In the Weeds

Fresh Pasta with Baby Artichokes

2009-03-16T14:51:00.003-05:00

Sometime in the past couple of weeks, I started craving artichokes, fresh artichokes. My mouth started watering while I was reading the latest Saveur. It offered twelve different artichoke dishes and before I knew it, I picked up a dozen baby chokes at the market.

While thinking of what dish the cute little artichokes would find their final resting place, I took off on Rt. 2, heading west for a client meeting. I was in luck! My clients' exit was also the exit for Idylwilde Farms. This is where I would find my inspiration.

Subtle hints of the spring welcomed me into the store with colorful flowers lining the entrance way. After doing some quick browsing, my eyes fell upon some fresh pasta in the refrigerator section. "Okay, that will do", I thought. Dinner was done! I grabbed some leeks, creminis, garlic and lemon and headed home.

Prepping artichokes may sound scary and hard, but especially with the smaller ones, it's quite easy. There are actually nine different varieties of artichokes, many holding an aubergine hue on their leaves. I rarely see those around here. Most of what's in the markets are globe artichokes and their babies, which is what I had.

To prep, get some acidulated water ready and then just peel back the leaves until you reach the pale green center. Chop off the top third, trim the stem, and toss them into the water. There! You're done! I simmered the hearts with some black peppercorns and a bay leaf, as well as a bunch of lemons. Because they were so small, par cooking them doesn't take long at all. You're welcome to cook them all the way here, but I wanted to get a nice sear of them for my pasta dish.

Meanwhile, I sauteed the leeks, garlic and mushrooms together and put them aside. Then, after draining the hearts, I quickly sauteed them and added them to the rest of the vegetables.

The fresh pasta took about 1 1/2 minutes to cook and as soon as I pulled it out, I added it to the vegetable mix along with some of the pasta water. Voila! Dinner is served! I small shaving of Parmesan cheese or lemon zest on top is an added level of ecstasy.

Friends of Dana-Farber

2009-03-10T08:25:00.005-05:00

Last week, I participated in the Friends of Dana Farber event, "Chefs Cooking for Hope." Now in its 11th year with an estimated 400 guests, its an evening filled with enjoying food and beverages from the top locales on Boston. From champagne and pineapple vodka to pork belly BLTs and mini lobster rolls, stomachs were full and thousands of dollars were donated to the Dana Farber Cancer Institute.

I decided to make a scallop and blood orange ceviche. Blood oranges are in season now, from October until May-ish and their dazzling ruby color is gorgeous. Contrasted with the creamy white of the scallops, along with some wasabi caviar to garnish, my sampling was a big hit.

Now, because we live in America, people freaked out about raw or undercooked seafood. Of course, ceviche is raw. But sadly, I had to parcook the scallops knowing that it would be less popular if it was totally raw. And a good thing I did because multiple people asked, "Is this cooked?"

Cooked for about a minute that is, in salted boiling water. Then the scallops were combined with pineapple juice, orange juice, lemon and lime juice, hot sauce, and coconut milk. I only marinated them a little before the event so they wouldn't get gummy or chewy.

After sectioning the blood oranges and picking up the wasabi caviar I was on my way. The evening lasted from 6-10. Cupcakes and lobster were everywhere. Other notable dishes included: mini fig and brie brioche sandwiches, sirloin tartare, and bread pudding. Check out some pics from the event here:

http://www.dana-farber.org/how/friends/great-chefs/gallery/index.html

Brisket Chili with Ancho Peppers and Butternut Squash

2009-02-24T06:56:00.005-06:00

For some reason, I thought we were done with the snow. Yes, I know it's still February, but I just felt like we've all endured what we can this winter. CSA's a starting to quietly be talked about, gorgeous spring flowers are appearing at Whole Foods, and there have been some teaser days in the 50s. Alas, I realize we are in New England and it could possibly snow here in April. But I'm not holding my breath.

My husband and I went to brunch with our good friends the other morning and she said she was making some pulled pork for dinner that night. She popped it into her slow cooker and was done! Braising in the cooking method of choice in these winter months and I was quickly reminded that I haven't contributed enough to the art of braising myself this season.

So this week, I will make up for it. Last night, we started with a brisket chili. When you think chili, you might think tomatoes, beans, sour cream, cheese. But there are a million variations out there and in your own little head. I've never loved beans in chili. I pick around them and they would look up at me sad and lonely at the bottom of the dish when I was finished. But we were just never meant to share the same chili bowl.

On the other hand, chili with brisket, instead of ground meat, is an added twist of texture, comfort and delishousness. The dish braised in the oven for about two hours and then I added the diced squash and simmer it for another hour on the stove top.

To start with, I sauteed some bacon and then brown the seasoned meat in the bacon fat. (Note to self: Start storing bacon fat to have on hand). The meat was seasoned with salt, pepper, cumin, chili powder, cardamon, cumin, paprika, cayenne, and cinnamon. Meanwhile, I purreed some ancho chili that were soaking, with some crushed tomatoes. After the meat was browned, I removed it, sauteed some onions, added two bay leaves, and then added the meat back to the dutch oven. After a quick stir to combine everything, I poured in the tomato/ancho mixture, along with an Otter Creek Porter. Into the oven for two hours.

The kitchen soon smells of the sweet cinnamon and cumin, with a slight nose burn that reminded me of the ancho peppers. Two hours later, I transferred my Le Creuset dish to the stove top, added the diced squash, and let it simmer for another hour or so, until the meat and squash was cooked.

Just before served I added some steamed corn and fresh parsley. Taste before you serve. This needed a good dose of salt to bring out all of the flavors.

Comfort in Cayman

2009-02-05T15:46:00.006-06:00

After returning from the sun and heat to the clouds and cold, I have vowed to make some Cayman inspired dishes to help prolong our vacation (at least mentally). Cayman cuisine is seafood: wahoo, turtle, grouper, mahi, local lobster, and of course the trigger fish (we caught that and grilled it for dinner one night). Although probably every menu had rack of lamb and steaks. I never knew where the meat was coming from so I ate seafood each night.

While flipping through some menus that I brought home with me, I saw a vegetarian option that reminded me nothing at all about the islands, but our first night, I wanted comfort. After the long schlep home, with the brief stop in Houston, a lightly grilled fish with a mango sauce wasn't watering my taste buds. So I compromised on the first dish. It was on one of the local menus, but isn't Cayman-esque in nature: Penne with Portabellas, Roasted Tomatoes, and Spinach.

A Brief Tribute.

2009-02-04T10:52:00.005-06:00

I recently returned from the sun and turquoise water of the Cayman Islands. Sadly the end of the week came with the news of the passing of my Aunt Kathy. She had battled breast cancer and an ensuing brain tumor for close to five years. And finally, she lost her battle.

After spending two days with family in Houston, my husband and I returned home. Our dog recognized us but felt distant, perhaps fearing that we would quickly disappear again. I spent a few hours with her this morning at the park, tromping through the woods. Her floppy ears danced in the air and her dark coat quickly covered with snow.

While drifting through the bare trees and evergreens, tracing the tracks of the previous cross country skiers, my mind drifted to memories of my aunt. Her goofy and tender moments filled my head and while tears quietly filled my eyes, I was smiling. Spending winters with her and her family skiing in Aspen, I remember her apres ski routine. She would prance around the house in her underwear and bra, barefooted and grinny ear to ear reflecting on her day on the slopes.

Even though she spent most of her life in Houston, Texas, she was a Jersey girl at heart. And more than that, she was a South Orange girl. And with that comes the sweet taste of Sloppy Joe's from Town Hall Deli. Whenever my family would visit in Texas, we brought some with us and the gleam in Kathy's eye shined ever more so when she saw the rectangular waxed wrapped sandwiches. And who wouldn't when they looked like this inside:

I think because I have such a small family, to lose someone is all that more painful and emotional for me. I felt guilty getting on the plane in Houston to head back to Boston. Part of me still thinks on our next ski trip out West, she will be there at the house, waiting for us to arrive and welcoming us in.

She will not only never be forgotten, but she will be remembered often in my mind.

Moroccan Lamb Chops with White Bean Salad

2009-01-15T06:44:00.005-06:00

Lamb chops are usually pretty pricey on restaurants menus. When frenched, they are beautiful and delicate and delicious. I grew up with my mother making lamb chops frequently. But she never frenched the bones. She tossed them under the broiler with a little Lawry's seasoning salt and they cooked within minutes. The meat was always tender and slightly gamey, with the subtle hints of salt and paprika. But the true of those chops was the fat and meat stuck to the bones. We would nibble on them as if it was a piece of corn on the cob.

But last night, I frenched the chops. I couldn't help myself. I thought about the bacon mac n'cheese and realized I didn't need the extra grizzle in my diet. Plus, frenched chops make for a beautiful presentation.

Earlier in the afternoon, I made a Moroccan spice mix and seared the meat. Only needing 8-10 minutes in the oven for medium rare, I waited until my husband got home to finish the cooking. I'm sure you can find spice mixes for purchase online and at high end retail cooking stores, but it's just so simple to make one at home, it seems silly to spend the money. I also keep a variety of spices on hand, so it's also less expensive to make my own. Check out recipe websites and I'm sure you can find a combination of spices, but I just threw some together that reflect the Moroccan culture:

Paprika

Cloves

Cayenne

Cardamon

Ginger

Garlic

Onion

Salt

Pepper

Oregano

Cumin

I took each double chop and dipped them into the spice mixture and seared them for 2-3 minutes until they developed a nice crust on the lamb. Them I put them in the refrigerator until it was time for dinner. I would suggest taking them out 20 minutes or so before you plan to roast them to let them come down to room temperature.

Canned white beans are always an option but dried beans are far more flavorful and creamy. It's best to soak them overnight and simply simmer them in stock until they are cooked through. I flavored the stock with fresh thyme, garlic, and a bay leaf. Once the beans are cooked, season them with salt and pepper and add anything you want to them. Spinach, tomatoes, escarole, mushrooms...be creative. Enjoy!

By the way, I purcahse 4 double chops and they were only$20. Much more affordable than paying restaurant prices.

Seared Scallops with Orange Pecan Green Beans

2009-01-14T12:03:00.005-06:00

I've been on a scallop kick lately. On Saturday night, I had them with some delicious balsamic glazed baby brussels sprouts and on Monday night, I had them with Mexican style with some tomatilla salsa. What's not to like about scallops. They are naturally sweet but can also stand up to any flavorings you choose.

Last night, I chose oranges. Determined to make a dent in our stock pile of Florida's finest, I grabbed six oranges, juiced them, and them, and reduced the juice to create a sweet sauce/glaze for the green beans. Whisking in a little unsalted butter would have brought the dish to another level, but I'm still in the 'it's time to eat healthy' phase.

First things first: searing scallops. Here are the key points.
1. Keep you product dry. If you feel the need to rinse, that's fine, but before you sear, dry the product and season it well with salt and pepper. (Oil and water doesn't mix, it splatters)
2. Non stick pan always helps. Turn the heat to high and let the pan get hot.
3. Add a little oil. You're don't want to pan fry, so a little oil. For added flavor you can use a little butter combined with the oil. (I wouldn't use butter soley because it will brown too quickly).
4. Let the oil get hot.
5. Gently place the product into the pan with the side you want to sear face down.
6. Don't touch it!!! If you're cooking something totally on the stove top, (scallops, shrimp, thin chicken, or anything else that doesn't need a lot of cooking time) turn the heat down to medium once a nice crust forms. Otherwise, you can keep the heat high and finish cooking in the oven (steak, lamb, ect).
7. Turn the product when a nice crust has formed. Scallops, for example, don't take long to cook. So sear them for 3-4 minutes (not touching them) and then flip them to finish the cooking for antoher 2-4 minutes. Time of cooking depends on the size of the product.

These tips aren't specific to scallops. They are specific to searing. And that means anything, from mushrooms to chicken to apples.

I blanched the green beans earlier in the day and just tossed them with the toasted pecans and hot organe glaze when I was ready to serve the meal. Following the culinary rule of everything is best in odd numbers, I added five scallops to each plates and then added the green bean salad.

Oranges Everywhere

2009-01-08T13:10:00.005-06:00

What's the deal with sending cases of fruit as a gift? A small bag of 6 or 7 is appreciated, but a whole case! We received a case of fresh Florida oranges a few weeks ago. This is on top of ANOTHER case that my husband bought from work. One of his co-workers children was selling them as part of his boy scout troop. So, two cases of orange. And, I bought a case of clementines. Tis the season! I didn't know about the 70 oranges that filled out kitchen when I made the purchase.

So for the past three weeks, our kitchen has had a bright orange tint to it. I feel like we're eating oranges all the time but they're still here! They're starting to haunt me. I'm not even a huge fan of fresh oranges. I never got into them when I was a child. I sucked down water at the soccer games while my teammates make faces and giggled with their orange peels lining their teeth. It always gave me the chills. I must have had a bitter orange along the way and it has scared me still to this day.

Orange juice? Eh....I don't love it either. I'm always a hot tea drinker with breakfast. Not even cranberry juice. That was always too surgery for me.

There is only one instance when I crave and need a tall glass of OJ. When I make my poor man's meal of Uncle Ben's white rice with butter and salt, I need a glass of Tropicana. It's very strange combination and has made friends gag at time. But it hit the spot for me. My poor man's meal is something that I've lived on for years. My mom always made white rice as part of our Shabbat dinners on Friday night and now I make it when I'm home alone or looking for something comforting, filling, buttery and salty.

Tonight is just me for dinner. While my husband is at band practice, I'm going to make a healthy meal for dinner. Seared salmon with a shaved fennel and orange salad. I'm hoping the fatty fish will help me stomach the orange segments from the salad. If not, I'll just cook up some white rice and enjoy my traditional meal.

Eggs...Pleasantly Poached or Sunny Side

2009-01-05T16:45:00.005-06:00

I think I just realized that a gently cooked egg, with a delicate white and runny yolk is an ideal addition to any meal. Breakfast, of course, doesn't need any explanation and as far as I'm concerned I can have a breakfast meal for lunch. So let's discuss dinner.

One of the best burgers that I recently had was at the Met Bar & Grill. They have an entire menu dedicated to just burgers...steaming, charred, chin dripping juicy burgers. My selection is the Paris burger; topped with brie, truffle mayo, caramelized onions, and to top it off a fried egg. My mouth is now watering as I type this and if you close your eyes and imagine the flavors combinations (sweet onions, runny yolk, delicate truffle, creamy brie, charred ground beef), I hope you can imagine the beautiful symmetry of it all.

Of course, thinking beyond burgers, we can't not mention the ultimate Salad Lyonnaise. Smokey, hot, crispy lardons combined with the bitter frisee and a warm pooached egg. Finished off with a dijon dressing provides the that missing tang that knocks the salad out of the ball park (or bistro).

(Sadly this picture shows bacon, not lardons. Lardons are small cubes of bacon that burst with flavor).

Tonight's dinner is a chili rubbed flank steak with an arugula salad with sauteed shitake mushrooms. Nothing too exciting. Simple and heathly. But I'm going to make an effort to add a poached or fried egg to each dinner this week. It's protein, right?

Fresh snow, fresh tracks, fresh start.

2008-12-31T08:29:00.005-06:00

It's snowing again in Boston. The peaceful flakes drop to the ground and cover the land and it seems so appropriate that it's also New Years Eve day. This year has been big, both on national and global scale, but as well as on a personal scale. We all know the basics: Obama, AIG, China earthquake, Lehman, Iraq. Closer to home, we remember the year with Senator Ted Kennedy, Tom Brady's injury, Celtics championship, and Clark Rockefeller. And on a personal note, I recall our new puppy, Wrigley, the birth of my first nephew, Jake, the wedding of my brother, refinancing three times in the past year, bringing in just under $100K in my first year of catering sales, and spending time in Israel with my mom to celebrate her 60th birthday.

As my husband and I celebrate this evening with our 6th annual New Years Eve party, the coming year will hopefully bring about the most significant change in our lives: a little baby Kohen. Of course, we'll see what happens, but we're now at least open to the thought. In addition, building on the success of my first year in business and becoming one of the 'go-to' caterer in Metrowest Boston.

While guests are bring appetizers and desserts, I couldn't let them have all the fun. With the sparkling reaction to my bacon mac n'cheese meal, I'm going to make it again, but this time in individual cheese cups to make them more finger food friendly. And to ring in the new year, a delicate addition of truffle oil will raise the level of richness and create a true sense of occasion.

In addition, I'm going to make crab cakes with a horseradish aioli. Shallots, parsley, crab, salt, pepper, mayo, dijon, and panko. That's it. A quick sear and they are perfect bite size presents that are wonderful hot, as well as room temperature.

So break open those champagne flutes, groggers, and silly '2009' glasses and let's celebrate not only the beginning of a new year, but the end of one as well.

Happy New Year!

Prep continued....

2008-12-23T16:39:00.005-06:00

With the insanity of the weekend over, I slept in on Sunday until 10 A.M. That may not seem late, but I don't think I've done that since after college. My body was exhausted. I even slept through my husband raking snow off our roof. My intention of Sunday was to have a lazy day of football watching, but two feet of snow fell and our driveway and puppy was calling. So my day of relaxation was put on hold.

Back to the catering. Shopping for my product took longer than anticipated and I my Thursday was spent in the car instead of in the kitchen. Once I was settled at home, I did some preliminary prep. I trimmed three tenderloins for one party, marinated the chicken (tequila-lime) and lamb (Mediterranean), roasted twenty pounds of beets, marinated the olives, and grilled all the vegetables. I didn't get a lot done on Thursday and therefore my Friday was long. Very long.

I started at 6:30 and didn't sit down until 8:30 that night. The true mark to the end of my work day is when I take my shoes off. Once the pressure is released and my feet can breath, there is no turning back. There is no use in listing all the prep that I did and it's hard to convey how many details are involved, but it's a lot. And especially for one person, it's a lot. Just even making the individual Parmesan cups took hours. I'm only able to bake seven at a time. They take seven minutes to bake and then have to be shaped in the molds. I repeat until I have 70 cups.

Let's take the citrus crab in cucumber cups. Each cucumber gives me about 12 pieces. I only use English cucumbers because the shape is easier to work with and they have less seeds.

Here are the steps involved:
1. Peel the cucumbers and cut then into 12 pieces, about a half an inch each.
2. Core the seeds to create small cups.
3. Lay the pieces on paper towels and refrigerate until some of the liquid is lost. Change the paper towels and flip the cucumbers and continue to drain.
4. Pick over the crab and pick out the small pieces of shell.
5. Prep the rest of the salad: Brunoise red and yellow pepper as well as red onion. Because there are going into small cups, it's important to keep the cut to a true brunoise (1/4 inch dice).
6. Zest orange, lime, lemon and grapefruit.
7. Combine all the ingredients and flavor with OJ, salt, pepper and fresh chives. Let the mixture marinate for a couple hours, taste, and adjust the seasonings.
8. Once the flavor is on and the cups are dry, fill them with about a half a teaspoon of the mixture.

At the parties, they are garnish with a delicate piece of chervil. I prepped 120 for the weekend.

To take break from cooking during the day, I gathered all the equipment and serviceware for the FOH and BOH for each party. It's just different body motions. It's walking, bending, twisting, and reaching, instead of standing and standing and standing some more. The key with this is to pack enough of everything (cocktail napkins, coffee prep, bar bins for wine and beer, business cards, leftover containers, gloves, sheet pans, etc) and pack it efficiently so I can fit all the parties in my car at one time.

Once the shoes came off and I slithered into a bubble bath, I quietly feel asleep and woke up to the taste of soapy bubbles. It was time to get some rest and focus on Saturday. I kept a piece of paper and pen at my night table for all of the random thoughts that I had.

I'll continue later as dinner calls.

Let's Get Cooking...

2008-12-17T19:07:00.007-06:00

After a derail in New Jersey and New York for a few days, I've returned home to prep for this weekends' catering gigs. It's now Wednesday night and I'm scrambling to put together my final lists for my vendors and of course, waiting on clients for the final numbers. I have three parties on Saturday with estimates of 100, 70, and 40 guests.

After securing one menu, I tried to sell the same items to the other two clients. Streamlining any of the prep is always ideal. But it didn't work. I only have one item overlapping between two of the events. My shopping lists are long and varied, from crab meat and tenderloin to fresh figs and brie. The most involved menu is below. Nothing is complicated to prepare, but there is just a lot of different items.

Antipasto Station. To Include:
Prosciutto Wrapped Grissini
Orange and Thyme Scented Oil-Cured Olives
Artichoke Hearts and Mozzarella Salad
Assorted Cured Meats and Italian Cheeses
Grilled Vegetables, Crumbled Goat Cheese, Snipped Chives

Mediterranean Station. To Include:
Grilled Eggplant, Tomato and Mozzarella Salad with Fresh Basil
Toasted Pita with Hummus, Baba Ganoush, and Tzatziki
Mediterranean Lamb Kebabs over Cherry Tomato-Red Onion Salad
Roasted Red Beet Salad with Watercress, Feta, and Pomegranate, Orange Honey Vinaigrette

Assorted Skewers:
Tequila Lime Chicken with Cilantro Dip
Charred Shrimp with Red-Onion Port Sauce
Caprese Skewers with Pesto

Assorted Canapés:
Curry Chicken Salad on Pompadums
Citrus Crab Salad in Cucumber Cup
Goat Cheese Mousse in Parmesan Cups, Candied Red Onion
Figs in a Blanket: Fresh Figs Wrapped in Prosciutto
Beef Tenderloin on Horseradish Cream and Caramelized Onions

Dessert
Assorted Mini Pastries

This menu combined with the other two means I have to be creative with refrigerator space. It's times like these when I'm glad I live in New England. Worst case scenario, I can store items outside overnight. To add to all of the confusion, Boston is due for a foot of snow on Friday. I will be hunkered down in my kitchen chopping, dicing and searing, but last minute trips to the store will be unlikely. I must check and recheck my lists and work efficiently given the time constraints and potential weather.

My plan of attack:
I will spend Thursday morning placing final orders, including pastries, rentals, breads, and ice. I'm going to order my produce this evening and pick it up tomorrow. Delivery is available but I've never once received an order that is 100% correct. It's just easier for me to look things over in their shop so I can check the quality and make sure the order is complete. If they deliver and forget something, it could be hours until they make their way back to me. In addition to my produce vendor, I will also head to my restaurant supply store for meats, cheeses, and dry goods. I should be back to my kitchen by noon and after taking an hour to unload and organize, I should be ready to get cooking by 1.

I plan to have a long day Thursday so I can spend Friday finishing last minute things and getting organized and ready for Saturday. It takes a decent amount of time to gather everything needed for both front and back of the house service. This includes all cooking equipment and tools necessary for cooking on site as well as passing and serving platters, risers, table decor, serving utensils, coffee necessities, and aprons for staff. I also review each menu and prepare garnishes for each dish. I keep things simply, garnishing only with items used in those specific dishes, typically using lots of fresh herbs. I also print out invoices and menus, and package half a dozen truffles that I leave as a 'thank you' gift for each client.

I'm working the event with the above menu and looking forward to it. I love seeing my ideas become reality and observing the guests reactions. The true test is how many business cards are left by the end of the evening. I'm pushing to really impress this weekend. It's my first December in business and word of mouth is my best marketing tool. This weekend could really boost my sales for 2009.

Wish me luck!

Joke of the Day!

2008-12-12T21:00:00.001-06:00

Woman: What do you do?
Man: Me? Oh, I write books.
Woman: How interesting! Have you sold anything recently?
Man: Why, yes. My couch, my car and my flat-screen television.

'Tis the Season for Holiday Parties

2008-12-11T16:01:00.007-06:00

This weekend I'm catering a holiday party for fifty guests. It's at the home of the client. She's in the process of building an addition on the home and 'hoping' that it's done in time for the party. I am, too. Part of the addition is half of a basketball court, where she is anticipating the guests will dance the night away. (I guess that economy thing hasn't hit Sudbury yet).

I'm preparing passed hors d'oeuvres and a lot of the them. I only serve my items on silver platters and don't overcrowd the platter to showcase the individual beauty of each piece. Stressing her concern about having enough food, the client has requested two pieces of each item per person. So, 100 pieces. They include:

Trio of Brie-Phyllo Cups: Fig Chutney, Tomato Confit, and Candied Pecans
Beef Tenderloin on Crostini with Horseradish Cream and Caramelized Onions
Ginger Chicken Skewer with Sweet Chili Sauce
Figs in-a Blanket: Black Mission Figs Wrapped in Prosciutto
Caprese Skewers with Pesto
Shao-Mai: Pork, Shrimp and Vegetable Dumplings
Smoked Salmon Tartare with Lemon Crème Fraiche on Toast Points

The great thing about this menu is that everything can be done the day before. Unless I'm totally swamped, I prefer not to make most things two days ahead. It does depend on the food. Vinaigrettes, dips, dressing and marinates are fine to make ahead of time. It's just about keeping things fresh and using common sense. The way a refrigerator creates moisture and makes everything smell the same grosses me out. Over time, there are just some things you learn. For example, lettuce should only be prepped the same day of service. It must be washed and completely dried. Only slice tomatoes on the same day of use. Make all sandwiches the same day of service.

My catering philosophy is simple: keep things fresh, looking spectacular and tasting phenomenal. Other things that comes into play include service, of course. You could have the best meal of your life and not remember anything about it if the service sucks.

Most of the catering I do are drop-offs. I'll bring the food, set everything up, and pick everything up the following day. I prefer to do this because it frees up time on my end. I would bring in more money with the labor charge, but it's always where clients cut first when estimates are over-budget.

It's the end of my prep day and I'm exhausted. I started at 7 A.M. and am just sitting down now (it's 9:45 P.M.) I had a few sips of beer to relax and now I feel my eyes lids fluttering. This is what happens in December. You go, go, go until it's done. You have no choice. It's a lot right now because I do everything myself. I will be up tomorrow morning at 6 A.M. to make 40 wraps sandwiches and pinting twenty pounds of curry chicken salad for one of my corporate accounts.

Steady week coming up and then four events next weekend.

Homemade Soups. Take Five: Cream of Mushroom

2008-12-11T08:14:00.003-06:00

We're almost there. The fifth and final soup is upon us. I always make my Cream of Mushroom last. To be honest, it makes a mess out of the bottom of my 30 quart pot and I dread cleaning it at the end of the project. But while I vigorously scrub the darkened roux from the depths of the dish, the back of my shoulders and neck tighten and I know the end is in sight. After days of slicing, chopping, pureeing, cleaning, bottling, and savoring this seasons' soups, I scour and scour until my pot is just as clean as when I started. It is packed away in the basement until next season.

When I first started making these soups, I revelled in the joy of feedback. Ooohhs and aaahhhs warm my heart. And of course, the appreciative comments are still welcome. But sometime, I find the actual process of creating the soups more enjoyable than enjoying them with a salad or sandwich. Isn't that what it's suppose to be about? I mean, it's great that I can make dinner for the long Boston winter months in just one week if I wanted to, but the process of eating a bowl of soup just doesn't compare to the process of making it from scratch. Lord knows, in our home, our dinners are spent in front of the television and in 1o minutes flat, we're done and looking for something sweet. There is no calming, soothing method to that. It's more in building the flavors, changing the textures, and enhancing the final product.

As with many of my other soups in my repetoire, I started sauteing a mirepoix of carrots, onions, celery and also added shallots (about three pounds), two bay leaves and fresh thyme. With this soup, I used unsalted butter instead of oil for my fat of choice. Most cream based soups are based with a roux (an equal combination of fat and flour, used as a thickening agent).

Once the vegetables softened over low-medium heat, I tossed in the flour. I didn't measure, but traditionally it is equal parts by weight). With such a large amount of soup, I could fudge with the consistency later if I needed to. I cooked the roux mix until the flour scent dissappeared, about five minutes. After I tossed in two cases of botton mushrooms and some home-made chicken stock, the soup was brought to a boil and simmered for a few hours. To keep my costs down, I limited myself to buttom mushrooms, which taste delicious in this soup. But to simply raise the sohpistication of the soup, I suggest using portabellos, dired porcinis, creminis, or any combination that you prefer.

About two hours later, I buzzed up the soup with my hand blender, added some fresh parsley, salt, pepper, two quarts of heavy cream and let the soup simmer a little more until the flavors came together. While this soup did do the most damage to my pot, it's rather simple to make. It just takes patience and time.

To serve it, a delicate drizzle of truffle oil will send this over the top. Add that with a quick saute of some fresh mushrooms with garlic and you're set for the night. Taking a spoonful is like slithering into a steaming hot bubble bath. I promise.

Homemade Soups. Take Four: Butternut Squash

2008-12-09T11:39:00.005-06:00

The first time I really tasted the simple treasure of butternut squash soup was at Gabrielle’s Restaurant at the Richmond Hill Inn, in Asheville, North Carolina. My mother and I were visiting to see if I wanted to intern in Asheville as part of the culinary degree program with Johnson & Wales University. We decided to treat ourselves to an elegant dinner at this mountaintop 1890’s Victorian mansion. The aroma of the soup grabbed me instantly and I was hooked. Apple wood smoked bacon and sage were gently woven into the sweet squash and the velvety texture enveloped me. I asked for any secret ingredients that could give its' addictive quality away, but I walked away empty handed.

When I choose to make my version, the experience is just as powerful as my tasting of it at Gabrielle’s. I start by roasted the split squash after they’ve been sprinkled with spices, dabbed with a generous pad of butter and wrapped in foil. Once in the oven, the sweet nutty aroma increases as the butter melts into the flesh of the squash. Meanwhile, I dice up a few slabs of bacon and sauté the cured meat in my stockpot. It will add a salty smoky component to the final product. Next come the onions and as they hit the pot, they release an exquisite crackle. In a simple exchange, a layer of sugary sweetness surrounds the bacon, while a smoky flavor lathers the onions.

The squash is perfectly tender as I pull them from the oven and tear them open like a birthday gift. Leaning over, I receive a brief facial as I breathe in the bouquet of nutmeg, butter, and cinnamon. I scoop out the orange colored flesh and add it to my stockpot of bacon and onions. I add my personal secret ingredients and once everything is combined, its time to puree. In the food processor, the pieces of my puzzle swirl and whip together. The orange darkens to a rustier tint, as steam billows out the top like a smokestack and specs of bacon appear and disappear as the tornado continues.

I add some chicken stock to my soup’s base until the consistency reaches that of Cream of Wheat. I taste the soup. It’s a bit sweet and a bit smoky, but missing a little punch. I reach for the dried sage and sprinkle some into the pot. The subtly mint flavored herb infuses the soup and intensifies while simmering. Bitter sage is the perfect contrast to the sweet squash. The grand finale is a generous addition of heavy cream and the soup transforms into a luxurious treat.

In addition to the beautiful foliage and changes in temperature, fall brings an arsenal of culinary comforts. It’s an opportunity to expand and develop skills as a cook, be a little creative and share discoveries with friends and family. This recipe is simple to make and comforting beyond belief.

Make a large batch and freeze some for later in the winter. Again, the amount listed are estimates.

Butternut Squash Soup. Yield: 4-6 Servings
5 ½ pounds, butternut squash (about 2 medium sized)
4 TB, butter
1 teaspoon, cinnamon
Sprinkle of nutmeg
Sprinkle of cloves
3 slices, diced bacon
1 ½ cups, diced onions
3 cups, chicken stock
1 TB, dried sage
½ cup, heavy cream
Salt and pepper, to taste

Method of Preparation:1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. Split the squash lengthwise in half and scoop out the seeds and pulp.
3. Sprinkle each half with cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Place 1 TB of butter in each cavity.
4. Wrap each half in aluminum foil, place on a baking sheet, and place in the oven. Remove when tender, about 1 ½ hours.
5. Meanwhile, in a 5-6 quart pot, sauté the bacon on med-hi heat until half way cooked. Add onions and sauté until onions are translucent. Add salt and pepper to taste.
6. Unwrap squash and scoop out flesh. Add it to the bacon and onion mixture. Stir to combine.
7. Puree mixture in food processor (in batches, if necessary). Add mixture back to pot and bring to simmer. Add chicken stock and stir to combine. Add salt and pepper to taste, along with dried sage.
8. Let soup simmer 10-15 minutes to combine flavors.
9. Stir in heavy cream and serve.

Seared Salmon with Green Lentils and Tomato Confit

2008-12-08T17:12:00.017-06:00

I'm on a slight health kick this week. Very little of my catering dishes contain butter. Since I push to have them served cold or room temperature, I avoid butter because you can see it on the food. So, in taking a lesson from my own catering mantra, I going to stick to dishes this week that I serve to my clients, from seared fish to salads with a twist.

We used to make a lentil salad at the Ritz-Carlton that was lovely and delicate in its texture and flavor. Always simmered with house-made stock instead of water, the lentils held their texture but still tasted creamy and rich.

I started with a mirepoix: a very small dice of carrots, onions and celery. I find it best to keep components of a dish the same size. It would seem silly to have large chunks of vegetables with the small pea-sized lentils. I sauteed the mirepoix with just salt and pepper and add some parsley at the end for some bright freshness. I then added larger pieces of mirepoix, combined with thyme and garlic, chicken stock and the green lentils to a small pot. When cooking the lentils, I cut pieces of the mirepoix large enough so I could easily pull them out at the end of the cooking process. I let them simmer for 15-20 mintues, finished them with a bit of red wine vinegar and they were finished.

Meanwhile, I roasted two plum tomatoes, tossed with olive oil, salt and pepper. The ends were removed and they were sliced in half and roasted, cut side down. Once the skin started to split, it pulled them and let them cool. Once I could handle them, I removed the skin and seeds and diced the flesh. I added some more salt and pepper, as well as some fresh parsley and a drop of truffle oil.

To prepare the salmon, I preheated a non-stick skillet and salted and peppered the fillets. While keeping the heat at medium, I gently lay the fillets in the hot oil. After a nice crust had formed, I finished the fillets in the oven for anther 5 minutes or so.

The resulting combination of the three components was a true success. A warm comforting meal that didn't leave us feeling like we ate too much. Lentils lend themselves very well to salmon. The fatty texture of the salmon pairs well with the delicate seeds (yes, lentils are seeds). Lentils are a wonderful source of iron and we all know the benefits of salmon. There was little fat in this meal, only being used to roasted the tomatoes and sear the salmon. Feel free to make this ahead of time and serve it room temperature. That's what I would suggest. It will be just as delicious.

By the way, I also had my first clementine of the season. Not as sweet as they will be, but I'll be coming up with some dishes for those. I love cooking with the seasons. And tis the season for clementines. Perhaps a clementine marmalade or a perhaps a glaze for some grilled shrimp...I'll think of something.

P.S. I obviously need some help with my photos. I don't know why they always have such a yellow tint. Any suggestions?

Comfort me with Bacon and Melted Cheese...

2008-12-05T10:19:00.014-06:00

My husband's face this morning said it all: blood shot eyes, hunched shoulders, uncombed hair. It looked like he been locked away working on a dissertation for months. Finally emerging from his cocoon, he foraged the shelves searching for his morning sustenance.

As he slowly moved a spoonful of 'Life' to his chin and pushed further to reach his mouth, I recognized his cry for help. I was observing while hovering over 20 pounds of curry chicken salad (that's a different story).

If you ask my husband what his favorite food is, he'll say stuffing. But we just ate 4 days of consecutive Thanksgiving meals and we're stuffed out.

And then it came to me...three cheese macaroni with bacon! And pecan pie! The non-baker in me forged ahead and made a pecan pie with a homemade crust! Okay, that was my intention, but I wimped out and bought a pre-made one. At least they were on sale from the overstock from Thanksgiving.

Here's the recipe I used for the pecan pie.

Ingredients:
1 stick butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup dark Karo syrup
3 eggs, beaten
1 cup chopped pecans
1 unbaked 9-inch pie shell

MOP:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a saucepan, melt the butter but don't let it brown. Mix in the sugar and corn syrup and cook, stirring, over medium heat until the sugar dissolves. Stir in the eggs. Mix well. Stir in the pecans. Pour into the pie shell and bake for 1 hour or until firm when shaken.

This was idiot proof. Seriously. Hit the spot. I did use salted butter and added a little vanilla.

For savory dishes, I don't use recipes. I'll either work off of a pictures or concepts in my head. I'll give some estimates here, but don't hold me accountable for it. For the mac n'cheese, choose your favorite cheeses and go for it.

Ingredients:

8 oz. bacon, diced and sauteed

1 lb pasta, cooked and drained

5 oz. shredded extra sharp cheddar

5 oz. shredded Gruyere

5 oz. Monterey Jack

Grated Parmesan

Fresh parsley

Cayenne, to taste

Panko bread crumbs

Bechamel:

5 TB unsalted butter

4 TB AP flour

3 cups, whole milk

nutmeg, salt and pepper to taste

MOP:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. To make the bechamel, melt the butter over low heat and then add the flour. Cook, with a wooden spoon or whisk until the flour scent is gone. Meanwhile, heat the milk in a separate pot. Slowly stream in the milk into the roux and whisk. Once the sauce has come to a boil, cook for another 3-4 minutes. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg.

3. Add half of each cheese (Cheddar, Jack and Gruyere) to the bechamel.

4. After draining the pasta, add the rest of the cheeses to the pasta

5. Combine the cheese sauce with the pasta and stir gently to combine. (When you think you've added enough sauce, add a little more). Check seasonings. Add fresh parsley, cayenne and bacon.

6. Transfer to a casserole dish. Top with panko and then Parmesan and bake until heated through...about 30 minutes.

Homemade Soups. Take Three: Chicken and Vegetable

2008-12-04T08:18:00.010-06:00

Homemade chicken soup is up there with one of my favorite comfort foods. Let's not speak of canned soup. There is always something wrong when there are more chemicals than edible items listed in the ingredients.

This soup has the least amount of steps. It does involve making a chicken stock, but remember the turkey stock? It's easy. Just a few steps and then it does all the work for you.

Once you have the stock, set it aside and start the soup. I like to keep my chicken soup very basic: carrots, onions, celery, chicken, dill and parsley (and sometimes a little Tabasco, depending on my mood).

In a large stockpot, saute the mirepoix with some fresh thyme and bay leaves. You'll remove those later, so don't worry about picking off the little leaves.

Once the vegetables have softens, season with kosher salt and pepper and add your chicken stock. Of course, it's fine to add store bought stock to fill in the gaps and if you're really stressed for time, you can use that 100%. Theoretically, you're just strengthening the stock you already have. Let the soup come to a simmer and then add your chicken. I use boneless breast and dice the raw meat before adding it to the soup. Many people roast the chickens first and then pull the meat from that. But I like the idea of poaching the chicken. It remains tender and juicy and to be honest, its less effort.

There is no need for concern over salmonella. Chicken is safe when cooked to 165 degrees. (I pull it from the oven 5-10 degrees less than that because it will always continue to cook while resting.) So add the chicken to the soup, crank the heat and bring it to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer the chicken until it's cooked through. All of the bacteria will be cooked out of the raw meat in the cooking process, just like it would be done in an oven. Try not to let the soup boil again. Nothing is worse than comforting chicken soup with chewy gummy chicken pieces.

Before serving (or bottling in my case), I add some fresh chopped dill and parsley. And of course, taste, taste, taste. You may not need a lot of salt if you're using store bought stock, but I'm sure you'll need it from homemade stock.

Chicken soup is a global soothing mechanism. Variations differ from country to country. For example in Greece, it'a is traditionally made with lemon and egg, in China it is flavored with ginger, spring onions, soy and sesame, and in Mexico, it is often prepared with cabbage and potatoes and garnished with avocados and cheese.

Obviously, from the variations, this soup is a great base. You can add tomato paste, matzo balls, dumplings, mushrooms, fennel, squash, or anything else to mix things up.

Homemade Soups. Take Two: Grilled Tomato and Basil Soup

2008-12-02T11:55:00.009-06:00

That's right. Grilled. My oven is busted. It's a little aggravating because a lot of my work depends on it, but it's also forcing me to be creative in my cooking techniques. In essence, a grill is an oven so I'm just going to go along with that and make my tomato soup via grill.

I grabbed about ten pounds of plum tomatoes, cut them in half and tossed them with kosher salt, black pepper, sugar, thyme, and oil. Because the tomatoes are out of season, they are solid as a rock and need some sugar to soften and sweeten them. After tossing them on the grill until they released some of their juices and the grates looked sadly speckled with black tomato seeds, I pulled them off and piled them on my sheet pan.

While they cooled, I prepped the base of the soup. I buried myself in the soothing scents of sauteed onions laced with fresh thyme and bay leaves. The grilled tomatoes were added, along with some crushed tomatoes and fresh basil leaves. The soup simmered until the flavors came together. I grabbed my hand mixer and buzzed up the mixture. Splattering red dotted my stove top and my chest. While I am obsessive about working cleanly, making a small mess here and there is also what cooking is about. I added some chicken broth to reach the consistency I wanted and let the soup simmer a little more.

I tasted it, checking for seasoning and depth of flavor. I always add more kosher salt, but the sweetness was there, thanks to the sugar and the anise flavored basil balanced with the acidity of the roasted tomatoes.

You can serve this soup in a variety of ways: with a simple green salad, a grilled cheese sandwich, or perhaps with a parmesan crostini. A delicate drizzle of aged balsamic or good olive oil (my favorite is Olio Santo) right on top before serving is a must.

Homemade Soups. Take One

2008-12-01T09:59:00.003-06:00

Each winter, I offer homemade soups to friends and family. While it does bring in a little money to the business, it's more about offering comforting food to those I care about. Once the winter hits Boston, its easier to reach into the freezer and grab a soup rather than think about what to cook or where to order from. This year, I'm offering:

Roasted Tomato and Basil
Shrimp and Corn Chowder
Chicken and Vegetable
Cream of Mushroom
Butternut Squash

I have orders for 110 quarts total. A few tips when making soups, chowders, stews, etc. :

Always use kosher salt.
If possible, look for whole peppercorns and grind them yourself. It is more potent with a fresher flavor. For light colored soups, use white pepper. It is stronger than black, so use sparingly.
Make your own stock. It brings the soup to another level. Just throw the ingredients in a pot with cold water and leave it for a few hours.
Make a lot at once and freeze in smaller portions
Use fresh herbs and add them at the end

I'll start with the most popular: the chowder. I describe how to make it here.

Reflections on Finding Culinary Work in Chicago

2008-11-25T06:45:00.005-06:00

Fall 2005: My husband and I moved out to Chicago where he was starting business school at the GSB. I was craving to work with a high end catering company; looking for inspiration and knowledge that I never found at my previous Sous chef position in Boston. Finding a job was much harder than expected, as it always seems to be. Below is an excerpt of an interview I had with a catering company north of Chicago, Food for Thought. http://www.foodforthought-chicago.com/

My next interview was with a company that I found through Chowhounds.com. I had posted an inquiry asking if anyone knew of any high end catering companies in the Chicago area and an administrative assistant from a well-respected company, Food for Thought, responded. She wrote: “We are always looking for good people – once we’ve found them, we figure out where to put them!” Interesting reply, but I took it with a grain of salt and took some time to research the company and lined up a meeting.

This company was large and known for its beautiful artistic culinary creations. I later learned that they did about $13 million in annual sales. The kitchen was located a bit north of downtown Chicago, in a quiet industrial/residential area. I walked in and introduced myself to the receptionist.

“Just have a seat. One of our Sous chefs will be right with you,” she said.

Twenty minutes after the interview was scheduled to start, one of the Sous chefs appeared. Dressed in her whites, she was a little short and stocky, but had a sweet face with short brown hair. She gave me an application and a list of thirteen culinary questions to test my knowledge. Still sitting in the lobby, I filled out the application, attached my resume and moved onto the questions.

If you are making a Farfalle pasta salad, what shape pasta do you need?
What temperature do you cook a stuffed chicken breast to?
What are the ingredients in a bouquet garni?
What are the temperature danger zones?

Another twenty minutes later, the Sous chef reappeared and led me into their kitchen. There was a six foot stainless steel table set up with three different stations. The first had a cutting board, knife, various fruits, a box of gloves, an empty bowl, and a platter. I was instructed to make a fruit salad. The next had another cutting board, an onion, carrot, and two bowls.

“Please brunoise the onion and place it in this bowl,” she said pointed to one of the small Styrofoam bowls, “and julienne the carrot and place it in this bowl,” she continued as she pointed to the other bowl.

“Now I’d like you to make a simple three egg omelet. Cooked to medium with no color. Here are your eggs, some butter, and a spatula.”

Besides the ingredients was a hibachi with a small non-stick pan atop. I went to work while I kept one eye on her grading my “quiz” and mark a “13/13” at the top.

After I completed the three tasks at hand, we walked out of the kitchen and into a small conference room where one of the executive chefs joined us.

I asked about the chef’s background and he said he had come from Artistic Events, but now he wanted to be the “be the best in Chicago.” He repeated this a few times with intense enthusiasm. I got the point. Their events were primarily large and in addition to that, they also provided a handful of corporate lunches each day. There was always a ton of production done each week, but beyond two executive chefs, and three Sous chefs, the work was done by a dozen or so Mexicans who were inexpensive machines in the kitchen. The work at event was primarily done in “caves.”

“Cave cooking” involves using sterno to heat warming racks and cooking the meals inside the warming racks inside the catering trucks. Nothing I had ever seen or heard of in Boston. They were looking for event chefs. My schedule would be Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. I would be paid around $12 an hour and tips were not guaranteed.

After two hours, I fled the building and headed home feeling little discouraged. Two interviews and two let downs. Our week in Chicago was almost up and I tried to focus on the next two meetings. The search continues...

Homeade Ricotta Cheese

2008-11-24T18:14:00.006-06:00

When I worked at the Ritz-Carlton, we made fresh ricotta cheese mainly for canape toppings. After spreading a little on a toast point, we would top it with either prosciutto or candied figs. The flavor is totally different than what you find in the store. Some would say it's bland, but I just think it has a more delicate and subtle flavor. The texture isn't stiff, but more creamy almost like an aged brie.

Frequent seven day work weeks with at least ten hour days. The amount of product that went through our kitchen was unbelievable. Long 'trucks' would be wheeled in early in the morning carrying wheels of Manchego, Parmigiano Reggiano, Explorateur, , Taleggio, Pecorino, Amish Bleu, and Brillat Savarin. Quince paste, fresh figs, dried figs, and cases of champagne grapes stacked so high we would have to reach above our heads to pull items from the top. The butcher would deliver sheets pans of A-breast chickens, duck breasts, and trimmed sirloins. Then an order from Wabash Seafood would arrive with 70 sides of salmon that we would make into a variety smoked salmon or gravlax. In addition, hundreds of oysters and crab claws instantly filled our walk-in coolers. It was an overwhelming sight. The amount of consumption combined with the amount of money changing hands amazed me.

Our Thanksgiving menus were not traditional. The banquet department took care of the that. We focused on salads and plattered protein to enhance the rest of the buffet. We provided extensive seafood displays with ice sculpture, shrimp, crab claws, oyster and all the appropriate sides (Cognac cream sauce, mignonette, cocktail, horseradish). We also provided enormous cheese marbles. The marbles themselves were close to six feet long and three were displayed at a time reflecting assorted soft, hard, and bleus. Our smoked fish displays included salmon, gravlax, shrimp, sturgeon, black cod, and scallops. Our salads varied from sesame tuna and poached halibut to potato salad with truffle vinaigrette to roasted root vegetables. Country pate, chicken liver, and duck pate was also served with grain mustard, cornichons, and Cumberland sauce.

It was an extensive display to say the least. The amount of work and high stress moments made it easier to forget that we were all away from our families. We were each other's family for the day. Once I got in the cab home those evenings, I was so exhausted, I passed out in the car.

Back to the ricotta. Homemade ricotta is rather simple. It probably sounds scary because it's unfamiliar. But here what you'll need:

1 gallon of whole milk

1 quart of buttermilk

1/2 quart of heavy cream

1/2 a lemon

1. Combine the whole milk, heavy cream, and buttermilk in a pot and warm over med-lo heat. Stir frequently to make sure nothing sticks to the bottom. Be patient and keep the heat low.

2. Once the mixture is warmed through, squeeze half the lemon in and continue to stir.

3. After a few minutes, a the curd will separate from the weigh. Keep the heat low for another 3-5 minutes until the liquid becomes a bit more clarified.

4. Strain the liquid through some cheesecloth and let the cheese sit in a strainer for a few minutes.

5. Refrigerate and season when you're ready to use.

This make a lot of ricotta, so feel free to half the recipe. The flavor is so mild that you can top it with anything sweet, salty, crunchy, etc. Possibilities are endless.

Shrimp and Corn Chowder

2008-11-24T15:48:00.009-06:00

One thing I love about the winters is the opportunity to make homemade soups. I love standing over the stove and watching ingredients slowly come together, while filling the house with the warm scents of the season. The beauty of soups is that you can make them in large batches, freeze them and have dinner planned for the next few weeks. Just add a simple salad or sandwich to serve with it and you're set.

Today, I'm making shrimp and corn chowder. Nothing can beat sweet corn, heavy cream and shrimp. (okay, lobster can, but with Thanksgiving coming up, I don't want to break the bank).

To be honest, I like shrimp, but I certainly don't love it. In restaurants, I find it either overcooked or waterlogged with no flavor. So for my chowder, I decided to make a corn broth, instead of a shrimp broth.

To get started I combine corn cobs, a bay leaf, thyme, mirepoix and cold water. I bring it up to a boil and let it simmer until I can really smell a sweet corn aroma. Meanwhile, I combine the corn kernels with heavy cream and simmer that until they have infused each other. I'm generous with kosher salt and pepper. I take my hand blender and buzz the corn and cream mixture and then strain the stock.

Next step, I saute some bacon with carrots, onions and celery until they soften and then add the strained broth and heavy cream mixture. I buzz that up, add more salt and pepper and taste. It's already sweet and the thickness is wonderful. It beautifully coats the back of a spoon.

I then add peeled and diced potatoes to the chowder and let them cook until fork tender. Last but not least, I add more corn kernels to enhance the texture and finally, chopped shrimp. I keep the chunks of the shrimp large so you know what you're eating.

Some chopped chives are an ideal garnish and to add some richness, a dollop of sour cream or creme fraiche hits the spot.

This is a very rich chowder, so I'd prefer a salad than a heavy sandwich. I throw together a quick salad of arugula, goat cheese, dried cherries, and pistachios. A wonderfully warm, comforting meal on a cold Boston night.

Turkey Stock

2008-11-20T14:38:00.021-06:00

Homemade turkey stock...

There is a secret to Thanksgiving: do things ahead of time.

There is no reason for you to be stressing out in the kitchen while the rest of your friends and family and relaxing and schmoozing and watching football. Go sit with them!

I know there is never enough counter space or room on the stove or room in the oven. When we hosted Thanksgiving in our small Charlestown apartment a few years ago, I had to use my neighbors oven to cook the turkey. Every hour or so I would run outside my back door, across a small, weed infested yard and up the fire escape into our friends apartment in the building behind ours. It could have been a disaster. I can just imagine if I fell with the turkey, down the fire escape. I can picture it landing on my head (thoughts back to Joey on Friends).

As you know by now, I'm a big fan of serving things room temp. Obviously, this is a huge help when it comes to next Thursday. Most vegetable dishes are fine held out for and hour or so. Green beans, Brussels sprouts, even roasted potatoes. Potato dishes that are pureed hold their heat very well. So get that done and out of the way.

The beauty of turkey stock (or any stock for that matter) is that it can be done ahead of time...meaning weeks! It freezes well and the day before Thanksgiving, just put some in your refrigerator thaw and you're all set.

I'm making my turkey stock today. Again, it may sounds scary. But it's easy. In a nutshell, roasted turkey, mirepoix and cold water. That's it. For the meat, I suggest dark meat and bones. That's where the true flavor it. Roasting the wings (in my case) will help start to extract the flavors and also leave some delicious turkey juices and fat in the roasting pan (which will be added later for another level of zing). Mirepoix is a French term that basically means carrots, onions and celery. Traditionally, twice as many onions as carrots and celery. In addition, I would suggest you add a bouquet garni, which is a bay leaf, some parsley stems, and black peppercorns. Of course, you can add anything else you want to flavor the stock...wine, thyme, chipotles, sage, tomatoes...it's your call. Be creative.

Turkey wings....

First step is to get your turkey in the oven. Toss the pieces with salt and pepper and some melted butter (or oil). Roast until your home begins to smell like Thanksgiving. 375 is good and timing really depends on what you're roasting....just get the pieces nice and golden brown. In the meantime, chop up your vegetables and start sauteing them in a large stock pot. Don't worry about peeling the carrots or onions. Everything will be strained at the end so it would be just a waste of time. To your vegetables, add your bouquet garni ingredients.

Once the turkey is done roasting, add the pieces to stock pot, as well as the juices from the pan. Fill your stock pot with COLD water (to about an inch above the contents) and crank the heat. Once it all comes to a boil, turn the heat down and simmer for at least 2 hours. As you simmer, the fat will rise to the top. Skim that off when its necessary and then just leave it alone. After its scent is totally intoxicating when you stick your head into the pot for a quick facial, you know you're done.

Mirepoix, thyme, and other flavorings...

Simmering for 2-3 hours...

The next step is messy, but easy and crucial. You have to strain the stock. Pull out all the large pieces and toss them. Then set up a large pot and place a strainer on top. Carefully, pour the stock over the strainer, away from you. If you have cheesecloth I would use it here. It will collect all the tiny little pieces of who knows what and give you a nice clean broth. Don't run out and buy it, though. It won't make or break your stock.

Remains after straining...

You're almost done. Let the stock chill in the fridge overnight and in the morning, scrape the fat off the top. You know you have an excellent stock when it's thick and gelatinous. Now you're ready to freeze it in plastic bags, quart containers, ice cub trays. Feel free to reserve the fat to saute your Thanksgiving vegetables or add some extra flavor to your stuffing.

Gelatinous goodness...

Cooking for friends and family is so much more rewarding than cooking for 1200 guests at the Ritz Carlton.

I've Lost Thanksgiving.

2008-11-17T12:01:00.003-06:00

This year, we're hosting 15 guests for Thanksgiving. My husband and I spent some time over the weekend measuring our dining room and coming up with the best combination of tables to use the space efficiently as well as ensuring that the guests will have their ample elbow room for eating, but more importantly, digesting.

We decided on 2 eight foot tables and 1 six foot 'classroom' sized table. I ordered the rentals, including linens and chairs, placed my order for two turkeys, and ordered our turkey fryer kit. We created a menu, working around what our guests like to contribute and I nominated myself to fill in the gaps.

While I focus on the food, Doug will focus on the beverages, as well as his infamous cranberry Jell-O shots, a tradition at our Thanksgiving celebrations. Doug's mom will be tackling dessert (remember, I don't bake) and his father will take care of the touch football necessitates. I called my mom to task and asked her to bring her wooden rooster, that will act as decor for our buffet and delegated the Brussels sprouts and sweet potatoes to her (as well as the small chocolate turkeys that are our traditional favors for each guest). Her philosophy on the Brussels sprouts (and come to think of it, most of her cooking) is one pound sprouts to one pound butter. And her sweet potatoes are one of my favorites traditions. Combined with shredded pineapple, brown sugar, and you guessed it, lots of butter, the dish fits in more with the desserts. Just before service, marshmallows are placed atop and you know they're finished when the whites puff over the casserole dish and burn the bottom of the oven.

Besides the menu, I took some time to think about the table set up and how to create a warm and inviting atmosphere in our dining room. Part of the problem starts with the floor. It's pink. And so are the window treatments: pink and white checked. No, I did not choose this color. The previous owners did and we haven't updated the room yet. Actually, the space has been blocked off since we moved in. Come to think of it, I'm not sure why. The room is beautiful, with two sets of windows on the left wall that look out to our street and molding running around the room about a quarter of the way up the wall. The walls are a soft eggshell but the carpeting and window treatments distract the eyes from the potential of the room. And yet, we've blocked it off, as if we'd like to preserve it.

In thinking of the traditional autumn colors, they all seem to clash with the Candy-cane inspired room. The new paint color is picked out, as well as the furniture and decor to change the space. But we're years off from that and my mission this Thanksgiving is to create a scene so when guests walk in, they sign and say, "This is beautiful!" as oppose to "It's pink." The latter has happened a few times and I often cringe upon hearing it.

To make matters worse, stores in my area seem to have forgotten Thanksgiving! Gingerbread candles have already replaced the Pumpkin Spice and ornaments, tinsel, and fir trees are everywhere. Actually, in one store, in the far back corner, there was a small black-wired bin filled with a horrible selection of Thanksgiving cocktail napkins. That's pretty much the best I could find. I even went to Linens n'Things, hoping to score a deal because they're going out of business. I felt a little better because they are forgetting both Thanksgiving and Christmas. (I did actually find a squeaking turkey at our pet shop, so maybe I'm just looking in the wrong spots).

I returned home with a few items, feeling deflated and confused. Our candy cane dining room would fit in much better with a Christmas theme, but it's still November, Thanksgiving is a week and a half away, and we're Jewish.

Ladies Who Lunch...Catered Party for 10.

2008-11-13T13:03:00.014-06:00

I absolutely love catering small parties. By small, I mean anything from 10-40 guests. Everything always remains calm and manageable and guests seem more appreciative. The events are more intimate affairs as oppose to a wedding for 200 or even a cocktail party for 70.

My average party size is 40 guests, celebrating anything from showers and anniversaries to holiday party and birthdays.

For example, my neighbor called me in a panic last week.

"I'm having some friends over for a birthday next week and no one offered to bring anything. I thought we agreed on potluck but now I'm responsible for everything! You have to help!" she explained. I felt like she was flipping through her cookbooks at home looking for a quick fix.

"What are you looking for?" I asked, as I grabbed some paper and a pen.

"I have no idea. I was thinking of doing egg salad and tuna salad, but that's so boring," she started.

"Well, it's a birthday so why don't we think of something a little more festive," I suggested.

"Perfect. Great. What did you have in mind?" She already seemed relieved at my effort.

"How about some salmon. That's simple and elegant and usually is perfect for a group of women. I would suggest a trio of sauces or salsa or something to go with it, but with 10 guests, that's a lot of food."

"Great. Let's do that. How about one sauce and one salsa? Whatever you want, you choose." "But I can't have anything super expensive,' she cautioned.

"I'll just charge you cost." She was my neighbor and my friend after all.

After talking over a few more details, we decided I would provide the following:

Slow-Roasted Salmon with Cucumber Raita and Pomegranate-Avocado Salsa
Israeli Couscous Salad with Dried Cherry, Toasted Almonds and Lemon-Parsley Vinaigrette

She would be providing the rest of the menu. The beauty of catering and why it fits my personality is that it's all about preparing ahead of time. Of course, there are those occasions where success depends on timing and keeping your cool, but the style of catering that I focus on is reminiscent of my days at the Ritz-Carlton. Working in the Garde Manger department, everything is served room temperature or cold. Focus is on presentations, flavors, and textures. It becomes a true test of technique as well. Garde Manger incorporates simple vinaigrettes and sandwiches to time-consuming homemade sausages and pates.

So this small luncheon, like many of the other events I cater, is all about chilled or room temperature foods. This methodology allows me to scatter my prep work over a few days and therefore not feel panicked when it's time to shine. Dishes can be plattered ahead of time so when it's time to go, I just pack platters and take off.

Now, let's get back to this luncheon for 10. Held on a Friday afternoon, I picked up 4 pounds of salmon from my wholesaler on Thursday morning and continued with the rest of my shopping. I allocated 2 hours to prep this event. With such simple dishes and only 10 guests, I was being generous with my time.

While the oven preheated and I set a pot of water to boil on the stove, I made the two sides for the salmon. For the raita, I combined yogurt, diced red onions, peeled diced cucumbers, cumin, cayenne, salt, pepper, and lemon juice. I used Greek yogurt which offered a thicker texture and not a tangy flavor as the American style yogurts.

For the salsa, I combined diced red onions, the pomegranate seeds and lime juice. Retrieving the seeds is a messy and time consuming chore, so be prepared. It's well worth the effort as the small seeds, after removed look like small rubies. They are beautiful and delicate and shimmer with a slight iridescent light. In terms of flavor, their sourness reminds me of cranberries, but their sweetness comes through with the added crunch of the seed. I will diced and add the avocado on Friday to avoid it turning colors or getting somewhat mushy with the rest of the salsa.

The concept of slow roasted salmon may make some nervous. It's all about preserving the gentle and soft texture of the fish. Set your oven to 225 or 250 and roasted the salmon for 20 minutes or so. It will have a medium rare look and basically feel texture-less when you taste it. The key, of course, is to season, season, season! For this luncheon, I cut 4 ounce pieces out of the side of salmon and roasted them on parchment. After they cooled, I plattered the fish and moved onto the pasta.

Israeli couscous is a pasta; not a rice and not a grain. So I prepared the couscous as I would any pasta: very salty boiling water. The boiling temperature of salted water is higher than that of unsalted, so for the sake of efficiency, I always boil the water and then add the salt. After the pasta is cooked and drained, I transfer it to a mixing bowl and add some oil so it doesn't stick. Finishing the rest of the dish is easy: add some dried cherries, toasted almonds and your dressing (lemon zest, red wine vinegar, salt, pepper, parsley, honey, oil). Last but not least, season, season, season, and taste, taste, taste!

Friday afternoon, I grabbed the dishes and some business cards and made the quick delivery. Now I just hope for positive feedback and of course referrals. Wish me luck!

My Fear of Baking

2008-11-13T06:44:00.004-06:00

I don't remember standing in the kitchen with my mom, as a young girl, watching her roll out pie dough or melt chocolate over a double boiler. I don't remember her giving me the spatula to lick or giving me a cookie cutter to punch shapes. The desserts that I do remember my mom making were pound cake with stewed fruits, ice box cake, and corn flake chocolate chip cookies.

I didn't have a grandmother to show me recipes from older generations. They both passed away before I was born. And even though my grandfather had an admirable and full-bodied sweet tooth, it would only reveal itself when he brought cookie monster and froggie cupcakes from our local bakery on Shabbat. He certainly was no baker himself.

Each year when the holiday season rolls around, there is a small erk inside me, wishing I had learned how to bake when I was a child. Reading and hearing about family traditions, from candy making to cake frosting and cookies, I feel like I'm missing out.

I realize that my fear of baking is partially because I'm not experienced with it. The unknown is always a bit daunting. But I also think it's due to my small fear of math. In elementary and high school, math was fun. It was about puzzles and word problems that related to my every day life. But once I got to college and the numbers slowly started changing to letters, my mind suddenly drifted out the window to admire the immense geological structure that was the backdrop for our school. The Flatirons was often my vehicle to a world outside calculus and perhaps while my mind floated west, any baking knowledge floated out with it and never came back.

But this year, I'm feeling inspired. I will start small and build up and learn how to back some basic items. It's getting a little out of hand and I realize I must face my fears head on. This weekend I'm going to make some candy. I found a recipe that looks rather simple in this months' Bon Appetit. Who knows? Maybe I'll feel so confident that I will finally be able to give homemade sweets wrapped Martha-style? I don't want to get ahead of myself. I'll let you know how it goes.

Banning Bake Sales! What's Next?

2008-11-12T09:13:00.002-06:00

When I was in high school, bake sales did not happen often enough. Two six foot tables were set up in the breezeway that connected the main building from the math and science wing. Tupperware containers, wide and narrow, short and tall, covered the tables while cookies peered out of tin foil baskets.

Bake sales turned us all into young children again; running through the hallways looking for lose change and enjoying the temporary sugar high at 8 A.M. In the middle of our geometry lessons, my girlfriends and I would escape the classroom and run to our lounges to search for money in between the couch cushions. We kept licking out lips as if we could already taste the creamy chocolate cupcake frosting.

We became feverish in our efforts, fearing that our favorites would quickly disappear because of those classmates who always held extra change for just this reason! We traded quarters for homework, and dimes for foot rubs. We became a ravished community, as if the bake sale items was our only food for the coming months.

Now, in the midst of obesity and little access to healthy food in schools, town councils across the country have started to ban bake sales. Guidelines controlling the amount of calories, sugar, and saturated fat are spreading and items at bakes sales are not making the cut. What's next? Girl scout cookies? The ice cream truck? Halloween!??? These are innocent experiences that make up our childhood!

The heavy hand of the control freaks out there need to remember what it's like to be a child. They need to trust the parents to parent! (Have you heard about the push for 'Healthy Halloween'? It suggests ideas like Caesar salad making classes to enjoying apple slices, crudite and Power Bars. It's an embarrassment!)

I'm going to bake some cookies tonight and have them for dinner and then bake more and have them for dessert.

B.L.T. Fried Egg and Cheese Sandwich

2008-11-11T09:04:00.009-06:00

While still contemplating my affections for Ina, I found solace in a comforting sandwich that combined ingredients with different flavors, textures, and temperatures. While I'm sure we all have our top 5 favorite sandwiches, I would think they become favorites partially because of the memories they remind of us.

Coming home from elementary school, my mother always had some sort of snack waiting for me. Anything from pizza bagels and matzah ball soup to chocolate chip cookie dough and B.L.T. sandwiches. We sat down together at our wooden kitchen table and reviewed the day. Who asked who out? How did I do on the math test? What did they serve for lunch? What were the weekend plans?

And although this crunchy, salty, creamy, yolky sandwich did not make my top five, it is on my top ten. The B.L.T. is a classic sandwich, often best on toasted white. The spin on this is the simple addition of a fried egg and your cheese of choice. What could be better than having the golden yolk drip down your chin while crumbles of bacon falls to the plate below.

And this is all on a Monday! It seems we only have time for bacon and eggs on the weekends these days. There is no need for that. Breakfast for dinner is a great way to make dinners interesting when you're not feeling creative. And besides, with Monday Night Football on in the background, there were moments when it certainly felt a weekend.

My top five sandwiches:
1. Sloppy Joe from Town Hall Delicatessen in South Orange, New Jersey
2. The Manhattan: Turkey, provolone, artichoke hearts, garlic spread, lettuce, tomato & onion with pesto mayo from the Deli Zone in Boulder, Colorado
3. The Great Gastbrie: Brie, Avocado, Basil, Lettuce, Tomato, Cucumber, Sun-dried Tomato Pesto on Croissant from The Bookends Cafe in Boulder, Colorado
4. Reuben from Manny's in Chicago, Illinois
5. Chicken Parm Sub from the Village Pizza House in Brookline, Mass.

Feel free to comment on your favorite sandwiches and I'll try to re-create them one day soon.

I have a Woman-Crush on Ina.

2008-11-10T17:32:00.011-06:00

Years ago, while still in high school, my family and I spent a week in East Hampton for my cousin's wedding. My mother and I focused in on finding WASPy, chic outfits so we could fit in with the crowd that didn't fit in with us. I found a cream cocktail dress covered in sky blue toile. We had dinner at Nick & Tonys, walked up an down Main Street, and gazed at the people who made East Hampton their full time home. Snake skin stilettos coupled with premier designer handbags dotted the streets while the sun glared down to expose the dolled up ladies and their caked cheekbones.
While walking down Newtown Lane I passed two white rimmed screen doors when scents of freshly baked breads and hints of chocolate. I turned and as I walked through the doors, I was overwhelmed at the site before me. The inside of the Barefoot Contessa store was nothing I had never seen before; a high end specialty foods store years before its time. Prepared food, held in crisp white rectangular dishes layered the refrigerated cases, while international and domestic cheese danced and dipped across a butcher's block in one of the corners. My nose quivered and twitched with the pungency of Stilton as I swooped closer to taker a deeper breath in.

I filed the sights and smells in the back of my mind, not knowing when they would reappear in my life. My mind was engraved with that majestic experience and slowly developed into the culinary dream that I'm now living today.

Twelve years later, I lined up outside a Williams-Sonoma store at 8:30 in the morning to wait for a chance to meet Ina, the woman behind that store that made such an impression on me. I sat with my latte and chatted up conversations with the women around me. The appearance drew 1200 fans and I was thankful for my earlier arrival.

"Do you cook?" she asked, as she reached for the first of the four books I wanted her to sign.

"I do," I said. "I have my own catering company."

"Oh, so you're a real cook?" she responded.

"I guess I am."

Ina and her seemingly effortless success at elegant and earthy dishes is only part of my admiration for her and her empire. Unlike Martha Stewart who arguably carries a high level of arrogance, I feel like Ina could be our next store neighbor. (My husband would put our home on the market instantly, as her dotting on her husband drives him insane). Her ability to connect with her fans on a soothing and almost motherly way is hypnotizing.

She has become an inspiration to me, helping me visualize the path to the small storefront that I hope to open one day. I am comfortable and confident with my woman crush, therefore and hope it will continue to encourage me to reach my professional goals.

Comforting Dinner on a Rainy Boston Night

2008-11-07T09:18:00.012-06:00

I remember when my mother would make me Guggle Muggle. Only on the rare occasion when I would be home sick from school, the scents of warm milk and honey filled our home. It was a comforting, sweet drink that she learned from her father and something I will recreate to comfort my own children.

The final taste and amount of each ingredients is up to the cook, depending on your preference of sweetness. Just combine milk, salted butter, honey and brandy in a cast-iron pot and warm it over low heat. Be careful with the milk, as it can boil over quickly if you take your eye off of it.

When we need comfort, we often look for the culinary dishes that correspond to a warm blanket, the touch of your mother's hand on your forehead, or a kiss from your grandfather. We crave something to remind us of our childhood, when we felt the safest and the most protected.

We all have memories of different comfort foods from our childhood. Macaroni and cheese, tomato soup and grilled cheese, chicken noodle soup and finally spaghetti and meatballs.

On a rainy Boston evening, I decided to make the later and put a twist on the traditional. By using ground turkey and chipotle peppers, our dinners still meet our need for comfort but also had a little heat to celebrate the coming of the weekend.

To begin, I pureed some of the chipotle peppers (smoked and dried jalapeno peppers). At the store, the smallest can often seems too big. There are always peppers left because with chipotles, a little goes a long way. So if you purchase the can, think of some other ways to use the rest of the peppers so you don't waste them all (tacos, chili, sauces, vinaigrettes, soups, etc.). And do not store the leftover peppers in the aluminum can--for that matter, do not store anything in an aluminum can once it's been opened.

In a medium bowl, I added all of the ingredients of the meatballs: ground turkey, pureed peppers, fresh parsley, panko (Japanese bread crumbs), sweated onions, one egg, and salt and pepper. If you're afraid or grossed out by touching raw meats, there are two solutions: 1) get over it or 2) use gloves. I'm over it but I also use gloves. It's best to use your hands to combine the ingredients, but don't over work the mixture. You want to meatballs to be light, not dense.

Heat a medium skillet with a little oil and test a small portion of the mixture to check for flavors. You may need more salt, pepper, or heat. It depends on your personal preference. Just create a small pancake of the mixture. If you make a meatball, it will not cook all the way through.

Once you've adjusted the seasonings, add some more oil to the pan and start forming the meatballs. Once the oil is hot and you hear the meatballs sizzle when they hit the pan, you're ready to sear them. Keep the heat on medium and BE PATIENT. Don't touch the meat. You want to create a nice crust on the outside. Also, do not overcrowd the pan; otherwise, the meatballs will steam somewhat and it will be hard to develop the outside crust.

Have some paper towels lined next to the pan and once you've seared all the sides of each meatballs, transfer them to the paper towels to soak up the excess oil. When you're finished, it's time to make the tomato sauce to finish cooking the meatballs.

I try to stay clear of store-bought tomato sauces. They are often very acidic and lack any depth of flavor.

For the quick sauce I made last night, I started with some grape tomatoes and stewed them with some oil, salt and peppers. Once they softened, I added some white wine and let that reduce. For the quick sauce I made last night, I started with some grape tomatoes and stewed them with some oil, salt and peppers. Once they softened, I added some white wine and let that reduce.

Canned tomatoes and chicken stock was added and once the sauce came to a simmer, I added the meatballs and let them finish cooking.

In the meantime, I cooked the pasta and popped open a bottle of wine. After draining the pasta and combining it with the sauce, dinner was served.

Vegetable Versatility.

2008-11-06T09:46:00.010-06:00

It seems that wraps have become more popular in the last few years. Perhaps it's because we can feel less guilty because we're ingesting less carbs. But wraps can often be more unhealthy than a traditional sandwich. A Reuben on a whole wheat wraps makes it barely more nutritious than on marble rye. But it gives us the perception that we've made a healthy choice.

When you decide on having a wrap for a meal, why not choose a healthy filling? Below is my very popular Grilled Vegetable Wrap with Goat Cheese, Arugula and Pesto. Some key point when making wrap sandwiches:

Select fillings that are somewhat dry
Heat the wrap before filling and rolling to prevent it from breaking
Use some sort of adhesive to close the sandwich (Sour cream works very well)
Eat and enjoy the same day. The texture changes significantly if not consumed the same day. No one likes a soggy wrap.

First, let's start with the vegetables: Eggplant, Zucchini, Summer Squash, Assorted Peppers. I don't use any vegetables that can't be sliced into long or flat pieces (i.e. mushrooms). Slice all the vegetable about 1/4-1/2 inch thick. I cut the squash on a bias because the length works better when building the wraps.

As always, SEASON! Salt and pepper and a little oil. You don't want to drench the veggies in oil because the wrap will turn out too wet. Add just enough oil to create a shimmer on the vegetables so they won't stick to the grill.

After grilling, let them cool and gather the rest of your items for the wrap: pesto, goat cheese, arugula, sour cream, and the wrap. Make sure everything is within your reach so you're not scrambling when you start to make the sandwich.

To heat the wrap, you can either grill it (no oil and grill for a few seconds on each side) or you can simply microwave it for 10-20 seconds until it softens. Place the wrap lengthwise on your cutting board and spread the pesto all over. In the center of the wrap, working horizontally, add the grilled vegetables. Four slices of each vegetable is usually plenty. Crumble some goat cheese on top of the vegetables and then add a decent amount of arugula to fill the wrap. It will look like a mess at this point. But you're almost done.

Add a dab of sour cream to the edge of the wrap that is away from you and gently lift the edge close to you over the filling. Pull it in and roll. Have the wrap sit on the closed edge to secure it. To slice and serve, I suggest using a serrated knife to cut the end of the wrap. I find this much easier than stick the end in when rolling. Then, slice the sandwich in half, on a bias, if you'd like for a more attractive presentation.

Feel free to add some of your favorite wrap fillings below or ask questions or request recipe or menu ideas that you'd like to see.

Obama brings hope to all on Election Night. Time to eat!

2008-11-05T08:29:00.012-06:00

When I stop and pause to look at the still images from Grant Park, it's hard not to feel like there is something bigger happening in our world. In this historic time, people of different races, countries and ages are sensing hope and change. While Oprah and Reverend Jesse Jackson provided heartfelt visuals of the emotional night, the bottom line is that our country, in such dire need of inspiration and motivation, is craving leadership and change.

To celebrate the excitement of the evening and anticipation of the coming four years, we treated ourselves to an All-American dinner of club sandwiches, accompanied by red, white, and blue cocktails and cupcakes.

Club sandwiches, when made well, are comforting, filling, and a delightful combination of flavors that leaves you craving more.

The contents of a 'traditional' club sandwiches are up fro debate. Turkey AND ham? Toasted or untoasted? Double decker? Avocado? Toasted double decker white bread with ham, turkey, bacon, lettuce, tomato, and mayonnaise are what you will typically find at diners and restaurants across the country. Cut into four triangles and laid on its side to reveal the layers, french fries and pickles are the traditional accompaniments.

For my version of the club sandwich, I wanted to add some additional flavors to it step up. To start with, I purchased boneless skinless chicken breasts and pounded them paillard thin. The day before, I marinated them in garlic, parsley, lemon, salt, pepper, and oil. I also made some parsley aioli by combining Hellmann's, garlic, parsley, salt and pepper. My other ingredients included:

Fresh brioche bread
Hard-boiled eggs
Avocado
Tomatoes
Arugula
Bacon

The key to creating a great sandwiches and having all of the ingredients the same thickness. When it was time to assemble, I grilled the chicken and toasted the brioche. The hard-boiled eggs, tomatoes, and avocados were sliced thinly. Once the chicken rested, I sliced the pieces thinly on a bias. The parsley and lemon scented chicken shimmered with its juices, guaranteeing a moist sandwich. I lathered the toasted bread with the aioli and started layering: bacon, eggs, chicken, avocado, arugula, tomato. The sandwiches were topped with another sliced of aioli lathered brioche.

The different textures (smooth avocado, crunchy bacon, and creamy aioli, ), different flavors (smoky, aioli, peppery arugula), and different temperatures (warm chicken, cool tomatoes) combined to create an ideal meal. Coupled with some macaroni and cheese prepared by my husband, the celebration of Obama-nation meet our cravings on many levels.

To finish off the meal, I baked bi-colored cupcakes reflecting the colors of our country. I'm not a baker, so these were admittedly mediocre cupcakes (thank you, Betty Crocker) with overly sugared store-bought frosting.

But the effect was there and our high from Obama's success made them taste better than anticipated.

I'm Finally Back on the Scene.

2008-11-04T06:38:00.002-06:00

After leaving my blog from being overworked at the hotel, I'm back to reflect on my two years there.

My husband and I are now back in Boston, living in the suburbs with our Bernese Mountain Dog puppy.

If you're curious about the experience of a female cook in a male-dominated, egotistical, poorly managed kitchen, then read on!

I'll be back to post some of our menus, recipes, and of course, dramatic stories that made my two years at the hotel a growth opportunity.

Geja's: Not so sexy or romantic to us.

2006-03-28T16:51:00.000-06:00

When my husband and I first moved to Chicago, we looked up the top romantic restaurants in the city in our trusty “Zagat Survey.” We wanted to make an effort to visit each restaurant on our list before we head back home to Boston in two years.

Listed among eleven other restaurants was Geja’s Café, an apparent fondue treasure in Lincoln Park. On a damp, wet, mild, rainy night, my husband and I ventured off towards Armitage and Lincoln. The roads were a bit slick and reflections of street lights coupled with headlights made the visibility as little less than ideal. Neither of us could remember the last time it rained

We veered off in our conversations about our own reasons of why we love the rainfall. We both agreed that the sounds can be peaceful and soothing, acting as a lullaby for some. But, for others, it’s invasive, dreary, and impedes on everyday life. My husband shared his dream of sitting in a rocking chair on the front porch of our Vermont country home when we’re older watching and listening to the teeming rain. The sounds of the rain hitting gutters and puddles enlarging on the ground became so vivid in his mind, he almost forgot he was just in his first year of business school and we had years before this country home would become our reality.

The short drive over Geja’s was strangely intense, filled with drivers being too patient or not patient enough. Cars initiated turning around in the middle of Lincoln Avenue with bumper to bumper traffic, apparently oblivious to the world around them. Our brakes vibrated and pulsed quickly to catch up with themselves as we almost hit one of them. We were relieved when we found parking a short block away from the restaurant, trusting our feet more than the skittish drivers on the road in the rainy weather.

When we walked inside, the contrast between the worlds we had just left and the one we were entering became glaringly apparent. Warm hues of golden and mahogany combined with low ceilings and the background noise of a gentle flamenco guitar eased us instantly.

The restaurant seemed tight in space but still filled with inviting scents and the soft colors. One of the first things that I noticed wasn’t that each wall was lined with wine bottles or that each table consisted of couples looking dreamingly into each other’s eyes; it was the sounds of gurgling oil. After being seated, my husband joked that some of the wine bottles must be doubling as fire extinguishers, but I was still concentrating on the bubbling sounds coming from the weathered orange Le Creuset pots at the tables around us.

Geja’s menu offers a variety of combination of fondue. You could simply snack on cheese or chocolate, or go the whole nine yards and get both cheese and chocolate, along with a meal in between of vegetables and your choice of meats, along with eight side sauces. These offerings were labeled the “premier fondue dinner” and we both opted for our own combination. I chose shrimp and beef tenderloin, while my husband selected shrimp and chicken. Other offerings include scallops, lobster tails, or simply a vegetable medley of potatoes, mushrooms, onions, and peppers.

When our waiter arrived with a basket of goodies to dip into the cheese, he also lit our hot oil in our own petite orange Le Creuset dish, and soon enough our table was gurgling with the rest of them. We wasted no time and jumped into the vat of melted cheese at our disposable. Our victims with this third of our meal included apples, white bread, pumpernickel bread, and grapes. I definitely wish the bread was a lot fresher and a little crustier; it tasted stale or as if it was sitting out for quite some time. The cheese itself had some good flavors, but I didn’t think it was exceptional by any means. Described as a combination of gruyere, white wine, and Kirsch, I couldn’t distinguish the cherry flavor anywhere.

So far, the ambiance was still the most impressive part of Geja’s. I was hoping the next two courses would redeem the first. A platter arrived with our raw meats, vegetables, and eight side sauces ranging from teriyaki to horseradish sauce to cocktail. We were instructed on how long to keep each item in the hot oil. We eagerly grabbed out skewers and started dunking vegetables and meats into the hot oil. Some oil splattered back but we were tough and continued to dunk until our stomachs felt a bit off, to be honest. The vegetables tasted ordinary; simply like vegetables cooking in hot oil, so they didn’t carry a ton of flavor. The eight sauces that accompanied the dinner were very welcomed. The beef was delicious, as long as I didn’t overcook it and of course, it was enhanced with its classic accompaniment of horseradish sauce.

The entire meal started to lose its effect and excitement when our heads, as well as our stomach started to realize how much oil we had ingested in a relatively short amount of time. We were each given four pieces of chicken and beef, respectively, as well as three shrimp each. Neither of us could finish was we ordered and about halfway through the vegetables, we simply got tired of the flavor and our stomachs were begging us to say no.
Was there still another course coming our way?

Our platter of remaining food disappeared and the sterno from our oil was covered. When the chocolate fondue arrived, the waiter lit the orange liquor that topped the melting chocolate, as his only sign of showmanship that evening. In the midst of our country’s chocolate revolution, the flavor of this mixture did not make the cut. It was flat and dull, sadly lacking any depth. We each took one bit, if I remember correctly. I’m surprised we could even stomach that.

What surprised me the most about our disappointed experience at Geja’s was not that we felt so terrible at the end of the night, but more that it was rated as one of the top romantic restaurants in all of Chicago. I cannot argue if that refers to the atmosphere, but the only thing my husband and I wanted to do when we got home was roll up into our comfortable fetal positions in bed and sleep our stomach pains away.

Small Plates, Big Flavors: Chicago Tapas

2006-02-11T13:33:00.000-06:00

Tapas have been part of Spain’s history since arguably the 13th century. King Alfonzo X, while apparently under the weather, was only able to drink wine with small portions of food in between. After recovering, the king mandated that wine could not be consumed with being accompanied by food. Therefore, throughout the country, wine was served covered with a piece of smoked ham or cheese. The Spanish word tapa translates to top, lid, or cover. Food covered the wine glass for two reasons: one, the keep insects and bugs out of the wine glass and two, assure that people were not drinking on an empty stomach.

Not drinking on an empty stomach is always a good idea, and thankfully concern for bugs flying into our wines glasses is not a concern at restaurants these days (let’s hope). But the Spanish tradition of tapas has thrived and has become a huge success in America, and of course, Chicago.

Back in August, while my husband and I were in town to search for an apartment, we met some friends out at Emilio’s Tapas. Vibrant in décor and atmosphere, the scent of sangria welcomed us in. Two dishes still remain in my mind as my favorites: Datiles Con Tocin (Dates wrapped in bacon, served with roasted red pepper butter sauce) and Caracoles Emilio (Sautéed escargot served on croutons with tomato sauce and alioli). Of course, anything can taste wonderful with continuous glasses of Sangria, but the high spirited restaurant marked a wonderful introduction to the tapas offered in Chicago.

Another traditional Spanish tapas restaurant is Café Ba Ba Reeba. My favorites are goat cheese baked in tomato sauce, braised lamb with cous cous, and mushrooms stuffed with manchego cheese and spinach. Good stuffed mushrooms are hard to find. They’re usually too soggy, completely tasteless, or not cooked properly with the mushrooms being undercooked and the stuffing being overcooked. But these were absolutely delightful; full of flavor and perfectly cooked. The menu is large, but not overwhelming and everything I’ve tried, I would order again.

Of course, while the trend of Spanish tapas has spread throughout the country, other restaurateurs have followed suit and “small plates” are now more popular than ever in a variety of cuisines. Avec, whose menu reflects cuisine from Portugal, Spain, Italy, and France, carries over the assertive flavors and elegant presentation from her sister, Blackbird. While offering traditional tapas (chorizo-stuffed medjool dates with smoked bacon and piquillo pepper-tomato sauce), Avec also succeeds in offering small plates reflective of the rest of the Mediterranean, such as whipped brandade (traditional French dish of pureed salt cod, olive oil, and milk) and housemade merguez-style sausage with littleneck clams, shrimp and fennel. (Merguez is a small spicy sausage traditionally from Algeria and Tunisia).

If you’re looking for some small plates with an Asian influence, Opera offers a variety of tempting dishes. Chef Paul Wildermuth (formerly at Ben Pao) combines traditional Chinese flavors with modern twists in the presentations. Sugar snap pea with forest mushroom stir-fry finished with truffle oil and chili spiked tofu with ground pork and black bean sauce are two options on the restaurant’s small plates menu.

If you’re a little hesitant to try ethnic small plates, you can always try your luck at the Lennox Lounge. They offer a variety of American-friendly dishes (mini burgers and the old stand-by, pigs in a blanket). With a thorough selection of draft and bottled beers, this Lincoln Park eatery also offers around fifteen different martinis that sound very tempting.

One notable aspect of tapas that I mentioned in the beginning but have failed to mention since is its connection to wine. Traditionally, they go hand-in-hand and today, that combination is still a large reason for its success. Coupling simple and flavorful small dishes along with reasonably priced wines by the glass, both diners and restaurateurs are benefiting. Success continues, also, because diners are more open to try new and different flavors. The popularity of ethnic cuisine has opened to door to exotic ingredients and more adventurous culinary spirit. Multiple small dishes are attractive because diners do not have to commit to one entrée. It also encourages sharing, conversations, and a more casual atmosphere.

Emilio’s Tapas
444 West Fullerton Avenue
Chicago, IL 60614
(773)-327-5100
http://www.emiliostapas.com

Café Ba Ba Reeba
2024 North Halsted
Chicago, IL 60614
(773)-935-5000
http://www.cafebabareeba.com

Avec
615 West Randolph
Chicago, IL 60606
(312)-337-2002
http://www.avecrestaurant.com

Lennox Lounge
3032 North Lincoln Avenue
Chicago, IL 60657
(773)-281-9900
http://www.lennoxlounge.com

Opera
1301 S. Wabash
Chicago, IL 60605
(312)-461-0161
http://www.opera-chicago.com

"Where Fun Goes to Die"

2006-02-04T11:57:00.000-06:00

Still working at the business school helping out with the recruiting. It has slowed down in every sense since the bankers were here the first week.

The dress of the students and recruiters has become a little less intense. Microsoft recruiters were very casual in jeans and cordoroys, while others dressed down to khakis and a dress shirt. A definite shift from the black suits, white shirts, and power ties that roamed the hallways during bank week.

While preparing some of the packets that each recruiter receives about the students they will be interviewing, I came across some entertaining things that I want toshare. So in order to participate in the on-campus recruiting process, students are required to follow a certain format. Each resume cannot be more than one page and must contain three major sections of “Education,” “Experience,” and “Additional.” Space is valuable; these are University of Chicago Business School students so they are not struggling to fill the space. They are struggling to figure out which bullet points to delete.

One underground slogan for the University of Chicago apparently is “Where fun goes to die” and the business school is understandably trying to shatter that image. Therefore, the purpose of the “Additional” section is to expose the human side of these students and reveal their interests and perhaps some random facts about them, not relating to business school. Others are simply entertaining facts to perhaps act as conversation starters with the recruiters.

Here are some that caught my eye:

“Consumed 5 Big Macs in one sitting.”
“Avid tennis player, runner, and swimmer; mediocre golfer.”
“Survivor of incurable centipede bite.”
“Qualified for Jeopardy!”
“Nature-loving surfer.”
“Certified Iowa high school baseball umpire.”
“Managed to live in London for six months without picking up slightest accent.”
” Lead Guitarist for Boston-based band, Boatyard Resin (2002-2005), Ann Arbor-based band, Chowder (1999-2000).”

(That last one is one of my husbands...YEAH!)

Corporate Kohen

2006-01-21T22:11:00.000-06:00

So I've completed my first week as "Concierge" to the recruiters coming to the Business School to woo students into summer internship and potential full time positions after graduation. It's so interesting to see the whole process take place. Each day that I observe, I am more grateful and relieved that I am not one of those students.

Firms such as Lehman Brothers, Merrill Lynch, Deutsche Bank, and J.P. Morgan all came this past week and conducted intense 2 on 1 interviews with students interested in banking. With the students pacing and quaking, I sat behind my desk and observed with utter fascination.

The school offers about 50 small interview rooms that are all utterly bland, yet acutely intimidating. Part of my responsibility is to set up the rooms at the end of each day for the next mornings interviews. The paraphernalia consists of brochures about the school, mints, pens, paper, etc.

It's a welcome relief getting a break from not only being on my feet, but from working in the cafeteria. I'm fully immersing myself into the corporate world, which is something I haven't done for quite some time. I'm wearing heels, blow drying my hair, and actually baking cookies for the ladies in the office. It's strange. I feel completely displaced, yet strangely comfortable.

Yesterday, I took the train down to Hyde Park. We live about 10 minutes north of downtown and Hyde Park is maybe 20 minutes south of downtown. The train was filled during the entire trip south. When I stepped on in my neighborhood, everyone was white. As we headed downtown, a few black people jumped on board and by the time we were maybe 4 or 5 stops south of the city, the train was completely black. Just another random observation.

I'm back in the cafeteria today and tomorrow and then Monday through Friday of next week, I'm back in my business suit.

My husband and I were very successful with our super foods this past week. We will try again for week 2. Besides tonight, of course, when we went out for Mexican and I gorged on chicken enchiladas.

By the way, did anyone else freak out when they saw David Palmer still doing State Farm commercials? Didn't he just get assassinated?

Super Foods To The Rescue!

2006-01-10T21:06:00.000-06:00

This afternoon I took some time to glance over the San Francisco Chronicle's Food Section. It's consistently recognized as one of the best in the country. I noticed an article titled, "The Power of Super Foods." These articles seems to pop up right after New Year's; attempting to play on the guilt of Americans after their season of holiday indulgence.

I gave in and printed out the list of the super foods and tacked them onto our refrigerator:

Apples
Avocados
Bean
Blueberries
Dark Chocolate
Kiwis
Oats
Spinach
Walnuts
Yogurt

The article claims that these foods can "possibly transform my life." I don't really have a problem with any of them, especially the chocolate. Blueberries will be tough to find right now and I assume blueberry pancakes and scones aren't what the article suggest I eat. Hmmm...I could probably get some of that Greek yogurt and drizzle it with some honey and thaw some frozen blueberries from Trader Joes.

Honey Crisp Apples are absolutely divine. Unfortunately, the Whole Foods by our apartment doesn't carry them. Come to think of it, I've only seen them at work. They are crisp and sweet and the perfect addition to any salad. But any variety of apple is great with salad and even a nice addition to some sandwiches.

Everything else on the list seems simple enough to add to our diet; except kiwis. I guess I can add it to some cold side salads or combine it with mango for a salsa or relish.

So my husband and I are only together for three dinners this week. Here is our menu:

Salad of Spinach, Goat Cheese, Pine Nuts, and Apples
Walnut Crusted Chicken
Quinoa Salad of Dried Cranberries, Scallions and Citrus Vinaigrette
Spinach with Lemon and Toasted Pine Nuts

Turkey Burgers
Sweet Potato Fries
Salad of Avocado, Shaved Red Onion, and Cucumber

Salad of Spinach, Goat Cheese, Pine Nuts, and Apples
Chicken Stuffed with Spinach and Ricotta
Saute of Zucchini, Summer Squash and Orange Pepper with Thyme
Brown Rice

We have a ton of chicken breast in our freezer so I'm trying to use that up. And I also hate wasting food and having it sit around. So, for example, if I'm going to use red onion on the turkey burgers, I'll have plenty left over to mix it with avocado and cucumber. Likewise, I'll use one whole bunch of scallions between the quinoa salad and the turkey burgers.

Brown rice is just painful to eat sometimes because it gets so dry. I make it with chicken stock which definitely helps.

Tomorrow I'm working in Garde Manger again from 2pm-10:30pm. Ugh. I hate working that late. And it's NFL Playoff time. There is a wedding for 230 guests and I have to plate a salad for them. I'm hoping I can get everything done before I have to plate, and then just leave a little early. We shall see.

Not So Bittersweet

2006-01-10T08:22:00.000-06:00

My husband and I live above a bakery: "Bittersweet Bakery." It's a cruel and delightful circumstance. When we first moved in, I would bake in the kitchen and try to compete with the scents and smells that were drifting from upstairs. I finally gave up and succumbed to letting the aroma of baking scones act as my alarm clock.

Apparently they have blueberry, apricot, and ginger scones, but I'm hooked on raspberry. They must be loaded with butter because they don't really crumble and they literally melt in my mouth.

On my days off, I treat myself to my perfect breakfast of a raspberry scones and large mug of hot hot tea. It's relaxing and soothing and the ideal kickoff to a day of laziness. When I went downstairs this morning, I asked for the recipe and a subtle look of panic appeared on girl's face behind the counter.

"We don't really have any recipes," she said, as if the sweetness from the bakery had forced its way into her voice.

By the time we leave Chicago, I'd like to have a copy of that recipe so I'll keep trying. Tomorrow I'm back to work. I've had three glorious days off. Perfect timing, as I've been fighting a cold too. Wednesday and Thursday, I'm dreadfully working in the cafeteria from noon-8:30pm. Saturday I'm working upstairs with Garde Manger from 2-10:30pm. Boo...

The following week, I worked a deal out with the Executive Sous Chef that I would be taking Monday through Fridays off and only be available on the weekends. I'm going to be working down at the University of Chicago's GSB (Graduate School of Business). This is recruiting season and they were looking for some extra help. Since the hotel could only give me 16 hours a week, Monday through Friday, I used that as leverage to take some time off. I'll be working down at the school catering to corporate suits until the middle of February. Hopefully by then, work will have picked up a bit. I am available to work at the hotel on the weekends. So I could be working seven days a week until the middle of the next month, but I'm taking it week by week.

Something very sad: The University of Chicago pays more than The Ritz-Carlton.

My tea is getting cold.

Finances and Fish

2006-01-09T13:08:00.000-06:00

My husband and I spent three hours this morning talking to a financial advisor. Even though I really tried to understand the conversation between my husband and the gentleman on the other side of the desk, I couldn't help but feel like I was listening to the teacher from Charlie Brown.

I drifted off in my thinking a bit and jumped on the band wagon of: New Year, New Diet. At least for dinner tonight. I ran off to Whole Foods and bought some soba noodles, fresh ahi tuna, an avocado, scallions, and some green beans. Soba noodles are made from buckwheat and wheat flour so they're healthier than semolina flour pasta. That advantage, coupled with our desire to take a break from brown rice made them a perfect choice for dinner tonight.

After cooking them, I toss them will some balsamic vinegar, soy sauce, and sweet chili sauce. After a taste test, it definitely had some good flavors, but seemed a bit flat. I chopped up the scallions and added the juice of a lime. The noodles woke up and they were the ideal accompaniment to the seared tuna. The amounts of the sauces are up to you...it's a good idea to find a balance between the salty, sweet, and sour.

Would also be nice to add some black sesame seeds to the soba noodles for a bit of color contrast and a hint of bitterness but I opted not to this evening. I think the noodles are best served room temperature with a dish like this.

Make sure to purchase fresh ahi (or yellowfin) tuna. It's so simple and quick to prepare. Just heat a skillet or grill until its super hot. Season the tuna with salt and pepper and sear away. In a non-stick pan, there is no need for any fat. Just lay the tuna down and leave it alone! You'll be able to see it cook up the sides. I like it still pink and raw in the middle, so about 4 minutes per side is perfect.

Make sure to cut against the grain or else the fish will just fall apart. If you don't mind having it room temperature, once you take it off the heat, throw it in the freezer for a bit. It will made it a lot eaiser to cut later. And use a sharp knife!

Seared Ahi Tuna with Asian Soba Noodles
Serves 2

1 lb. Ahi tuna loin or steak
1/2 lb. soba noodles
1 1/2 Balsamic vinegar
2 TB Sweet chili sauce
1 1/2 TB Soy sauce
Juice of 1 lime
1 bunch Scallions
Black Sesame seeds (optional)
Salt and Pepper
Avocado (Garnish)

Guest Blogger: My Husband and His Thoughts

2006-01-04T18:00:00.000-06:00

Below is a letter that my husband wrote to "Fortune Magazine." The Four Seasons Company has been ranked by them as a top company to work for since its inception in 1998. My husband disagrees and share his thoughts on why:

"Hello, My name is Doug Kohen, I wanted to write a comment on the “100 Best Companies to Work For” article from January 24, 2005. I noticed that The Four Seasons Hotel is on the list, and am not sure I agree with that assessment. My wife and I moved to Chicago in September (I am attending business school at the University of Chicago Graduate School of Business). My wife, Amy, used to work as a sous chef for a caterer in Boston, she is trained from a top culinary school, and was looking for a similar position in Chicago.

In September there were not many such opportunities available in Chicago, and my wife took a position as a cook for the The Ritz-Carlton (A Four Seasons Hotel) in Chicago in the Garde Manger department. In the past two months of her employment there, I have been astounded by how poorly the employees are treated. My wife was forced to join a union, UNITE-HERE, and pay a $100 initiation fee as well as $50 in monthly fees. After asking for her union benefits and other information once a week every week without any success, she eventually gave up. The union is set up such that she is not eligible to receive any benefits until after nine months of employment, but has to start paying for benefits after six months. In addition, the first 100 days she is working there is a probationary period during which she can be terminated without any justification.

The job is completely based on seniority as far as desirable shifts, hours per week, available overtime, etc. This is not unexpected, and my wife understood that she had to work the worst shifts on the holidays and only get overtime when there was a dire need. The rub of this is that employees usually get double pay for working holiday hours, except during the 100 day probationary period, so my wife had to work the worst shifts on holidays without any extra compensation. Now in January, as the business has significantly slowed down, they are only giving her 3 days a week of work, all working in the hotel cafeteria. She is nervous that she could be let go at any time because there is not enough work for everyone.

Aside from these union issues, Amy has had to deal with incompetent, egotistical management. Many may say that these characteristics are expected in the culinary industry, however I am surprised every day when I hear about some of the blunders of the upper management, including calling staff meetings at the busiest, most inopportune times just to show their power over their workers; approving vacation time for someone to get married and take their honeymoon only to renege on that promise a month before the date; staffing Amy’s department with a sous chef who did not have background in that area and had to defer to subordinates on many executional issues. I could go on, however I think my point is made.

At any rate, I guess I’m just confused why the Four Seasons is rated in your top 100 companies list, given my wife and her coworkers’ experience with the Chicago hotel. Perhaps this hotel is an anomaly, perhaps Amy’s experience is relatively standard in the hotelling industry. Regardless, I think that the researcher who put this list together should investigate whether this hotel belongs on the list.

Regards,

Doug Kohen

6 Months of Blissful Marriage

2006-01-03T12:55:00.000-06:00

Today marks our six month anniversary of our wedding. Yippee! I'm making a celebratory dinner of brisket and some roasted vegetables. The brisket will be tender and juicy, but neither of us can wait for the leftovers.

As we both had yesterday off, we took a trip to our local grocery store. I'm not a huge fan of it, mainly because it doesn't carry little hot dogs. That created a bias very early on. Not only did they not carry the frozen variety, but they didn't even have the Oscar Meyer packaged little guys to make our own at home. I'm still baffled.

So at the store, we picked up the basics for the briskets and the leftover sandwiches:

4 lb. flat cut brisket (as opposed to point cut brisket, which has more fat)
1 lb. bag of carrots
1 bunch of celery
Bag of small Spanish onions
1 can of crushed tomatoes
tomato paste
chicken livers
eggs
rye bread

Once we returned home and vowed to not leave our apartment again, as the weather was dark and rainy, we took to celebrating our anniversary a day early with an afternoon filled with watching bowl games, lighting a fire, and continuing our Scrabble competition. It was a perfect day....

For dinner, I had made some homemade ravioli with a beurre blanc sauce. The filling for the pasta was a puree of cannellini beans, shrimp, garlic, and rosemary. The beurre blanc was pretty basic. I minced a shallot and added 1/4 of white wine vinegar, along with 1 cup of white wine to a small pot. While that reduced, I diced up two sticks of unsalted butter. Once the acid reduced by 3/4th or so, I ribboned in the butter while constantly whisking. Season with salt and pepper and viola! Next time, I'll probably infuse the sauce with a spring of rosemary to bring the two components of the dish together, but it was a deliciously simple dinner.

This afternoon I'll make the chopped liver for the sandwiches tomorrow. Unfortunately, the grocery store didn't carry schmaltz, another knock against them. Frustrating because the schmaltz is what gives the chopped liver so much of its delicious flavor. I love when my mother makes chopped liver when I come home for the holidays. I never wanted to see what it looked like before it was cooked and I only first tasted her final result a few years ago. Now I'm hooked. My husband is the same way. He doesn't want to know what it really is or where it comes from, but slather that on some rye bread with white onions and leftover brisket and he's in heaven.

So I'll start by sauteeing some onions in a combination of butter and oil. Then I'll add the chicken livers, after I've picked them over and removed the veins if there are any. After I let the livers cook until they're about 80% complete, I'll deglaze the pan with some brandy. I think its add a nice subtle sweetness to the savory dish. Once the mixture cools a bit and some salt and pepper is added, I'll pulse it in my food processor just a bit. I still want it a little chunky to give it some texture, but I like the combination of the smooth and the chunky. Then, I'll sneak in some heavy cream (as if this isn't rich enough). Once that's complete, I'll grate some hard boiled eggs on a box grater and add them to the liver. This will add some richness that it lost from the schmaltz.

The resulting sandwich will be of chopped liver spread on rye with leftover brisket and thinly sliced crisp white onions. My husband first had it at Amir's in Ann Arbor, Michigan (GO BLUE!). He raves about this sandwich and I'd like to do my best to recreate it for him.

Next comes the brisket. First, I get my bright red Le Creuset dutch oven piping hot and add some oil. Once it's almost smoking I'll add the seasoned brisket and sear it for about 5-6 minutes per side. Once a decent crust is formed, I'll remove the brisket and start to add my vegetables and develop some depth to the dish. First goes the mirepoix of onions, celery, and carrots (typically, its twice as many onions as celery and carrots). I'll also throw in some crushed garlic cloves and two bay leaves and some fresh thyme. Because I want to soften the veggies, I'll add some salt and pepper which will help draw out the moisture. After there is some decent color on the mirepoix, I'll add some tomato paste and stir to combine that. Then I'll return the brisket to the pot and add the crushed tomatoes, some red wine and finally some chicken stock. The liquid should reach about 3/4 up to the meat. Cover the pot, reduce the heat, and let the magic happen. The brisket is done when it's truly fork tender. !YUM! Fork tender is different than falling apart; you still want to be able to slice the meat.

The beauty of the winter is that these dishes fill the apartment with the most exotic and enticing aromas. Instead of dreading the heat as we do in the summer, the winter oven heat adds warm in both the temperature and scents.

Happy Anniversary.

What Benefits?

2006-01-02T16:03:00.000-06:00

We have officially hit the slow season at the hotel. I’m only scheduled to work Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday of this week; all in the cafeteria. On the one hand, I do appreciate that they’re trying to give me hours, but on the other hand, this just isn’t what I signed up for.

My husband does not like the job I have. He practically hates it. He strongly feels that I’m being taken advantage of and that the hotel was not upfront at all during the hiring process about the reality of the job. His reasoning does seem justified but I’m trying not to get caught in the negativity of it all or else it will drive me crazy and somewhat infect my time at work and at home.

My expectations when accepting my position with The Four Seasons were not unreasonable. I expected to be in an environment where there would be opportunity to learn and see something new everyday. I expected to take some classic techniques that I learned in school and finally apply them (terrines, pates, etc.) I expected to be around chefs who were exceptionally professional, intelligent, and creative in their field and excited and eager to share their knowledge. I expected to be working 40 hours a week, no matter what time of year. And without a doubt, I expected that I would earn the name that will now bear itself on my resume.

One thing that is causing some frustration with my job is my requirement to join a union. Not necessarily the fact that I had to join it, but more with regards to what I have to endure now that I’m a member. For starters, I am eligible for health and dental benefits, but only after nine months of full time employment. However, union dues are deducted from my pay check once a month. So I’m paying union dues for nine months with no benefits.

The Four Seasons has a one hundred day probationary period for all new employees. Within that one hundred days, the management has the right to fire that employee with no reasoning at all, while the employee has no protection from the union. For example, just yesterday, on the day that our holiday season ended, an employee who did prep work in the cafe restaurant was let go. Apparently, it was because he didn’t work fast enough, but obviously other rumors spread like wildfire once he was behind the sous chefs closed doors. This employee was hired in the beginning of November. He worked his ass off for the hotel for two hard months; the hardest of the year and then was let go right at the beginning of the New Year. What are the chances that other restaurants and hotels are looking to hire right now? It seems to me like the café just needed some extra hands for the holiday season.

The instant I heard that he was let go, there was a split second were I was a nervous about my own status with the company. Was I just another body for the holiday season? I’m not too concerned about it now because really, what can I do if they think I’m expendable. Another factor relating to the one hundred day probationary period is that those employees do not receive holiday pay. Scheduling is a result of seniority. So within each kitchen department (garde manger, café, dining room, banquets, prep), who ever has been an employee the longest can request certain holidays off. If they have to work the holiday, they can request a desired shift based on their personal plans. For Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day I worked at my regular pay (which is determined by the union and doesn’t cover our rent—its’s quite sad) and I worked from 12-9pm, the least desired shifts. For New Year’s Day, I work at 7am which is obviously the least desired shift.

I knew going onto this job that I would have to work holiday and I assumed they wouldn’t be the best shifts. I complained and whined a bit about New Years to my husband and my mother because we hosted about 40 guests the night before, but I got through it and now it’s over with.

But what really gets me thinking is that when future employees see “The Four Seasons” on my resume, they will have certain expectations in my abilities. I have learned a great deal about presentation skills, and I’ve learned a great deal about cheeses and some other menu ideas, but our sous chef doesn’t bring as much to the table as I expected someone in her position to. She doesn’t know how to make terrines and pates and the one time she made chicken liver mousse, it reeked of blood because the livers weren’t properly deveined. As a sous chef at a Four Seasons hotel, she should know certain things. Those who work underneath her should expect her to know and understand the techniques that partly define her department. Her management and communication style with her team is atrocious. She does try to relate to each of us, but at the end of the day, I would not look for her for support. It just isn’t there. I think she accepted this position so she can mark it off on her list and continue to move up. I don’t judge her for that, but it’s a shame that I have to be on the other end of it.

Despite the negatives of my experience so far with this organization, I still take a step back and realize that it is a unique experience and will do wonders for my future job searching. I’m not planning on leaving, but I do browse craigslist.org once and a while. Union issues combined with bad management make this position difficult at times, but the truth is that I’ve been at this job for just two months and that isn’t much at all. No job is perfect and many jobs are frustrating at points.

Stouffers at the Ritz?

2005-12-28T18:10:00.000-06:00

Today was my laziest day yet at the Ritz. I was the most unproductive waste of life. It was a wonderful feelings coming off of a month of insanity, but when I left today at 4 pm, I was already sick of the slowness.

Because I'm "at the bottom of the ladder," I've been bumped down to the cafeteria while there is no work up in Garde Manger. At least I'm getting hours, I suppose, but wow...I did a lot of pacing and staring outside at the holiday traffic today.

When I got to work this morning at 7:30, I made myself a cup of tea and Annie (a sweet black woman in her 50's who is 'training' me) suggested that I sit and relax for 45 minutes or so and finish my Lipton drink. I did not question as I grabbed my book and slid into a chair.

From 8:15ish until a little after 10 am, I prepped the salad bar for lunch and dinner. This was silly and involved filling 26 canisters with various items, such as cucumbers, spinach, hard boiled eggs, and assorted dressings. I also chopped up some scary looking green leaf, which turned out to be the only time I touched a knife the whole day. Then Annie suggested that I take another break until 11. I did as instructed.

You could imagine how the rest of the day progressed. Work for a bit and then long break. I was able to read about 100 of my book and stay off my feet for most of the day. It was a nice break from upstairs, although the pacing got tiresome and boredom slipped in quickly.

For lunch we served over salted and over cooked chicken. When the thermometer was placed into the chicken breasts, they read "200." Yikes. We also served frozen spinach was started out green but turned more and more morbid looking as the day went on until specs of brown appeared from foil that covered it. Stouffer's Macaroni and Cheese and cardboard veggie burgers rounded out the menu.

Tomorrow will be more of the same, I am sure. I am on the schedule to work there through Saturday even though Annie said today I was only really needed today. (Not sure how or where I was needed). So this should be a painfully slow week. Not sure what is happening beyond New Years.

One more funny thing: In the kitchen of the cafeteria, there was a big cambro of flour labeled "Flower."

It's Finally Over! Hallelujah!

2005-12-26T12:26:00.000-06:00

It's the day after Christmas and all through the city,
Shoppers begin returning gifts and it's such a pity.
We joined the crowds down on North Avenue,
To restock our closets with shopping that was overdue.
Our car was towed from the lot of Old Navy,
And we schlepped the streets of Chicago to a lot that was quite shady.
But now we're home and safe and sound,
To enjoy some days off and slothing abound.
Tonight we'll tune in to the Jets and Pats,
Looking forward to another day of this and that.

Yesterday, on Christmas Day, I worked down at the Ritz-Carlton from 12:30 until 9pm....the same shift I worked for Thanksgiving. From the beginning of the shift until around 6:30, the time flew by. I was loving it and could feel myself home on the couch and off my feet in no time. Then, the clock stopped. The last few hours dragged on. It was painful. James, Oscar and I were working for our department. Oscar wasn't working at all, actually. He was walking in circles throughout the whole kitchen and talking with people. He was pretty much just taking up space and it was really irritating. When we would ask him to help us, he mouthed off one way or another and walked out of the room again. He is extremely talented but has some serious attitude issues that will one day catch up with him.

Therefore, by the time of the third and final seating at 5:30, James and I took the reins of the Garde Manger kitchen. We plated at least two back ups of each dish and started cleaning out our two walk-ins. We didn't want that to hold us up at the end of the night.

Our departments menu for Christmas was really embarrassing. $90 buffet for the guests and my lord, it was not worth it! Three of our dishes had the exact same colors to them and were placed right next to each other on the buffet. In addition, it seemed like there was an absurd amount of overlap between the ingredients. I have no idea who made up the menu, but the food was horrendous. Nothing even really tasted that great. Here is what we presented:

Smoked duck breats with charred melons with a salad of jicama,

cucumbers, and bok choy with Thai dressing

Toasted Israeli cous cous salad with chestnuts, assorted heirloom squash and

Creamy Red Wine vinaigrette

Warm sweet and savory potato salad, with Black Truffle Vinaigrette

Chanterelle Mushroom Tart

Red and Green Endive Salad with candied pistachios, pleasant ridge reserve

cheese and apple cider vinaigrette

Homemade Venison sausage with candied quince and red cabbage confit

Caramelized root vegetable salad with bressola of beef with

horseradish vinaigrette.

In addition, we also prepared:

Seasonal oysters with mignonette sauce

Shrimp and crab claws with cocktail and cognac sauce

Smoked Seafood Display of Maple glazed salmon, gravlax, smoked sturgeon,

scallops, smoked mussels and salt cod brindade

Cheese

Display of Imported and Domestic artisan cheeses

Roquefort and fig tart

Dried fruit, quince paste, and mustarde fruits

Basket of crusty breads, flatbreads, and brioche muffins

Charcuterie

Country and Duck pate en croute, chicken liver mousse with orange muscat jelly

Selection of cured meats served with Mustards and Cornichons

To start with, we ran out of the Chanterelle Mushroom tarts half way through the second seatings and ended up sauteeing white mushrooms for the third seating. The venison sausage tasted 100% like lamb and had no seasonings or flavor. It was embarrassing. The roquefort and fig tart was repulsive. Apparently, Joelle decided to try making it a different way and she felt that Christmas was the perfect time to try it out. She never made it once before. The cheese mixture was such a wet consistency that by the time the filling cooked, the tops of the tarts were dark and tasted burnt (cooked at 125). We only made six tarts for the 600 guests and about 3 were remaining at the end of the night.

By the end of the night, I was delirious. Definitely ready for two days off. Work in the Garde Manger kitchen slows down significantly after the New Year. Turns out because I'm the newbie, that I'm being transferred downstairs to the cafeteria. (UGH!). On the one hand, at least I'm maintaining the hours, but the cafeteria? A few weeks ago, Joelle mentioned that I could basically take the month of January off. So I was thinking of working down at my husbands school (where they actually pay more than the Ritz) for the month. I would rather do that than cafeteria work. And then I would also have weekends off.

There is a lot up in the air right now with my scheduling for the next three months. I'm not going to think about all that right now. I'm just going to enjoy this time right now off my feet.

I'll be working the New Year's Day brunch next Sunday. I am completely dredging that one. We are having 40 people for a New Years party and I'm due at work at 7 am the next morning. Oh lord! That will be interesting.

The Week Before Christmas

2005-12-20T17:59:00.000-06:00

So it's started. The prep work for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day Brunch, that is. I was so excited to go in today and have a slow day and watch the minutes tick away on the clock. James was in charge, as Joelle had another day off. And seriously, no matter what time of day or what time of year we're in, James is convinced that we're always in the weeds.

I walked in and first off, there was no prep list. He was still writing one up and when he looked up and saw me, he said,

"You won't believe it. We're already in the shitter."

"James. You say that all the time. How can we be in the shitter when there was one party for 12 at 7:30 this morning and one party for 12 tomorrow morning?"

"We just are," he responded.

I laughed and walked away to grab a cutting board and some nappy rags. It was a quiet day in the whole kitchen today; most people were off. I'm sure they were home either resting their feet and backs for the upcoming days or cramming in their holiday shopping because they couldn't get off time before.

When I returned to our kitchen, the prep list was done and I glanced over it quickly:
Gifts
Pico
Gauc
Chix Liver
Plated Salmon
Help James

"Gifts" refers to fruit plates or fruit bowls that VIPs receive in their room once they check in. They don't take much time so I got that out of the way pretty quickly. Today I only had four to do.

Next was Pico. I chopped up a case of Beefsteaks, tossed in some red onions, cilantro, jalenapenos, and lime juice. The Guac was even easier as I snagged some of the Pico and mixed it in with about half a case of mashed Haas Avocados.

Chicken Livers and Plated Salmon were already taken care of. I just had to check our walk in and make sure the Cafe line was fully stocked for the night. That meant at least 10 plates of smoked salmon had to be plated and ready for service as well as eight servings of chicken liver. The exact amount of each were in the walk-in so I moved on to the entertaining task of "Help James."

James is maybe in his late 40's or early 50's and is the type of guy who knows the most random information in the entire world. He is extremely knowledgeable about food and has a twisted sense of humor. He's been with the hotel for 19 years now. I cannot imagine.

Our first task was to prep the lettuce for the day. We took two large "trucks" and headed downstairs four flights to the receiving area. ("Trucks" are simply large four wheeled plastic dollies type things that we use to transport food and dirty dishes).

Downstairs, we washed three cases of romaine, one case of Boston Lettuce, and gathered six boxes of field greens, as well as one case of spinach. The main idea was to have enough lettuce upstairs for the day and maybe the day after, as well as enough back up downstairs incase extra is needed. Today it was a quick process.

Next, salmon. 70 sides of salmon. That's right. 70 sides! We teamed up and actually finished in around two hours. With fourteen of the sides, we prepare a molasses gravalax. This involved creating a tequila and lime mixture as well as a seasoned salt solution. Each side is trimmed of its fat and then its skin is scored. After soaking in the tequila-lime mixture, it is placed on a bed of the seasoned salt mixture as well as completely being covered in the same mixture. We placed two side in a hotel pan, stacked two hotel pans on each other, place a clean hotel pan on top, and then added weight onto that.

With another fourteen we did a standard gravalax. It was a similar process to the molasses cured salmon except we used a vodka-lemon solution, sweated the salmon with some salt after the fat was removed, and then rubbed some dried dill into each side. We placed each side on a bed of sugar and salt (equal parts by weight) and covered them completely with the same mixture. Same stacking and weight applied.

With the remaining sides, we prepared the salmon for smoking in a solution of salt, sugar, and oil. That is what we do every week. We usually do about 20-25 sides per week. But today it was 42.

By 1:30, we finished. We helped Ron garnish his tea sandwiches and headed down to break.

The rest of the afternoon was a breeze, but when I sat down on the train on my way home, I was beat.

I have work tomorrow and then Thursday off. My husband and I are headed to the Museum of Science and Industry and we're also hoping to drag our friends Golden Retriever to a park and run him wild. I'm really looking forward to that....

Still haven't snagged the menu for the weekend. Will keep my eye out.

It's the Holiday Season, So Whoop De Do!

2005-12-19T13:46:00.000-06:00

A wonderful Monday off and I actually get to spend it with my husband! He was away last week in Palm Springs with his parents. Now that he's back in town, he has two more weeks to sloth around and catch up on life outside of business school.

I'm in full swing with the holiday season, both at home and work. My husband and I are hosting a New Year's Party in our loft and thinking about 40-50 people will show up. We spent this morning at Costco stocking up on too many handles of liquor. We searched for a good 15 minutes for the best hors d'oeuvres ever created(little hot dogs), but we unsuccessful in finding them. That has now become a top priority.

Holiday cards have all been written and mailed while our mailbox fills with friends and family's well-wishes for the New Year. The baking of Christmas cookies from the bakery below seeps up to our apartment, while the faint holiday music is heard in the distance. Our fire place is now more often lit than not, and fellow bearers of the frigid season are bundled up with hats, gloves, and mittens outside our windows. We joined Netflix and are eagerly awaiting the start of "24."

Downtown at the hotel, I'm still due to snag a copy of both the Christmas and New Years menus and will share those next week sometime. I am off again on Thursday and then working through Sunday with Sunday hours being noon until 9. I assume it will be similar to Thanksgiving, but a little less busy.

I spoke to Joelle about scheduling after December and she pretty much said I am welcome to take the month of January off. Unpaid, obviously, but they try to cut back significantly on hours. Those who have been with the hotel the longest are the first to be offered work during the slow time.

It actually may work out well for me as I may have another job for the months of January and February though the University of Chicago's GSB. They are just about to start their recruiting season and the department looks to spouses of students first to see if they would like to help. The pay is actually a little more than what I'm earning at the Ritz. So sad.

But if I could worked at school until the hotel picks up again, at least we wouldn't have a loss in income. We will see how it all pans out.

This upcoming week of work will be exciting and probably fly by. I'm really not looking forward to New Year's Day Brunch, though. Ugh...I was originally thinking of cutting out of our party early and staying at a friends place or something so I could sleep that night. But I've decided I'm just going to suck it up and be tired. My social life is pathetic and there is no reason I can't go into work one day a bit hung over.

My husband said he wants to start training me on how to stay out late on a work night and just deal with being tired at work. So that's what I'm trying to do now. I know it sucks just as much for him for me not to be going out.

Well, we're off to enjoy a double feature on our couch with a big cup of Ghiradelli's hot cocoa. Yum.

Thursday Already?

2005-12-14T19:21:00.000-06:00

I can't believe I have to go back already. I feel like another day is due to me. We were told that two weeks ago would be the busiest and after last week, I'm pretty beat. So I hope things ease up.

I also REALLY REALLY hope that our walk-in is fixed and everything is back in it so I don't have to move everything again. I'm going to predict that it's not fixed yet, but it will be fixed during the day tomorrow and it will be my job to move endless amounts of vinaigrette and multiple sheet pans of cured salmon back into it. Oh well. I am the newbie. I will be so excited when I stop hearing that line.

apparition we were suppose to get a big snow storm that was due to start at 6 am and end tonight at 10 pm. Looking outside, right now, at 7:30 pm, it has not started snowing yet. That probably means that it will tomorrow, which is fine with me. I think falling snow is such a beautiful thing to walk in.

So another week is upon me. December is almost over and hopefully after New Year's, my social life will pick up a bit. I don't get why people don't want to go to the bars on a random Tuesday night?? But seriously, I met some great people while job searching before this whole thing started and I haven't really seen any of them.

We have a holiday party on Saturday at 8 pm, so I'm definitely hoping to be out of work by then. I could use a few holiday drinks. I'm comfortable enough with Sunday mornings that I think I can go in a little groggy. And besides, we're hosting a New Year's Eve party, which is on a Saturday night. So I need some practice on waking up early after a few drinks considering New Year's Day I'm due at work at 7 AM!!!!!! ARGH!

Adios!

Walk-In Break Down and Body Fatigue

2005-12-11T18:43:00.000-06:00

I'm caught between watching the Giants in OT against the Eagles and writing a brief blog post. I know its been a while, but I haven't had time to even check my email. My body feels like it ran a marathon without the massage at the end of the line.

This week was tough; the toughest yet. Not hard in what we were preparing, but hard on the body and long long hours. I have one more day tomorrow, which should be a little more relaxed and then a gloriously welcomed two days off.

This was my week:
Thursday: 8 am- 5:15 pm
Friday: 7 am- 6:30 pm
Saturday 8 am- 9 pm
Sunday 7 am - 3:30 pm

After anticipating last weekend to be the busiest yet at the hotel, I think our prep list for this past week shocked us and kicked us in the ass, really.

Besides getting ready for brunch (that had a first seating of 285), there was a party for 400 guests on Saturday night. We didn't finish prepping for that until maybe one hour before the start of the party.

I was determined to crank out my list and help others. As Joelle stated, "Because your new here, your list gets moved around the most."

That means if others need help, I stop what I'm doing to help them. I don't mind at all. It gives me a chance to see what else is going on. The only issue is that my list has to get done in the same amount of time that everyone else's does, so it puts me in a bit of a pickle.

Our small part of the kitchen is a separate room, as well as some counter space in a larger kitchen space. I usually set up in our small room, but decided on Saturday that I needed a change of scenery and I wanted my own little corner so I could really focus and crank out what I could. Despite knowing that I would be called of my list frequently, I still wanted to finish my own prep.

And my 9 pm that night, I did. Actually, I was so completely in my own little world that when I finally decided to take a break, it was already 5 pm.

We all had a rough day and most of us were due to be back this morning at 7 am. When I got home last night, I took a wonderfully hot steaming shower and almost feel asleep with the hot water pounding my back. I was in a wonderful state and didn't want to deal with pajamas, teeth brushing, and setting the alarm.

When I awoke at 5:20 am this morning, I was ready for this Sunday to be the end of this rough week. My mind was enjoying the time, but my body was done. I exited my building into the bitter Chicago cold and headed to work. On my walk from the train station to the hotel, I passed small clusters of pigeons who pinned themselves to a wall with their heads shivering and nestled into their necks. They were ready for the summer and Christmas is still two weeks away.

The morning ran relatively smoothly. Turns out most of the food we prepper for thirteen hours yesterday was not eaten and was returned to our walk in. We were not pleased, however our brunch menu changed accordingly.

If I was paying 80 bucks a head for a brunch at the Ritz-Carlton on this Sunday, I would have asked for my money back; just based on what our department put out. It was embarrassing and I was very surprised that Joelle encouraged it. Apparently the food costs are a bit much in this holiday season, but still the end product should not suffer. Presenting day old Greek Salad where the feta is covered in God knows what and Caprese salads where the tomatoes are soggy is just wrong.

But you know what, it made our morning a little more simple. The day was almost done and James and I were keeping and eye on one of our walk ins. The temperature had risen to 53 degrees. He called engineering and after removing a piece of plastic from one of the fans, the temperature continued to rise. It had completely shut down.

We had to move everything out of it. The size of this walk in is maybe the size of a small college dorm room. There was a lot of food to move:
Three full rolling racks of smoked salmon, deli meats, thawed seafood, cured meats
20 or so 5 gallon vinaigrette cambros
12-15 20 gallon vinaigrette cambros
All of our dairy stock (cheeses, yogurts, sour creams, creme fraiche)
All prepped food for the rest of the day....The walk in is lined with 6 or so shelves on each wall. Each shelf is chalk full of prep.

So our simple Sunday turned into a bit of a mess. I took my break from 2:45 to 3:15 and left at 3:30.

I am a bit delirious. Had a fried egg and some toast for dinner. I soaked my body in a bubble bath when I got home and now I'm waiting for the hot water to return so I can take a shower and zonk out for the night.

Joelle is definitely still rubbing me the wrong way. We get along, but there is just something there that I don't like or don't get...I can't quite put my finger on it. I think she tries to be passively competitive or something...not even sure if that's it. But she has a tendency to make me feel incompetent and not knowledgeable.

She has her day off tomorrow so James is leading. I should be a relaxing Monday but today should have bed a relaxing Sunday.

Will try to write more on my days off....

Carnivale: My Restaurant Review

2005-12-05T20:28:00.000-06:00

Despite having been in the Windy City since the beginning of September, my husband and I have yet to crack into the epicurean world. It is a shame, but we just cannot afford to do that right now and we also just don't have the time or the energy.

However, it just so happened that while my husband was out of town last Friday night, I made plans with some friends and we decided to have dinner at Carnivale. It's a new restaurant with Latin flavors and its gotten wonderful reviews in its short existence.

When my girlfriend called for reservations on Tuesday, the hostess offered 6 or 9:30. I had to work early the next morning so she opted for six.

After the valet took the car, we headed inside to meet the rest of our party. The first room was a rather large bar, with low ceilings, and filled with some tables along the windows. The one thing that immediately struck me was that the bar was dark...very dark. I could hardly recognize our friend we were meeting. She was sitting at the bar talking with the bartender until she noticed us and said,

"Hi! You guys have to try these raspberry mojitos. They are wonderful! This is my second!"

She slid off the bar stool with a bit of a stumble and we were led to our table. There was a tall maroon curtain that divided the dining room from the bar. The room was a complete visual assault on the senses. Inside, there were over twenty foot ceilings from which eight light fixtures hung. They were the shape of enormous lamp shades paneled in red and yellow. My first reaction was that it looked like something an elephant would step on at the circus.

The walls were thick panels of bright colors including, purple, orange, lime, and pink. The room was bright; a complete contrast in every sense to the bar we recently left. The tables were scattered and dressed simply with white table clothes. Centered on the ceiling above was a jewel colored skylight.

Unfortunately, we landed at the table right next to the kitchen door. I ignored that and jumped to open the menu; eager to read the dishes that would reflect Peru, Brazil, Argentina and the rest of Latin America.

We settled on five appetizer:
Guacamole and Chips: The best of the five. Freshly made to order with amazingly ripe Avocados with a hint of lime and cilantro.
Beef Empanada: Another table favorite. The beef was layered with garlic and cumin and wrapped perfectly in corn flour. The perfect amount of beef to corn flour. We ended up ordering second helping.
Mini fish tacos: Nothing to write home to mom about. Simple whitefish tacos with a citrus tartar sauce. A bit bland and dull compared to the decor and my reaction to the first two items.
Crab cakes: At least they tasted like crab, but they lacked the consistency of a cake. When we attempted to split the two cakes for the table to share, they crumbled. The flavor wasn't bad, but they needed a binder.
Shrimp Ceviche: With roasted tomatoes and chilies. Not a table favorite and I think far from ceviche. I couldn't tell if the shrimp was raw or not because it was completely covered with the roasted tomatoes. I expected a little heat after the first bite and it never came; it was simply rubbery. Out of the three shrimp that were provided, two headed back to the kitchen.

Most of us took our friends suggestion and tried the raspberry mojito, which was delicious. Garnished with fresh mint, it welt down a little too smoothly as it lacked the overwhelming sourness of lime.

For dinner, I ordered the beef short ribs served with corn and peanut salsa and mashed potatoes. Seemed like an odd combination and I wasn't quite sure why mashed potatoes were on the menu at all. Now that I think of it, there were a few dishes that I questioned when looking over the menu. What is Latin American about a New York strip steak with roasted potatoes, blue cheese-bacon salsa, and port sauce? Or a mixed green salad with cucumber, tomatoes, carrots, and almonds?

Despite my confusion, I ordered a second raspberry mojito and soon enough my entree arrived. The short ribs were absolutely wonderful. Not completely falling apart but just tough enough so I had to use my fork to peel of the delicate strands of perfectly moist beef. They were truly delicious. However, the rest of the dish cannot receive similar praise. The mashed potatoes tasted ordinary and the corn and peanut salsa was non-existent. They were some stray peanuts and kernels scattered on my plate, but by no means did they resemble a salsa.

Three desserts were ordered. Let's just say pastry is not their strong suit. For some reason, strawberry shortcake was on their dessert menu and for another reason, one was ordered at our table. My friend said it tasted like it had been sitting in a refrigerator for days. Another item ordered was a chocolate tres leche, described as "chocolate cake soaked in three milks with white chocolate sabayon and coffee ice cream." The only thing I could taste was rum with a slight hint of chocolate. The third and final dessert was a trio or sorbet, of which only one past our taste test.

Although the passion and energy of the Latin American culture shine through the decor of Carnivale, the food was a less impressive. Even though it seemed that there was an attempt to stream the creativity into the kitchen, the presentation and overall flavor of the dishes were simply flat.

Overall, I'll give Carnivale a B-. I forgot to mention that we ordered five sides that never arrived. Turns out that was a blessing in disguise. But my friend had the waiter read back those items to make sure he understood what we ordered. Apparently, he misunderstood.

http://www.carnivalechicago.com/index.cfm

Toshiba, Radiology and Peking Duck

2005-11-30T11:13:00.000-06:00

I had yesterday off but decided to go in last night from 6-8:30 for a banquet party for 1000 guests. Yes, that's one thousand. Although it didn't seem like there were that many guests there but I'm a bad judge of that kind of stuff.

This was not a holiday party. Toshiba apparently gives this cocktail party to radiologists as a fancy schmancy sell job to encourage the doctors to use their radiology products. Quite a spread for these guys (and few gals). I think the revenue generated from the party was around $120,000 for the hotel (based on what the Executive Sous Chef told us). Absurd for one nights work.

Considering that one months paycheck from the Ritz-Carlton does not even cover my rent, I figure the extra money couldn't hurt. I need to pay for the pitchers of beer we would be enjoying later than evening, right?

The second I arrived, the manager of the event showed me where my station was. I was in a corner next to another Garde Manger member who would be preparing the same dish. A chafing dish with a steamer of tortillas was to our right, with a small bowl of green onions, another small bowl of hoisin sauce below. Right in from of us was a cutting board with heat lamps and to the left of us was a larger chafing dish with peking duck. I really wanted to try one, but the instant I was prepped and ready to go, the guests started flowing in.

I had a server assigned to me to maintain my ingredients and he warned me that last year, peking duck was the most popular item. He suggested that I start making some finished product as soon as possible. I listened and started spreading, plopping, and rolling to get myself a small pile for the initial rush. The initial rush finished at 8:30 when I ran clear out of absolutely everything. The tortillas were the first to go but people were not deterred. They would settle for a pile of duck with scallions and hoisin on their plate or napkin. Once the scallions and hoisin disappeared, people kept eyeing the crispy duck skin sitting in the chafing dish. Not at all embarrassed by their request, the crispy skin quickly vanished as well.

I didn't even know what else was being served to these vultures of doctors. The other team member were working a risotto station and beyond that, whenever I tried to look up and see what else was around, the long peking duck line blocked my view and resumed to spreading, plopping, and rolling.

The time flew by and soon enough, a few of us were in a bar enjoying some pitchers by the train stations.

Another day off today and then at least four days work.

Black Friday

2005-11-25T14:32:00.000-06:00

Thanksgiving morning, I woke up at 6 AM to take my husband to the train station. He was headed to O’Hare International Airport to go back to Boston until Sunday. It was bitter cold outside; the kind of cold where you are instantly chilled right down to the bone only after minutes of being outside. Although it was a magnificent day; bright baby blue sky with a few delicate puffy clouds dispersed. People were disguised in ski masks and wrapped up like tightly like Christmas presents.

After I got home, I ran back into bed and shivered myself back to sleep for another four hours. Once it was time for me to emerge from my cocoon of comfort, I bundled up and headed for the train. On my brief walk, my Thanksgiving spirits were nudged awake. A couple dressed like they were out of a J.Crew catalog stepped out of the liquor store with some pumpkin ale, cars that were passing by me were filled with fathers, mothers and children, and once I hit the entrance to the train station, a dozen people scampered out with rolling luggage and carry-on bags.

I couldn’t help but think about the past Thanksgivings I shared with my family. Each year, my mother provided small chocolate turkeys as a favor by everyone’s place setting. She sent my husband and me our pair just yesterday. Our menu was always traditional and simple, staying away from the modernizing of the holidays that’s popular today. We had sweet potatoes with crushed pineapple and brown sugar topped with marshmallows, of course. My mother and I would snip the ends of the green beans the day before while planning out our schedule for the next day. She would make her incredible chopped liver with schmaltz, hard boiled egg, and onions. We polished silver, cleaned the china, and dressed the dining room table with a freshly dry-cleaned linen lace tablecloth. Spending time in the kitchen with my mother the day before and the day of Thanksgiving was the best part of the holiday. The actual meal always went by too quickly and I ended by watching football in the den with my father. A few hours after we finished the meal, round two came and we piled our plates high again.

But today was obviously different and I shook the memories away and headed up the stairs to the “El” platform. I waited a brief five minutes or so trying to warm in the sunlight, but it was not giving off any heat today.

I showed up to work and needless to say, it was a bit insane. Everyone was hustling left and right, servers were coming in from the dining room with empty platters demanding full ones, and suits were swiftly slithering in and out of each department making sure the controlled chaos was maintained. I fought my way past dishes of candied yams, stuffing, rib roasts, and hams and finally made it to the Garde Manger kitchen. It wasn’t anymore restrained there. The tables were covered completely so not an inch of stainless steel could be seen anywhere. Stray herbs, chopped onions, hotels of quinoa and sautéed mushrooms, bowls of dressed spinach, and marbled cheese platters were everywhere. I noticed a speed rack sitting outside our kitchen with three pairs of pig eyes staring at me.

I was a little out of sorts and my team seemed a little busy to help me get settled. I decided to just watch a few of the dishes and see how they were being presented, looked over the menu, and found some space to work. It was 12:30 PM and the next seating was at 2:30 PM followed by the third and final seating at 5:30 PM. The first one was at 10:30 AM and around 200 guests came. The hotel was expecting 200 for the next two seatings, also.

Servers continued to flow into the kitchen and we continued to refill their arms with freshly plated dishes. Each person was completely in their own world so I sneaked outside to see the spread we were offering:

Charcuterie Platter wiht Dijon Mustard, Whole Grain, and Cornichons
Chicken liver pate with black truffles, Pistachio and turkey terrine and turkey roulade
Smoked fish platter: Molasses smoked salmon, Gravalax, and Smoked Salmon, Smoked Scallops and Mussels
Freshly Shucked Oysters, Shrimp Cocktail, and Empire Crab Claws
Seared Tuna with Jicama, Mango and Papaya with Lime Vinaigrette
Wild Rice Salad with Apple-wood Smoked Venison with Dried Cranberries
Seared Hanger Steak with Huasteco Pepper Sauce with Roasted Red Pepper, Red Onion, and Spinach Salad
Wild Mushrooms and Celery Root Salad with Walnut Vinaigrette
Citrus Pickled Beet Salad with Walnuts and Chives
Butter Lettuce with Maytag Blue Cheese and Quince Dressing
Pheasant Sausage with Quinoa and Candied Lemons

I think that’s everything. James and I were the only two to man our kitchen and maintain our dish offerings after 4:30. Setting up for the 5:30 seating was calm and we already had 2-3 back ups of each dish already prepared. Once the mass amounts of cooks started to head home for the day, things were running a lot more calmly. In between maintaining the brunch, we started some prep for the next day and cleaned out the walk-ins. All in all, the day went by very quickly and soon enough it was time to head home. I felt invigorated and not at all tired.

I decided, since it was close to 20 degrees outside and my body had not yet fully thawed from my walk home, I was going to treat myself to a hot bubble bath and a White Russian. I slithered in and reviewd my day. It was actually a really enjoyable day. I pretty much forgot that it was Thanksgiving and I didn't mind one bit.

The Calm Before the Storm

2005-11-24T10:56:00.000-06:00

It's about 11 AM on Thanksgiving morning and I just put some hot water on the stove for some ramen noodles. A disgusting breakfast/lunch to start off this day. This morning I woke up and drove my husband to the train station at 6 AM. He landed safely in Boston and is there until Sunday visiting with family and friends. I wish I was there. My family headed down to Houston, Texas. My aunt recently had brain surgery so my mother and brother made plans to go there. Last minute, my father jumped on the band wagon, so the three of them are in the Lonestar State. I wish I was there.

But despite my wishing of places I'd rather be, I'm still excited about seeing the spread today down at the hotel. My Thanksgiving glum will probably kick in tomorrow or when I get home this evening.

The hotel is expecting 600 guests; three seatings at 10:30, 2:30 and 5:30 of 200 each. I have my camera packed and will post some pictures tomorrow.

So overall, avoiding the Thanksgiving chuplah has been pretty easy. Everyone at work is in the same boat and its too busy there to feel sorry for ourselves. The key, I think, was not watching the Network. But now that the day has approached and my husband is gone and my mother sent our chocolate turkeys (our Thanksgiving tradition that each guest receives a small chocolate turkey), perhaps some other feelings will come over me. We shall see.

These ramen noodles are not what I remember. Although, still, the best way to have them is to drain out the liquid and just slurp the noodles....Happy Thanksgiving!

Disappointing Brunch and Thanksgiving Begins

2005-11-21T10:31:00.000-06:00

A fun Sunday in the kitchen. It's all about who I'm surrounded by and yesterday I was with the team members who seems to get along the best and have a good time while being pretty productive and efficient. Although, another disappointing menu:

Juices: Coconut-Banana, Cocktail, ?

Ancho marinated Pork tenderloin with Braised Greens
Bibb Lettuce with Bacon, Goat Cheese, Croutons, and Mustard Vinaigrette
prosciutto and Parmesan Crostini with Fig and Port Compote
Seared Tuna with Soba Noodles
Roasted Sirloin with Citrus Fruit and Truffle Vinaigrette
Salmon Tartar

No one ate anything. We prepped for 200 guests and I think less than 150 showed. So needless to say, there was plenty of leftovers that were disposed to the 1950's cafeteria for the staff of the hotel.

My sous chef seems to be panicking a bit over Thanksgiving. She is running around with menus and prep lists clinging to her chest as if they are the winning lotto ticket. Everyone else seems to be pretty calm so its a little entertaining. We started prepping after brunch. James and I were asked to pipe about 50 pounds of sausage.

One thing that I don't love is that if I'm piping sausage, I want to know how its going to be used in the dish when its finished. My prep list has various tasks but I have no reference about what the end product will be...its a bit annoying. I have to start asking more questions.

Piping the sausage took the rest of the after noon and we were all out of there with 45 minutes of OT. The casing was too small to fit around the nozzle so it was a bit of a struggle. But it was fun and the jokes, you could imagine, were endless.

I'm working Tuesday, Wed, Thursday, Sat and Sunday this week. Excited to find out about the Thanksgiving menu. There are three of on Thursday working from noonish until 9pm....I'm actually looking forward to it.

Missed Holidays

2005-11-18T11:27:00.000-06:00

Thanksgiving is, hands down, one of my favorite holidays. One reason is that the food is the spotlight and the other main reason is that fall is my favorite time of year. Another reason, of course, is being around family. However, it snowed in Chicago already and its been around 19 degrees at night here the past few days. So fall has passed, and I cancelled my Thanksgiving flights to Texas to visit family because of work. I found out yesterday I'm working on Thanksgiving from noon until 9 P.M.

So, yes, the food is still the spotlight but because I'm not going to be involved in anyone's Thanksgiving (besides our hotel guests), I'm trying not get caught up what's going on around me. I haven't watched the Food Network for the past two weeks and I'm not going to watch it until Thanksgiving is over. (Although then, they'll probably have a few days about what to do about left overs, so maybe I'll wait until Thanksgiving weekend is over). The bakery downstairs is helping because although they have their Thanksgiving menu available for their customers, their Christmas decorations are already up.

In addition, this Saturday (tomorrow) is the Festival of Lights. Tomorrow evening, Micky Mouse trots down Michigan Avenue to light all of the Christmas lights and kick off the season. There is an understood rule that the hotel's around Michigan Avenue will have their decorations up before the festival kicks off.

So to be honest, so far, it hasn't been that hard to forget Thanksgiving. People are rushing to Christmas before its even December.

I'm sure once Thursday comes around, I will feel a little differently, but right now I'm ok. My husband is leaving for Boston on Thursday and will be returning on Sunday. I am working that Thursday, have Friday off and working again Saturday and Sunday.

The two of us are having Thanksgiving dinner on Monday night. I will share my menu once I think about it. Because it's just two of us, it will be really simple and traditional. I'm not a big fan of modernizing the menu of this holiday. I think the main reason it's loved by so many is because you know what to expect to eat. Who wants Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Lime Syrup and Chives??? I want canned sweet potatoes with crushed pineapple and marshmallows!! So that's one dish we'll have.

Another Sunday Brunch

2005-11-14T16:14:00.000-06:00

I didn't love this weeks menu. It was Classic Italian but I think it tried to be too fancy and some of the items didn't come out all that well. Here's the menu:

Roasted Veal with Tuna Mayonnaise
Field Greens Salad of Duck Confit, Honey Crisp Apples with Roasted Shallot Vinaigrette
Salad of Watermelon, Red Onion, and Watercress
Marinated Flank Steak with Fingerlings and Asparagus with Romenesco Sauce
Gratin of Braised Greens, Prosciutto, and Comte Cheese
Salmon Rilettes Flavored with Lemon and Dill Served with a Brioche Toast
Mediterranean Potato Salad with Steamed Mussels
Three Juices: Tamarind, Barlett Pear, Tropical Mango

The salmon dish seemed a little too grainy on the tongue and the flavor was not all that impressive. The potato salad was phenomenol with the mediterranean vinaigrette, but adding the mussels scared some people away and it did not go over that well.

Honey Crisp apples are incredibly sweet and have a wonderful texture to them. The duck confit was amazing, as well as the roasted shallot vinaigrette. So those items all paired perfectly together.

It's Monday today and I went in for my first day of training. I'll write more about it tomorrow. Interesting learning the philosophy of the Four Seasons and how it started and where it's headed.

Still Beat

2005-11-12T18:34:00.000-06:00

Hmmm...Another day has ended. Most of the day was spent prepping for the brunch tomorrow. Nothing too exciting. The menu itself is very Italian...will share it with you tomorrow probably. So Sunday is my Friday but I have to go in on Monday for training...ugh...Although I'll be sitting down and getting paid, so it can't be all that bad.

I am still beat, but I feel better than I did yesterday. I'm starting to let myself go a little bit with the team members which is nice because I'm feeling a bit more comfortable. I think the Garde Manger Sous Chef is a very interesting character...sweet, but she has lots of little comments towards me that I tend to take personally when I know they aren't. I think she is still sort of testing me out, which is fine. On my prep sheet yesterday, she wrote "slice camebert for 110." It was for a plated salad that her and I jack stacked later that day. When gathering the plates and cheese, she asked how many pieces I'd sliced.

"112," I responded.

"112? We need 160," she said back. I was sure she was thinking"Why did we hire this girl??"

"The prep list said 110."

"No. It said 160."

We both went back to our kitchen and checked the list. Sure enough, it read "110."

"See? 160," she said. "You cut one more sheet pan and I'll start plating."

The other members of the team asked what happened and when they read the prep list, they read 110 also.

I cut some more camebert and went to meet with the additional cheese.

"You'll soon understand how to read my handwriting," she said.

Did that mean that all of her six's were zero's?

Anyway, I tend to read into things more than I should. But I think its interesting some of the comments that have been said.

That's about all...I'll share more later. I hope the brunch set up goes well tomorrow. Unlike last week where we had 6 people setting up, tomorrow we only have 4 and there is a lot to do. There are reservations for 200, which means final numbers will be around 250ish.

Will report more later...

I'm beat

2005-11-11T18:39:00.000-06:00

I'm pretty tired today...Worked an extra hour and a half. Wednesday and Thursday for me were fine, but today I hit a wall. Today is my Wednesday so two more to go for this week. We're starting to prep for the Sunday Brunch now. Today, I was able to put together six massive cheese displays. Two of blues, two softs, and two hards...was nice to learn so different presentation styles and also the variety that's out there.

Blues:

Stilton

Roquefort

Amish

Gorgonzola

Maytag

Softs:

Fontina

Goat

Camebert

Morbier

Brillat Savarin

Taleggio

Hards:

Asiago

Gruyere

Gouda

Manchengo

Each morning when I go in, it seems like I'll all get out on time, if not early. Never happens. Oh well...

Off to make some dinner and soak my feet.

What's the matter with Rachel Ray?

2005-11-08T20:15:00.000-06:00

I really don't understand this woman. Her joker-like face is everywhere and I'm so tired of it! Someone needs to put a muzzle on her...I don't understand her, I don't understand the people who follow her, and I definitely don't understand the guy who married her! She is so exhausting.

While working for Sur La Table back in the Boston area, Rachel Ray came for a book signing. I tried to get out of working that day, but I couldn't escape it. She bounced into the store and eagerly waved until I thought her hand was going to fall off. Her perkiness needed to be suppressed. However, the instant she stepped out of the public eye and into the back office, she showed her true colors. She was rude, obnoxious, and demanding. That joker-like smile disappeared instantly.

While flipping through the channels tonight, I saw her face (of course, taking up the entire television screen), yelping, "Food is love and I love Africa!" ET did a brief story of her honeymoon to Africa...Can she not have a private moment? You would think out of all times in one's life, the honeymoon would be just between the newlyweds, but Rachel has to let the world know where she went, what she's eating there, and what bizarre furry creatures have befriended her. If this was my new spouse on the honeymoon, I would take that camera and feed it to the elephants along her safari.

This food celebrity chef stuff is so out of control. And now we have her absurd magazine that is filled with absolutely worthless information and did I hear correctly that she'll soon have a talk show? (What is Oprah thinking!) STOP THE MADNESS! This woman is milking her 15 minutes like no one else I've seen. Well, guess what Rachel? You're times up!

Julie Powell: A Sellout?

2005-11-08T14:45:00.000-06:00

I just finished reading the December Bon Appetit. I was in the middle of reading an article on new holiday books coming out when I read, "And a savory blueberry risotto, though unnervingly purple, is delicious." The "though unnervingly purple" comment struck me and it was then that I looked up to see who wrote the article. It was none other than Julie Powell.

But that was the only true glimpse I got throughout that whole article of Julie's true voice! The voice that I read in her blog and in her book has disappeared. Bon Appetit has put a leash on her writing, but her unleashed unruly voice is what made her so attractive to so many.

So now that she's found apparent fame and fortune from her blog and book, will she always have someone looking over her shoulder while she writes? She explains towards the end of her book, "I get paid very well to sit around in my pajamas and type...Feel free to hate me--I certainly would."

Well, I do sort of hate her, but not because she's sitting in her PJs writing. It's more because she's a sellout. The "new JP" is reserved, polite, and dare I say, conservative. Her writing has been touched by too many editors and it's a big disappointment.

Despite the fact that she is probably not having any trouble paying her rent, should that have cost her what got her to where she is?

The Julie/Julia Project

2005-11-08T13:05:00.000-06:00

I just finished reading "Julie & Julia," the story of a young Long Islander who makes every recipe in Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking. I didn't love her tone throughout the book, although I still found it hard to put down. I felt like Julie Powell was just a bite too cynical for my taste.

But I do appreciate the bigger message that she revealed. Her story was more about slaving in a kitchen struggling to complete recipes. Despite the fact that she claims she is still "living in our crappy Long Island City apartment" and seems to resent everything outside of her bubble, she has reached an personal epiphany and honestly exposes that. Of course, it's more about her character than about her culinary skills. She explains that:

"Julia taught me what it takes to find your way in the world. It's not what I thought it was. I thought it was all about-- I don't know, confidence or will or luck. Those are all some good things to have, no question. But there's something else, something that these things grows out of. It's joy."

It's those last two sentences that caught my eye and give perspective to the whole Julie/Julia Project.

But now I have to think about how all of that relates to me. Obviously, Julie Powell was struggling in her life to find meaning in what she did; to really see her contribution. I struggle with that also and I think that's partially why, despite they writing style, I enjoyed "Julie & Julia." On another level, I'm just jealous that she had the tenacity and perseverance to complete the project...I can't imagine how much stress was put on her marriage and on her bank account.

I just counted my cookbooks and I have around 70, including MAoFC. Taking her project one step further, imagine what could be accomplished and shared if I cooked through my 70 books. Not right now, but perhaps in baby steps as time goes on. Then maybe, I could start to understand Julie Powell's conclusions and discover some of my own along the way.

My First Sunday Brunch

2005-11-07T11:07:00.000-06:00

For some bizzare reason, my husband volunteered to drive me down to work at 6:45 AM. The hotel was expecting over 200 guests for brunch this morning and the Garde Manger contribution was significant. This week's brunch also seemed to kick off the holiday season. The numbers will probably grow from 200 until January. In my opinion, it's such an insane day because when we put out our dishes, each one only serves about 20-25 guests. So the waitstaff is constantly rushing back to our department to refill the dishes. On the one hand, its a lot more work for them, but on the other hand, the food looks so much more attractive when its displayed for such a small amount. It's thought to make 200 Chicken breasts on one platter look appealing.

So I teamed up with another team member and basically shadowed him in the morning. I really want to feel more comfortable with what I'm doing and learn their style before I just do my own thing. So we were prepping the seafood display. This involved thawing shrimp, shucking oysters, making lemon garnishes, and some other things. Nothing too exciting. Next, we were on to finish the kids menu. We made some ham and cheese sandwiches on crossiants, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and and filled so "A-cups" with muesilix that were topped with a raspberry. Next up was dish of cous cous with curried chicken and yogurt mint sauce. The cous cous base was made so we just doctored it up with some currants, dried apricots, raisins almonds, and a chiffonade of basil. We tossed the pasta with a pear vinaigrette. The chicken breasts were cooked the day before so we just had to slice those on a bias. We plattered four chicken dishes and garnishes the dish with basil. Nice and simple. The rest of the menu included:

Gazpacho Shots garnished with brunoise of Avocado and a jumbo shrimp
Cauliflower Soup with American Caviar
Chilled Slow-Roasted Salmon with Lemon Caper Aioli
Garlic Glazed Sirloin with Grilled Asparagus and Beefsteak Tomatoes
Spinach Salad with citrus Mandarin, pomegranate seeds, and Red onion
Frisee Salad with haricot verte, prosciutto and Parmesan
Field greens Salad with Candied Pecans and Slivered Honey Crisp Apples
Three Juices: Tropical Blend, Granny Smith, Beet Celery

In addition to the changing menu each Sunday, there is also the seafood display and a monstrous cheese display.

The actual menu is made up by the sous chef the Wednesday before each brunch and each person on the team seems to be assigned to one or two dishes. Beyond that, its all up to the individuals for how to present it and how to make it more creative.

There is so much I can learn from my team and it really seems overwhelming. Their creativity comes so easily to them and I hope down the line, it will for me also.

After the brunch rush ended, we all thought it was time to go home. We started cleaning up and then we kept getting in orders for that day. I put together a cheese platter, make tea sandwiches, made a horseradish cream sauce, and ugh...more salmon canapies.

I forget when I took my lunch break and it turns out I stayed a half hour longer than I was scheduled for. But the day went by quickly because there was so much going on. I enjoyed this day the most so far and look forward to next Sunday for more great ideas.

I left work at 4:15ish and called my husband. Turns out he was at the Penninsula Hotel not far from the Ritz, having tea with his uncle who was in town for the day. Amazingly, I still had some energy left in me and I scurried over to the hotel that was only 4 blocks away. Ahhh...To sit down in a hotel as a guest was an absolutely phenomenal experience.

I got home and treated myself to a big bubble bath with an ever bigger bowl of cookies n'cream ice cream. I have Monday and Tuesday off. My schedule for next week is Wednesday through Saturday 8-4:30 and Sunday 7-3:30. See you on Wednesday!

Slippery Little Suckers

2005-11-05T23:48:00.000-06:00

I started my day just as I'd ended it yesterday- upclose and personal with smoked salmon. I was so frustrated that it was taking me so long! But on the other hand, I had no idea what I was doing and no one really showed me what to do. Joelle mentioned that I would be teamed up with James for the day and we would be tackling the potato pancakes.

James has really taken me under his wing and I couldn't be more appreciative of his patience with me. He just lets me know little things that help along the way that I wouldn't know unless I've been there for 15 years (like he has). Anyway, one of the executive chefs request that we make our potato pancakes from a combination of frozen hash browns and pancake batter. The result seemed more appropriate for a brunch dish doused in syrup and butter. But its intended use was for later that night as a passed canope for a wedding. We topped the pancakes with creme fraiche, then the stubborn roses, a little more creme fraiche an then some chives.

Personally, I thought it looked a little sloppy (mainly because I couldn't cut the damn salmon thin enough). It did comfort me a bit when James said,

"It really takes about 6 months to learn how to slice that shit thin."

But then I didn't understand why I was asked to do so on my first day.

Anyway, by 1 pm, we finished!! Hooray! No more slimy salmon! No more rabbit ears with snippets of chives! I escaped for lunch down at DeGrassi High. Ahhh...my only access to a window. It was a rainy and cold icky day in Chicago this Saturday. I forgot what day it was until I looked down on Michigan Avenue and noticed the hoards of people.

After lunch, my next task was to make 185 rectangular cubes wrapped in prosciutto. More slimy work. Guess how long this took me? Three hours! And someone towards the end came to help me. To be honest, I think both slimy projects are just time consuming, and not personally out to make me feel bad about myself. From cutting and trimming the melon to all be uniform to fighting with the prosciutto to not tear or basically melt away once it hit the melon was a challenge.

But, alas, we finished and got them out the door (to wherever they were going). Last but not least, I help plate 50 or so slivered poached pears on salad plates for a wedding that evening.

I left the Ritz-Carlton at about 6:30 and dragged myself on the train. I took a brief nap which caused me to miss my stop. Argh. Once I got home, my husband and I went out for dinner and when I got home, I immediately filled up my foot massager that he got me as a gift. That will be coming in tres handy.

Tomorrow is Sunday brunch...I'm going in at 7 am. Its almost 10 now, so I have to sign off. My body is aching; feet and back and legs. But at the end of the day, when I walk out of the hotel, I feel really good about myself. I'm picking up some great ideas on presentation, I'm working with people who can really teach me an endless amount. Although I am a bit delirious, at the end of the day, Amy happy!

Day 1: Spinach

2005-11-04T21:08:00.000-06:00

So of course I was awake at about 5:15 this morning. Whenever I have to get up early the next morning, I judiciously set my alarm and somehow convince myself that the alarm won’t go off. So I finally rolled out of bed at 6:30ish and dragged myself in the shower, out of the shower, down my stairs, up the street and onto the “El.” Once I hopped on the train, I noticed that pretty much everyone around me had white ear phones plugged in to their ears with their respective Ipods at the other end. I joined in and scrolled down to Led Zeppelin III to help shake me of my morning grog.

Once the train reached the Chicago Avenue stop, my fellow white wired drones and I shuffled toward the exit. It was only 7:30 and my next mission was to find Starbucks. After downing my morning fix and feeling a bit ashamed that it cost more than my ride to and from work, I continued my walk towards the Ritz-Carlton.

After changing into my uniform, the woman who initially interviewed me escorted me upstairs to introduce me to the Garde Manger Sous Chef, Joelle. She gave me a quick tour of the massive kitchen, briefed me on scheduling and daily breaks, and then introduced me to 40 pounds of baby spinach. On a menu for tomorrow was a salad of baby spinach, red onions, artichokes, and some other goodies. Joelle asked me to stem the baby spinach. Now, you know the little bags of spinach and washed lettuce you get at the grocery store? Those are usually around 10 oz. Multiply that by 64 and you have the amount of baby spinach I had to sift through. I stemmed the good leaves and disposed of the broken and bruised ones. No joke, but around three hours later, I finished. I felt so lame for having taken so long, but there was just so much!

My fingertips had turned green and I was honestly seeing green spots when I looked up to take a break. Once I finished and labeled it and threw it in our walk-in, I took my lunch break. One flight down, the Ritz-Carlton provides a complimentary cafeteria for their employees. And it sucks! It was hilarious, though! I really felt like I was back in high school. On each table, there was “The Ritz Weekly,” a newsletter produced my people with too much time on their hands. On top of that, the the colors of the walls were painted a horrendous lime green and royal blue. Considering the excellence in food that this company represented, I was a little surprised by the quality they were providing to their staff. But, then again, it was free so I should shut up. I grabbed a salad and big bowl of white rice and relaxed, hoping that by the end of my 30 minute break, my feet would stop tingling.

Well, they didn’t and I was back to work. My next job was to make 360 roses out of slivers of smoked salmon. The Garde Manger department smokes their own salmon; about 35 sides twice a week. I was able to get about 60 slivers or so from each side and then struggled for a bit to achieve the “rose” they were looking for. Basically, I wrapped a sliver around my index finger with half of it hanging off and rolled that half onto itself. Eventually, they would be filled with crème fraiche and chives and placed atop potato pancakes. But from about 2:00 until 4:30, they fought with me to hold their shape.

Despite the fact that I only completed two tasks throughout my entire first day, I feel good about where I am. From the 1980's style cafeteria to me fighting with my locker at the end of the day, I had some entertaining run in's with high school again. But I'm working with 6 other men and women who made me feel really comfortable and I feel like once I get my feet wet, I'll really be able to contribute.

But, to be honest, by the end of my first day, I was beat. I schlepped my body back on the train and collapsed on my bed when I got home. My husbad eagery greeted me, curious to hear about everything. While he is innundated with classes taught by Nobel Proze winners and lectures on incidents of a tax, I think hearing me talk about stemming spinach was a welcome releif.

Ritz-Carlton, here I come!

2005-11-03T20:49:00.000-06:00

After about three months of interviews, phone calls, resume rewrites, and follow ups, I'm finally starting a new job tomorrow. With an 8 AM start time, I am due to meet at the Human Resources office at the Ritz-Carlton in downtown Chicago. I am going to be working in the kitchen as a Cook 2 in the Garde Manger department. Garde Manger prepares pretty much anything cold, ranging from dressings and sandwiches to pates and salads. I have to say I really don't know a lot about what I'm getting into, which doesn't make me nervous, but defintiely curious and excited. I do know that I had to cancel my Thanksgiving plans for this year, as well as a highly anticipated vacation with my husband and in-laws to Palm Springs in December.
After I was offered the position, I mentioned that I had some trips already planned. The Director of HR, with a condescendingly polite tone mentioned, "Although we'd love to bring you on board, if you feel that you need to take that time off, we are unable to offer this position to you."
I did a little soul searching before accepting this job. From my understanding, the basic gist is that I'll be a work horse in a hotel kitchen, preparing food for the 435 guests rooms, along with the four restaurants and however many banquet and reception halls there are. I have to work all holidays and probably 5-6 days a week without a day off in quite some time.
But the positives of this opportunity definitely outweighed the negatives and I have eagerly accepted. So after I passed my drug test, background check, and stage (an exercise where I was asked to make a mayonnaise, a vinaigrete, and performs some other culinary tasks), I received a call this morning asking me to start tomorrow.
My husband and I recently moved to Chicago in September. He is studying for his MBA at the University of Chicago. Needless to say, he doesn't have much free time on his hands as he's resigned to being a book worm for the next two years. So, I figured this is the perfect time to be overworked (and of course, underpaid) myself!
So I'd like to invited you all along for the ride. I figure my experience will be more real than anything you can find on the Food Network these days and perhaps this 28 year old can give you some culinary tricks of the trade along the way (or at least some good stories about what really goes on in a luxury hotel's kitchen).