Passionate Chefs Die
So the ramblings of a chef, who will give insights to the profession. Who whilst isn't a vegetarian, over the years has become an accidental vegetarian! So perhaps it'll contain recipes and pics but who knows!
Monday 9 June 2014
Why Vatel inspired the blogs title?
So just a short one back to my inspiration for mine and the blogs title.
Buried in the pages Great Chefs of France by Quentin Crewe and Anthony Blake is the story of Vatel. Now in my poking around, I'm at a loss for the book addresses him as Henri Vatel yet others Francois. I've even seen some suggestions that he didn't exist at all. Whether he did or didn't the story highlights the passion and drive of a good chef.
With words of honourable, and a legacy of more than the organisation of many a feast and building reputations of great houses, stories of organisation skills that many an executive chef would envy and go well beyond the skill set needed. Bosses that are powerful men creating events of such grandeur that the king decides that to create such events can only be done by someone corrupt and intolerable. So in creating his own dismissal and poverty, leaving him searching for another boss.
So finally making it back after a period of searching, back to a house who's fallen on bad times, whose fortunes turn and once again an opportunity for extravagant and exuberant celebrations. So things begin to unravel, little things undermining the first day. We then get doubts for the fish delivery, looking for reassurance and being greeted by a little delivery, when he needed hundreds of fish. To his room retired, took up his sword and ended his life.
Well I was partly inspired for this post by a place I've worked at with a broken kitchen. I suspect I'll write a blog about the dynamics of a professional kitchen for sadly it isn't just about cooking.
So Passionate Chefs Die I tend to find my passion ebbs and flows but when ever its low I find a few pages into this book with plenty of stories, facts and anecdotes of inspirational chefs, inspires and reignites my love for my profession.
So long live Vatel be it just a story or a man of history.
Sunday 25 May 2014
Egg or the Chicken(PR brings success or Success brings PR)
The Enigma
Thursday 22 May 2014
Ingredients:- Beef
Beef
The biggest secret is get a good butcher...!
Tuesday 20 May 2014
Review:-Mughli
I hope never to encounter a review as bad as this one sadly the bad points way out weigh the good. I stand by my initial tweet if you want good Indian here is not the place....! People raving about this people have no concept of good food and are nothing more than sheep. My email which as stands is my review..
To Whom it may concern
Firstly I admire the damage limitation after the night shame it was barely addressed on the night...
I really don't know where to start there was a catalogue of errors.
1)2 of the chutneys were little more than components mixed with cheap ketchup(Red Onions, Chili imli a quick look suggests I should of encountered some kind of tamarind chutney, red onion chutney would imply paste not ketchup(But I can forgive this as this the standard British fare)).
2)The indian salad was tired
So already not looking good...
3)The greasy onion bhajias come out first, with a bit of a delay waiting for the Samosa Chaat one of the 2 staff hovering uncomfortably right next to our table says you can start Mmmm! yeah I know but we're waiting for the other one.
4)I straight away notice the chickpeas on the chaat are souring/off
5)The yoghurt dip accompanying the Bhajia clearly was also off had the souring of milk taste, not the yoghurt sour.
I'm still wondering about the chickpeas then it's confirmed...
6)Whilst still eating our starters one of the servers asked could he take the serving dishes as we'd cleared them to our plates. Certainly gave the impression you didn't have enough dishes in the kitchen. Still standing right next our table uncomfortably!
7)Now I'm not an impatient man I work in the trade, but a lot longer than I tolerate, to the point where I break for a cigarette whilst waiting for the main. I actually finally make a comment and ask.
8)So main arrives the vegetable sindhi I don't even know what to say, I straight away notice this is very wrong. I know what's wrong the prepared sauce has been left festering on the side in the kitchen souring, as had the chickpeas this was now confirmed in the chickpea tamarind side, my initial feeling correct on the starter.
9)For the first time in my life I actually send something back. I call over whom I presume is the manager and ask him to smell the sindhi and would he serve it to his family? This shouldn't of even made the pan let alone a customers table had the chef given a shit.
10)So reluctantly I guess the sindhi was removed from the meal I should bloody hope so I didn't even eat it.
11)I muttered about the chickpeas to the server when he was clearing and asked if I enjoyed it to which I said "NO" but to be honest these where tolerable and by this point I'd reach lets just finish and get out of here.
12)So really there was nothing to done to appease me except the removal of an item from the bill which I didn't even eat.
I have never in my life sent anything back to the kitchen, as a chef I do my damn hardest to clear my plate alas last night I not only left food, sent something back, and said No I didn't enjoy it neither did I leave a tip(Had I had 30p I wouldn't of even left the 20p). I have never done any of the preceding as I work in the trade and do know the warts and all of the industry. Up till this meal my worst comment to did you enjoy your meal was "It was OK". Sadly not only did I encounter bad service but also a bad meal. If you're going to make a customer wait for a main course(A sin in my book better to make sure once you start some ones order that it flows naturally) then make sure it's the bloody best you can produce. If a customer complains of course he expects it to be taken off his bill but true customer service would of been to exceed their expectations.
Honestly I can forgive the 2 waiters hovering right next to my table, and the ketchup driven chutney tray and even the bhajias but some of the rest, simply put was dismal! I would of expected this down the road at Punjab Tandoori I suspect your kitchen has a higher scores on the doors rating than them. I have never have encountered what I encountered last night and as for comparing you to Sanskruti! I suggest you take the time to eat there and learn in how to exceed a customers expectations and produce authentic food rather than generic food fit only for the masses who want a trendy restaurant to eat in.
A very dissapointed
PCD_Blogs
Never ever again will I visit again...
Service 2 out of 5
Food 2 out of 5
Feel welcome to follow food bloggers that rate this restaurant but they are nothing more than sheep who like the in thing and have little value on the industry!
Friday 16 May 2014
Reactionist vs Scientist(Dynamic vs Recipe)
Now recipes give us this but for the recipe chef it becomes dogmatic. Whilst many times this will be fine, sometimes it just won't. For there are many many sources of recipes and some are just terrible.
Here is the problem recipe chef's generally struggle to think outside the box or think things through. It becomes this recipe doesn't work that recipe does. The thing is as chef's we work with an unpredictable product, nature's bounty is as varied as life its self. You'll get strawberries who's sweetness has been robbed by their lack of sun. Flour whose protein/gluten/water content that vary wildly etc..
Now to be honest in pastry/desserts/bakery recipes are king for they are scientific formulas. Yet the chef must still live with a little reaction for maybe the product will dictate it. The chef that looks at recipe and comprehends the ingredients and method will not only be able to modify it but fix the broken ones. A little example a dark and white chocolate mousse will have practically the same method and list of ingredients. The chef that comprehends will instinctively know white chocolate has a higher soft fat content. The clever ones may see the fix straight away, the intelligent ones may experiment till it works, the resourceful ones will hunt a recipe down, the stupid ones will replace the dark chocolate with white.
Else where for many sections in the kitchen recipes are less strict. The reactionist can work with the product. He can tweak add a little more of this a little less of that. Maybe even replace one ingredient for another. As mentioned earlier I'm not condemning the recipe but never forget recipes are "guidelines" react to the ingredients comprehend them and the method then cooking will become a lot more natural!
Wednesday 14 May 2014
What is a chef?
On to fish again pretty much as the butcher be able to tell fresh from not, easy when it's stiff alive but not often you'll see this. Know how to gut and prep fish, be able to ascertain the diet of the farmed salmon and therefore the quality.
With the baker/pastry be able to determine again the quality of the product distinguish real sourdough from not sourdough. Be able to tell if your pastry chef is trying to pass of an over cooked brulee and on and on.
As for the scientist I'm not talking the Heston Blumethal potions and wizardry but the basics when the egg white sets why the egg yolk emulsifies, be able to determine why an ingredient is in a recipe etc... Sometimes you don't actually need to know! A prime example is the whisking of egg whites in a copper bowl, has been done for decades if not centuries knowing the science doesn't make it an less or better than the best way to do it.
Then a good tradesman never blames his tools therefore knowing how to look after them and even identify a bad one from a good knife is a paramount quality for a chef.
Fashionista here I'm not talking about the fads and trends many do follow. Here I'm talking about identifying what is the latest best, this may be crockery, a product. For if trying to produce the best we have to also set the environment with the best. A prime example and whilst still a fine product where Valhrona was the premier product and is probably still the work horse chocolate for many a fine kitchen, times have moved on and it's no longer king.
Many a discussion abounds whether it's art or science it's a little of both when taken in an artistic point of view I can think of no other art that can appeal to all senses. The sound and feel of the crunch, the sight of the plated dish, the smell and the taste of the food. Ok taking it to an extreme but in pushing boundaries and developing the extravagant, art is an element in cooking even if it's well adjusted with a good measure of science. I'll blog about this at another time for I've seen the pedantic recipe enforcer vs the natural reactionist both have strengths but neither are conclusive and both touch elements of the other.
The critic all the best chefs I've worked with have been their hardest critics yet neither fearing criticism for this is how we learn and adjust. Cooking just for ourselves would be so much easier but more often and not we're trying to/or will replicate or invoke that experience/memory be that a time or childhood favourite cooked by someone loved.
Monday 12 May 2014
Review:-Sanskruti
Having eaten and found a fair few Indians I'm getting at quite good at distinguishing the generic vs authentic. Now for some reason at the moment Mughli is the in place honestly unless it's changed(2-3 years ago I thought it was best) it's nice but I'd still go to Punjab Tandoori over it. I suspect many are sheep following the trend rather than actually reviewing on merit. Personally food wise I'd say there is little to split Akbar and Mughli. Now Punjab Tandoori certainly doesn't look like a place you'd want to visit if food isn't your first concern move on head towards Mughli. Any way that's Rusholme and trendy vs authentic and tasty.
Sanskruti Restaurant beats them all hands down. I'm even throwing Bradfords Prashad into the mix here. For sure they all have some strengths and weaknesses.
Now onto the review poppadums stumbled across a lovely date and tamarind chutney for which I just had to ask about, others pretty standard with the exception of the green one. Now normaly this is coriander and mint firstly I didn't detect mint but a little kick of chilli. So let's start with the weakness the Dudhi na Muthiya now this had a lovely flavour but being a bitter gourd dumpling was very dense and doughy. Having nothing to judge it against not sure if that's how it's supposed to be! Pattra, I love Pattra don't know why we don't see this more often on menus having only eaten this a couple of times it certainly was the best one I've had. The other one was a safe one Aloo Tikki nice now having eaten a variety of potato fritters I've had more interesting ones but they where fine.
Onto mains and sides now a little weakness again I struggle not having anything to compare to but the Methi Thepla I just felt was a little doughy. I suspect it should of had the texture of a good chappati. As for the Jeera rice this stood up through the meal the cumin offering a lovely little note every now and again. The main course dishes all where great everyone of us having a favourite for me the saffron, cashew and paneer was fantastic. The aubergine, potato and tomato stepping up in the heat scale yet still relatively mild reaching a crescendo with the supposedly safe one. The vegetable harabhara a mixture of vegetables bound in a green gravy putting the heat on the table. As for the garlic Naan this was probably the best one I've had a little bit of crispy surrounded by a fluffy pillow of naan.
Onto dessert boy did I go off piste. The gajjar halwa was a warm dish of slightly sweetened carrot scented with cardamom topped with nuts. Honestly I've not been quite surprised by a dish for a while but that did(glad I shared it though). Sharing with gulab jambu these where lovely and delicate and hands down beat Prashads. The mango passion was the safe one more or less mango lassi with fruit.
With the bill came some Indian mouth cleansers wow a diverse mix. The slightly twisted side of me loved the flowery ones, even though it felt like I'd eaten pot pourri.
Would I go again:- Absolutely yes
For sure I've had some better elements else where i.e. A form of potato fritter at Prashad. I've probably had one that's felt a little more homemade(I'll eventually review that one). Honestly though I hate reviewing this one for you make this one popular. So just ignore this carry on visiting Mughli so I can just walk in and keep it as a hidden gem. I suppose I may have to revisit Mughli soon but honestly I'm not expecting that much of a change.
Starter:-
Poppadums
Aloo Tikki
Pattra
Dudhi na Muthiya
Mains:-
Vegetable Harabhara
Ringan Bateta
Zaffrani Paneer Korma
Sides:-
Jeera Rice
Methi Thepla
Garlic Naan
Desserts:-
Mango Passion
Gajjar Halwa
Gulab Jambu