24 August 2011-today we started with all the fun things like filling the tart lets with mozzarella, Cheddar, mushroom and a egg mix, baking them off and garnishing them, as well as piping curry yolk into boiled eggs and garnishing them as well, even though i was in banqueting, i made a grape salad and a Keish with all the left over egg, and fillings, t here were three types, that were plated on glass, with the eggs, we did the food, Kieron and Sean served the foods that night
25 August 2011- we were surprised with a practical competition again, and i was pumped, felt confident, and was determined to win, we received a full chicken, and a type of rice, which of i got jasmine, i stuffed the chicken with brunoise vegetables in an encasing, and crowned it, thereafter, i glazed it with white wine and closed it in foil, so when i needed to cook it, i put it in the coals, the wings that came of, and the excess bones, were used for a stock, and the thigh and legs were deboned, stuffed with lemon and coriander, wrapped in foil and also put in the coals, the rice was pre soaked and cooked for 15 minutes, but i then made the mistake of adding cream, which in my opinion, was the worst idea ever, jasmine is a beautiful rice and doesn't need to be sticky, it is not a risotto rice, but i flavoured it with the brunoise vegetables and presented my dish, i came first in the competition and was very happy, thereafter, i went to moselesele, after working to 3:30, i was off, but instead wanted to help Alon at moselesele, so we worked, making stir fry, grilling chicken, lamb and other meats, boiling and roasting vegetables as well as making salads, lighting the fire and setting the tables, we even plated one guests food 5 star style
26 August 2011-worked in cold kitchen, making toasted sandwiches and salads, i also made two new special salads that i learnt, called a Florida and Italian salad, but the Florida salad, wasn't just with citrus fruits, but i added tropical fruits as well, we were making all the salads beautiful by garnishing them, and i worked very comfortably with Alon
27 August 2011-worked again in cold kitchen, making toasted sandwiches and salads, but the special products today were vinaigrette, deep fried platters(jalapeno rissoles, chicken phyllos), different cakes, like a fudge Picasso, black forest as well as making and garnishing, Florida, beetroot, and Greek salad.
28 August 2011-made short pastry for savoury tart lets, made about 180 in total, me and Kieron, some were mixed in with poppy seeds, others sunflower seeds, today was all about preparing for yet another cheese and wine tasting, today we prepared, mince, boiled eggs, all the pastries and getting all the service gear ready.
28 August 2011-today we found out there was another function, so we needed to make more than 150 short paste tartlets, so me and kier on made 90 each, both being sesame or poppy seed filled paste, it took us a while, because of all the pizza and flatbread orders, we also needed the convection oven for bread and conference foods, but after a while we got to do the tartlets and they came out just perfect, this we had to enclose and pack away for later as they needed to be filled
30 August 2011- made more short paste for new recipes on the menu. cut up, paned and shallow fried fillet medallions, around 150 pieces, there after I did the banqueting for pizza and flatbread, it was a very quiet day, but busy in a way as well.
31 August 2011- today we finished off the tartlets for the conference and we started making the cheese platters, we made 3 platters and then started doing the mini brown bread loaves, and biscuit baskets, for the cheeses, there after we also received a new fountain, which instead of chocolate, we used cheese sauce, we also made prawn crackers, a caprice salad, spinach salads and a lot of croutons. All the foods made were very beautiful and fun to make, as change is good in people’s lives
2 September 2011-worked the whole day making pancakes from 7:30am till 8:30pm at the reception pancake stand, socializing and welcoming the guests
3-4 September 2011- worked in cold kitchen again for the next two days, doing the a la carte menu as well as making salads and platters for Sunday lunch and Monday buffet, made muffin, croissant and Danish pastry platters and a variety of salads, including beetroot, potato, pasta, Florida, crouton and carrot and baby marrow salad.
5 September 2011- today was a new week and I made a beef stew, thereafter, I fried and poached eggs for orders and made grape jam and cream filled chocolate éclairs, and I was then told to work at the pancake stand by reception until the end of my day, so I went everywhere and I enjoyed it to a large extent
6 September 2011- today I went to the academy kitchen, chef Edward said I needed a bit of time doing pastry, as it is a vital key to any dish, so when we got there, we were given recipes and ideas on what to make, we made crème brulee in a water bath, meringues, pavlovas, choux paste and savoury flan tartlets, this was a great experience as not every day I get to do pastry, but I asked a lot of questions and I understand the concept of pastry, as it’s all about technique and patience
7 September 2011- was at the academy kitchen, there is so much to learn and so we got stock and started with our recipes and ideas for more desserts, we started with chocolate mousse, me and Zamiane made a dark rum chocolate mousse and lorinda and chanel made a white liqueur mousse, which both were piped and mixed in one mould, and then we learnt how to blind bake, when we blind baked short pastry
8 September 2011-today was all about deep cleaning, so I chose to do the pot wash with Alon, we stripped the whole scullery, and when the sink and fat trap was left, they told me the drains can’t come out, but I showed them that it could, I disconnected all pipes and removed the sinks and fat trap to be cleaned, we literally scrubbed all day in one section, and I connected and re-sealed all the pipes and we placed all the cleaned surfaces and equipment back neatly, then we proceeded home very dirty
9 September 2011- today I started off the day boiling mielies and thereafter I was assigned to make lunch for students, so I used the opportunity to make something new, so I cut up two sirloins(2kg) in 2cm slices and shallow fried them, made about 40 eggs(scrambled) and made a Robert sauce, sauces play a huge role in a kitchen as nothing can be sent out dry, so sauces are needed, and being a saucier is an important job that I would love to master as well, as a sous chef needs to know how to run all sections under him
