This blog has been up and running and accessible for 13 days, and in that time I have had 60 different visitors from 9 different countries (France, Switzerland, Sweden being the top sources, with sporadic interest coming from the USA, Canada, NZ, Portugal, UK, Belgium). I think that a number of you have not spent much time reading my diary entries (fair enough - I was quite frankly gobsmacked / surprised when my mate Rob suggested that my journal might be worth putting on the web as a blog), but there seems to be about 30% of you who follow my entries quite regularly.
So, I’m pretty curious to know who you are…..not necessarily your whole intimate history, but simply why you are interested in this blog. I’d be very interested to have your thoughts on what I’m doing - 38 yr old English computer consultant changes direction to get trained up as a chef and then set up his own restaurant.
Anyway, truth be known, I’m feeling a bit low on morale today…..a few doubts have been allowed to creep into my head. So, I would be very keen to have some words of encouragement…..:-)
Briefly, today I had a short chat with the chef - he appreciates my energy, he says that I should be careful to not try to move forward too quickly (thus annoying people if I try to do stuff that I can’t and this then making them less willing to help when I am more able to do what I would like to do), that they don’t really need me and thus the main difficulty that I’ll have is trying to find my place, he is perfectly willing to let me work at different roles during my time in his kitchen (for example, each Wednesday I could do patissery, each morning I could help the poissonnier prepare the Whiting / Merlan, and so on). The fact that they don’t need me depressd me a wee bit, even though I know that this is a reality and despite that I will still be able to get a lot of good experience. I just want some responibility (for even the smallest task) - I guess because I’m totally used to being autonomous in my consultant role. At the same time I know that this is unreasonable to expect. I think that by the end of my second period of training in the restaurant (end of Dec 2007 - til the end of Jan 2008) I will have a better idea of where I am.
I need to find my place in the team.
I think that I am at a moment where I should start to master the basics and have some real cuisine knowledge - Saturday’s session at Le Zephyr was somewhat difficult for me….not too much work - quite the opposite and for me it was an opportunity missed to get a bit of experience at working the hot plates. The problem was that quite simply I don’t remember what goes in the plate for different dishes…..I am still asking regularly what plate to use, etc. Not good enough and I really must get this sorted out. For me to be able to develop my culinary craft (i.e. able to be creative in the professional kitchen) I must first of all master the basics of how to organise myself in the kitchen and to organise / order / plan my production (i.e. know how to “construct” the various dishes that are on the menu and to make sure that ).
Some things that I aim to achieve in the next few weeks….
* learn thoroughly the basic sauces (for example, I was sure that I knew how to prepare the sauce béarnaise : well, yes I knew the different ingredients and approx. the different stages….but I didn’t understand or “feel” the sauce….I don’t know if you know what I mean, but I do and that’s what counts - it’s an emulsion which is a sauce created, essentially, out of the fusion of a water-based product and a fat-based productI need to prepare these sauces regularly so that it becomes part of me. Then I can start to imagine new sauces….;-)
* cuts of meat : I am starting with beef (33 cuts), moving on to lamb (12 cuts) and then veal (16 cuts).
* fish : learn the basics on the fish which are on the menu at La Fontaine - Bar / Sea Bass, Merlan / Whiting, Merlu-Colin / Hake (which becomes Morue in France when it is salted), Rouget / Snapper, Sole.
* learn “by heart” how the starters and puddings (Le Zephyr only, since I don’t have to be able to do sweets at La Fontaine) are presented at Le Zephyr and La Fontaine.
All of that said, a quick rundown of what I have done during the last 2 sessions at work (at Le Zephyr Saturday and La Fontaine today)….
* filleted a whole salmon (3,5KG), took off the skin, preparation of a tartare
* deboned chicken leg
* finished the béarnaise sauce (starting from the reduction which was done earlier in the day) - liaison avec l’émulsion d’oeuf, ajout de l’eau, monter jusqu’à une sauce firme, ajout du beurre clarifié d’un seul coup et bien intégré
* prepared from start to finish my own recipie for Rice Pudding (see recipie 2), even though we didn’t sell a single one all night !!
* prepared (clean out and fillet whilst keeping the 2 fillets joined together by the skin) 30 or so Red Mullets / Rougets
* listened to the orders coming in even though we were busier today than at any point last week - 80 covers.
Anyway, better leave it at that since I’ve got a brief meeting with the chef tomorrow morning at 7h40.
Cheers, Dom
Dom – 11:10 pm