Day 2 and the tale of how are those knees holding up?

Ah, day two and with the rosy glow still in place we ambled back in and down to the kitchen (dungeon) we thought was scheduled for that days class.  The arriving map of Italy should have been a clue.  Someone finally sent us upstairs to the 'E' kitchen or 'the fishbowl of Mass Ave'.  We settled ourselves in and met Chef Stephan (pronounced Stef fan).

I think he probably found out late yesterday he would be stuck teaching Basics I (due to Chef Lawless and his hip - see Brian's entry below) in the morning as he seemed a bit disheveled but once he got rolling he was really a wealth of info.  None of the lecture was on notes, all of it was just pulled out of his head and after all of the administrivia had been covered and late stragglers settled in he caught his groove.  I immediately liked him.  I can see under his gruff, 'been there done that', exterior he's wry, dry and sarcastic with a taste for a good Martini.  I, for one, would be happy to keep him on through Basics.  I don't think Brian was as enamoured, but give it time.

It was nice to be up in the 'Big' kitchen today and after a few minutes you didn't even realise people were stopping at the windows to watch.  You are completely wrapped up in your dish and doing everything right.  Today I had a partner, Jarrod (sp) and we both made the dish Eggs a l' Indienne.  It was a multi stage dish with a mayonnaise base (today�s egg lesson) lightened with a curry sauce on top of poached eggs which were laid on top of a bed of basmati rice that had been tossed with a vinaigrette.

I've also taken many photos of the dishes that the others in class made so at a later time I might put links up so that you can see the myriad of ways that we plate the things that we make.  Part of our curriculum, and our grade, is creating a final portfolio that shows all of the dishes we have prepared and the presentation of each dish is a big part of it.  And, as Brian mentions, each chef has his or her ideas of how presentation 'should' be done.  We will need to take all of these idiosyncrasies into account when it is time for our praticum later.

At the end of day one I came home and immediately dug through my bag to see what I could offshoot to lighten the load a bit.  First up was the binder full of recipes for a whole semester.  It will live at home with just the lessons for the week traveling with me. I had also received my two pairs of chef's pants which quickly came out.  I had brought a sweater and as Brian alluded to in his entry below it is damn cold in those kitchens (until we start cooking at least) so out that came.  I'll be cold thanks.  Sadly there really wasn't much more I could eliminate and soon a 10" chef's knife will join the pack load.  Couple that with icy sidewalks and wearing my boots with yak tracks on all the time to avoid falling on my butt and no food in my stomach until 3:00 or so means I can't take my pain medicine and you have some mighty unhappy knees.  Last night I literally limped straight home to my heating pad.  I'm sure they will get better as things progress.  But right now the arthritis is making itself KNOWN. 
I'm with Brian though, I'm happily tired at the end of the day with a feeling of accomplishing something, and I'm not exhausted with a need to head straight to bed as I thought I would be.  I may still head to the cocktail when I walk in the door but no longer to unwind after an aggravating long day in the office, but now it's to accompany my reading of the Harold McGee chapters on eggs so I can be ready for Basics II.
Today I will try to make a cr�me fraiche from scratch and then practice making a hollandaise over direct heat to have with our steaks tonight.  Homework was never so much fun.

Comments

[Brian]

I did notice people staring in the window at us a couple of times. I have a greater appreciation for the gorillas at the zoo now.

[Sean]

which kitchen? When looking at the building the one on the left, or right. I LOVED the kitchen on the left and always tried to cook with gas. I didn't like the rolling stoves that were electric. But that was my fav kitchen. Although I have a fondness for the dungeon as that's where Baking was taught. Had a crush on the instructor, Susan....so long ago.

I hope you're having fun!

[dave]

Jo, just stare back at them. Pretend THEY are the gorillas. :)

[Brian]

Sean -- did they have the third upstairs kitchen ("E" Kitchen) when you were there? It's pretty new. That's where we were yesterday.

[sean]

I'm not sure, we didn't call it that. They had the Lecture Room, the one with the brick wall and the copper bowls hanging...pretty small room, behind it through a door was an older kitchen and near the back, Roberta's office. Then there was a connection into the other side. In this hallway they posted jobs and there were stairs to the downstairs classroom and kitchen. But up stairs was a very open lecture room/kitchen separated by a glass wall...glass paned wall, behind it the kitchan, the walk in, and a bathroom...and door to the back. So just 3 kitchens so mybe the one with all the windows to the outside you call the fishbowl.