October 31, 2008
On m’avait dit que je ne mettais plus de photos de mes “créations” sur mon blog…..et c’est vrai que ça fait un petit moment. Mais, je vous assure que je n’arrête pas - pendant mes 2 jours de repos je cuisine, je cuisine, je cuisine !! Je lis pas mal de livres de cuisine (mes “vieux” puisque j’ai arrêté d’acheter des nouveaux depuis le début de septembre !!!) pour trouver des recettes qui emploient certains produits, et j’en parle avec ma femme et même mes enfants !!
Donc, la création ne termine pas avec le début d’un vrai boulot dans une cuisine Parisienne…..heureusement, d’ailleurs. En effet, je suis plutôt rassuré que j’ai toujours plein d’énergie pour “jouer” en cuisine à la maison malgré mes jours bien chargés au Petit Marguery.
Alors, ce que je vous présente ci-dessous est le résultat d’un désir de créer un plat pour signaller le début de l’autonme avec, bien sûr, des produits de saison. Je voulais aussi essayer une nouvelle technique que j’avais apprise - celle de désosser un poulet tout en gardant la chaire intacte (d’ailleurs, je remercie le sous-chef du restaurant “l’Escargot” qui m’a montré comment faire pendant ma journée d’essai).
Allons-y !!!!!
Dans ce plat il y a 6 choses à préparer…à peu près.
Poulet désossé : je ne vais pas vous expliquer cette technique puisque il faut apprendre en regardant / faisant, et je n’arriverais pas à l’expliquer à l’écrit de toute manière ! Suffit de dire que - à mon avis - on est censé appliquer cette technique à la volaille de petite taille (comme le pigeon, par exemple). J’ai utilisé un poulet tout simplement pour faire des économies, et je n’étais pas sûr que mes enfants mangeraient du pigeon !!! Le résultat final était assez “moche” (comme dirait mon chef au Petit Marguery), mais ça m’a plu de peaufiner cette technique
Champignons sauvages poêlées : ici j’ai utilisé des girolles et des pleurottes, complètés par des champignons de Paris (pas tout à fait sauvage, je sais, mais les trompettes de mort étaient trop chères !). Une fois lavées (girolles - le pied épluché, puis le tout rincé dans 3 éviers d’eau; pleurottes - je n’ai rien fait puisqu’elles étaient en bon état), je les ai sautées vite fait dans une émulsion de beurre et un fond de volaille (ou de l’eau si vous voulez). Assaisoner avant de dresser l’assiette.
Farce d’Autonme : j’ai pris une brunoise de Butternut Squash (courge butternut en français je pense) du jardin de mon pôte Ian, et j’y ai ajouté une brunoise des dattes, des échalottes, des champignons, de l’ail et de la coriandre (ok, pas vraiment automne, mais j’adore la coriandre !!). J’ai fait suer les ingrédients dans de l’huile, pendant 10 minutes au maximum, simplement pour faire sortir leurs jus et, donc, faciliter leur lisaison. Mais bon, peut-être ce n’est pas nécessaire vu que tout va dans le poulet et va cuire pendant 40+ minutes au four ! Une fois la farce terminée, il faut farcir le poulet avec….bien sûr 
Vinaigrette de Betterave : je dois avouer que ce que vous voyez dans ma photo n’était pas extraordinaire, et donc la recette ci-après est celle de Tom Aikens que j’ai préparé la semaine dernière et que j’utilise maintenant au Petit Marguery (avec une salade de St Jacques, en l’occurrence). C’est très bon et tout simple - 200g betterave cuite et en brunoise, 400ml jus de betterave (j’en ai acheté, mais vous pouvez en faire vous même, bien sûr), 300ml huile d’olive, 200g échalotte en brunoise, thym, sel, 100ml vinaigre balsamic….faites chauffer les échalottes dans la moitié de l’huile dans une casserole pendant 3 minutes, puis ajouter les dés de betterave et le jus. Porter à l’ébullition et réduire par 2 tiers. Puis ajoutez les ingrédients qui restent, faites frémir pendant qqs minutes, passez par un chinois et la réservez dans une pipette.
Pommes de terre sautées à cru : assez rustique, et très bon ! Faites sauter des pommes de terre (chaire ferme, style charlotte par exemple) dans de l’huile très chaude dans une poêle sur la plaque de votre cuisinière. Au bout de qqs minutes vous verrez qu’une “croute” commence à se créer autour des PDT. A ce moment il faut ajouter des gousses d’ail et du romarin et mettre la poêle au four (180°C) pendant une quinzaine de minutes…..vous verrez en testant les PDT. Il faut les assisonner une fois sortie du four (sinon, le sel risque de faire sortir de l’eau des PDT et donc empêcher la création d’une croute autour des PDT). Très simple, très bon.
Jus de cuisson : j’ai récupéré le jus de cuisson du poulet (avec le bon jus de la farce aussi !!) pour fabriquer une sauce. Pas de recette, bien évidemment. Allez-y, faites cuire le poulet avec sa farce et vous verrez qu’il y aura un bon jus pour faire qqchose !
….et la-voila ma recette d’automne.
Le résultat ? “Miam, miam”….même pour les enfants (on dit plutôt “Yum, yum” en anglais, d’ailleurs). La farce marche très bien, le poulet désossé….pas la peine, mais “fun” pour moi et la vinaigrette est très bonne. Les champignons et les PDT…..rien à dire…si vous aimez bien ces produits vous aimeriez bien ce que j’ai fait…..gare simplement à la juste cuisson, surtout avec les champignons !
Dites-moi ce que vous en pensez, et bon appetit !
October 26, 2008
I finished last week (Thursday evening) on a bit of a downer with a poor service. 2 days break, a sunny trip to Lille (to look after my wife’s mum who has broken her ankle) and a calm Sunday service have all lead to me feeling much more positive about myself in the kitchen and in this job in general. We only did around 30 covers this lunch time, of which approx. half were for me (Scallops, Sole Meunières, Cod, Sea Bream, Salmon, Cêpes). So not much work, and certainly no “coup de feu”. But I took pleasure in getting my fish “right”…nicely cooked, well presented….I just need to work on my beurre meunière. I also got through most of the things on my “prep” list this morning.
My main aim every day is to go quicker…..that’s all. I obviously want to get my “cuisson” correct, but I’m pretty confident on this point.
Anyway, my wife is chilling out on the sofa next to me and I’m going to sign off to spend some time with her…..she looks so terribly inviting !!!
October 24, 2008
C’est ce que je me dis en ce moment. Nous avons beaucoup de travail en cuisine Au Petit Marguery, et tant mieux…..je cherchais justement une cuisine avec des bons produits et bcp de clients. Mais, il y a tellement de choses à faire, d’abord au niveau de la mise en place (MEP) et puis au service.
Je sais qu’en ce moment je ne vais pas assez vite. J’essaie de m’organiser en conséquence, en arrivant plus tôt et en préparant tous mes ingrédients loin d’avance (il faut toujours “anticiper”, m’a dit un collègue). Mais je n’arrive pas toujours.
En ce qui concerne la MEP, il y a des jours où j’ai ce que j’appelerais “la bonne énergie” et j’avance vite avec mes tâches, toujours gardant en tête 2 ou 3 tâches en parallel. Il y en a d’autres (souvent après mes jours de repos) ou je suis moins efficaces.
Quant au service, ça va pour ceux d’autour de 50 couverts. Par contre, chaque fois que nous faisons 70+ il y a toujours 2, voire 3 moments ou je suis dans le jus……et ça m’énerve !!!
Hier soir je n’ai pas fait une très belle prestation - st jacques un peu trop colorés, retard sur une table en direct, rupture de certains ingrédients…..ceci dit, j’ai réussi à envoyer mes meilleurs cabillauds depuis mon arrivé…..il faut savoir en tirer les points positifs, quand même !!
Donc un retour à la maison à minuit avec plein de doutes par rapport à ma capacité à réussir cette transformation de consultant en cuisinier.
C’est dûr en ce moment - tout le monde bosse bcp, mais parfois on n’arrive pas à tout faire pour le début du service. Par contre, il y a un vrai esprit d’équipe, avec le tout mené par un chef qui est impressionnant dans sa capacité à garder un bon sens de l’humour malgré la pression et le stress.
2 jours de repos aujourd’hui et demain, avant d’attaquer la semaine prochaine…..mais je pense à l’équipe qui tape dedans !!!
October 23, 2008
Déjà à la fin de ma 3ème semaine dans ma nouvelle cuisine, celle du Petit Marguery, et le bilan s’annonce plutôt positif. Je m’occupe de tout (avec de l’aide ponctuellement pendant les services de 80+) ce qui concerne le poisson sur la carte - la mise en place (les garnitures, les sauces et les poissons), la cuisson des mets et le dressage des assiettes. J’ai toujours tendance à aller moins vite que les autres dans l’équipe, mais j’essaie de combler ce manque en arrivant plus tôt en cuisine. Ce qui est génial c’est que nous avons toujours au moins 40 clients par service, et souvent 70+, et donc j’apprends vraiment gérer ma production (la cuisson des poissons et des garnitures, y compris le dressage des assiettes) pendant des vrais “coups de feu”. Je confirme que j’aime toujours les moments où “c’est la guerre” (comme ils disent souvent en cuisine au Petit Marguery), mais uniquement quand ma mise en place est en ordre……sinon, c’est pas possible……”2 soles ?….ahh, non, désolé……je n’ai pas assez de pommes de terre tournées” !
Une dernière remarque concerne l’équipe. Elle est très bonne du plongeur jusqu’au chef. On bosse dûr, ça n’arrête pas mais tout le monde connait leur rôle et on peut compter sur la présence et l’effort de tous. D’ailleurs, si cela vous intéresse de “rencontrer” mon chef de plus près, rendez-vous sur un site “truveo” pour la réalisation d’une recette par mon chef, M. Laratte.
A bientôt pour mes dernières nouvelles.
October 10, 2008
In the last month banks and stock markets around the world have been collapsing….along with our own savings at the bank ;-( ! Turn on the telly or go to any newspaper web site and it’s pretty much the headline every day. However, these last few months I have managed to find the perfect way of avoiding all of this negative news which is leading more and more economies into an official recession…..well, it’s simple….just work split shifts in a kitchen !
First of all, to the uinitiated, a “split shift” is working from 8-ish until 15hrs and then 17h30 until 23h…for the few hours of “rest” one doesn’t do much more than chill out, drink tea, eat a sandwich, read a book or pass some brief time with the family.
For my last 12 days in the UK I worked 10 split shifts (thus missing the collapse of several British finance institutions), and now that I am working here in Paris, I’m on “splits” again. I’m currently the human version of the mole……burying my head in my work and missing out on what’s going on around me.
Curiously, I also seem to be working in one of the few restaurants in Paris which is doing well (according to the weekly trade paper “Hôtelerie Restauration”, the number of restaurants closing so far this year has increased by more than 30% on last year) despite the huge downturn in the economic climate. Saturday and Sunday were very busy (full each service), with approx. 30 for lunch and 50 for dinner for the rest of the week up to and including last night, Thursday.
So all in all, the various moves to renationalise banks in different European countries has been taking place in a parallel universe as far as I have been concerned…..which maybe ain’t such a bad thing.
So, how’s my first week in my new job been ?
Busy, stressful (at first), but exciting and pretty passionate. I am currently the demi-chef de partie working on the fish section where we deal with Lobster, Scallops, Langoustine, Bass, Turbot, Sea Bream and Cod. My job is to set up the section (garnish, sauces and fish) and then cook and dress the plates for all fish orders during the service….so there’s a lot to get done !!! At the moment I still need help completing the prep work, but I am able to do the service on my own now, which I am delighted about.
Overall, I am very happy with this first full job in a professional kitchen. This is exactly the kind of experience that I need to prepare me for running my own restaurant in a few years time. The only aspect that I am missing out on is the “Fine Dining” touch. The products that we work with are of a good quality and are fresh, but because of the time constraints, the lack of staff and the amount of work to be done, we put more emphasis product and flavour than on presentation and precision. I’m not sure if in time that is going to frustrate me or not. In any case, I have to learn to work quickly (particularly in the preparation phases of the day), and I will certainly learn that where I am at the moment. I also need to learn to manage my orders, cook the food, dress the plates, all the while cleaning up my section as I go along (something I need to improve on)….all of this I will certainly get whilst working the fish section.
So, as far as the choice of kitchen to work in, so far so good.
One recent development back at home is that the kids (and particularly my daughter) are clearly missing me. Now that my planning at work is settled (3 splits, 1 early, 1 late and 2 days off) we should all be able to start settling into a new routine. But the kids were clearly expecting Papa to go back to his previous routine (being back home every evening from 18h30 onwards) that he had when studying for his CAP and doing his placement at “La Fontaine Gaillon”. I’ll be making sure that the days that I have off will be managed in such a way as to spend as much time as possible with them…..and then all that will be left will be working out how to spend more time with my wife !!
October 3, 2008
Rare breed pigs…..don’t you just love ‘em !!!
Just to be clear on one thing before going any further - I am not an expert on rare breed pork, far from it. However, having tasted rare breed pork from 2 different farmers in the North East, I can certainly say that the pork is magnificent (in terms of flavour, texture and visually also) and that I will always search out rare breed instead of commercial pork wherever possible.
Now that I’m back in the rainy bustle of the big city that is Paris (yep, the weather here really ain’t that different to back home in Newcastle after all !), my visits to Ravensworth Grange farm a stone’s throw away from the Angel of the North (Anthony Gormley’s magnificent public art project in Gateshead) seem along way away. Ravensworth is a pig and sheep (I know that they would correct me by saying that there are cows, cereals and probably loads of other things) farm run by Ann and Hugh Gray - hidden in the countryside and yet only a few miles from Newcastle. It is the home of the marvellous Middle White pigs.
First things first…..why rare breed pork, and indeed, what is rare breed pork ? With regards to the “What”, rare breeds are simply those that were once bred all over the country before the Second World War, with each region having a speciality. These breeds were then slowly but surely replaced by 1 or 2 more “profitable” and “commercial” breeds (such as the Large White) following a campaign by the British Government during the 50’s to make British Pork more competitive on the open market. The different “rare” breeds in the UK are
Berkshire
British Lop
British Saddleback
Gloucestershire Old Spot (I believe that Tom Aikens uses this breed)
Kune Kune
Large Black
Middle White
Oxford Sandy and Black
Tamworth (I believe that Tom Aikens uses this breed)
There are other more commercial breeds in the UK (Land Race, Welsh, Large White, Duroc, Hampshire and Pietrain) of which Large White is the most widespread.
With regards to the “Why?”, well there is one answer as far as a chef is concerned - flavour ! All rare breeds will have their own characteristics, but in general terms, they take longer to reach maturity, they need more space (unlike the Large White which seemingly accepts being kept in confined places, and thus suits “intensive” commercial farming), the relationship between what they eat and the amount of meat produced is not simple to calculate (thus making it “less efficient” for mass production) and they tend to have much more fat (seemingly from the 1950’s onwards the buying public wanted pork with less fat with the result that low fat breeds became more popular and are now widespread in our supermarkets). This last point is of particular importance to a chef since a good amount of fat ensures that the pork will remain juicy and succulent when cooking, that it will “baste” itself and that the flavour will be much deeper (don’t forget that fat “traps” flavour and is thus an essential part of traditional, flavoursome cooking….leave your butter open in the fridge and you’ll soon see that it will absorb any flavours floating around the fridge). So, basically it’s a “no-brainer”……rare breed is infinately better (in my opinion !!) than the commercial supermarket stuff.
As for Anne and Hugh Gray, I had heard about them through Terry Laybourne’s magnificent book (“A Quest for Taste”) on the real food heroes of the North East - the farmers and the producers. At one time they supplied Terry’s restaurants in Newcastle with their beautiful Middle White pork.
So, off I went for a sunny afternoon outing with Antonella, the kids and even my Dad (who was a bt grumpy that day ’cause he obviously is not used to not driving). Even though the farm is actually not far from Newcastle, it took us about 1 hour to find the place (after several trips out to different farms I now know that the city habit of signposting everything simply doesn’t happen in the “country”)…..I think that this is also why my Dad was a bit grumpy ! Anyway, fortunately it was worth the effort.
Upon arrival, Anne and Hugh were just coming back from herding up their sheep (they also have 500+ sheep in addition to their Middle Whites). We were welcomed with a big smile and though I knew that they had a lot to do during the day (Anne told me on the phone that she’d only be able to spend a short time with us) she took us all around the farm, told us their story, explained about raising the Middle Whites, asked her kids to show Jade and Noé around, talked about her trips to the various Farmers Markets…..in short, we were very well looked after and even my Dad managed to spend a good 30 mins drinking tea with Hugh in the farm kitchen (atleast he wasn’t grumpy anymore) !!
During the summer I was able to buy pork from Anne 3 times - a rolled shoulder (magnificent slow roast at 90°C for 20 hours), a boned top of hind leg (simply roasted for a couple of hours at 160°C….I did nothing, except baste it occasionally) and a beautifully fatty “slab” of pork belly (sealed in a vaccum bag with spices and star aniseed and cooked overnight at 140°C and then cut into square portions for finishing off and reheating “à la commande”). Every time the pork was just gorgeous.
So now that I am back in Paris, the search for the French equivalent is on. At the moment I get the impression that rare breed (”les races anciennes”) is less widespread than in the UK. Once I know more I’ll get back to you all.
I’ll sign off, and if you’ve got any sense you’ll get yourself off to your local Farmer’s market and buy some beautiful rare breed pork !!!!
ps…some sites on rare breeds just to get you (and me!) started
Rare Breed Pork
A list of Breeds in the UK
British Pig Association
French Pork
French Pork from the Sarthe
French Institute of Pork
One of the few suppliers of rare breed pork in Paris
Site for products from the Pays d’Auge, including Bayeux pork
October 2, 2008
It’s almost 1 year to the day since this incredible, crazy, passionate and sometimes stressfull conversion process began.
The first step was my “Initiation” - 1 CAP Cuisine (infact my actual diploma only arrived this morning !), 6 restaurants / caterers, umpteen cookery / chef books (of which my latest is a true gem - “The French Laundry - Thomas Keller”) and a 2 month stint back home in Newcastle.
I am now finally on the point of embarking upon phase 2 of this magnificent journey, as I have finished almost 2 weeks of interviews by agreeing to join the restaurant “Au Petit Marguery” in the 13th arrondissement in Paris. I will be the “demi-Chef de Partie” in a team of 6 (1 Chef, 1 Second, 2 Chefs de Partie - fish and cold starters, me, 1 Commis) where I will be working mainly on the Fish Section (having sole responsability for the section on Sunday & Monday, whilst supporting the Fish Chef de Partie for the other 3 days of the week).
Overall, the restaurant is 150% “cuisine traditionnelle” and “terroir”, with a particular focus on game (when in season….and now where right in there !). So, I’ve really got what I was looking for - small team, chef who is very present and who loves to share ideas and pass on knowledge, good quality produce (everything is fresh and seasonal). The only minor negative point is that I am definately stepping out of the “fine dining” arena….but then again, that could be the subject of another debate, namely “What is Fine Dining ?”. In my opinion, the only aspect lacking “Au Petit Marguery” is the presentation in the plate. All of the other aspects of fine dining are there.
Anyway, as a start to my professional career, I’m delighted to start in a kitchen where the emphasis is placed wholly on quality and flavour (the 2 main principles of the cooking of the much admired chef from my home region, Terry Laybourne), which many a supposed “Fine Dining” restaurant do not seem to share.
Just a few practical points on the process of searching for work and negotiating ones salary. Yes, the overall restaurant sector is having a hard time and thus people will always say that it’s difficult to offer “decent” salaries (especially for those starting out). However, the same restaurants are having a great deal of difficulty in finding “good” staff. So, we newcomers are in a relative position of “power”…..or atleast, we are not without a certain bargaining power. Listed below are the aspects that were important for me when securing this position,
Number of days work : 4,5 to 5 days. In “Fine Dining” restaurants in Paris they are often closed for 2,5 days per week, which is a real bonus. However, the downside is that usually the 4 days work are on “split” shifts, with the 0,5 day on evening shift
Split / Continuous Shifts : 3 split and 2 continuous (1 early and 1 late). Obviously, a continuous shift is better than a split shift in that you have more time to yourself (and family). I’m personally very happy to have only 3 splits. My “late” shift on Thursday means that I do not start work until 17hrs on that day.
Consecutive days off : I have Friday and Saturday off, which allows me to spend time with the family and also to have a real rest.
Salary : don’t forget that the SMIC is 1500€ brut (approx. including 10% extra for the 36-39th hours in every week) for 169hrs per month. It ain’t much, but any negotiating should start from here, at the very least (1 chef tried to make me believe that 1300€ brut was the standard pay for a demi Chef de Partie !). Also, all meals that you eat at the restaurant cost 3,31€ each - this will appear on your pay slip as a Benefit in Kind (Avantage en Nature - Repas). However, this amount is added to your base salary and then deducted, thus meaning that you pay for nothing in the end. In addition, this amount should NOT be included in the overall brut salary that is negotiated with the employer. Normally this comes to approx. 130€ per month, so if you’re only earning 1500 brut and then the employer takes out 130 for meals, you notice the difference ! Beware !!
Prospects of Evolution : the owner of “Au Petit Marguery” has just bought a 7th restaurant in the 17th arrondissement and this will be opened in Jan 2009. It will be purely a fish restaurant. The aim is to train me up on fish so that I can move to this new restaurant in January 2009 as Chef de Partie, which suits me fine.
So, there you have it. The next step starts tomorrow (assuming that the contract is sorted today), my family are happy with my planning and I am delighted with the quality of the team and the menu.
Watch this space.
Dom – 3:22 am 
