management, interviewing, and plating theory. Who knew that that there were theories on plating? Strong lines, soft lines, interlocking swirls, height to portion ratios, and table-view perspective. By comparison Chef Klaus gave us the standard European plate: main item toward the diner, starch on the left, veg on the right. It's all about your style.
And Chef Chad hates that little parsley sprig that so many kitchens put on every plate. I agree, a parsley sprig is a useless addition whose little bit of green really doesn't matter. Let's keep the orange wedge, though, it's tasty.
The class currently going through Chef Masa's Garde Manger spent a little of their own coin to bring in and prepare a large lobster that was beautifully plated (at least by height to portion interlocking strong line table view swirl standards). Chef Masa is a cool guy, and I'm looking forward to getting into the Garde next week to get back to kitchen work.
C.H.E.F.S. Hawaii stands for "Catering, Healthy Eating, Food Solutions" and is a terrific non-profit organization founded by Sandy and some of her friends that is geared toward providing healthy alternatives to those entities that use meals and/or food projects for fund raising. There is no shortage here on O'ahu of side-of-the-road fundraisers offering Krispy Kreme Donuts in exchange for donations to their cause, and while I am a big fan of K.K.D., obviously they are not for everyone. Or anyone, nutritionally. C.H.E.F.S. Hawaii is going the route of providing healthy, balanced food for use in fundraising events by offering up expertise in food preparation and nutrition provided through donations, solicitation, and some volunteer preparation from within the food service industry. I think it's an amazing service to offer to the community and whatever help I can give in the way of volunteer effort, I will. So check them out when you have a little time: http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/CHEFS-Hawaii/252868141419872?sk=info Well, the sad realization that not only would I NOT be the next Food Network Star, but would not even get a first call back, was tempered a little by finding out last week that Sandy did indeed get called back for a follow-up video interview for the producers in New York. She now has to wait a few weeks before finding out if she gets to move on while they finish up open auditions in Austin, TX. I'm really not surprised, as she is very bright, personable, and attractive...pretty much made for TV, and her show idea plays right into her education and skills. How can a chubby old dude have a chance? Guess I'll have to wait until they hold auditions for The Next Chunky Going Fishing and Beer Drinking Star. Of course then I'd have to compete with those catfish-groping hillbillies, so maybe I should just give up on my TV dreams. "Sometimes I go about in pity for myself, and all the while, a great wind carries me across the sky." - Old Ojibwe Saying |
Monday, September 5, 2011
Or maybe he's a magician...
Well, here it is the Labor Day weekend and with plenty of blogfodder rolling around in my brainbox I suppose it's time to push out another issue of the most talked-about and socially influential blog on the interweb. The Grand Buffet, new schoolmates, our third rotation, a potential Food Network Star is born, and The Bee Gees may or may not get mentioned so read on!
Our second Grand Buffet has come and gone, and the Asian Fusion theme means we had the opportunity to deal with huge amounts of ginger, soy sauce, raw fish, sushi rice, seaweed, and risotto. Risotto? Yeah, to make risotto look Asian, you cook up a HUGE batch of mushroom risotto, then spread it out on a sheet pan, chill, and cut out little cylinders that you roll in fumikaki seasoning (so they look like little sushi rolls, get it?) and Viola!, Asian themed risotto. The teaching point of this dish was that it's really not that tough to take a delicious mushroom risotto and turn it into a cold lump of mildly tasty goo. Here's where it takes a fun turn:
There is a bean ingredient called natto that is very popular in Japan (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natt%C5%8D). Most of the attendees at the buffet are of Japanese decent, so Robin, our narrator each evening, asked "who likes natto?" and announced the dish we called Not Your Usual Natto to applause and cheers from the crowd...then explained that there was no natto, but cold mushroom risotto, the disappointment on the customers' faces was priceless.
And would it kill them to have the students who are doing the work come down for a quick bow and introduction, you know, a little validation of their efforts?
The daytime classes were asked to work upstairs in the Garde Manger and we offered up a lot of pretty and tasty food over the four nights of the buffet that most of the patrons seemed to enjoy. Sushi rolls, sashimi bowls, panna cotta, fruit trays, light salads, asian slaw, caprese, and the infamous Not Natto Risotto to name a few. It was fun working with the few students (4) left in the class ahead of us who will graduate this month. We also got to know most of the new class and they seem like a cool and pretty talented group with great enthusiasm. They came into the Grand Buffet in exactly the same position our class did seven months ago, having done only three weeks in the cold kitchen and handled it very well, including making some really good snacks and lunches for the kitchen crew. Chef Masa was our fearless leader for the week, and kept things rolling despite a lot of confused looks from the crew and repeated pronunciation interpretation. On a side note, a couple of the new students seemed a little pushy with Chef Masa, who is very easy-going in his running of the kitchen...I am curious to see how that will go over in their next phase with Chef Klaus.
There was an open call audition for The Next Food Network Star in Honolulu this week and I was talked into giving it a shot. After all, there seems to be a shortage of stout older gents on most of the TV shows out there now. It was an interesting experience, with about 200 people showing up at the Sheridan Waikiki. I was number 81 and waited for about 3 hours for my 90 second interview. They say it takes all kinds, and the turnout at this audition proved that, with men, women, older, younger, thick, thin, with gimmick and without. I noticed, and pointed out to Sandy (who had signed in just ahead of me at number 78), a man dressed in purple velvet pants and bedazzled vest who was obviously going for the "zany offbeat" shtick or was perhaps a magician. After I came back from a break, This guy was just offering her a chance to be a showgirl for his magic act. I'm almost psychic, sometimes. Her pitch of "Food as Fuel" was inspired, I thought, and she would be a great choice for a spot on the show.
Wendy and I had a very nice Labor Day weekend. We did a little motorcycle riding around the Leeward side of the island, went to the movies, and had an awesome evening with friends at what they called a "Shrimp Boil". I would call it a "Shrimp and lobster and clams and sausages and artichokes and potatoes boil with lots of good wine, great conversation, and excellent dessert." The discussions ranged from food to Korea to "Happy Days" to Fort Bliss, TX to whether the BeeGees had any songs before the disco era. And then back to "Happy Days" and Pinky Tuscadero, on to vintage tee-shirts, over to the benefits and pains of Crossfit Training, and for some reason back to "Happy Days". A great time.
So here it comes, our third and last rotation through the kitchen phases of our course. Three months of learning, refining, improving. I'll keep you posted.
Who would have guessed?
Not Natto would NOT be popular? Yeah, I pretty much got that one, too.
Chef Masa is a dancing fool. And there's proof.
Manhandling huge pans of risotto is a good forearm workout.
Sandy's favorite thing to do on Labor Day? Go run a marathon on Kaua'i. Congrats, by the way!
I can't roll sushi worth a sh*t.
A hundred times every day I remind myself that my inner and outer life depend on the labors of other men, living and dead, and that I must exert myself in order to give in the same measure as I have received and am still receiving.
~ Albert Einstein
Our second Grand Buffet has come and gone, and the Asian Fusion theme means we had the opportunity to deal with huge amounts of ginger, soy sauce, raw fish, sushi rice, seaweed, and risotto. Risotto? Yeah, to make risotto look Asian, you cook up a HUGE batch of mushroom risotto, then spread it out on a sheet pan, chill, and cut out little cylinders that you roll in fumikaki seasoning (so they look like little sushi rolls, get it?) and Viola!, Asian themed risotto. The teaching point of this dish was that it's really not that tough to take a delicious mushroom risotto and turn it into a cold lump of mildly tasty goo. Here's where it takes a fun turn:
There is a bean ingredient called natto that is very popular in Japan (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natt%C5%8D). Most of the attendees at the buffet are of Japanese decent, so Robin, our narrator each evening, asked "who likes natto?" and announced the dish we called Not Your Usual Natto to applause and cheers from the crowd...then explained that there was no natto, but cold mushroom risotto, the disappointment on the customers' faces was priceless.
And would it kill them to have the students who are doing the work come down for a quick bow and introduction, you know, a little validation of their efforts?
The daytime classes were asked to work upstairs in the Garde Manger and we offered up a lot of pretty and tasty food over the four nights of the buffet that most of the patrons seemed to enjoy. Sushi rolls, sashimi bowls, panna cotta, fruit trays, light salads, asian slaw, caprese, and the infamous Not Natto Risotto to name a few. It was fun working with the few students (4) left in the class ahead of us who will graduate this month. We also got to know most of the new class and they seem like a cool and pretty talented group with great enthusiasm. They came into the Grand Buffet in exactly the same position our class did seven months ago, having done only three weeks in the cold kitchen and handled it very well, including making some really good snacks and lunches for the kitchen crew. Chef Masa was our fearless leader for the week, and kept things rolling despite a lot of confused looks from the crew and repeated pronunciation interpretation. On a side note, a couple of the new students seemed a little pushy with Chef Masa, who is very easy-going in his running of the kitchen...I am curious to see how that will go over in their next phase with Chef Klaus.
There was an open call audition for The Next Food Network Star in Honolulu this week and I was talked into giving it a shot. After all, there seems to be a shortage of stout older gents on most of the TV shows out there now. It was an interesting experience, with about 200 people showing up at the Sheridan Waikiki. I was number 81 and waited for about 3 hours for my 90 second interview. They say it takes all kinds, and the turnout at this audition proved that, with men, women, older, younger, thick, thin, with gimmick and without. I noticed, and pointed out to Sandy (who had signed in just ahead of me at number 78), a man dressed in purple velvet pants and bedazzled vest who was obviously going for the "zany offbeat" shtick or was perhaps a magician. After I came back from a break, This guy was just offering her a chance to be a showgirl for his magic act. I'm almost psychic, sometimes. Her pitch of "Food as Fuel" was inspired, I thought, and she would be a great choice for a spot on the show.
Wendy and I had a very nice Labor Day weekend. We did a little motorcycle riding around the Leeward side of the island, went to the movies, and had an awesome evening with friends at what they called a "Shrimp Boil". I would call it a "Shrimp and lobster and clams and sausages and artichokes and potatoes boil with lots of good wine, great conversation, and excellent dessert." The discussions ranged from food to Korea to "Happy Days" to Fort Bliss, TX to whether the BeeGees had any songs before the disco era. And then back to "Happy Days" and Pinky Tuscadero, on to vintage tee-shirts, over to the benefits and pains of Crossfit Training, and for some reason back to "Happy Days". A great time.
So here it comes, our third and last rotation through the kitchen phases of our course. Three months of learning, refining, improving. I'll keep you posted.
Who would have guessed?
Not Natto would NOT be popular? Yeah, I pretty much got that one, too.
Chef Masa is a dancing fool. And there's proof.
Manhandling huge pans of risotto is a good forearm workout.
Sandy's favorite thing to do on Labor Day? Go run a marathon on Kaua'i. Congrats, by the way!
I can't roll sushi worth a sh*t.
A hundred times every day I remind myself that my inner and outer life depend on the labors of other men, living and dead, and that I must exert myself in order to give in the same measure as I have received and am still receiving.
~ Albert Einstein
Friday, August 26, 2011
Top 'O The Muffin To Ya!
Yeah, we pretty much rock. Our Practical Exercise meal went superbly on Wednesday with all aspects being judged by Chef Sigi as excellent. And it WAS excellent, garnering a score of 89 out of a possible 90. Our end of phase test was also completed and passed easily by everyone, so we are now officially done with two-thirds of our course. Second Rotation is history. We now have a week of work for the late-summer version of the Grand Buffet and unlike the last one, no one has given us a clue about what we will be working on. So we will show up Monday morning with our gear and brilliance to pitch in and help the evening classes that have been practicing and prepping for a week now. I feel safe in saying it will likely be a lot of veggie cutting and dressing preparation, maybe even some mass-produced crepes or, since it's a Pacific Fusion theme, it may be won tons, egg rolls, and poke. Poke (pronounced PO-KEE) is one of my favorite Hawaiian foods. Cut up raw seafood (I prefer the ahi tuna) seasoned lightly or heavily depending on the fish, with onions, seaweed, sesame oil and seeds, some spices and Hawaiian salt. Dee-lish!
Tuesday was a little hectic with Chef Sigi out on an unscheduled doctors visit so the class had a pretty easy time with our one project, to produce a big batch of large muffins for the bake sale. It was an easy task, and with most of us sitting around bored, we wanted to get permission to bag the day and head home at 11 am. Trouble was we had no chef or administrator to ask, so we checked with Jim, the guy that does all the ordering and receiving for the school. I had always just assumed that he was a lower member of the staff, but when Jessica asked "Can you make the call on something like this? We really don't know where you stand in the scheme of things." Jim says "Well I think I can make that call, I own the school." HA! Joke's on us - the guy who is always around and no doubt hears all of our bitching and venting is The Boss! Enju and I (who, let's face it, don't have anything better to do) volunteered to stay and finish up the muffins while Jessica (who's mom was visiting) and Sandy were able to get out and make some use of the rest of the day.
By the way, those muffins were delectable but a little too moist because we were told to substitute mango puree for the dried sweet mango pieces...they took forever to cook and never really finished in the middle. I brought this up on Thursday when we were asked on the spur of the moment to make another batch. Chef Sigi made adjustments by eliminating 3/4 of the orange juice and over 1/2 of the mango puree, thereby solving the excess moisture problem but producing a muffin whose flavor was totally average. I'd have kept the flavor ingredients the same (since everyone agreed they tasted awesome) and increased the flour a bit to dry them out...just sayin.
Understanding that we were a little disappointed with the hit or miss supervision these last two weeks, school officials let us know that Chef Sigi is going back to the hospital Monday for an operation. This was sad news, as we've come to like Chef Sigi and his quirks very much. Get healthy, Chef, we'll see you in Third Rotation.
“As I ate the oysters with their strong taste of the sea and their faint metallic taste that the cold white wine washed away, leaving only the sea taste and the succulent texture, and as I drank their cold liquid from each shell and washed it down with the crisp taste of the wine, I lost the empty feeling and began to be happy, and to make plans.”- Ernest Hemingway
Tuesday was a little hectic with Chef Sigi out on an unscheduled doctors visit so the class had a pretty easy time with our one project, to produce a big batch of large muffins for the bake sale. It was an easy task, and with most of us sitting around bored, we wanted to get permission to bag the day and head home at 11 am. Trouble was we had no chef or administrator to ask, so we checked with Jim, the guy that does all the ordering and receiving for the school. I had always just assumed that he was a lower member of the staff, but when Jessica asked "Can you make the call on something like this? We really don't know where you stand in the scheme of things." Jim says "Well I think I can make that call, I own the school." HA! Joke's on us - the guy who is always around and no doubt hears all of our bitching and venting is The Boss! Enju and I (who, let's face it, don't have anything better to do) volunteered to stay and finish up the muffins while Jessica (who's mom was visiting) and Sandy were able to get out and make some use of the rest of the day.
By the way, those muffins were delectable but a little too moist because we were told to substitute mango puree for the dried sweet mango pieces...they took forever to cook and never really finished in the middle. I brought this up on Thursday when we were asked on the spur of the moment to make another batch. Chef Sigi made adjustments by eliminating 3/4 of the orange juice and over 1/2 of the mango puree, thereby solving the excess moisture problem but producing a muffin whose flavor was totally average. I'd have kept the flavor ingredients the same (since everyone agreed they tasted awesome) and increased the flour a bit to dry them out...just sayin.
Understanding that we were a little disappointed with the hit or miss supervision these last two weeks, school officials let us know that Chef Sigi is going back to the hospital Monday for an operation. This was sad news, as we've come to like Chef Sigi and his quirks very much. Get healthy, Chef, we'll see you in Third Rotation.
“As I ate the oysters with their strong taste of the sea and their faint metallic taste that the cold white wine washed away, leaving only the sea taste and the succulent texture, and as I drank their cold liquid from each shell and washed it down with the crisp taste of the wine, I lost the empty feeling and began to be happy, and to make plans.”- Ernest Hemingway
Friday, August 19, 2011
Onions and thumbs...Making the cut.
Not a stellar week for the dedicated students in the Gros Bonnet class of December 2011. Oh, we made some very good dishes, got to have a little fun in the kitchen, and had some laughs, but Chef Sigi in the hospital and Sandy having a terrible personal week seemed to cast a pall over our activities. We were all saddened to hear that Sandy had lost a close family member last weekend and another was hospitalized, and we are sending what prayers and positive energy we can to her and her family.
Chef Klaus was our interim instructor for the week, and for the most part he was very helpful, pleasant, and in good spirits. His only brief piece of meanness was a biting comment that he inexplicably aimed at Sandy on Wednesday, when she was emotionally vulnerable. Maybe he wasn't fully aware of her family situation, or maybe he was trying to draw her focus to her kitchen work...whatever, it was pretty damned mean to make that his only sour comment for the week. The comments were followed a couple minutes later by Sandy cutting her thumb badly (I suppose no one ever cuts their thumb well) while cutting cabbage. She survived thanks to a quick response from Jessica and an expedient dressing applied by Chef Klaus. The doctor gave her five stitches on Thursday (thereby disproving Chef's observation that it "wasn't too bad") and with that slice she stole my class record for most blood lost on a single cut.
I don't mean to criticize other people's misfortune, but when Sandy's cut occurred, instead of heading (logically) for the sink, she strolled out of the kitchen and into the dining area where she sat on the floor and bled. A fine and colorful puddle of blood that impressed me with it's healthy shine and mopped up easily.
There's a right way and several wrong ways to dice an onion. The right way involves trimming the root end, slicing in half, and scoring to form even sized pieces before dicing. Working on a recipe, Jessica came across a partially-cut large onion. The end had been entirely cut off, and odd angle cuts had been made in several places. She showed it to us and we wondered what moron in the evening class had hacked that poor onion. Because it was so big, I used up the rest of the onion the next day, chopping it for a lamb braise. I pointed out again how terrible the cutting technique was, and Enju piped up that SHE had cut that onion. When Jessica laughed and said "YOU cut that onion?" Enju replied "Who else would cut it like that?"
On Thursday Chef Sigi stopped by the kitchen, and it was very good to see him up and getting around, even if a little gingerly. Seems his hospital procedure went well, and he'll be back with us next week. Chef Klaus left on Thursday for his big biker adventure, so we won't see him until our last rotation in his Hot Kitchen I. That left us supervised by Robin, our Kitchen Manager. He pretty much let us loose with a couple recipes that Chef Klaus had left us and kicked in a few really good pieces of advice, so the end of the week went pretty smoothly.
This weekend brings happiness as Wendy comes home from her six-week school and vacation trip to Washington D.C., Wisconsin, and Alaska. She suggested, and I was sorely tempted to play hooky for a week and join her up north but my total dedication to my school work (in addition to ridiculous airfares) kept me at home. We'll get in some vacation when the schooling is done.
Just got me thinking...for good or bad:
GOOD: Warren Buffett offers up the outrageous notion that the super-rich could pay a little more in taxes.
Ya think? His maid pays a higher tax rate than he does. Our system is just wrong.
BAD: "Whisker Wars" - A reality show about growing facial hair. Ho-ly shit. I met some of the contestants a couple years ago at the World Beard and Moustache Championships in Anchorage.
The secret of their success? Don't shave.
GOOD: The just-released remake of one of my favorite movies of the 80s, Fright Night . The movie rocked, and I never thought I would be impressed with Colin Farrell, but he was excellent.
BAD: "Hunters" that I saw while channel-flipping. Here's the truth: If you are inside a fence, regardless how big the area is, it's a ranch...you might as well be shooting cattle. If a guide shows you where
to hunt, scouts the animals for you, or tells you what animal to take, you are not a hunter, you're a shooter. Oh yeah...Only an asshole goes to another continent to kill an animal.
“When the girl returned, some hours later, she carried a tray, with a cup of fragrant tea steaming on it; and a plate piled up with very hot buttered toast, cut thick, very brown on both sides, with the butter running through the holes in it in great golden drops, like honey from the honeycomb. The smell of that buttered toast simply talked to Toad, and with no uncertain voice; talked of warm kitchens, of breakfasts on bright frosty mornings, of cosy parlour firesides on winter evenings, when one’s ramble was over and slippered feet were propped on the fender, of the purring of contented cats, and the twitter of sleepy canaries.”- Kenneth Grahame, The Wind in the Willows
Chef Klaus was our interim instructor for the week, and for the most part he was very helpful, pleasant, and in good spirits. His only brief piece of meanness was a biting comment that he inexplicably aimed at Sandy on Wednesday, when she was emotionally vulnerable. Maybe he wasn't fully aware of her family situation, or maybe he was trying to draw her focus to her kitchen work...whatever, it was pretty damned mean to make that his only sour comment for the week. The comments were followed a couple minutes later by Sandy cutting her thumb badly (I suppose no one ever cuts their thumb well) while cutting cabbage. She survived thanks to a quick response from Jessica and an expedient dressing applied by Chef Klaus. The doctor gave her five stitches on Thursday (thereby disproving Chef's observation that it "wasn't too bad") and with that slice she stole my class record for most blood lost on a single cut.
I don't mean to criticize other people's misfortune, but when Sandy's cut occurred, instead of heading (logically) for the sink, she strolled out of the kitchen and into the dining area where she sat on the floor and bled. A fine and colorful puddle of blood that impressed me with it's healthy shine and mopped up easily.
There's a right way and several wrong ways to dice an onion. The right way involves trimming the root end, slicing in half, and scoring to form even sized pieces before dicing. Working on a recipe, Jessica came across a partially-cut large onion. The end had been entirely cut off, and odd angle cuts had been made in several places. She showed it to us and we wondered what moron in the evening class had hacked that poor onion. Because it was so big, I used up the rest of the onion the next day, chopping it for a lamb braise. I pointed out again how terrible the cutting technique was, and Enju piped up that SHE had cut that onion. When Jessica laughed and said "YOU cut that onion?" Enju replied "Who else would cut it like that?"
On Thursday Chef Sigi stopped by the kitchen, and it was very good to see him up and getting around, even if a little gingerly. Seems his hospital procedure went well, and he'll be back with us next week. Chef Klaus left on Thursday for his big biker adventure, so we won't see him until our last rotation in his Hot Kitchen I. That left us supervised by Robin, our Kitchen Manager. He pretty much let us loose with a couple recipes that Chef Klaus had left us and kicked in a few really good pieces of advice, so the end of the week went pretty smoothly.
This weekend brings happiness as Wendy comes home from her six-week school and vacation trip to Washington D.C., Wisconsin, and Alaska. She suggested, and I was sorely tempted to play hooky for a week and join her up north but my total dedication to my school work (in addition to ridiculous airfares) kept me at home. We'll get in some vacation when the schooling is done.
Just got me thinking...for good or bad:
GOOD: Warren Buffett offers up the outrageous notion that the super-rich could pay a little more in taxes.
Ya think? His maid pays a higher tax rate than he does. Our system is just wrong.
BAD: "Whisker Wars" - A reality show about growing facial hair. Ho-ly shit. I met some of the contestants a couple years ago at the World Beard and Moustache Championships in Anchorage.
The secret of their success? Don't shave.
GOOD: The just-released remake of one of my favorite movies of the 80s, Fright Night . The movie rocked, and I never thought I would be impressed with Colin Farrell, but he was excellent.
BAD: "Hunters" that I saw while channel-flipping. Here's the truth: If you are inside a fence, regardless how big the area is, it's a ranch...you might as well be shooting cattle. If a guide shows you where
to hunt, scouts the animals for you, or tells you what animal to take, you are not a hunter, you're a shooter. Oh yeah...Only an asshole goes to another continent to kill an animal.
“When the girl returned, some hours later, she carried a tray, with a cup of fragrant tea steaming on it; and a plate piled up with very hot buttered toast, cut thick, very brown on both sides, with the butter running through the holes in it in great golden drops, like honey from the honeycomb. The smell of that buttered toast simply talked to Toad, and with no uncertain voice; talked of warm kitchens, of breakfasts on bright frosty mornings, of cosy parlour firesides on winter evenings, when one’s ramble was over and slippered feet were propped on the fender, of the purring of contented cats, and the twitter of sleepy canaries.”- Kenneth Grahame, The Wind in the Willows
Sunday, August 14, 2011
Get Well, Chef Sigi!
This was a week that started slow and ended that way too. Monday our class consisted of Enju and Myself, with Sandy and Jessica returning to Hawaii that afternoon from a long weekend in Chicago working in the VIP hospitality tent at the Lollapalooza Rock Concert. They worked a lot of hours, made a little money, and didn't get much time off for partying at the big event. But they got to get off-Island for a few days and enjoy the heat and humidity of the Midwest, so that's something. Back in class on Tuesday, Sandy let it be known that a Food Network Star (host of a very popular travelling food-related show) had approached her with a possible job offer in California, with his manager following up over the next few days. She's very excited about the possibilities and has been in touch with them through this week...more details as they develop.
So Monday was sort of a bust with only Enju and I there and Chef Sigi running late for class. We were to find out that the doctors appointment he attended to that morning resulted in his being admitted to the hospital for tests on Wednesday and lasting into next week. We certainly hope things turn out OK for him, he's a nice guy and keeps our kitchen time fun.
So some shifts were made in the staffing, with Kitchen Manager Robin taking over Chef Klaus' classroom duties while Chef Klaus came downstairs to supervise our Hot Kitchen II. The week ended well, with a focus on English foods like beef pie and some oddly-cooked green beans. We roasted up red and yellow bell peppers for a delicious roasted pepper cream soup, and onion-smothered a traditional Salisbury steak.
Although there were a few uneasy comments when we found out that Chef Klaus was going to run our kitchen for a couple weeks (remember the discord he sometimes brings on), the week went well and he and the class seemed in pretty good spirits. I know the reason Chef was feeling pretty good, he's heading to Florida next week to pick up his new Harley-Davidson three-wheel motorcycle and make a 4,000 mile journey across the U.S. with his wife. He's pretty much bursting with excitement and quick to chat about his trip and his motorcycle and his biker history in California, where he (quote) "Had a loose affiliation with the Hell's Angels many years ago." He wasn't in the Club, but he hung out with them. An Old School biker, he's been riding since the early 1960s, mostly on the West Coast.
A new class has started, again reminding us that we are inching closer to the end of our time here. A large class of 13 that will no doubt be smaller in the coming months, they hustle in to class and take up a lot of parking at the school. Best of luck to them.
So Chef Sigi sat with us for some test study on Tuesday before he left, then Chef Klaus went over the same study material on Wednesday and came up with different answers to most of the questions, leaving us in a state of WTF? about the test for this phase that we will be taking next week. The big thing is that it's Chef Sigi's test, and he's supposed to be back this week, but Chef Klaus' answers made more sense...I guess we'll have to wait and see. Here's a weird thought: A standard test based on our book and instruction that we can all agree is correct, and not subject to the opinion of one or another chef. Radical notion, eh? I'm wacky that way.
Wishing the best for Chef Sigi and hoping his hospital time gets him back into good health. Also sending out good vibes for Jessica's cat that underwent surgery last week and is recovering now. Get Better!
Stupid Stuff:
The country just got through the first part of this 'Debt Ceiling" Bullshit, the economy can't seem to get out of the crapper, and oh yeah, we're still at war...but the biggest headlines are about millionaire football players that don't want to practice more than once a week during the 1/2 year that they "work". AND THEY WON!
Some big-butted reality TV whore's fake marriage to some ex-millionaire ballplayer is not one, but THREE episodes of television.
"Hillbilly Handfishing" - I'm not even joking here...a TV show about pot-gutted, backward, southern clods that look like the road crew from "Deliverance-The Musical" take tourists wading in the pristine mud and slime of polluted southern rivers to grope for catfish.
Guess what, tourists? Catfish not only eat a lot of dead things, but they also eat the shit those dead things shat before they died. Coat THAT in cornmeal and fry it up, Junior.
I feel a rant coming on, so I'll stop here. Have a good week, everybody!
“Anybody can make you enjoy the first bite of a dish, but only a real chef can make you enjoy the last.”Francois Minot
So Monday was sort of a bust with only Enju and I there and Chef Sigi running late for class. We were to find out that the doctors appointment he attended to that morning resulted in his being admitted to the hospital for tests on Wednesday and lasting into next week. We certainly hope things turn out OK for him, he's a nice guy and keeps our kitchen time fun.
So some shifts were made in the staffing, with Kitchen Manager Robin taking over Chef Klaus' classroom duties while Chef Klaus came downstairs to supervise our Hot Kitchen II. The week ended well, with a focus on English foods like beef pie and some oddly-cooked green beans. We roasted up red and yellow bell peppers for a delicious roasted pepper cream soup, and onion-smothered a traditional Salisbury steak.
Although there were a few uneasy comments when we found out that Chef Klaus was going to run our kitchen for a couple weeks (remember the discord he sometimes brings on), the week went well and he and the class seemed in pretty good spirits. I know the reason Chef was feeling pretty good, he's heading to Florida next week to pick up his new Harley-Davidson three-wheel motorcycle and make a 4,000 mile journey across the U.S. with his wife. He's pretty much bursting with excitement and quick to chat about his trip and his motorcycle and his biker history in California, where he (quote) "Had a loose affiliation with the Hell's Angels many years ago." He wasn't in the Club, but he hung out with them. An Old School biker, he's been riding since the early 1960s, mostly on the West Coast.
A new class has started, again reminding us that we are inching closer to the end of our time here. A large class of 13 that will no doubt be smaller in the coming months, they hustle in to class and take up a lot of parking at the school. Best of luck to them.
So Chef Sigi sat with us for some test study on Tuesday before he left, then Chef Klaus went over the same study material on Wednesday and came up with different answers to most of the questions, leaving us in a state of WTF? about the test for this phase that we will be taking next week. The big thing is that it's Chef Sigi's test, and he's supposed to be back this week, but Chef Klaus' answers made more sense...I guess we'll have to wait and see. Here's a weird thought: A standard test based on our book and instruction that we can all agree is correct, and not subject to the opinion of one or another chef. Radical notion, eh? I'm wacky that way.
Wishing the best for Chef Sigi and hoping his hospital time gets him back into good health. Also sending out good vibes for Jessica's cat that underwent surgery last week and is recovering now. Get Better!
Stupid Stuff:
The country just got through the first part of this 'Debt Ceiling" Bullshit, the economy can't seem to get out of the crapper, and oh yeah, we're still at war...but the biggest headlines are about millionaire football players that don't want to practice more than once a week during the 1/2 year that they "work". AND THEY WON!
Some big-butted reality TV whore's fake marriage to some ex-millionaire ballplayer is not one, but THREE episodes of television.
"Hillbilly Handfishing" - I'm not even joking here...a TV show about pot-gutted, backward, southern clods that look like the road crew from "Deliverance-The Musical" take tourists wading in the pristine mud and slime of polluted southern rivers to grope for catfish.
Guess what, tourists? Catfish not only eat a lot of dead things, but they also eat the shit those dead things shat before they died. Coat THAT in cornmeal and fry it up, Junior.
I feel a rant coming on, so I'll stop here. Have a good week, everybody!
“Anybody can make you enjoy the first bite of a dish, but only a real chef can make you enjoy the last.”Francois Minot
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Sacher-To-Me Time
As the class worked on our Bake Shop projects today, we were treated to the expletive-laced commentary from Chef Klaus' hot kitchen as the students in the class ahead of ours produced their evaluation meal for their third and final rotation through his domain. Comforting to know that we aren't the only ones treated to Chef Klaus' "tough love". They seemed to be fine at the end of the day, and shared a big plate of their evaluation meal with us (I understand that they got the equivalent of a "C") that was very good. Our production for this week has been varied, with the highlights being a very satisfying cheesecake, a moist and tasty chocolate chiffon cake, and a very dense, heavy treat called a Sacher (pronounced soccer) Torte that is very popular throughout Europe. These combined with our practice in layer cake building and icing kept us just marginally busy so there was plenty of time to prepare our Bake Shop Recipe Books (yes, another A+ for yours truly) and to listen to Jessica and Sandy chat excitedly about their trip to Chicago this weekend to work in the VIP tent of the Lollapalooza Rock Festival (http://www.lollapalooza.com/). Seems Sandy is friends with the organizers of the event and arranged for Jessica to join her working the bar for the bands. I wish I'd had the presence of mind to get video of one of their hand-holding, jumping up and down, giggling and squealing "We're going to Chicago!" spells that overtook them off and on throughout the week.
They will not be back until Tuesday, and I've no doubt they will manage to have a good time.
That does mean, though, that Enju and I will be the only students in Chef Sigi's Hot Kitchen II on Monday, so I expect to be very busy if we try to produce an entire day of production. Hoping for the best.
A little change of pace in the Bake Shop this week, as a break from working in teams for most of our projects we were given the simple formula for pastry cream (that tasty vanilla pudding that goes into eclairs, cream puffs, etc...) and had to produce it with no input from Chef Chad. To add some interest, we had a competition wherein we all blind tasted the results and voted for the best batch. In some sort of crazy mis-alignment of the stars I did not win (it may have been the less-than-velvety-smoothness of my cream). Sandy had the hands-down winning pastry cream and as a prize gets full points for everything this week, which is good, since she lost a couple points for leaving a day early to run off to Chicago and work with the circus.
With my mom visiting this week it's been a WOO-HOO! sort of party atmosphere at home. We've had some fun and I've learned that with the proper research you can find an episode of NCIS at almost any time of the day. I feel very guilty about leaving her alone at the house as I go to class each day and that is odd, since it never seemed to bother me when I was in High School. I do appreciate her patience and will make it up to her this weekend as we get out and about for some tasty eats, an ATV tour, a trip to the beach, and probably a couple movies she wants to see. It's nice to have some company with Wendy still on the Mainland and the feeling of security I get from having someone awake in the house at 4 A.M. is nice. Here's a tip, Mom...if you stay up past 8:30 at night, you can sleep beyond 4 in the morning. Just sayin.
Tomorrow will see us parting ways with our Advanced Pastry students. Robert, Aurora, and Lei will be with Chef Chad for three more weeks and then move up to the advanced evening course for 36 weeks. They'll do fine and hopefully we'll be seeing them in the coming months.
I try my best to pass on the knowledge and wisdom I've accumulated over the many long years of my life. One of the best pieces of advice I can give is:
Carry a box.
On class days we stay pretty busy, but there are times that you just want to relax and get out of the kitchen flow for a few minutes. The most commonly used place for these unofficial breaks is the sink, where the pots, pans, and dishes are always being cleaned up. Trouble is, there's only room for one person to work at the sink, so there's a bit of competition to spend a little "clean up time" there. This is especially true when the Chef is angry or in a pissy mood...the sink is something of a refuge, even if the same pan gets cleaned several times. We were laughing about "sink time" yesterday and it prompted me to tell these young people about my days working the gun counter at Bass Pro Shop in Virginia. Here is the sum of my sage advice:
When it isn't always busy, workers tend to gather and shoot the breeze which isn't usually well thought of by the boss...so it's important to LOOK like you are busy. If you carry a box, you look busy. Big or small, empty or full, doesn't matter. A guy with a box...well, he's doing something. Or he's about to do something. Or he just got done doing something. Point is, he has a box, which is like a cloak of invisibility for slackers. Going to another work station to talk to a buddy? Carry a box. And don't saunter, walk smartly. A guy walking smartly with a box is on a mission and will pass unmolested. It's magical.
In the kitchen we have towels that we carry to dry hands, wipe tables, pick up hot pans, etc... While not as effective as a box (I think because we all carry them), if properly used they can be very effective. The key is to USE the towel. As you walk from area to area, wipe your hands (whether they're wet or not), wipe the counter(whether it needs it or not), or just shake the towel out and re-fold it...you can walk around doing nothing for a long time (I've experimented) without catching any flack from the Chef.
So for God's sake don't just lean on the counter looking bored. Carry a box, use your towel, continually shuffle useless papers, adapt the concept to your own work environment. Take this insight my friends, and run with it. You're welcome.
Health food may be good for the conscience but Oreos taste a hell of a lot better. Robert Redford
They will not be back until Tuesday, and I've no doubt they will manage to have a good time.
That does mean, though, that Enju and I will be the only students in Chef Sigi's Hot Kitchen II on Monday, so I expect to be very busy if we try to produce an entire day of production. Hoping for the best.
A little change of pace in the Bake Shop this week, as a break from working in teams for most of our projects we were given the simple formula for pastry cream (that tasty vanilla pudding that goes into eclairs, cream puffs, etc...) and had to produce it with no input from Chef Chad. To add some interest, we had a competition wherein we all blind tasted the results and voted for the best batch. In some sort of crazy mis-alignment of the stars I did not win (it may have been the less-than-velvety-smoothness of my cream). Sandy had the hands-down winning pastry cream and as a prize gets full points for everything this week, which is good, since she lost a couple points for leaving a day early to run off to Chicago and work with the circus.
With my mom visiting this week it's been a WOO-HOO! sort of party atmosphere at home. We've had some fun and I've learned that with the proper research you can find an episode of NCIS at almost any time of the day. I feel very guilty about leaving her alone at the house as I go to class each day and that is odd, since it never seemed to bother me when I was in High School. I do appreciate her patience and will make it up to her this weekend as we get out and about for some tasty eats, an ATV tour, a trip to the beach, and probably a couple movies she wants to see. It's nice to have some company with Wendy still on the Mainland and the feeling of security I get from having someone awake in the house at 4 A.M. is nice. Here's a tip, Mom...if you stay up past 8:30 at night, you can sleep beyond 4 in the morning. Just sayin.
Tomorrow will see us parting ways with our Advanced Pastry students. Robert, Aurora, and Lei will be with Chef Chad for three more weeks and then move up to the advanced evening course for 36 weeks. They'll do fine and hopefully we'll be seeing them in the coming months.
I try my best to pass on the knowledge and wisdom I've accumulated over the many long years of my life. One of the best pieces of advice I can give is:
Carry a box.
On class days we stay pretty busy, but there are times that you just want to relax and get out of the kitchen flow for a few minutes. The most commonly used place for these unofficial breaks is the sink, where the pots, pans, and dishes are always being cleaned up. Trouble is, there's only room for one person to work at the sink, so there's a bit of competition to spend a little "clean up time" there. This is especially true when the Chef is angry or in a pissy mood...the sink is something of a refuge, even if the same pan gets cleaned several times. We were laughing about "sink time" yesterday and it prompted me to tell these young people about my days working the gun counter at Bass Pro Shop in Virginia. Here is the sum of my sage advice:
When it isn't always busy, workers tend to gather and shoot the breeze which isn't usually well thought of by the boss...so it's important to LOOK like you are busy. If you carry a box, you look busy. Big or small, empty or full, doesn't matter. A guy with a box...well, he's doing something. Or he's about to do something. Or he just got done doing something. Point is, he has a box, which is like a cloak of invisibility for slackers. Going to another work station to talk to a buddy? Carry a box. And don't saunter, walk smartly. A guy walking smartly with a box is on a mission and will pass unmolested. It's magical.
In the kitchen we have towels that we carry to dry hands, wipe tables, pick up hot pans, etc... While not as effective as a box (I think because we all carry them), if properly used they can be very effective. The key is to USE the towel. As you walk from area to area, wipe your hands (whether they're wet or not), wipe the counter(whether it needs it or not), or just shake the towel out and re-fold it...you can walk around doing nothing for a long time (I've experimented) without catching any flack from the Chef.
So for God's sake don't just lean on the counter looking bored. Carry a box, use your towel, continually shuffle useless papers, adapt the concept to your own work environment. Take this insight my friends, and run with it. You're welcome.
Health food may be good for the conscience but Oreos taste a hell of a lot better. Robert Redford
Friday, July 22, 2011
Sorry, we're Fresh out of Humble Pie.
Getting over last week's tough times was not as easy as pie...if it were, I'd have been in terrific spirits by Tuesday since we got into a serious pie-making mode in the Bake Shop. Chef Chad got us into "Pie Week" by having Enju rub us up about 8 pies worth of dough. Now rubbing the dough is much like kneading the dough, but in this case we just needed to rub and not knead, and therein was the rub, since Enju was really kneading without needing to when she needed to rub, and Chef Chad had her going at it until her fingers were sore. The dough was simple and enough was made to cover the many pie fillings we produced: Pecan, Apple, Custard, Chocolate Chiffon, Key Lime, Vanilla Cream, Pumpkin, and Lemon Meringue. We also made large batches of Rosemary Bread and Raisin Cinnamon Swirl Bread (have to keep the bake sale stocked, you know!). Since we are allowed (unofficially) to take home samples of our Bake Shop products, I had eight pieces of pie to dispose of throughout the week, one from each type of pie. I ate them.
We are joined this rotation by three advanced patisserie students that are going through 9 straight weeks with Chef Chad to prepare them with basic baking skills. They are all nice, but very quiet and seem a little timid in the kitchen. I don't say this to be mean or smart-ass, but if I were going to spend a lot of money and invest 36 weeks of my life in an advanced baking class, I think I would at least roll one or two pieces of dough at home first to gauge my ability. It just seems like a very specialized field to tackle without having ever picked up a rolling pin, which they don't seem to have ever done.
No real issues technically with our kitchen work this week, only a couple of minor flubs. When Enju made the dough she didn't quite rub thoroughly enough, so each time we made a crust we had to make little dough patches to cover the butter clumps. One of the new girls mis-measured and put in double the butter in the pecan pie so it boiled and didn't finish quite right and ended up very rich. I mean RICH. That pie was so rich it hated Obama and the Democrats. But we agreed that it was one of the best pecan pies we'd ever had, so Chef Chad suggested that we might add a little extra butter to that recipe when we make it at home.
And those were all the mistakes this week.
Oh, and I dropped my reading glasses into a big mixer bowl containing milk, sugar, and yeast. It was a simple mistake, one that could have been avoided if I didn't have my glasses in my shirt pocket (as I almost always do), or if Chef Chad was just a little bit taller. You see, because of his shorter stature Chef Chad can't work comfortably with the big mixer bowl on the work table because it's too tall for him to reach into. Because he has to work with it on the floor, he wants US to work with it on the floor. Fair enough, unless you have to bend over it to add ingredients while your reading glasses are hanging loosely in your shirt pocket. *SPLASH* I'm over it now, but talk about an embarrassing moment! It reminded me of a similar incident involving a motor coach restroom and a new pair of sunglasses many years ago. At least this time I was able to fish them out, although they were a bit cloudy for the rest of the day.
Chef Chad is very thorough. This week he explained that in addition to heat, time, humidity, moisture content, and desired outcome we had to remember that gravity will have an effect on our products. Part of his explanation was a mini-lesson on how gravity works and the fact that if we were to make a pie crust in outer space, we'd just be floating there with a non-gravity effected pie crust. Good to know in case that scenario ever comes up.
Things heard in the kitchen:
"You want those teeth to bite into your nuts." - Regarding using a serrated bread knife to chop pecans.
"If you're not careful, your nuts will be flying everywhere!" - See above.
Me: "Chef, you graduated from CIA, right?" Chef: "Honor Graduate, Dean's list!"
"You have to take the formula to the 1/1000th of an ounce, what if you have an order for 500 pies? Multiply the 1/1000th by 500 and you need almost 1/2 an ounce more...well, I guess that's not really that much for 500 pies."
"California Prisoners are going on a hunger strike demanding better food...How stupid is that?"
*SPLASH*
"I don't like gourmet cooking or "this" cooking or "that" cooking. I like good cooking."
James Beard
We are joined this rotation by three advanced patisserie students that are going through 9 straight weeks with Chef Chad to prepare them with basic baking skills. They are all nice, but very quiet and seem a little timid in the kitchen. I don't say this to be mean or smart-ass, but if I were going to spend a lot of money and invest 36 weeks of my life in an advanced baking class, I think I would at least roll one or two pieces of dough at home first to gauge my ability. It just seems like a very specialized field to tackle without having ever picked up a rolling pin, which they don't seem to have ever done.
No real issues technically with our kitchen work this week, only a couple of minor flubs. When Enju made the dough she didn't quite rub thoroughly enough, so each time we made a crust we had to make little dough patches to cover the butter clumps. One of the new girls mis-measured and put in double the butter in the pecan pie so it boiled and didn't finish quite right and ended up very rich. I mean RICH. That pie was so rich it hated Obama and the Democrats. But we agreed that it was one of the best pecan pies we'd ever had, so Chef Chad suggested that we might add a little extra butter to that recipe when we make it at home.
And those were all the mistakes this week.
Oh, and I dropped my reading glasses into a big mixer bowl containing milk, sugar, and yeast. It was a simple mistake, one that could have been avoided if I didn't have my glasses in my shirt pocket (as I almost always do), or if Chef Chad was just a little bit taller. You see, because of his shorter stature Chef Chad can't work comfortably with the big mixer bowl on the work table because it's too tall for him to reach into. Because he has to work with it on the floor, he wants US to work with it on the floor. Fair enough, unless you have to bend over it to add ingredients while your reading glasses are hanging loosely in your shirt pocket. *SPLASH* I'm over it now, but talk about an embarrassing moment! It reminded me of a similar incident involving a motor coach restroom and a new pair of sunglasses many years ago. At least this time I was able to fish them out, although they were a bit cloudy for the rest of the day.
Chef Chad is very thorough. This week he explained that in addition to heat, time, humidity, moisture content, and desired outcome we had to remember that gravity will have an effect on our products. Part of his explanation was a mini-lesson on how gravity works and the fact that if we were to make a pie crust in outer space, we'd just be floating there with a non-gravity effected pie crust. Good to know in case that scenario ever comes up.
Things heard in the kitchen:
"You want those teeth to bite into your nuts." - Regarding using a serrated bread knife to chop pecans.
"If you're not careful, your nuts will be flying everywhere!" - See above.
Me: "Chef, you graduated from CIA, right?" Chef: "Honor Graduate, Dean's list!"
"You have to take the formula to the 1/1000th of an ounce, what if you have an order for 500 pies? Multiply the 1/1000th by 500 and you need almost 1/2 an ounce more...well, I guess that's not really that much for 500 pies."
"California Prisoners are going on a hunger strike demanding better food...How stupid is that?"
*SPLASH*
"I don't like gourmet cooking or "this" cooking or "that" cooking. I like good cooking."
James Beard
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)