What Are You Making?

Today was a beautiful and warm day for a wedding, and not stressful either because we were well-prepared. I actually got a good glimpse of the bride today, which made me feel sentimental and really enjoy working at weddings, making the couple's dream day come true! I did the typical make up some canapés and help prepare desserts. Then they couldn’t really decide where to send me – stay at the castle or go to the marquee, at either place, not much more needed to be done. After a staff meal of garden salad, roast pork loin, and roast baby potatoes, I offered to stay at the castle and help out the breakfast chef, who was not the normal breakfast chef but the weekend breakfast chef. That way, I would have something to do and he could leave early. I helped prepare some afternoon tea items – miniature lemon meringue tarts, chocolate-dipped éclairs, Chelsea buns, and shortbread cookies. I also cut up some tea cake as well.

There still wasn’t much that needed to be done, and I had some leftovers from making up the pastries, so I decided to whip up a quick dessert for staff. The regular breakfast chef had told me the executive chef doesn’t mind if we do this if it is a way to use up leftovers. And that is simply what I did – I didn’t even need to add any new product to it, simply used things that would have been trash anyway. I had leftover meringue from making the lemon meringue tarts, leftover melted chocolate from dipping the éclairs, leftover miniature croissants from breakfast, and leftover whipped cream from filling the éclairs. So I made a bread pudding-esque dessert. I mixed the chocolate with some of the meringue to make a mousse, then tore the croissants into bite-sized pieces and mixed them in. I spread this on a platter, topped with the remainder of the meringue, and torched it with a blow torch. Then I added a little strawberry purée to the whipped cream to give it a little color and used it as garnish. Several of the servers who were just waiting around to serve canapés were quite excited, and inquisitive as to what I was making. So I let them taste it right away and they all thought it was good! I mean, it had chocolate, so how could it not be tasty, right? They were slightly surprised to get a sweet treat.

'Leftovers' Pudding

Later on it was over to the marquee for serving the wedding dinner. It was slightly exciting for me tonight because I learned how to plate a new appetizer – Gateau of Fresh Crab with avocado, lime, and garden leaves. Service went smoothly and we were done before 9:00p.m.

Tonight’s menu was:
Canapés: Tempura of Prawn with Sweet Chilli Sauce, Filo Tartlets with Smoked Chicken, Black Olives & Pesto, Baby Baked Potatoes with red onion marmalade and crème fraiche. 
Starter: Gateau of Fresh Crab, avocado, lime, garden leaves. 
Alternative: Rosace of Melon, cured ham, red port jus.
Vegetarian: Goat’s Cheese Parfait with Ratatouille Chutney & Basil Pesto, Balsamic and Sherry Reduction
Bread: Wheat bread, raisin rolls, sesame seeded rolls, white rolls, caraway rolls, red pepper rolls. 
Soup:  Cream of Celeriac with smoked bacon, scented with truffle oil.
Sorbet: Apricot & Lime
Main Course Option #1 – Meat: Sirloin Steak served medium-rare, braised shallot, celeriac purée, fondant potato, rich red wine jus.
Main Course Option #2 - Fish: Grilled Salmon, salad of fennel marinated in lemon, baby spinach, vierge dressing.
Main Course Option #3 – Vegetarian: Provençal Vegetable Pithivier with Red Pepper Tapenade & Basil Pesto.
Side Dishes: Roast Baby Potatoes, and Roast carrots, onions, parsnip, and turnip.
Dessert: Pavlova with fresh fruit, strawberry purée, and chantilly cream.
Petits Fours Assortment: madeleines, cranberry white fudge, fruit jellies, flaked white chocolate truffles, Belgian dark chocolate truffles.