chromedome

I hear you. My *one* day person and I mixed, rolled, cut, baked, decorated, and (dammit) WRAPPED over 2500 heart-shaped cookies. It was the cellophane and ribbons that really got me down. We also did several hundred truffles, a couple of chocolate gift boxes, and over 600 creme brulees for the bloody take-out dinners. Oh, and thanks to a timely diktat from head office, I lost almost a third of every day during this time from having to cover the cash registers during everyone else's breaks. We're busy, by normal standards, but it feels soooo restful after V-Day. <sigh> A couple weeks' respite, and then it's Easter.

I've been through the same process recently, Cricklewood. After years in retail sales, I followed my heart into the kitchen. I graduated from NAIT in Edmonton last April, at the age of 40. It's definitely an adjustment, and you're in for a few years of low-paid ass-busting work. I'm loving it, mind you, I just wish I didn't hurt in quite so many places. As for landing a job, the best advice I can give you is to be targetted and intentional. Don't just fire off a CV to any place that strikes you as interesting. Look at the websites and menus of the places you apply to. Research the chefs; there's a surprising amount of info out there on the Internet. One place I applied the exec is a triathlete; another is a fairly serious jazz musician. I made a point of knowing that about them before I ever darkened their doors. I also made a point of reading their menus and anything I could find (local papers, magazines, restaurant reviews, etc) explaining their attitudes and approaches toward food. Because the time will come when one of these godlike individuals (note my expressionless face) will sit you down and ask you a very simple question: "Why do you want to work here?" Your answer, very often, will decide whether you get a real interview or the ten-minute brushoff. Give them good reasons, real reasons (anybody who hires his own staff will smell bullshit in a second); and ideally reasons that convey a benefit to the chef. You can't come in with a song and dance about your cooking skills, because the second he puts you on the line you're going to get hammered. Emphasize skills like performance under pressure, deadlines successfully dealt with against all odds, organizational aptitude, perseverance...you get the picture. The things any employer wants to hear. But only if they're accurate and demonstrable (and ideally, things your references will cheerfully affirm). In my particular instance, I had the disadvantage of finding a stage in a city 3000 km from where I was living at the time (Halifax). I exercised due diligence at the research end, sent off the e-mails, and landed a spot in one of my top three choices (I still work there on weekends). Believe me, I made my case at length and in detail, and my letter was not generic. Aside from the introductory explanation of my circumstances, each of those queries was specific to that particular kitchen. I still needed to prove myself once I got there, but that was a question of attitude rather than skillset. The chef knew (and I knew) that if I had the right attitude she could teach me the rest. I'm still learning, every day, and I'm confident that I made the right decision. YMMV, but it's a great industry.

Oh, yes, and several little ceramic ramekins for making brulees and pots de creme and suchlike. Fifty cents each.

Dollar stores in general are hit-or-miss, you can't just grab items at random. In my kitchen I've got a couple of spray bottles for sanitizer, and some squirt bottles that I use occasionally for sauces when we've got company and I want my plates to look nice. I found a little chrome trivet 8" in diameter, which I use when I want to pour ganache glaze over a 9" or 10" cake; that works pretty well and hey, extra trivets are always handy. I've bought several pastry brushes from dollar stores; they've varied in quality but no more so than the ones from more respectable sources. I've bought various towels, my fingers tell me all I need to know except colourfastness, and I can deal with that afterwards. I've grabbed various bits and pieces from the craft section, too, but I'm tired and my brain is too fuzzy to pull up a f'rinstance. I seldom buy foods there, just the odd time I'll grab some munchies.

Okay, disclaimer...I'm just starting to educate myself about wines (career change/cooking school) so I haven't got the vocab down pat, yet. Bear with me. My wife and I went to the Rocky Mountain Wine & Food fest here in Edmonton back before Christmas. We had a lot of fun and tasted lots of different things, and were pleasantly surprised by three Georgian wines that we encountered. The Georgians proudly lay claim to being the original winemakers (oldest archaeological evidence of oeniculture backs them up); and while some vineyards have planted the usual Western varietals in recent years, the indigenous grapes are still in production. In the couple of months since the show I've made a point of getting a couple of bottles of each of these wines, since it's hard to do justice to anything in the trade-show context. Here are my thoughts: Dry White: Chrebalo The Chrebalo vineyards were established in the 1870's, died under the Bolsheviks, and restored to active winemaking in 2000. This wine is made from indigenous Rachuli Tetra and Tsitska grapes. It is a pale gold in colour, with a crisp and only moderately fruity aroma. This is not a featherweight wine for sunshine and salads! Lots of tannins, lots of strength, not as fruity as most New World whites I've tried. Lean and sinewy. Comes across almost as a red wine in drag. Dry Red: Alexandrouli I had an unusual first reaction to this one. It made me think of the sea! The Alexandrouli grape is another indigenous varietal, with a light ruby colour. My wife picked out lots of light herbal and floral notes, while my outstanding impression was of a pleasant and unusual astringency (the reason I thought of salt ocean breezes, no doubt). The rep told us that this is indicative of the terroir; the prevailing winds are from the Black Sea, and herbs and violets are grown commercially in the surrounding area. Not a big, bold red; but certainly backbone and structure enough to be interesting. Semi-Sweet Red: Kvanchkhara I really like this one. It's a shame that semi-sweet wine is awkward to market; sweeter than an off-dry, but not really sweet enough for a dessert wine. Kvanchkhara is easy to spot, as it comes in a terra-cotta bottle (okay, there's glass too, but I think the terra-cotta is a pretty cool marketing gimmick). The grapes are Mujuretuli and Alexandrouli; given the nature of the dry Alexandrouli I'll assume that the Mujuretuli provides the substance here. This wine is very powerful and complex. There is a lot of fruit; my immediate impression was of black cherries and plums but many other things (currants, maybe even a bit of good cigar tobacco) came and went as I worked my way through the bottle. Although the sweetness is front and centre it doesn't dominate, there is more than enough acidity and tannin to give it structure. Altogether this is a lush, powerful wine with lots to recommend it. Think of it as a mature, voluptuous woman as opposed to the tanned young hardbodies of Australia and California. All three of these wines are produced by Rachuli Wino Ltd, winemaker O. Chelidze.

"Widdershins" means counterclockwise. In the folklore of the British Isles (and perhaps other places, I'm no folklorist); walking around a church/standing stone/whatever "widdershins" could place you inadvertantly in fairyland, where all kinds of bad shit might happen to you before you got home.

At my night job, we had a popover on our menu last year. It was flavoured with horseradish, and we filled the hollow with wild rice. It was the starch that went with our caribou tenderloin. My boss likes to dip into the old warhorses from time to time, giving them a bit of a twist. We have a take on Coquilles St Jacques on our current appetizer menu, and a version of Crepes Suzette on the dessert menu.

If any of you are visiting in Edmonton, you may want to try the dining room at NAIT, now known as Ernest's. Last year when I was studying there, we made "tableside" caesar at the Friday buffet a couple of times. Even when we didn't, it was made backstage, so to speak, in the classic manner (since we could learn the bastardized versions at our leisure, once we graduated).

At my day job we use the heavy-duty muffin pans from American Pan Co. They are 12 per pan, with a secondary depression around the cup to allow for jumbo muffins. We use a #6 scoop, and our muffins average 250g unbaked weight (over half a pound), which is big by any standard. It's their stock # 03027, on this page. I'm sure they'd be pricey to order, but they'll last you a lifetime of hard use. Ours are ten years old, at this point, and are still straight and square in each direction. And boy, do they take a beating!

I am always mystified at the passion avocadoes arouse. To me, they've always been a mouthful of lard with an aftertaste of new-mowed grass. The only two avocadoes I've bought in the last decade have been for my wife to mash into her scalp and hair. However, as noted upthread, about the only avocadoes we get here in the Great White North are Hass and "those <expletive> Florida things," so I may be doing a disservice to the other gazillion varieties out there. In the interest of international amity among foodies, I hereby pledge to try the damned things again if I ever find myself down in Mexico. (....but some of you have to promise to give okra another shot.... )

It's always hard to know what people are really thinking about their experience. Your "regulars" will generally give you positive feedback. Comment cards are iffy (some people associate them with lower-end establishments, others just ignore them); and if people are asked anything more pertinent than "How was everything?" they'll often find it intrusive. For those establishments which have a high enough profile to be discussed regularly online, it's a great way to "eavesdrop" on your clientele.

<shrug> I cook the best that's available to me at a given time; as filtered through budget, availability, and energy level. Sometimes that's prawns in saffron, sometimes that's opening a can and pouring it over store-bought pasta. I have two student loans, two jobs, a side freelance gig, two kids to raise, and a wife to keep happy. Sometimes I just don't have enough "processor cycles" to cook the way I want to at home.

Think of it as a culinary "take" on Malevitch...

My unscientific approach is to pick my baking pan, fill it with bread, and pour in enough base to fill it up. Five minutes later I'll come back, top it up with base, and head to the oven. I favour softer, richer breads as well; usually I make it with leftover pieces of brioche or cinnamon roll.

Well, I opted for pains au chocolat rather than chocolatines, since I had some brioche dough lying around that I wanted to use up. Turns out that the chocolate chips were the answer to my dilemma, they worked out beautifully. I might "spike" them with a bit of couverture, just to improve the flavour a bit, but they seem to be working. I put them into my display today, and sold eight of the twelve despite their being crowded into the least-visible corner of my showcase. I think that's a reasonable starting point. I made more today, and I'll run them for a couple of weeks and see how they go. At least one of today's customers was thoroughly delighted to see them, and gushed about telling everyone in her office. We'll see. Onwards and upwards....

My impression is that you're more likely to find fresh yeast specified in 1) European recipes; 2) professional recipes; or 3) recipes from older cookbooks. I don't know about the US, but here in Canada trying to find fresh yeast in the supermarket is an exercise in frustration. As for shelf life, the usual recommendation I hear is two weeks. In practice, I've occasionally hacked the moldy outer layer off a brick of the stuff (we got 1 lb. bricks of it at my school) and used it. Not for resale, mind you, but when the stuff at school got outdated I'd ask permission to take it home and use it. As long as you're diligent about taking off the moldy bits, it seems to work fine. I would guess that, while it will lose potency over time, you could probably keep it for at least a few weeks past its date and still get a decent rise out of it.

Most recipes I've seen for any sort of custard/anglaise/pastry cream suggest straining it through muslin or a fine tamis. If you've been lax and allowed your eggs to curdle slightly, it will fish the lumps out; or if you've not incorporated the starch into your pastry cream properly it will conceal the evidence of your shortcomings. I don't think I'd every "whizz" a badly curdled custard in the food processor to try and pass it off; but who knows what we'll do under enough time pressure?

The "plain chocolate" I referred to is dark Callebaut couverture in little chunks, which some call pistoles and some call callets. I know those are terms with a specific meaning, but I've heard both names used interchangeably for both products, and the individuals involved were equally adamant. Personally, I don't give a hoot either way. I just use the things. We don't order chocolate chips any more (we use the chunks of couverture in our cookies and muffins) so that's not a long-term solution for me; but I do have a bucket or two of mini chocolate chips kicking around. I'll try those, and see how they work.

Nutella unfortunately is out, because of the whole nut thing. I have a lot of nut-allergic and nut-averse customers. Also, I can't order it from my supplier. Plain chocolate and ganache both seem to boil out the seams, even when sealed with egg wash or a flour-and-water "whitewash." Frustrating at best, and the heat doesn't seem to do the chocolate any favours re: flavour and texture. I'm thinking that I'll probably go with a butter ganache that has some icing sugar worked in. That should give me a reasonable consistency, and resist the temperatures reasonably well. Wish me luck... As for the whole "fudge is boring" thing, well...it doesn't excite me too hugely either, but it's a very down-home sort of thing and Alberta is a very down-home kind of place. Nougat is a good idea, though, and I may well look at doing something with that later on in the year.

Back in December I did a catered meal/cooking demonstration for a group of investment brokers, and this subject was part of my discussion/demonstration. The entree for their meal was a chicken breast wrapped in prosciutto; stuffed with sauteed grapes, onions, pine nuts, and chiffonaded basil. That, to my palate, delivered a nice combination of flavours, textures, and (important with breasts) moisture. I like grapes with poultry, especially with chicken. Sauteed grapes make a beautiful garnish, by the way. Throw a few green seedless grapes into the pan with some butter, and they'll turn to a beautiful milky-jade colour. There are a lot of combinations that I like. I consider prunes to be a natural with poultry as well, and I like them with pork. Apricots are beautiful with lamb, and I've served apricot puree with pork as well. I use raisins or currants (or any dried fruit I have on hand, for that matter) in many of my curries, and especially in mid-East-influenced stews. Cut the large black or red plums into wedges; sautee them in a little butter and sugar; flambee with brandy or whiskey, and serve them with your broiled or barbecued meats. It's not entirely true, of course, to say that fruit-with-meat is not done in North America. Turkey and cranberries, anyone? Ham with pineapple? Pork chops with applesauce?

I was looking around the Demarle website a couple of months ago, and came across a silicon sheet pan product. "Cool," I thought, "those suckers'll NEVER warp." Then, a moment later, I realized the catch. They're silicon. Whatcha gonna put 'em on, when you put 'em in the oven? Doh.

LOL @ "mise flunky." Annie, you fracture me sometimes. Having said that, I want one in the worst way.

'Lo again, all... Once again I'm looking to shamelessly Hoover ideas and suggestions from those more accomplished than me. I'm going to be super-busy until Valentine's Day has been and gone, but I'm considering some options for my next couple of months. One thing that's been on my mind is "chocolatines," croissants with a chocolate filling. I've begun making croissant dough anyway, since I've had a lot of demand for ham-and-cheese croissants; and it seemed to me that a chocolate filling was a no-brainer alternative. My problem is that I don't have the option at present of buying the pre-made rods of chocolate for this purpose. Ganache doesn't work very well, since it just bubbles out the ends and gets everywhere. I'm assuming that there is something along the lines of icing sugar added to the chocolate for stability, but I'm just guessing. Anybody got any input? A second idea that struck me as viable is fudge. Tourist traps and farmer's markets alike have been selling fudge hand-over-fist for years, and I'm thinking that it's something I could sell easily in my downtown location. Can anyone recommend some good recipes for high-volume fudge-making? Thanking you all in advance...

IIRC, what they have at Superstore is the 835, about 54% cocoa. It's not a truly superlative chocolate, but it's certainly adequate to be the day-to-day chocolate for most purposes.

Like any other bacteria, salmonella requires a certain degree of moisture in order to reproduce. Royal icing hardens up dry as a bone, leaving any pathogens in a dormant state. It's the same as any other dried food, really. Think "cake jerky."