Day eleven

Can you stop crying when you cut onion? Do you need a 'magic trick'?

Fourth day in the kitchen. Finally we have got close to the timeline and we did everything we suppose to do. Class task was to strain and cool veal stock left overnight to cook. Group task was to prepare chicken broth. Individual tasks were to clarify butter using simmering method (surprise! you can use different method to clarify butter) and prepare French onion soup.

In the morning our group was assigned to cut 20 pounds of onion, due to miscommunication. Later on we were told that since soup is an individual project everybody suppose to cut it individually. That was discovered by the time we cut half of the onion. I was crying, I don't like cutting onion and one of my fears was
that I won't be able to be a chef, because I am always crying.

I heard that you can bite wooden spoon and cut onion while you bite it:-) It's really funny and I don't think this will help I even did not try to use this in school (can imagine that all chefs will gather around for a good laugh) and to become a legend is not on agenda for now. But what I discovered, that when you cut big amount of it you stop crying at some point. Not sure why, may be because you get used to it, or may be because we have limited supply of tears...

There are two methods to clarify butter. The first one is decanting - you heat butter slowly in water bath until it separates, then skim foam and decant butter to container trying do not disturb water content in the bottom of the pan. The second method is simmering - you simmer butter on the medium to low heat, stirring from time to time, until butter separates and water content is cooked off. The second method has higher yield, but more risky as it's easy to burn butter. There is also difference in taste and aroma for these two methods.

French  Onion soup. Chef promised us that our life is going to be ruined, as from this point we are going to judge it with a good one, what it suppose to be.

The recipe is really simple (yield 1 qt).
1 1/4 lb onion thinly sliced
1 tbsp clarified butter
1 fl oz Calvados or Sherry
1 qt chicken or veal stock
1 standard sachet d'Epices
Salt and pepper to taste
Method
1. Caramelize onion in butter over medium high heat, until browned evenly (this is the most important part here, do not rush, manage your heat it has to be evenly brown. No burnt surface, no raw onion - it affects taste of the final product) approximately 25-30 min.
2. Deglaze with Calvados and reduce (almost evaporate)
3. Add stock and sachet and simmer until onion is tender and the soup is properly flavoured (you may need to take off sachet early)
4. To finish soup - return to a boil, season with salt and pepper (salt should not be tasted, but you will feel the balance and sweetness of onion come forward)
5. Portion to heatproof bowls. Garnish with thinly  sliced crouton, top with Gruyere cheese (2 tbsp per portion) and brown cheese under broil.
Delicious!

At lunch, we had amazing choice of desserts and do mean amazing. At first I was shocked to see am empty table for desserts. But then, we figure out that all stations in the bakery section were full of different desserts. There were may be 30 items and all were different. One of the class had final practical exam for the semester and that was the reason.

I thought to go for a sweet side, to learn baking and pastry. But they are really early birds, it's difficult to wake up at 5:45 in the morning. To be in a baking shop by 4 in the morning? This is not my cap of tea...

Melting cheese

Start cooking onion

Soup if cooked