Try, Try Again.

Okay, let’s try this again. I had a drink at work and I’m not at 100% but hey, YOLO.

So two nights ago, I wrote this fantastic blog. It turned out perfect and it was funny and I was quite pleased with the end result. You want to know what happened to that blog? IT DIDN’T SAVE AND MY INTERNET FROZE. Ain’t that a bitch? So I was furious and an inch away from crying. But I kept it together. I didn’t know if I wanted to rewrite it or if I should just say FUCK IT and write one next week. But because I am so dedicated, I’ve decided to try again. This time I’m writing it in Microsoft Word. Word never lets me down.

Monday was an interesting day. Spent a class with the birds. We took a field trip to a local pheasant farm. I am not too good at paying attention but the birds were pretty. We’re supposed to have a quiz over what we learned on the field trip but I didn’t bring a notebook. I don’t remember any “fun facts” but I’m not too worried about it.

What hollandaise SHOULDN'T look like

Tuesday was a rough day. I went to school, ready too cook my little heart out. I didn’t know what to expect but I knew we’d be focusing on stocks & sauces and plate presentation. This week I worked with someone I had never worked with before. He has experience like me. A little more than me. It’s funny because when I ask him questions, he says, “I don’t know” to me just like I say I don’t know to the others. It’s all the same. We’re all learning. Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses. I’m learning mine. I guess they aren’t really weaknesses, I just don’t know how to make hollandaise sauce (the original way) without a blender.  I also didn’t have a clue what veloute (vel-loo-tay) was. I read about it in the book but I had never heard of it or used it before at a job. When I worked at Josef’s, I had to make basil hollandaise, but with a blender. When I made my hollandaise the other day in class, I broke it. TWICE. I was in a rush, and I forgot a couple steps. It’s all sorts of confusing. I just need more practice.

The veloute is a different story. Veloute is the unknown for me. We take 1 liter of chicken stock and add the roux (Roo) we made. I made a white roux. A white roux doesn’t require cooking. And if it does require cooking time, it isn’t very much.  A roux is a thickening agent for sauces made of clarified butter and flour. Easy.

First you have to bring your stock to a boil. Once boiling, turn it down to a simmer. Then you start adding a little bit of your roux. I added a lot. Too much, actually. The chef came over and said, “WHOA! THAT’S TOO MUCH ROUX!”

I DIDN’T KNOW!

He wasn’t mad but he helped me fix it. Veloute is also a thickening agent. For soups and stuff. You let it simmer for 20 minutes and then it’s done.

Since we were learning about stocks, we made 2 stocks. A white stock and a brown stock. The white stock is made with chicken pieces and the brown stock was made with veal pieces. After we roasted the bones, we had to deglaze the sheet pan. I got to deglaze the pan for the brown stock. We had to mix 1 cup of water and 1 cup of red wine. I went to pour my mix onto the pan and IT CAUGHT ON FIRE. I let out a scream and an “UH OH!” and my partner turned off the burner and put out the fire. He told me to rest the cup on the pan and then pour. Don’t just pour it so it splashes. This is common knowledge that I had seemed to misplace. But in the end, I deglazed it and all was well. The end.

 

Just kidding.

Lastly, we each had to grill a chicken breast, cook a green vegetable (boil, steam, or sauté), and make a starch (risotto, rice pilaf, or mashed potatoes). The chef told me, specifically, that I couldn’t do potatoes. I was a little bummed but I made curry risotto instead. I also chose to sauté some spinach with chipotle powder. (I was feeling a little spicy.) I didn’t think my chicken would cook in time for our tasting at 4, but it did. When the chef started talking about my plate, he said he liked how my chicken was sliced and fanned out. My protein, vegetable, and starch ratio was pretty good too; 50% protein, 25% starch, 25% vegetable. At first I had a little too much risotto but the chef called me out and I fixed it. He liked my plating. He didn't like the sauce around the edge and that's because you only put sauce around the edge for desserts. Otherwise, the sauce will be cold by the time it gets to the table. The fact that the chef liked my plate made me feel a little better about myself, considering I had been only screwing up that day.

I couldn't wait to eat. I was HUNGRY. And it was good!

I know that I don’t know everything but at least I’m starting to recognize the things that I need to work on. I’m pretty sure I’m meant to be a chef. I can just feel it sometimes and honestly, I think people can see it. I don’t know much about life or random things but when it comes to food, I’m not a dummy. I’m only getting better.