A Moveable Feast

2 months late

I had almost given up hope this year. Eventually with only two months delay I am able to put away my Sub Zero Down Ski jacket that I have been wearing since November now everyday. Just when we almost got used to the nightmare, temperatures rose for the first time this year above 5 degrees this weekend and it stoppped raining as well. Actually the thermometer showed 25 degrees, and so spring was simply skipped this year and we moved directly from winter to summer within one day. Sorry for the boring topic, the wheather. But no. It is amazing how sudden sunshine has the capacity to change my mood and thoughts. From one day to the other I have given up plans to leave this city, country or even the whole continent, to move to the carribean forever. Paris (probably like any other place in the world ?) becomes an irresistable city in the sun, and thoughts about one day opening a little bistrot here (why move to Provence ?) even crossed my mind.

Just 10 minutes walk from my home, the Luxembourg garden below, where Parisiens and tourists relax in a beautiful setting, as soon as the sun is out.

Ferrandi Anglo - the next generation

Last Thursday I went out dining with Joan and Andrew. They are both readers of my blog and current Anglo students at Ferrandi in Chef Sebastien's class. We wanted to check out the tasting menu at Ze Kitchen Galerie, which received its first Michelin star this year. The 7 course menu was amazing, although we found the use of ginger, lemongrass, coriander and lots of foam became a little repetitive across the menu, and somehow in my memory the combinations of spices and condiments had been a bit more creative in the past. One of the desserts was so good, that I ordered it a second time a la carte after the end of the menu. It was "glace chocolat blanc - wasabi, pistache - torrone, jus de the vert" (white chocolate ice cream on pistachio-wasabi sauce). Trop trop bon.

By the end of the meal and a good bottle of Chablis I felt sorry for the two for having to get up the next morning early for the cuisine class. So Andrew came up with the idea to invite me to join the class for the regional menu at Ferrandi the next day, which was a day off for me. I was so excited about the idea, and hoped chef Sebastien would not have any objections.

In the middle of the night, 8:30 am, I received Andrew's SMS, that everything was o.k. I was so happy to have that opportunity ! I joined the class at noon, and as they were late (nothing has changed compared to last year ;), I could sneak around in the kitchen and watch the students work and chat with them about their experience for an hour. Some had just finished their first stages at the same restaurants I had, and it was fun to hear about their impressions. Of course I also took the opportunity to share with Chef Sebastien all my up and down adventures of the last months. 

Check out the current Anglo class below, some great talents among them, you will certainly see them in a couple of years on magazine front covers when they have become famous chefs. From left to right : Eldar, Chef Sebastien, Amanda, Andrew, Chris, Joan, Julie (both hidden), and Felipe.

And this is the menu that I was lucky to taste, based on specialties of the Charente-Maritime region. I was amazed to see what the students were able to create after just a couple of months training, and I admire Chef Sebatien's everlasting energy to teach people who don't even know how to hold a knife within a couple of months the foundations for this passionate profession, over and over again every year. Chapeau Chef !

   

   

Dear Anglo 2007/08 class, thank you for the invitation, the great menu and the opportunity to spend time with you. It was a great pleasure to meet you. Good luck for the exams and your cooking career !

Amy Macdonald - Mr. Rock & Roll

This song is currently playing in an endless loop and quite loud whenever I am at home (and not sleeping between services). It reflects my current good mood, or manages easily to get me into it...

Le Pont Alexandre III

On my day off today I walked a lot trying to enjoy Paris, despite the ugly winter wheather I am getting now really tired of. To walk from the Dome des Invalides in the 7th to the Grand Palais in the 8th arrondissement you have to cross the Seine on one of Paris most beautiful bridges, the pont Alexandre III, a gift from the Russian Tsar to France for the Universal Exhibition in 1900. An opportunity to take some postcard pictures.

   

Tarte fine aux tomates, chorizo et chevre frais

This month I am back at "le froid", the garde manger and patisserie section, where all starters and desserts are prepared and plated. Whenever I get to do a new "entrée du jour" or "plat du jour" like the one today I think I have won the lottery by working in this bistrot. Who needs a two star Michelin recipe ?! I love those simple, easy and quick to make but beautiful and tasty ideas, and I keep track of them in a little notebook, for potential later use in my own place....

Today the special starter was a "tarte fine" : tomato slices, chorizo (spicy Spanish sausage) and goat cheese arranged on puff pastry. And I got to make them !

For the special of the day we usualy prepare 10-20 pieces. This is my "workbench" this morning. They were finished in the oven before the service by 11 a.m.. Then during service, when there was a customer order simply put a minute under the salamander (grill) again to reheat, with a tiny heap of salad in the center.

The chorizo looks a little bit burnt, but the chef insisted that I leave the tartes that long in the oven, to make sure the dough "puffs" up correctly. I really would have liked to take it out a little bit earlier...

Unfortunately, out of the 30 clients or so that we had today, only 3 ordered this starter special. A pity, because the combination while it is surprising and maybe not so common, tastes simply delicious. So the starter of the day turned into an "amuse bouche" for the dinner service tonight (last photo), and probably becomes the staff meal tomorrow....

Are you the chef ?

Tonight I had another one of those happy moments, that remind me of the reasons why I am going through all this. Yes, despite all the nice photos and stories and all the things that I am learning, I am still "going through something", (especially crazy coworkers). While there is much less pressure and pain in the bistrot than in the two star restaurant, I still can't say that it is a place I really love going to, and in any professional kitchen I will probably never be as comfortable as in the HP environment, until I will be running the show myself. Or maybe the grass was just greener on the other side ? ;)

Anyway.... tonight during service one of the waiters mentioned that there was a chef from New York among our guests. I was very curious, and kept asking the waiters for details, but they didn't bother. So after my service was finished, I walked by the table that the waiter had shown me. And to my surprise there were four women. So I just stopped, and started talking to them (nothing to even think about in the two star restaurant). I asked where they were from (new jersey), which restaurant they was working for. And it turned out they had just talked about me as well, as they were excited to see a woman coming out of the kitchen. An then the killer question "ARE YOU THE CHEF ?" Oh that felt so good ! I know that the rest of my work week will be more fun, because I am now reminded that all this is a transition and I am working towards being able to answer "YES !" one day.