Sunday, January 25, 2009

Culinary School


Okay, so last week is (obviously) done...I was the kitchen manager for the week and it actually went pretty well. I learned how to make stocks...really well...made I think around 10-12 batches for the week; a couple veal stocks and remi's and a LOT of chicken stock.
We got the chance to do a practice practical exam on Friday. It was very cool to have that opportunity. We're the first CA class to do that. All other classes had to wait until the real practical. We worked in teams of 2 (the real PE will be a solo job) and made carrot puree, a basic salad, and an entree plate with an (airline) chicken breast, sauted zucchini and pureed potatoes. It went alright but I think it certainly could have gone better. If I was running solo I think I would have been a bit happier and could have handled it better. The problem when working with someone else is if something goes wrong, it can be difficult to blame them, get upset, and such...in other words, there were a few things that I feel went wrong and I want to do the blame thing. But I also know in this career field, one needs to take responsibility for the whole project even if only involved in one part of it. So, I take the blame and should have/could have done better.
This week will be a pastry week (one of 4 ) so I won't get the chance to work them meals again for a week, but I am looking forward to working pastries and puff pastry. It should be a lot of fun and a great experience. I have tried puff pastry before and pretty much failed miserably. This will be a chance to learn a better method and I plan to make great puff this week.

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