Monday, December 14, 2009

Oysters, a cook's day off.


Imagine my delight to be at the market trying to decide what supper will be, when the fish monger offers 50% off a new shipment of P.E.I. Oysters because she knows I'll take such a bargain and clean them myself.
Well.
I was delighted.
I took home 33 of Canada's best Malpaques. I purchased a lemon for seasoning, but better still, at home I have a bottle of home-made Kressi Vinegar Mignonette for just this sort of an occasion.

That's how I spent my night off recently. I had the place to myself; conditions where perfect. For the record, it's never fun to eat oysters around people who don't like them (the annoying majority). Most have never tried one, rather, at some point, they were offered one, looked down at it, and without accepting the offer to try it, made a snap judgment. BAM! Just like that, they abstained from ever knowing the pleasures of an oyster... Well, it's a form of hate, and it's wrong.
This goes deeply against my philosophy of trying everything at least once before making snap judgments.
I have always liked the saying "The bravest man to have existed is the first person to have tried an oyster raw". It's a primal, tasty food, best kept simple.
It's a great self-indulgence, best enjoyed with a steely Chardonnay, Champagne or Still Water and something great on tv - (say like, The Matrix Trilogy), which you would not normally get away with while being around non-oyster eating people such as your wife.

Kressi Mignonette
Yield: 500ml
Ingredients:
500ml Kressi Vinegar (Or Apple Cider, Champagne, Red Wine Vinegars will all do great!)
2 Shallots - very small, perfect brunoise (As small as possible, don't rush)
1 Tbs. Toasted, pan crushed Whole Black Peppers
Method:
1) Add everything together in a dressing bottle.
2) Store in fridge for at least 24 hours before using. Will last easily 6 months.
3) Shake the mixture and pour a tsp. worth on the oyster. Don't get carried away, try not to annoy the neighbors with the volume of the tv.
-Jerek

Wednesday, December 9, 2009

If you are a cook and reading this, why aren't you at work right now?

5:35pm
The beginning of the evening service.

2:23pm
Prep. Cooks not paying attention to the one cook not prepping (me!). As you may tell from their postures, this is not a good time to be taking pictures for a blog.

4:00pm
Gnocchi being prepared.

Autumn Salad
(Featuring House-made Granola, Heirloom Beets, "Fifth Town" Chevre, and Apple)

De-Constructed Hot Chocolate
(From back to forefront) Steamed Milk, Dark Chocolate Ganache (on a stick!), Chantilly Cream, Couverture Shavings

I have taken a noticeable absence from this blog for the past ten days. Christmas season is here. All cooks know what that means. No excuses. Busy is busy is busy. We all know it, we're all prepared for it. I love this time of year. Usually, you can expect a full service, being called in early and working multiple stations on a daily basis from late November to mid December. To me, this is what Christmas is all about. Forget the tv specials and decorations. Christmas rush is where it's at. It's typically busy with a lot of pressure, but what makes it great is everyone (BOH) tends to be in high spirits and it's reflected in the food.
Having said this, during the Christmas rush, days off do not happen as much, and the time to take quick photos and detail a blog every few days temporarily falls down the priority scale. Everyone is in a positive mood, as long as everyone else keeps busy. Such is the rhythm of a tight kitchen crew.
So, today I have posted some random shots from the past ten days which shall have to do until the final Christmas rush of this decade comes to a close.
-Jerek