Real people are eating my food. It may seem like an odd statement to make so I guess I should clarify, but people are actually paying MONEY to eat food that I cooked. Now granted, they have no idea that I cooked it and they are really paying to eat food that they assume will be delicious based on the reputation of the French Culinary Institute, but these are small details! A real person with a credit card is savoring food that I (along with a swarm of other students) am preparing. It's kind of a fun milestone even if it's essentially the equivalent of training wheels or a booster seat when it comes to working in a restaurant.
I spent my first week at L'Ecole, the school's restaurant kitchen, cooking on the Entremetier station, which covers the daily special (one for each day of the week chosen by a lead chef-instructor) and the vegetarian plate, which is one of few opportunities we have to be creative. I am kicking myself for not photographing our dishes because they came out better than I could have imagined thanks to my stellar team and our very capable instructor, Chef Jason. My team is comprised of A La Greque & Evil Cheese, who you may remember from this post, Michael Phelps, who was a partner I mentioned in this post, but we now just call her JB, and then another pal, who I will call Farmer Chef for her tendency toward all things local, seasonal, and organic.
We make a great team. We've turned out some pretty great veg plates: a roasted root vegetable baklava, a brilliantly colored vegetable pave, which is sort of a veg lasagna but imagine thinly sliced potato in place of the pasta, and a parmesan flan with braised leeks and roasted mushrooms. One thing I've learned from Chef Jason: when in doubt, drizzle the plate with aged balsamic and garnish with baby arugula. It's like an instant upgrade of flavor, color, and finesse. We move on to Garde Manger tomorrow, which literally translated means keeper of the food, but in the practical sense means the cooks who prep the apps and salads. I'm looking forward to each of the stations and am excited to be catching the two busiest (poissonier and saucier) at the tail end of this level.
Aside from real deal cooking, we also have a big menu project due this level. We have to create a minimum of 4 courses for a minimum of 8 people, with at least one wine pairing, some sort of theme, an essay on one key ingredient, recipes included along with costing, and photographs of each plate. I'm about 35% done with the project. I've made and photographed most of the dishes, but I have all the writing, math, and making it look like a pretty package ahead of me. My theme/ingredient is honey. My late grandfather was a beekeeper and my uncle has since taken over the family trade. They make some delicious artisanal honey and A La Grecque pointed out how meaningful it would be to write about something with a family connection, genius that she is. So I'll be posting the finished product once it is...well...finished.
Aside from school, there's not a whole lot going on here. It warmed up to the 30's today and I was thrilled to be able to walk the city without tucking my chin to my chest. It was a sunny day, blue sky and not so cold that it hurt. HOW IS THIS MAKING ME HAPPY? It's almost bittersweet. It's like getting used to the brutal cold means I am getting comfortable here and it makes California feel even further away. And ya know what? I miss it. I really do. I miss my friends. I miss 75 degree winter days. I miss good tacos. I miss the beach. I miss the mild air and the gentle breezes. I miss the cost of living. (I know, who knew?) But in an ironic twist, if I were sitting at this very table on the opposite side of the country, my list would be just as long. I would be missing my daily walks through this city that inspire me in a way that sitting in traffic just can't, I would miss my friends here, I would miss our explorations of new corners, blocks and neighborhoods. I'd miss Washington Square people watching, Murray's cheese, the Union Square greenmarket, the Empire State Building greeting me each morning, the freaks, weirdos, and crazies that make every day interesting...okay, so there's a really solid list. A list that can overcome frigid temperatures and obscene rent. For how long? Well...isn't that the question...for now I'll make the most of my days and dream of being bi-coastal at night. That should be enough to get me through the winter. That and some baguettes and good butter I stole from school. I just need to throw some aged balsamic and arugula on it and I could call it an appetizer and charge $12 for it. I might make it here after all...
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