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.
Friday, October 21, 2011
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)
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)