First Day On The Job

My favorite dish and creation of the day - pavolas for dessert!

Today I began work! I was told to come in at noon, but because I was so excited/nervous/had nothing better to do, I was in at 11:00a.m. Which was fine, because the thing about kitchens is there is practically always work to be done. I finally met the executive chef who had hired me, who was younger than I expected considering the position, and also more laid back than I had anticipated. I was put over at the castle, where I would help prepare for the wedding later that day. I started working with a nice lady, which was nice because up to this point I had noticed the kitchen was mostly dominated by males (as most kitchens are), so it was nice to be paired with another female who understands how tough kitchen life can be on us. Times are improving, but the stereotype certainly still exists. She was kind and made my first day seem easy and much less scary.

            I started with canapés – four different types needed to be ready by 3:30p.m. I made one with smoked chicken and black olives and one with duck breast and peppers. Then I cut baby roasted potatoes into little crown shapes, which would later be filled with onion marmalade, crème fraiche, and dill sprigs. Then I helped make the desserts – pavlovas with fresh fruit and Chantilly cream. They were pretty but time consuming and tedious and delicate, and we had to be very careful as there were only two extras since more guests came than anticipated. Staff lunch was prepared by a different chef today – the castle chef, and was chicken curry, rice, fries, and fruit salad and yogurt from breakfast. Chef called to ensure I had gotten lunch as it was part of my contract being an intern from away. I plated up all the hors d’ouevres – the canapés, chicken skewers, baby roasted potatoes, and vegetable spring rolls with sweet chili sauce. I was slightly surprised, but I was left alone to do this and given freedom to make the plates look however I wanted on my first day. Once the canapés were served, it was time to head over to the marquee for the wedding reception.

            At the marquee, a lot of the preparation and plating had already been done by staff earlier. But the appetizers needed to be sauced and dressed with salad, the mains heated, the soup bowled up, the desserts plated, and an assembly line created for finishing the dishes and handing them to servers. Serving time is very up and down – very busy and hectic while plating and serving a course, and fairly quiet and boring between courses.

Here is the wedding menu I worked with tonight:
Starter: Smoked salmon and prawns bound in Marie Rose sauce, mixed greens and red pepper essence OR Organic Goat’s Cheese Parfait with Ratatouille Chutney & Basil Pesto, Balsamic and Sherry Reduction  OR a melon rose vegan choice.
Soup: Forest Wild Mushroom Soup with Wheaten Bread and assorted rolls.
Sorbet: Lemon.
Main Course Option #1 - Meat: Seared Fillet of Irish Beef served medium rare, ratatouille, carrot purée, fondant potato, brandy and Madagascar green peppercorn sauce.
Main Course Option #2 - Fish: Pan-fried Fillet of Sea Bass, Mediterranean Vegetables, Red Pepper Coulis and Pesto. 
Main Course Option #3 – Vegetarian: Mediterranean Vegetable Tart with Spinach and Goat Cheese Filling in puff pastry.
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, chocolate pieces.


 Serving the wedding reception finished around 9:00p.m., which is when the chefs celebrate before a final clean-up - drinking and smoking is the norm, but not something I take part in. Chef had ensured I get some of the leftovers as a meal before we finished up - so I tried as much of this delicious menu as I could. Then I popped back over to the bar kitchen to see if anyone needed help, and they were finishing up for the night as well. I would say I did well and enjoyed it for my first day!