"It's magic; that's the only explanation."
-- Chef Tony Marano (at left in photo) on how sauces are made.
Stirring the pot "After reading in the book, it was nice to be hands on and put our skills to the test. ... It was so fun."
Culinary student Rob Park (second from left in photo) who stepped to the stove and stirred up a mean espagnole sauce.
The romance of high cuisine
"Let's say I'm going to make fig and duck prosciutto as an amuse bouche. Oh, it's going to be beautiful! Oh, ho, ho! And all that crap."
-- Chef John Meidinger, with a flourish of hands, head thrown back, inflection of mock excitement in his voice.
Salt: a 4-letter word
"I need salt. Whoa! Not that much! S---! Maybe I can salvage it."
-- Culinary student Candide, accidentally dumping several tablespoons of salt into his hand-whipped mayonnaise, which needed no more than 1 teaspoon. He salvaged it.
What would Shakespeare say?
"Oh, God. Don't get a lawyer involved. (Pause.) Unless you have to."
-- Chef John Meidinger, responding to a student who asked if that was the best way for a restaurateur to get a "variance" from the health department for special food treatments.
I love these quotes. They give such an inside view of what's happening behind the scenes. (How did the student add so much salt? And how did he rescue the mayo from it?!) I like the photo, too. Nice to see your fellow students and the teachers.
ReplyDeleteCandide apparently shook salt from the big opening of the box, dumping way too much into his bowl. Fortunately, it all clumped up on one side, and he was able to scoop it out in a big ball.
ReplyDeleteAs Chef Tony says, you get more of a lesson when things don't go as they are supposed to and you must find a fix. Candide did just that.