-
Posts
361 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Content Type
Profiles
Forums
Store
Help Articles
Everything posted by PassionateChefsDie
-
To please others it's simple! I cook things I dont like! Good Chefs/Cooks are generous people it's the art of giving.
-
And it will remain so until a change is made. there are selected few "career" waiters, but it is so thankless that few venture down that path. I think the possibilty of reversing this is impossible. The industry is riddle with PT's with "short-timers diesease" and they are looking on the next best thing. my point is, this problem has riddled restaurants for the last century and its not getting any bettter. change is eminent. It is said that in this world EVERYONE is replaceable. no matter who it is. however there is a tendency towards chaos when the proper amount of energy is not being inputed. having said that losing any piece of the puzzle, FOH or BOH has the potential to cause problems. but i feel like this is the reason why it should be changed, there is no continuity, currently, even in the so called "best" restaurants in the country. ← I would dis-agree the best front of house and the best back of house move between the best restaurants for example follow Think its ledbury thread in UK all are mentioning the Lovely Helena Hell. I think she seems to be one of the best and certainly from the thread is well liked and an addition to the new venture that will make people go, because they have met her before in quality establishments. This isn't even a proffesional veiw these people seem to be writers and just good food lovers. If you go in with the attitude that every one is replaceable then you will never establish loyalty from your staff, every great chef has a strong sous who has helped them through there career, look at TRU how long has he had his pastry chef? It riddles places that pay peanuts and get monkeys with the european market close by I do believe that we may be better placed to find more proffesionals than in America. But I also believe that the best staff from both sides are still moving from good establishment to good establishment on either side of the atlantic.
-
I think that now adays there is alot less respect for the FOH as I mentioned earlier as we have now de-skilled waiting to not a lot more than Plate carrying! Remember normally in a restaurant only one person takes orders. The job is picked up by school leavers and uni graduates trying to pay there way rather than long term proffesionals who are trying to make a career out of it. It's an even more thankless task than BOH but remember any one can take a plate out to a restaurant, I hope we go back to a more classic training for waiters rather than having to rely on imports from France etc where the training is better, otherwise it seems to be management that have the classic waiting skills. It certainly doesn't make you any better/worse than BOH but harder to find true proffesionals with the same integrity as the BOH who will be doing it for the rest off there lives. I personally value FOH but thats probably because I cant do it for more than a day by then my teeth have nearly cut my tongue into two. Also they're are the flak jacket for the kitchen recieving the abuse for the BOH's mistakes, there is a divide yet we are trying to achieve a whole. As a chef I'm the first to step in if I see any chef giving FOH staff crap I do value the job they do as it has to be the most thankless job in the world, never to be seen but always there when you need them, but it has become de-skilled with out a doubt.
-
But a proffesional wont be complacent its there love not a chore its how you peel a carrot not whether you do it! I was highlighting that there is 2 different proffesionals One Front of House Two behind the scenes what both derive satisfaction from will be completly different. To then swap will lose the proffesionalism, most of the proffesional waiters I've worked with could of cooked and kicked most of the commis into touch after 30 years in the game and a classic training. Which involed cooking which it doesn't any more. But there love is front of house there passion is working the difficult customer into leaving with a smile. They didn't care for the differences in cuisine just like I dont care whether they can do this with that napkin. I say bring back proper waiters, not a blended all rounder.
-
Boredeom is sitting there plucking 60 ducks if you want or its a pleasure of the job I want someone that finds it a pleasure not a tedious task! First they will do a better job if for no other reason pride, secondly it will be done right! But they wont be the type of person bored in a month! Looking for a new job in 6 months. I worked with to many cv chefs who've worked here and there yet never understood what they where doing, just recipe followers there's a million housewives doing that everyday. Edited to add: No I cant say I am happy with the trade, but until the consumer is willing to pay the extra money and stops comparing us to the supermarket each time they dip into there pocket to pay the bill! We have no chance of putting the right amount of staff into an establishment to make money it will be under staffed. For when a main course costs £10 all the customer thinks is if I went to the supermarket that will cost £3 it's the customers we need to change to get them to dig a bit deeper if they want to eat out. As proffesionals we stop cutting corners and make more work for ourselves by trying to better things that we can buy in, is this wrong no! But we can certainly make it easier on ourselves, by buying it in at a worse standard and a cheaper price.
-
Ahhh , I love contradiction, in fact i think your contradiction(s) prove my points. My goal is to CLOSE the restaurant for 4 weeks out of the year. Vacation. Plus involve some profit sharing methods. The attitude ALWAYS comes down to the individual. "you can lead the horse..." When a person becomes a chef and/or owner of a restaurant it is their role to do whatever it takes to fit the bill, no? As a chef/owner you are a politician working the room selling yourself and the food, your ideas and philosphies, no? So, why, pray tell would you not want to train your staff to be chefs instead of fry cooks or sautees or suaciers? I mean as a cook, I mastered each station at each of my jobs in a matter of weeks. And there was NO room for advancement. Why in the world would I stay at garde manger for the next 2 years when I want to move to the line, or even to the back to learn pastry? I mean come on Im freaking bored here!!! Ahh but if we rotated the staff we could , get this... TEACH everyone the FUNDEMENTALS of cookery and chefdom as a whole. The processes and technique dont change from city to city. Especially with the internet. Ingredient quality and efficency are the true ciphers of a great restaurant. I am not a fool who thinks I know everything, hell I know how to cook, but even I can get better. Reading and discovering new flavors and techniques while making people happy is where the fun comes in! But the whole idea is to realize the POTENTIAL of ALL the people involved, and raise the morale and attitude to a new level. DETLEFCHEF, if the tipshare were divided equally among the staff, we pay the entire staff roughly 6 bucks an hour more on top of their adjusted salry and the enitre staff walks home with roughly , well, you do the math. the variance is with employment percentage costs. in my case it will be roughly 40% because i want health benefits as well. but the food and service will be nothing short of brilliant because of the attiude of the staff. We will grow and learn, perfect technique, and abide by calculated standards and I have a feeling it will be grand... It will come down to hiring the right people, duh! I mean if 1 out of a 1000 people buy into the system, who cares, all i need is 20 or so and there is definetly more than 20,000 people in this industry looking for a change. The overall attitude of the industry is piss POOR!! I have worked for the big boys and the like, TRU in chicago to be specific and it is ridiculous! I got to work on sat a a little after noon and got out at 3 am are you kiddin me!!!! these guys dedicate there lives and time just so they can get an opportunity somewhere else. or finally make it big. Plus, there is little if no time off and when you do get it there is an overwhelming guilt trip put on you when you do. I guess by your rebuttles that your are pleased with the current state of the industry and feel that no change is necessary. I hardly feel this is this case after working in over 20 restaurants in the past 10 years. The morale is low, people try and cope with substance, its really sad, everyone seems depressed. there is a manic elation that follows that is misconstrued as hapiness... It come down to my personal philosophy, I think most people have the potential to do whatever they want. I am not going to put anyone in a box or try to define them as a person. We all have the capacity to do what we WANT to do. And that is it. As a chef one has to realize that, and my goal is to train the new chefs of the future, and I get to decide how they will be. Please I want more feedback thanks ← We can all quote out of context
-
Melting Chocolate Pudding Only as good as your chocolate I use to make it with valhrona, the hard bit is taking it out of its mould! At home bake in a dish you can serve in g Dark Chocolate g Butter g Cream Double Egg Yolks g Flour g Cocoa Powder Egg Whites g Sugar Melt chocolate, Butter and Cream together, whilst cooling whip egg whites with sugar. When cool enough add yolks and the sieved flour and cocoa powder, fold in egg whites really gently, and pour into buttered and floured moulds. We use to use a ring on parchment, then fridge. When time to cook place in oven 180 c if they stick release with the point of a knife whilst cooking. allow to cool slightly and take ring of by gently running knife around but at home I would cook in a ramekin or something like it. Keywords: Dessert, Intermediate, Chocolate, Pudding ( RG1266 )
-
Melting Chocolate Pudding Only as good as your chocolate I use to make it with valhrona, the hard bit is taking it out of its mould! At home bake in a dish you can serve in g Dark Chocolate g Butter g Cream Double Egg Yolks g Flour g Cocoa Powder Egg Whites g Sugar Melt chocolate, Butter and Cream together, whilst cooling whip egg whites with sugar. When cool enough add yolks and the sieved flour and cocoa powder, fold in egg whites really gently, and pour into buttered and floured moulds. We use to use a ring on parchment, then fridge. When time to cook place in oven 180 c if they stick release with the point of a knife whilst cooking. allow to cool slightly and take ring of by gently running knife around but at home I would cook in a ramekin or something like it. Keywords: Dessert, Intermediate, Chocolate, Pudding ( RG1266 )
-
Lemon Brulee/ Lemon Tart filling Use as a brulee mix or place in pastry case for Lemon Tart Eggs Lemons Zest and Juice g Caster Sugar ml Double Cream Juice and zest lemons beat with Eggs and sugar dont let the cream near it until the last minute. Add cream let sit for a couple of hours or overnight in the fridge strain through a sieve and cook as Brulee in a Bain marie at 160 c covered until just set, same in a tart case just uncovered. You can add various flavours Basil or Thyme work well. Think it makes about 8 portions though depends how much lemon brulee you like Keywords: Dessert, Intermediate, Tart ( RG1265 )
-
Lemon Brulee/ Lemon Tart filling Use as a brulee mix or place in pastry case for Lemon Tart Eggs Lemons Zest and Juice g Caster Sugar ml Double Cream Juice and zest lemons beat with Eggs and sugar dont let the cream near it until the last minute. Add cream let sit for a couple of hours or overnight in the fridge strain through a sieve and cook as Brulee in a Bain marie at 160 c covered until just set, same in a tart case just uncovered. You can add various flavours Basil or Thyme work well. Think it makes about 8 portions though depends how much lemon brulee you like Keywords: Dessert, Intermediate, Tart ( RG1265 )
-
Had another thought perhaps you could strain and replace cheese in cheesecake though you will have to be clever with what type of cheesecake. I'll post a lemon cheesecake recipe if you replace the cheese with well strained creme fraiche I cant see why it wouldn't work. http://recipes.egullet.org/recipes/r1263.html Getting good at this done the recipe link for you. This works well with Smoked Salmon and cheese biscuits as the base, just a little less cheese and a little lemon, reckon thats calling for creme fraiche. Though I would have some cheese on hand in case its getting to acidic, with both! Wouldn't do a lemon cheesecake I was thinking of something like a Strawberry heah maybe with Blackpepper!
-
I would say that is down to her, everyone in this trade FOH or in the Kitchen could say this, we work long hours have little social time and what little time we do have is normally spent with colleagues! Me personally have done plenty I've spent 5 years in the top 10 percent in the country worked for a Sous chef of my hero, worked in the restaurant that inspired me, eaten in some off the best restaurants in the country, cooked for celebs. It comes down to proffesional attitude there is no such thing as a proffesional all rounder thats called a Jack of All trades master of none! Or a general manager. It's down to attitude this waitress could of worked for the best restaurants, tasted wines she could never afforded, met people she never would of met, but she has to want to, what will an all rounder want to do, who will inspire them? I would rather have a proffesional FOH that has good things to say about the trade as I would in the Kitchen, I do understand what you are saying. I'm guilty of telling a Restaurant manager that I'm more than a proffesional plate carrier, what happened to proffesional waiters? They dissapeared when Flambe, Silver Service, Gueridon work dissapeared, it's now been replaced with people just earning money. In my experience there is now less proffesional front of house staff than there ever was, who do they admire? Who do they aspire to be, where do they wish to work, all rounders will never achieve this because you cant master it all just specialise. From a chefs point I wrote a PM the other day and said I can only master the basics and for the rest of my career/life learn! There is too much to learn and such little time. Remember most chefs can put a suit on and serve but not many waiters can put a jacket on and do service, the ones that can I admire and will bend over backwards for. They only have to know the basics the odd waiters saved my bacon by sending my first breakfast, these players create the team. But I dont expect them to know every term the chef knows or to have the knife skills of a chef(Though saying that I quite often use to get 1 waiter to take the sole off the bone for me when it was cooked, because he could do it better than I could(Back to proffesional waiters he use to do it in the restaurant in the old days!)).But as for the waiters that know best yet cant do a kitchen service these ones seem to be the problem, most don't even know how to silver service, most chefs can even if it's badly.
-
In the respect your Food thread I had someone attacking Foie Gras production. When I pointed out that the dairy trade was the reason for the veal trade as we were drinking the calfs milk, they put words in my mouth and implied that I was for crated veal. As I said in the thread I would rather be a Foie Gras duck at least the majority live a free range life upto the period of fattening. http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?showtopic=67112 But I thought as a country you had very strict guidelines on imports particularly after following Total yoghurt thread, over the years I've come to think this was to maintain a strong home production before opening the market upto imports, am I wrong to think this, not judging whether its right or wrong? Here in the UK it's illegal to produce Foie Gras but we can import it. Though the EU has put its nose into other products i.e Chocolate now even Europe sells "Chocolate" not real Chocolate and chocolate flavoured plus several artisan cheeses are no longer the same as they use to be, some dissapearing. If the Japanese can eat Fugu, whats wrong with the cheeses as they stand, we all know the risk of un-pasteurised cheeses. I also mentioned in the thread that farmers have to contend with imports from countries that have no animal rights laws, and that as farmers they do know best it's in there interest to look after there animals. Regardless off the end product, we sometimes equate produce as pets whats next, I've heard stories of crabs being pulled out of nets leaving limbs tangled in them. I reckon if a large Supermarket wished to provide Foie Gras, imports would be allowed, but I guess thats politics. This sounds a bit like the Fox hunting row we have/had in the UK a small point that arouses great debate and seems to be class orientated yet wins the vote of the majority it's all about a politician standing on a soap box to get noticed. These food stuffs wil always arouse great frictions, but can you imagine a politician standing upto to the dairy trade how many votes would he lose rather than gain. I say there's no place in food for politics. He'd have a hard time telling people to stop using milk products. If people where more informed about commercial farming and stopped expecting there meat on a styrofoam packet with cling film on, maybe this subject would arouse no interest.
-
Lemon Cheesecake A Lemon Cheesecake modify by replacing a bit of the cream and lemon juice with another puree to make different flavours. But remember the gelatine sets this much. It's a big recipe think its a 12" loose based 2" high about 16 healthy portions lb Cream Cheese lb Cottage Cheese T Water Leaves Bronze Gelatine Lemons (4 zest on Grater, 8 juice) pt Double Cream Egg Whites oz Caster Sugar Biscuits and Butter for base(Shortbread/Digestives) Make base crushed biscuits with melted butter, place in tin pressing down with spoon not to much butter just enough to bind, should be like wet sand and set in fridge. Blend cheeses together until smooth, whilst gelatine is soaking in additonal water. When cheese is smooth incorparate the cream slowly if this helps make the cheese smooth (more so if your doing this all by hand) Whisk egg whites with sugar until firm whilst doing this, bring lemon juice and zest to boil(If using a puree only use a little bit and add the rest where the cream goes!) with 4 Tbsp of water dissolve drained gelatine in this dont boil just melt. Add gelatine mix when cool not cold, fold in egg whites the more gentle you are the lighter the cheesecake but mix in egg whites. Pour onto base and then fridge until set. Keywords: Dessert, Intermediate, Cheese, Cake ( RG1263 )
-
Lemon Cheesecake A Lemon Cheesecake modify by replacing a bit of the cream and lemon juice with another puree to make different flavours. But remember the gelatine sets this much. It's a big recipe think its a 12" loose based 2" high about 16 healthy portions lb Cream Cheese lb Cottage Cheese T Water Leaves Bronze Gelatine Lemons (4 zest on Grater, 8 juice) pt Double Cream Egg Whites oz Caster Sugar Biscuits and Butter for base(Shortbread/Digestives) Make base crushed biscuits with melted butter, place in tin pressing down with spoon not to much butter just enough to bind, should be like wet sand and set in fridge. Blend cheeses together until smooth, whilst gelatine is soaking in additonal water. When cheese is smooth incorparate the cream slowly if this helps make the cheese smooth (more so if your doing this all by hand) Whisk egg whites with sugar until firm whilst doing this, bring lemon juice and zest to boil(If using a puree only use a little bit and add the rest where the cream goes!) with 4 Tbsp of water dissolve drained gelatine in this dont boil just melt. Add gelatine mix when cool not cold, fold in egg whites the more gentle you are the lighter the cheesecake but mix in egg whites. Pour onto base and then fridge until set. Keywords: Dessert, Intermediate, Cheese, Cake ( RG1263 )
-
The Most Exciting Thing in Your Fridge
PassionateChefsDie replied to a topic in Food Traditions & Culture
Does my bubbling pot of sour dough count? Apart from that it just got normal bits and a Grape and dried fruit chutney cooling/maturing though that got some time to go yet. The old parmesan now sits in cheese biscuits on the side with the sour dough sundried tomatoe and Basil loaf. Stef -
I have posted it did it straight away! As it's a sorbet it doesn't really matter whether its smooth though as mentioned in recipe can try whisk or liquidizer whilst freezing(Hand blender best).It on Recipe Gullet Edited to add: Most dark chocolate ganaches will swap creme fraiche for cream just got to play with the acidity and soften with more butter if the chocolate needs it. Link for Sorbet http://recipes.egullet.org/recipes/r1259.html
-
I'm a Illy fan but sure when in Rome do as the Romans. Do they have as big a following as in the UK in Italy would be my ?. But I would say if Harvey Nicholas says it's good enough that should be the bench mark surely. But you're catering to an Italian Market I dont know, would not some one like Lavesse be the market leader? As far as know Illy patented there technique and check there beans caffeine content as far as I know no one else does. That is why the difference, also you get there collection of cups(Send me a set, I will start that collection one day ) Stef
-
I might be missing something but cant you just prick the design (i.e emboss the base?) as your piping over the lines, just using what ever you used before i.e you mentioned B&W drawing? Do think I might be missing something though.
-
Some off us should be kept behind the scenes! PassionateChefsDie
-
Hi All Worked with a German never really did spaetzle but did lots of gnocci he said they where same just that there batter was thinner and it was chopped of a board into strands, with some thing similar to a pallette knife. But my real for reason posting was he had a little trick where he melted some butter and added some dried breadcrumbs. Browned them with no bitterness then added the gnocci, I reckon he would of done the same with spaetzle made gnocci fantastic for me, (I just chased the venison sauce after that). Works well on langoustines and cauliflower.
-
Disgusting combinations that taste great!
PassionateChefsDie replied to a topic in Food Traditions & Culture
My dad combines red wine with OJ and/or coke. I haven't tried it and feel certain it's not only disgusting, but certainly not how wine should be drunk...but he swears by it. ← I Got a funny feeling Jimi Hendrix did this one, it good enough for him it good enough for anyone! -
Hi I'll just post a Creme Fraiche Sorbet for you that should get rid of 1kg Big mix though
-
Creme Fraiche Sorbet A Marscapone recipe adapted to use Creme Fraiche Caster Sugar 400g Water 700ml Lemon Juice to Taste(If using Mascapone) Creme Fraiche/Marscapone 500g Bring sugar to boil with water reduce slightly, when cool add Marscapone or Creme Fraiche. When completly cool churn, though have had acceptable results from whisking whilst freezing in a container. Or using a liquidizer when kind of frozen. Keywords: Dessert, Easy, Cheese, Ice Cream ( RG1259 )
-
Creme Fraiche Sorbet A Marscapone recipe adapted to use Creme Fraiche Caster Sugar 400g Water 700ml Lemon Juice to Taste(If using Mascapone) Creme Fraiche/Marscapone 500g Bring sugar to boil with water reduce slightly, when cool add Marscapone or Creme Fraiche. When completly cool churn, though have had acceptable results from whisking whilst freezing in a container. Or using a liquidizer when kind of frozen. Keywords: Dessert, Easy, Cheese, Ice Cream ( RG1259 )