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
Friday, July 22, 2011
Saturday, July 16, 2011
I suppose it could be worse.
This was a rough week for our quartet. In addition to our evaluation meal on Wednesday not being technically perfect (or even decent), members of our little class had to deal with tough personal issues like a hurt pet, a broken-into car, and a spouse departing for an extended trip to the mainland. It would be true to say that all these distractions had an effect on our performance at school, but Chef Klaus isn't into reasons or excuses so I'll just say that I screwed up on my task, I helped screw up another, and I didn't know what to do to help fix a third. We received a passing grade and everyone passed the the end of phase test on Thursday but the atmosphere of the class is dark and heavy to say the least. We had very high expectations for this week and it just didn't pan out. We chose a meal we felt very comfortable with:
Baked salmon over a spinach and mushroom cream braise with hollandaise
Celeriac cream soup
Vichy carrots
Rice Pilaf
Chocolate mousse
We'd done all these recipes in class successfully, so what could go wrong? Read on and I'll tell you.
As I've explained before, recipes are given by the Chef at the start of the day. We all write them down in as much detail as possible and then produce the items using the recipes and coaching from the Chef. It's a good system, as long as all the steps and procedures are in our written recipes. I was responsible for the salmon entree and one small line of the instructions proved to be my downfall: "fill 1/2 way with cream and place in oven 20-30 minutes." We were supposed to REDUCE the cream and add a butter thickener, but that wasn't in any of our notes. Did we ALL miss that instruction? According to Chef Klaus we did, and remember rule number 1 - Chef is Never Wrong. So I screwed that one up with a thin braise, although it still tasted pretty damn good.
Jessica's celeriac cream soup also tasted fine, but ended up with poor texture because when she asked me about the addition of the stock and cream I gave her some bad advice based upon my notes for that recipe. Upon checking our notes, we all had the same directions so I guess we were just wrong there, too,. I take the blame for that one, though. Sandy's chocolate mousse came out too thick, like a very tasty chocolate pudding, and I'll be damned if I know why. Anyway, we passed but we are not very happy about our score.
So I've had a bad week. School was tough, Wendy left for a trip to the East Coast leaving me in charge of the cats and a long list of tasks to accomplish while she is gone, I found out Thursday that someone had stolen my kayak and the Base Police are clueless, and worst of all, the bastards at AARP sent me my official "Welcome to Old Age" card announcing my eligibility to join their ranks. **SIGH**
So now we move into the Bake Shop for our second three-week stint. I hope we ALL move to the Bake Shop. The difficult week has exacerbated some feelings of discontent some of us have had over the fairness and quality of the training we are receiving. We'll find out Monday morning, I suppose.
My Mom is coming to the Island for a couple weeks this month, and I noticed something very different in her view of our relationship...normally I go to visit her and can expect her to cook things that she knows I like. Yesterday she sent a message that she doesn't need to be entertained while she is here, just fed...and fed well. Seems I'll have to put some of this kitchen education to work, at least for the home-dining crowd.
This tour of duty in Hot Kitchen I marks the halfway point of my course of instruction at Gros Bonnet. In some ways time seems to have flown by, and in other ways it still feels like it will never end. The classes, the kitchen work, and the learning have been a great time, but I have been feeling pangs of regret at missing my accustomed summer work in Alaska. It doesn't help that so many of my friends keep posting on Facebook about the wonderful Alaska weather, the glorious Alaska summer, their awesome fishing trips, their beautiful hikes, and the terrific tours they are leading. I said it earlier in this post and I'll say it again: **SIGH**
"Cute doesn't work anymore, Enju! You have to start performing!" - Chef Klaus
"Get people back into the kitchen and combat the trend toward processed food and fast food." Andrew Weil
Baked salmon over a spinach and mushroom cream braise with hollandaise
Celeriac cream soup
Vichy carrots
Rice Pilaf
Chocolate mousse
We'd done all these recipes in class successfully, so what could go wrong? Read on and I'll tell you.
As I've explained before, recipes are given by the Chef at the start of the day. We all write them down in as much detail as possible and then produce the items using the recipes and coaching from the Chef. It's a good system, as long as all the steps and procedures are in our written recipes. I was responsible for the salmon entree and one small line of the instructions proved to be my downfall: "fill 1/2 way with cream and place in oven 20-30 minutes." We were supposed to REDUCE the cream and add a butter thickener, but that wasn't in any of our notes. Did we ALL miss that instruction? According to Chef Klaus we did, and remember rule number 1 - Chef is Never Wrong. So I screwed that one up with a thin braise, although it still tasted pretty damn good.
Jessica's celeriac cream soup also tasted fine, but ended up with poor texture because when she asked me about the addition of the stock and cream I gave her some bad advice based upon my notes for that recipe. Upon checking our notes, we all had the same directions so I guess we were just wrong there, too,. I take the blame for that one, though. Sandy's chocolate mousse came out too thick, like a very tasty chocolate pudding, and I'll be damned if I know why. Anyway, we passed but we are not very happy about our score.
So I've had a bad week. School was tough, Wendy left for a trip to the East Coast leaving me in charge of the cats and a long list of tasks to accomplish while she is gone, I found out Thursday that someone had stolen my kayak and the Base Police are clueless, and worst of all, the bastards at AARP sent me my official "Welcome to Old Age" card announcing my eligibility to join their ranks. **SIGH**
So now we move into the Bake Shop for our second three-week stint. I hope we ALL move to the Bake Shop. The difficult week has exacerbated some feelings of discontent some of us have had over the fairness and quality of the training we are receiving. We'll find out Monday morning, I suppose.
My Mom is coming to the Island for a couple weeks this month, and I noticed something very different in her view of our relationship...normally I go to visit her and can expect her to cook things that she knows I like. Yesterday she sent a message that she doesn't need to be entertained while she is here, just fed...and fed well. Seems I'll have to put some of this kitchen education to work, at least for the home-dining crowd.
This tour of duty in Hot Kitchen I marks the halfway point of my course of instruction at Gros Bonnet. In some ways time seems to have flown by, and in other ways it still feels like it will never end. The classes, the kitchen work, and the learning have been a great time, but I have been feeling pangs of regret at missing my accustomed summer work in Alaska. It doesn't help that so many of my friends keep posting on Facebook about the wonderful Alaska weather, the glorious Alaska summer, their awesome fishing trips, their beautiful hikes, and the terrific tours they are leading. I said it earlier in this post and I'll say it again: **SIGH**
"Cute doesn't work anymore, Enju! You have to start performing!" - Chef Klaus
"Get people back into the kitchen and combat the trend toward processed food and fast food." Andrew Weil
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Abschied Koch Otto! Wir werden dich vermissen
A mystery solved. As we finished our week last Thursday and were cleaning up the kitchen, in walked Chef Otto with a big grin on his face. Shouted greetings and big hugs from the girls (I opted for a firm handshake) welcomed him back to the Gros Bonnet kitchens where he's been an institution for many years. The concern and uncertainty of the last few weeks as to his whereabouts and possible return were dispelled as he told us about his successful trip to Thailand and Vietnam. Alas, we were also informed that he would be in Hawaii for only a few weeks and would not be returning to the school in a teaching capacity. This was a bummer, because even though we are all very fond of Chef Masa, we were really hoping that our third and final rotation in the Garde Manger would be with Chef Otto. But with things going well for him in Southeast Asia he's decided to make the move he's been waiting to make (and threatening management to make) for several years. Hopefully we'll see him again before he leaves Oahu.
Personalities can make or break a group of people working in a close environment and we are fortunate to have a small group that is mostly on the same page when it comes to attitude and humor. We try to divide the work equitably and allow everyone a chance to get involved in areas that they feel they need or want more work in. Chef Klaus keeps an eye on each of us and the projects that we are working on, allowing us to work more or less independently while focusing his personal instruction on the areas that need more expertise or instruction. It also allows for different interactions between Chef and each student, and he seems to have struck a nice balance of encouragement and criticism for each of us. I'm hoping this blend of Chef and students keeps on working well through next week, when we will once again develop and produce a practical exercise menu for our end-of-phase test.
The above paragraph should not be accepted as a statement that every day is peaches and cream in the kitchen. We each have our off days and sometimes we all have an off day on the same day. I personally believe that Chef Klaus relishes the days when things don't go so smoothly as this gives him a chance to come in and help when something isn't working, or fix mistakes with his knowledge and experience. In other words, he gets to show off. He also likes to foment controversy and gets a kick out of spirited discussion. This works well with Jessica, who absolutely hates to be mocked, and Sandy, whose impressive education in nutrition and health seems to draw Chef Klaus' fire in a "damn kids and your book-lernin" sort of way. Chef is a practiced button-pusher, and has a knack for framing comments or criticisms aimed at Jessica in ways that sound derogatory and which in turn spark a (usually deserved) snippy response from her. It's obvious he revels in these exchanges, and I'd bet that she does a little bit, too. Might be a little "tension" there. He just likes to razz Sandy about her healthy eating habits and nutritional knowledge, which boils down to her formal education versus his experience and opinions.
Enju is another story. I know Chef likes her, and he works with her extensively to help her...but she drives him a little crazy, so turnabout is fair play. This week she dumped out a pot of duck stock that he had made especially for an important recipe. He was PISSED, but after 10 minutes of anger and derision he relented, made a stock from a base, and we moved on. Enju promised to never make another mistake, and he had to laugh. He has limited her to 10 questions per day, but she hasn't been able to stay under that limit yet.
As for me, I think my being older and male has made things pretty easy for me. He told me yesterday that if I were his apprentice he'd have kicked me in the ass a few times, but since I'm a paying student he can't do that. He was smiling when he said it. We share a military background (he was in the German equivalent to the U.S. Special Forces) and we both have a lot of trivial knowledge. In fact, (and this may surprise some of you that know me well), I would be leery of taking him on in a game of JEOPARDY! I feel like I get along with him pretty well.
Sorry for the lack of blog last week, but Wendy and I made a trip to the far side of the Big Island for the long weekend. Kilauea Military Camp was our base (nice room, right in the middle of Volcanoes National Park, but CHILLY at night) and we visited craters, steam vents, lava tubes, a lava lake, and hiking trails. A great weekend.
Things we made these last two weeks:
Strawberry Bavarian Creme - EXCELLENT
Chicken Cordon Bleu - DELICIOUS
Butter-poached Salmon - First, you melt TWO FULL POUNDS of butter, infuse with lemon...
Rack of Lamb Rouladen - That poor little lamb...WAS SCRUMPTIOUS!
Rote Gruetzen (red fruit dessert) - Sandy said it tasted like "jam made from wine". I agree. It was delectable.
Flaugnarde - Like a Clafoutis, but without the cherries.
Vichyssoise - Tougher to spell than to make.
Two quotes this week:
"Jessica, watching you cook is like watching a movie." - Enju
"All great change in America begins at the dinner table."
Ronald Reagan
Personalities can make or break a group of people working in a close environment and we are fortunate to have a small group that is mostly on the same page when it comes to attitude and humor. We try to divide the work equitably and allow everyone a chance to get involved in areas that they feel they need or want more work in. Chef Klaus keeps an eye on each of us and the projects that we are working on, allowing us to work more or less independently while focusing his personal instruction on the areas that need more expertise or instruction. It also allows for different interactions between Chef and each student, and he seems to have struck a nice balance of encouragement and criticism for each of us. I'm hoping this blend of Chef and students keeps on working well through next week, when we will once again develop and produce a practical exercise menu for our end-of-phase test.
The above paragraph should not be accepted as a statement that every day is peaches and cream in the kitchen. We each have our off days and sometimes we all have an off day on the same day. I personally believe that Chef Klaus relishes the days when things don't go so smoothly as this gives him a chance to come in and help when something isn't working, or fix mistakes with his knowledge and experience. In other words, he gets to show off. He also likes to foment controversy and gets a kick out of spirited discussion. This works well with Jessica, who absolutely hates to be mocked, and Sandy, whose impressive education in nutrition and health seems to draw Chef Klaus' fire in a "damn kids and your book-lernin" sort of way. Chef is a practiced button-pusher, and has a knack for framing comments or criticisms aimed at Jessica in ways that sound derogatory and which in turn spark a (usually deserved) snippy response from her. It's obvious he revels in these exchanges, and I'd bet that she does a little bit, too. Might be a little "tension" there. He just likes to razz Sandy about her healthy eating habits and nutritional knowledge, which boils down to her formal education versus his experience and opinions.
Enju is another story. I know Chef likes her, and he works with her extensively to help her...but she drives him a little crazy, so turnabout is fair play. This week she dumped out a pot of duck stock that he had made especially for an important recipe. He was PISSED, but after 10 minutes of anger and derision he relented, made a stock from a base, and we moved on. Enju promised to never make another mistake, and he had to laugh. He has limited her to 10 questions per day, but she hasn't been able to stay under that limit yet.
As for me, I think my being older and male has made things pretty easy for me. He told me yesterday that if I were his apprentice he'd have kicked me in the ass a few times, but since I'm a paying student he can't do that. He was smiling when he said it. We share a military background (he was in the German equivalent to the U.S. Special Forces) and we both have a lot of trivial knowledge. In fact, (and this may surprise some of you that know me well), I would be leery of taking him on in a game of JEOPARDY! I feel like I get along with him pretty well.
Sorry for the lack of blog last week, but Wendy and I made a trip to the far side of the Big Island for the long weekend. Kilauea Military Camp was our base (nice room, right in the middle of Volcanoes National Park, but CHILLY at night) and we visited craters, steam vents, lava tubes, a lava lake, and hiking trails. A great weekend.
Things we made these last two weeks:
Strawberry Bavarian Creme - EXCELLENT
Chicken Cordon Bleu - DELICIOUS
Butter-poached Salmon - First, you melt TWO FULL POUNDS of butter, infuse with lemon...
Rack of Lamb Rouladen - That poor little lamb...WAS SCRUMPTIOUS!
Rote Gruetzen (red fruit dessert) - Sandy said it tasted like "jam made from wine". I agree. It was delectable.
Flaugnarde - Like a Clafoutis, but without the cherries.
Vichyssoise - Tougher to spell than to make.
Two quotes this week:
"Jessica, watching you cook is like watching a movie." - Enju
"All great change in America begins at the dinner table."
Ronald Reagan
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