14 june 2012 academy function for the managers

after coming in at 7 today, we carried on with our preperation for adriano's function with the managers at the academy, i was assigned with bianca to make the lemon, coconut curry prawns with a thai linefish served in a popadum with a side salad of spinach and mixed peppers. this was to be served after the cabbage and apple soup, with a side of  smoked mornay, feta and cream cheese tortilla, and just before the buffet. the prawns and fish were marinated in greek yoghurt, coconut milk, lemon juice and masala spices, the marinate sauce was thickened while marinating, making it a very flavourful and rich sauce. the prawn/shrimp sauce was coloured for a different perspective on the dish.  the fish was cut into goujons and made in their sauce just before service(this is to ensure freshness and quality).  the spinach was cut into chiffonade. The mixed peppers, onion, tomatoes and cucumber were all cut into brunoise for a full mix of flavours. the popadums were fried in oil with the help of a ladel to ensure round portion sized baskets are made.

all the fish was sent out productively using a plating system planned before hand, ensuring all dishes remain the same and go out together.

the fish and prawns were soft, yet crisp and no sign of any over-cooked or dry foods, this dish had magnificent flavour all together, felt proud at myself and those working with.

13 june 2012 klein kariba outing

we were lucky enough to be taken out(all chefs and 2nd year f&b students) to klein kariba, a resort 20 km away from here. we were allowed to go into the kithcen and discover the place to see different aspects of their busines.  their kitchen suprisingly works without a executive chef, therefore all the decisions are made by the food and beverage manager, this can be useful, but what i think is best is to have someone in a kitchen instructing and providing help/guidance, this helps more with quality, but that is ony my point of view, they have a banqueting kitchen, which is useful for buffet type foods for large quantities of people, this is a very fun type of kitchen, because all guests are able to choose their portions and food items on a plate.

we were allowed to observe the restaurant and how their hot and cold buffets are set up, seeing as they are in a more rural area, they have more access to better technologies and outside help. the plate warmers and their buffet area was easily set-up and everything has its place. they had chaffing insert carts easier to move and place all food in their chaffing dishes easily.

after the brief tour we were all taken to a presentation where we sat down and listened to different commercial food sellers such as mediterranean delicacies, mc cain, tiger brands , pilsburg and rainbow chicken. they presented their products individually and let us sample all their goods to let us experience the new different products as well as the benefits of using their range. all these products ranged from chicken, beef, fish, vegetables, pastries, pate's, national and international cheeses, cavi-art, sauces, dips, pomme croqette, all these and more. after stuffing ourselves with their lovely food, we had to depart and return here to prepare for Adriano's funtion.

12 june 2012 OFFAL!

luckily on this day i was granted to be part of the first years class again as i enjoyed it so much las yer.  the students were to be taught how to make different types of offal, this includes the head(split in 2), the brains, eyes, spleen, liver, lungs, kidneys and the heart, unfortunately this year we had no tripe. we had so much fun, doing a stuffed, bacon wrapped heart, i showed the 1st years how to remove an eye and brain correctly, as well as remove the skin from the cow head and roast/boil it to your desire, we all had to try the different parts of the offal, making it and interesting tasting session, we poached and deep-fried the brains, baked/roasted the heart. the liver was pan-fried as was the lungs. these foods need to be prepared correctly and according to order as it can become easily tough/ bitter, these are mainly delicacies in mny countries and i was proud to be able to do it again.

17-20 may 2012 cycle race

on this weekend we had a cycle race planned, where as chefs we had to build and setup 2 kitchens, 1 being for breakfast meals such as pancakes, breakfast rolls and pancakes.  the 2nd kitchen was built for the lunch side of things, this included various types of rolls(burger, steak, prego, hotdog etc.). these kitchens were made by us and had to be correctly, safely and hygienically built.  the breakfast kitchen was to be open at 4 in the morning, meaning tht 3:30 fires had to be lit for the filter coffee to be brewed before the cyclist came in for a warm-up.  we had both kitchens built and setup in the first day, with burners, barriers, utensils and equipment, the coffee was the longest process and we were left to run this as the day progressed.  the lunch kitchen had more burners and a flat top for lots of food at the same time, the days were long and busy, but we made over 12000 rand and this meant that all our efforts paid off in the end.  the function was at main gate, making many people feel out of their comfort zones, but after an hour or so, we would feel as if it were in a kitchen, making it a very busy weekend


when we were done bringing all the small equipment and products back on sunday, some of the learners had to jump back into the main kitchen as it was busy this  side aswell, i carried on un packing and sorting alone and did stock take with chef errol thereafter.