Kitchen confidential

In the last week I have almost conquered one of my biggest fears. That fear is restaurant work. In my mind, working in a kitchen is hardcore, and I don't fit in. I'm either eaten alive by a big scary chef, or sworn at until I run away, cry, or both. I also have hot oil thrown at me, and I'm tricked into picking up a pan straight from the oven with my bare hands while all the other chefs laugh. These all come from stories I've been told, and I'm not made for things like that.

But, 3 days in, all I can say is that I have survived so far, and enjoyed most of it. It's a really nice, busy French bistro, and I hope they don't make any of my nightmares come true! Highlights include opening my first oysters today, then going back to open more, picking up someone else's knife, and snapping it. Oops. The chef/owner told me to stick it in the bin quickly before whoever the knife belonged to realised what I'd done!

I also spent about 3 hours last week filling snail shells with parsley butter, then a squidgy black snail, and more parsley butter. I'm not in a hurry to try them although they do look quite good once they've come out the oven, with melted butter and herbs bubbling over the shells. And my revelation is that the shells go through the dishwasher after they've been used, and the snails come in a tin. Who'd have thought?!!!

Another eye opener was the veal brains delivery. It was so bizarre, they looked like brains, they are brains, and they were then cooked and eaten by people knowingly choosing to eat brains. And then I overheard the head chef asking someone to get rid of the haemorrhages on them. Oh dear...

Other than that I've chopped parsley until my hand almost fell off, have cut up my body weight in Roquefort, and have started plating meals that are sent out straight to the customer. Now that's exciting!

Spot the difference...

Not bad, right?!!!

P.s. If you're not convinced that it's Spring and want some warm, comforting pudding, have a look here for some inspiration. Measurements are in cups but it's easy to convert and the desserts look delicious! http://www.bonappetit.com/recipes/slideshows/2010/03/warm_sticky_gooey_desserts_slideshow#slide=1
Enjoy x

Sunshine and snow

Wow, what a lovely day! The sun is shining, Spring is on it's way, blossoms are starting to open and people are waiting to cross the road with their eyes shut and a faceful of sun! And this afternoon I am unseasonally making 'oeufs a la neige aux noisettes caramelisees'.

I never thought this was possible, but 'oeufs a la neige' are meringues poached in sugar syrup so that they are soft, shmushy and a bit like snow. Then we make a liquidy vanilla custard which goes in a bowl, on top of the custard are the soft meringues, and then we make caramelised hazelnuts and chop them up to sprinkle on top.

What makes it tricky is that we also need to make steak au poivre with pommes darphin, and the potatoes look really difficult.

And for all that we've got about 2 hours preparation and cooking time. Phew!

Here's the steak that I hope to replicate. Wish me luck!!!

Juicy chicken and the search for Pedro's missing finger

So I'm back from a long day involving veal escalope, veal something else, and pork cutlets. Photos at the bottom of the page.

And of course there was the exam. Which went surprisingly well. I'll write a perfect roast chicken recipe here when I'm less tired, because I may just have the secret!! Of course the pearl onions were too pale and overcooked, and the gravy tasted a little too sweet - too many carrots in the onion:celery:carrot ratio, obviously. I should have known better...

But in the words of my chef, the jus tasted like a jus, and the chicken was perfectly cooked. I did it!!!

The only disconcerting moment was the chef telephoning down that a student had to go to hospital. I assumed it was someone from another class, but then was told it was Pedro in my class, who was outside the door looking grey and clutching his finger. Apparently my Italian classmate freaked out when she saw the chef fishing around in Pedro's vegetables to find missing bits of finger, but then managed to compose herself and finish the exam.

So it all went well, I got rare praise from Chef Franck, and I finished 5th out of 10, well, 9 i suppose, which is pretty good for me.

Off to shower off food smells and sleep... 

I wouldn't have put the olives there, but it did taste good

Sage, mustard and honey gravy with blanched courgette and carrot ribbons

More veal

Potato Duchesse, but you knew that

Us all queueing up to taste the chef's food!

Some dishes so far

this was so good - French onion soup

melt in the mouth rack of lamb with a parsley crust

Beef Bourguinon - especially for Valentines Day !

The blog begins

I have an exam tomorrow. It’s different to any exam I’ve had before, but somehow my revision technique hasn’t changed. Between now and bedtime I need to learn the recipe for roast chicken, mashed potato, glazed baby onions, and broccoli. And the technique is naturally avoidance.

So a little bit about me. As this is a food blog, I should say that until about 2 years ago I was the kind of cook who burned Super Noodles, and could just about manage 3 minute filled egg pasta with pesto from a jar as a ‘good’ meal.

Then a year volunteering with VSO in Zambia changed all that. I was alone in a village in Southern Africa, the market sold dried fish, tomatoes and sweet potato leaves, and egg noodles were a 3 hour drive away. Something had to change, and that something was my ability to cook with anything available. I started baking my own bread, and attempting all the dishes possible with the limited fresh ingredients. And I loved it!

So now, over a year since I got back from Zambia, I’m using all my savings to study at Le Cordon Bleu and hoping that it’ll lead to something great. I’ve had some good, bizarre, interesting, and gross experiences so far, and from now on I’ll share them with you.

Enjoy!