Slip ups

Can y'all tell that school started? I have been a busy bee avoiding keeping up with grades and such. Special #3 of 52 still isn't up. And I am now one special behind for the year as a result of a major menu change last week. Much, much to do. I know.

Today's interesting development was a photo shoot for the Chefwear catalog. Free jackets in crazy colors were flying. Although I sent in my measurements, I somehow ended up with a medium jacket--ha--and a pair of 3X camo pants--like wearing two trash bags. Alas, I was finally outfitted with black pants that sorta fit and a jacket sans embroidery--don't worry, PhotoShop has my back. But the folks from the company rocked. They offered to send me a jacket, though the shoot was done. Sweet.

Ugh, I am rambling. I will be back sometime soon. Yawn.

52 Specials: 2 of 52

Simpler tastes for simpler clientele.

Beignets & Coffee Ice Cream

strawberries, chocolate sauce, whipped cream, Saigon cinnamon, chocolate "coffee bean"

G-O-S-S-I-P

Rumors thrive in the restaurant industry. And with the current economic climate even more fuel is thrown on the fire.

“So & So did zero covers on Sunday—that includes brunch and dinner.”

“The same place did only 4 covers on Friday”

“Well, I heard that Grille 666 didn’t so a single cover for lunch today.”

“According to Beulah, there is a rumor going around Fancy Schmancy Grille that we are closing.”
“The CanoeCasa closed. Ruth Chris is gonna buy that space.”

And on it goes. Gossip is an entertaining diversion that reminds us that we are all lucky to have jobs and that we are not alone in our anxiety right now.

Toys

My new toy is pure heaven. No, it’s not powered by 2 AA batteries. It’s a mini laptop-- half the size of my old three ring, overly full, but not complete 5” binder. And it rocks. I thank my much better half for this manna from heaven. I can keep all my recipes on hand and access them any time I desire.

I can also keep all my grades up to date easily with this tool. School starts next week and I am teaching three classes, so I can keep grades organized so much better than ever before.

Sweet.

Good for a laugh

Sometimes there is nothing quite as funny as watching line cooks try to bake.

The approach is all wrong, but, by gum, sometimes they actually land the plane.

New Year's Eve Special

As I told y'all, I pulled a lot of leftovers from this special to create the brittle basket for the weekend. Here I layered dark chocolate mousse with flourless chocolate bisquit and raspberry sauce in acetate-lined 3" ring molds. I froze the molds and came back to them the next day. After unmolding the individual mousse tortes, I wrapped them in dark chocolate and purchased transfer sheets patterned with a mod red and orange design. To plate, we removed the acetate, slid the squiggly decos (made with tempered dark chocolate piped onto a hand painted transfer sheet designed with brushstrokes of red and orange cocoa butter), covered the top of the torte with raspberries, and finished the plate with more squiggles of rasp sauce to echo the squiggles on top.

I am in lust with the pairing of chocolate with reds. Every time I do a plate with a chocolate item, I always want red on it. Raspberries, strawberries, berry dusts, red wine reduction, port syrups. Red and chocolate. Love it.

The only thing I missed in this presentation is not referencing the orange cocoa butter elements with something flavored orange. I considered tangerine segments and tangerine marmalade--both of which were in great supply at the moment. But I chose to steer clear of them this time because I really only wanted the two flavors of chocolate and raspberries in the dessert. So why did I bring the orange in at all? Those were the only acetates I had and I wasn't about to buy anymore. Flavor versus presentation: my struggle.

Pumpkin Cheesecake from Thanksgiving

Pumpkin Cheesecake

hazelnut streusel, maple creme anglaise, vanilla-maple syrup, Frangelico whipped cream, pumpkin seed brittle

Häagen-Dazs

Where: A fine dining restaurant in Charleston, SC

When: 30 December 2008

Who: a nine-top at table 23

What: Only one person received dessert (because he ordered the prix fixe menu and dessert is included with that option) at the table. When the server approached to drop the check he noticed that two of the children at the table were eating ice cream . . . out of Häagen-Dazs cups . . . from the ice cream shop two blocks north and one block west of the restaurant . . . with plastic spoons. Server informs the table that they can’t bring outside food into the restaurant. They are instructed to eat it outside. The table hurries to leave.

Why: The economy? Poor manners? Lack of couth? Stupidity? That's good ice cream and they couldn't possibly get the same thing at a fine dining restaurant with a pastry chef and an ice cream machine?

So this is what they mean by "feedback"

52 Specials: #1 of 52

Almond Brittle Basket

dark chocolate mousse, fresh raspberries, port poached pears, raspberry sauce, tempered chocolate decos

Robert Burns

After being pushed into another new year kicking and screaming, I have taken off three days IN A ROW--an entire weekend at that. And since it is only the second of January and the tune of "Auld Lang Syne" still reverberates in the air, I am contemplating the sincerity of my half-assedly made resolutions. Already I am led to recall another of Burns' more famous contributions to us all: "The best-laid schemes o' mice an' men/Gang aft a-gley." Yep, the desire to blog once a day--hey, it could happen--began with a misstep since I missed the first. But I have plenty of material today, so with a little extra prep time, here we go.

The second resolution and the one I was and am most resolute about is the desire to run a dessert special every weekend of the year. 52 specials. Admittedly I should have been doing this all along, but it can be daunting when the fruits aren't exciting or I need time off to do a cake or I am going out of town or there is a special event demanding my attention. The excuses--yes, I recognize them for what they are--are being thrown to wayside.

A little challenge to myself, I say, and I will begin the challenge by running a dessert this weekend while I am not even at work. A lotta leftover love from the New Year's eve spec--dark chocolate mousse, tempered chocolate squiggle decos, minuscule fresh raspberries, and a vat of raspberry sauce--needed a home. I rocked out 20 almond brittle baskets for holding the mousse and berries. The raspberry sauce took to the plate in the form of the trusted graduated dot design. I poked around in the walk-in and found some tasty port poached Bosc pears that had been relegated to the back of the shelf during the NYE prep frenzy. Three quenelles of the mousse filled each basket. Those were sprinkled liberally with the fresh berries. Squiggles slipped into the quenelles and were finished off each with a raspberry topper.

So if you need a chocolate fix, head downtown. The special runs all weekend or until we run out.