Externship week eighteen

One of the dish from this week

Moving forward, close to the end...

It was my second week at Crave (yes, I am late again, don't know why this time). Second week was better than the first one. I did less prep work and more cooking. Also it's easier to work now, as I know people better. That part of my externship (changing a kitchen every second week) was probably the most difficult.
Also the chef here is really good. He spends a lot of time in the kitchen and he is ready to share his knowledge and experience with other people. I like this environment, because it's impossible to know
everything and there is always something to learn.

Monday
Was working on the line. In the morning we rolled burritos. It's called 'morning burrito' probably because there are some proteins in the filling and always some cooked eggs, usually scrambled. My experience from Masa was very useful, as I can roll burrito with no problem.
Then the veg guy and me started preparation for the lunch. We had two dishes: roasted potatoes and steamed beets with glaze. As always for the big volume we have, we prepared all in advance and cooked all vegetables. During the service we reheated them and garnished with chopped herbs. Beets were reheated in a steamer and then mixed with the glaze.
During the service, as we were not so busy, we were preparing cauliflower for the next day. After the service and cleaning the station I worked prepping yams (and got another blister on my hand)

Tuesday

Roasted cauliflower

Worked on vegetable station again. In the morning we rolled burritos. This time the filling was with tofu, eggs, and something else. It did not look nice for me, so even did not try.
For the service we had two dishes: roasted cauliflower and samosas. Samosas were already made  and all we had to do is to reheat them. Cauliflower I seasoned with salt, pepper, carry powder, and oil. Then we roasted it and reheated just before the service.

Samosas with cilantro chatney

That day together with the chef we made cilantro chutney for samosas. We used cilantro (leaves and stems), yogurt, lemon juice, coriander, cumin, garlic powder, garlic fresh, salt, a touch of sugar. His method was really good. He said to start with some amount of cilantro and yogurt and puree it using immersion blender. The blender broke cilantro and the mixture became liquidly. After than it was easy to add the remaining cilantro.
After the service had two cases of pineapples to dice. Then there were fennel (also two cases) to cut in wedges.

Wednesday

Shellfish with cioppino broth

Finally - protein station. I like working with proteins. For me it's easier than vegetables. However some proteins are forgiving and easy, the others are not. That day we served clams and mussels with cioppino broth. Cioppino broth was a very reach tomato sauce and we served it with garlic bread.
In the morning we made a garlic bread. We melted butter with chopped garlic, then we ladled this melted butter onto the bread and roasted it in the oven. I would say here that it was not my favorite method. I prefer to soften butter, but not melt it, then mix it with chopped garlic and spread mixture on the bread using a knife or a spatula. In this case there will be even distribution of the butter and garlic on the surface of bread and taste will be better.
During the service I was cooking clams with mussels, then adding the cioppino broth and plating it in a big serving dish. The protein guy just was checking on me from time to time (to make sure I am fine). It was a good service. When it was over, I broke down the station, cleaned everything.
Last hour was cutting vegetables for crudity for Thursday.

Thursday

sauté seafood

Started late due to TGIT. For the lunch service worked with proteins again. That day we had clams, mussels, squid, and shrimps. I was again on the line, doing an actual cooking. Started with hot pan and oil, add garlic, then clams. Heat the clams and add mussels. When shellfish are open, remove from the heat and reserve. Heat a pan and oil, add garlic and squid, sauté for a couple of minutes, add shrimps. When shrimps are almost ready, add white wine. Let alcohol to evaporate (literally a minute) add reserved shellfish. Toss and serve. Only once during the service I fell behind and the protein cook jumped to help me. It was may be a five minutes, and it happened due to miscommunication with the expediter.
After lunch I mixed and asian coleslaw for the TGIT. During TGIT worked on the line expediting (making sure that everything is available to the guests, replacing the empty dishes and so on).

Friday

Charcuterie platter

Was really interesting day. The chef showed me how he writes menu, the whole process behind a menu. How he orders the ingredients. Then we moved to the kitchen and together expedited the breakfast service. That time was really great, as he pointed out for me what should I be looking for, what to expect, and how to stay ahead of the game.
For the lunch we had a special that day. It was a charcuterie plate. We had two types of meats, two types of cheeses, two types of bread, apples, and pears. During the lunch I was serving the guests from that plate, whatever they asked. It was a good experience to communicate with guests.
As it was the last working day before five days weekend (we are off Monday to Wednesday this week) we were not able to prepare anything for the next week. Instead we spent some time cleaning and then left...