06.30.08
Posted in Life @ Cork, What's Cookin'
at 11:25 am
by Eric
45 minutes of silence and all you could hear was the intense concentration and clanging of pans and oven doors slamming shut. The evening rush has begun. You straddle a thin border between being in the weeds and having everything under control. One mistake could bring your night crashing down.
The ticket machine continuously chimes. Servers dart in and out to run plates. The only thing that matters for the coming hours is the food and Chef’s voice.
There’s a momentary break in concentration as Chef calls in a ticket in rapid-fire fashion. “Order in. 2 chicken, 3 mussels, 2 fennel, 2 avocado, 1 tomato, 4 beef…2 mid-rare, 1 rare, 1 well!” You take a moment to pluck your station’s dishes from the list. A few seconds more to run the numbers. 4 chicken fired, 2 more ordered, less 1 in the pass. Mental gymnastics, adding to a growing list of dishes to prepare.
At a point in the evening you reach a state where there is little thought — there’s simply no time. You merely act and react. All the burners are full. You switched to the large size sauté pans to handle the load. There’s food in the oven and more to be plated. before fading back into a state of thoughtlessness.
6 hours pass in a matter of minutes on a smooth night. 6 hours seems like an eternity in this inferno otherwise. But at 1130, give 30 minutes rarely take, every order is in and customer’s are happily fed. Chef grabs us a round of shift drinks — a beer has never tasted so good. A moment or two to collect ourselves. The energy from services still pumps inside as we start to break down our stations, clean, and make prep lists for the following day.
Tomorrow at 2 it starts again.
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05.18.08
Posted in Check This Out, Local Food
at 5:16 am
by Eric
My mom picked up a variety of pastries from the bakery yesterday morning — fresh croissants and flavorful strawberries were a nice way to jumpstart the morning as we packed our things and loaded into the car. There was a 40km stretch of highway prior to reaching the depths of the French countryside. The roads narrowed. We passed a sign on the side of the road that read “fruits et légumes”. I made a quick u-turn — I knew better than not to stop.
A small, road-side shack, surrounded by tilled land and a quaint neighboring restaurant. Had I of closed my eyes and walked in, the smells alone would have painted a vivid picture. Given the location, along side a two-lane road and stretched equidistant between two small villages, the selection was quite plentiful, though nothing compared to the prodigal onslaught of tasteless produce found in most American supermarkets. Melons smelled of melon. Strawberries of strawberry. The vegetables looked fresh and vibrant.
We spread like wildfire throughout the shop, gathering a selection of what appealed most to each of us — a variety of fruits, vegetables, and greens. The fruit samples enticed us to take more. With the excitement of cooking lingering in the rear, I tend to shop for fresh farmed, local produce with excited, hungry eyes. I asked my mom to act as my limiter — a good thing, given that the store only accepted cash and as a whole we were a little low. For the moment I think we collectively enjoyed the sensation of selecting produce that not only tastes as it should, but is healthy for our mind and body. And per my usual, I took pictures as well.
I wish I spoke enough French to express my gratitude for their work. I wanted to thank them for their beautiful produce. Neither lady spoke English, but I think they read the appreciation in the huge grin plastered on my face. They both wholeheartedly smiled and waved as we walked out with our crate of goods and climbed back in to our cars.
We snacked on fresh cherries and apples during the remainder of our trip. The rest I’d somehow pair together with the fresh meats (cuts of beef and a variety of fresh sausages) we’d later pick up at local butcher in the town of Castellane. More certainly to come.
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04.07.08
Posted in What's Cookin'
at 6:25 pm
by Eric
I don’t think I could have landed a better opportunity, besides perhaps traveling back in time to sit alongside the late Escoffier as he documented much of what is today’s modern French cuisine. There is working under a great chef and then there is working under a great chef who wants to teach you and see that you excel. In Cork, I’ve come across the latter.
As a former sous chef at Citronelle and Citizen, two of the most highly decorated restaurants in Washington, DC, as well as an opening chef at Palena, a frequent go-to spot for Jess and I for consistently great food, I am certainly lined up to take my gastronomic abilities and know-how to the next level. From working with unfamiliar products and further refining my palette, to specifics like when and how to roast bones for the clearest, most flavorful stock and learning new dishes and flavor combinations. There’s only upwards to go from here.
And then there’s the wine. With over 150 old-world style bottles in house, as well as 35 wines offered by the glass, Cork’s collection leaves much to taste and even more for me to learn. I’ve tasted wine varietals that I’d not before even heard of. Tasting a wide variety of wines is a great way to learn. Tasting a wide variety of wines, while surrounded by knowledgeable wine geeks is even better. Enter wine tastings at Cork — official staff tastings of dozens of wines by region, to a short sit-down tasting with a wine maker.
Jess gave me a JHU notebook to use for transcribing my notes and recipes. I need to be better about writing things down daily, instead of the monthly brain dump tactic used thus far. I’m surely learning more than I realize and I can only hope that I am making the most of this opportunity. Just simply working food regularly is a blessing. While the hours are long and the work at times grueling, it feels great doing work that I truly enjoy.
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02.26.08
Posted in Local Food
at 3:38 pm
by Eric
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02.05.08
Posted in What's Cookin'
at 10:57 pm
by Eric
These granola bars, compliments of Alton Brown, have lasted at most 2 days in our apartment. I used a mixture of Turkish apricots, cranberries, and blueberries. I opted to go heavier on the apricots and cranberries than the blueberries for no other reason than I guessed Jess would like them better this way. Turns out we both did. Delicious and nutritious — what more is there to ask for? A glass of wine you say? Yes, you’re absolutely right. I think I’ll go have a glass — or perhaps 3. Enjoy.
Update: I use toasted wheat germ. Adds an extra depth of nutty flavor.
8 ounces old-fashioned rolled oats, approximately 2 cups
1 1/2 ounces raw sunflower seeds, approximately 1/2 cup
3 ounces sliced almonds, approximately 1 cup
1 1/2 ounces wheat germ, approximately 1/2 cup
6 ounces honey, approximately 1/2 cup
1 3/4 ounces dark brown sugar, approximately 1/4 cup packed
1-ounce unsalted butter, plus extra for pan
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
6 1/2 ounces chopped dried fruit, any combination of apricots, cherries or blueberries
Butter a 9 by 9-inch glass baking dish and set aside. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Spread the oats, sunflower seeds, almonds, and wheat germ onto a half-sheet pan. Place in the oven and toast for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
In the meantime, combine the honey, brown sugar, butter, extract and salt in a medium saucepan and place over medium heat. Cook until the brown sugar has completely dissolved.
Once the oat mixture is done, remove it from the oven and reduce the heat to 300 degrees F. Immediately add the oat mixture to the liquid mixture, add the dried fruit, and stir to combine. Turn mixture out into the prepared baking dish and press down, evenly distributing the mixture in the dish and place in the oven to bake for 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely. Cut into squares and store in an airtight container for up to a week.
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