Getting Lots Done

This morning I couldn’t sleep so I got up early and got to work – ready to get a lot of prep done. I was in fine shape for today, only needing to top up a few things for the twenty-six diners booked; but tomorrow we were expecting anywhere around one hundred people, and Sunday would be busy too, complete with a wedding tasting to worry about as well. I wanted to get a lot done today so I wouldn't have to worry about it tomorrow and could just top things up as needed. I began with my two major jobs – making a big batch of vanilla and lime crème brulée and chocolate mousse. It would have gone faster if I hadn’t spent so long looking for the juice press, which I did not find in the end and had to use my hand to juice the limes. But the new cook was nice enough to help me with the mixing part, a two-person job, and I got those in the oven and moved on to the mousse. During this, I put all my food orders on the board for the weekend, something I am not used to worrying about since I am not usually in charge of a section. It’s somewhat stressful – what if I forgot something or run out of something? Speaking of stressful, I had a mini moment of panic mid-morning when I realized my fridge was not running – it was plugged in and pressing the on button did nothing. I asked a chef de partie, as the head chef was not around, and he couldn’t solve it either. Then the head chef walked in and was all ready to get a knife and fuse out, until he realized the fridge had been set to ‘zero’ and only turns on if set at a number. It must have been bumped. Luckily I noticed quickly and the fridge was not off for long. 

Next I got my petit fours done, cut up a tray of brulée, assembled some delice desserts, rolled some delicate passionfruit rolls, cut up delice biscuit, cut up delice chocolate rectangles, scooped my sorbet, and made up my bread rolls for today (tomato basil, triple cheese, and fennel) when I finally managed to convince someone to bring the big bag of flour upstairs for me. By this time I felt I had accomplished a lot today, but seeing as the first diners were only in at 6:30p.m., and only two until 7:00p.m., I tidied up and assembled the fruit flowers. I needed some for service today, but I could assemble them to order if I absolutely needed to. I gave my pastry kitchen a good scrubbing, then set up in the service kitchen. 

Today was slightly different in that the head chef was going to be on apps/starters/potato/veg, and the chef de partie was on the pass because there was a new cook in doing mains, though he isn’t fully trained yet. I’m not used to working with the head chef on starters, but I helped him out in plating dishes, especially when five tables of two came in at once. He assumed I basically knew everything on starters, and I managed to pull this off. Service was slow at first, as always, and although the chef didn’t seem to mind standing and chatting with me, I always feel I could and should be getting something done – even if it’s not pressing, I can get that far ahead. So I took some bread from the freezer, quickly thawed it by putting it on top of the oven, and thinly sliced it. When I need more croutons for the cheese platters, I can bake them as they are ready to go. I finished this just in time for when we got busy.

Croutons for the cheese platters

I feel I am set for the weekend. I have plenty of banana tartes made up, enough chocolate mousse for the soufflés, plenty of crème brulées and fruit flowers and garnishes, many delices assembled and backup of everything to make them, a lot of garnishes for the cheeses done, so I just have to worry about topping up, making a few things for the mojito dessert, and making the fresh breads, petit fours, and scooping sorbet. Which always takes longer the more diners we have.