Cheesecake Special

Today was much like yesterday. I was not expecting it to be much like yesterday, since it is a Monday, which tend to be very quiet, especially compared to Sundays. But this Monday was almost as busy as yesterday – we did 273 covers. There were a lot, a lot of starter orders, making me glad I was not on that section today, though of course I did need to help out with orders. Still, there were quite a few dessert orders in as well. 

First thing I put together more welcome baskets. Then I asked chef if I could do another dessert of the day. He said yes, so I found some Bailey’s cheesecake in the freezer and took that out. I quickly ran my idea of plating and garnish by him, and he said it sounded good but to show him the plate first. I made a quick nut brittle using chopped walnuts and the caramel sauce I had left over from the apple pie dessert. Then I found some praline in the fridge – think peanut butter but with hazelnuts and sweeter. We also had chocolate sauce, chocolate ice cream, chocolate flakes, and crumble. Chef did not really like my first plate because of the mix of round and square, though he did like my idea, so he told me to use a rectangular plate. The only issue I have with that, is these are big plates meant for starters or main courses, and it is more difficult to fill them with desserts. He really did like my next plate, and it became the dessert of the day. Again several servers commented on how nice the plate looked, and how good the dessert looked. The special was written on the chalkboard, and the servers were told to really sell it, which they did. So much so, that I made one up for them at the end of the night – which they devoured saying how good it was! I am really enjoying making up these dessert specials, as I like to get creative and do different things, and pastry is where my true interest lie. 

My dessert of the day - Bailey's Cheesecake dusted with cocoa powder, extreme chocolate ice cream, caramel nut brittle, praline and chocolate sauce.

Chef wanted to use the whipped cream canister again – this time for a sesame cream for the main course, which meant I had to whip up a bunch of cream and keep it in a piping bag again, but eventually the cream unstiffens. The bomb is just so much more convenient. Luckily, the dish of the day ran out just before I ran out of cream.

Other than that, I kept busy with pastry stuff, helping the starter cook out with orders, especially sandwiches, which there were a lot of today (especially toasted, which requires extra time), and other prep jobs. I started preparing the vegetables for salad mix (halved cherry tomatoes, sliced red onion, and peeled, seeded, and sliced cucumber), and then chef offered to help me for a bit before he had to go put in orders. I got taken away from the task often to do orders and such, so he ended up finishing it for me later and doing most of the work. I also quartered and sautéed three boxes of button mushrooms, and wrapped and labelled and organized and cleaned closer to the end of the evening. Again, orders came in large bursts, with quiet breaks in between.