Chef Darian’s Blog

That is so Cheesy!

Well, just got back from a fantastic trip to Burgundy. I have some friends that are restoring a 200 year old mill in Toutry, France. It is called Moulin du Foulon (the Felt Mill). It used to make felt, cut lumber and grind wheat. They even have a restored bread oven that the workers would make bread in from the flour they made. Oh so incredible. It was a very relaxing trip which entailed a lot of wine, cheese and even a little gardening.

After being picked up at the train station in Montbard, I was driven cross-country to the mill. It is an incredible 4 story stone building. On the table awaiting my visit was a buffet of various cheeses, cold meats and bottles of local wine. Can I tell you, we started eating around 10PM and after I’m-not-sure-how-may bottles of wine we realized that the cheeses and meats were almost gone. It was 3AM and there was a graveyard of wine bottles laying around. I slept so well that night. My bedroom was right over the mill race, which goes through the house. The wheel is housed within the mill and you get the constant rush of water through the entire house. It is so hypnotic. In fact, every night was a good nights sleep.

In the morning Stefan ran to the village and brought back some fresh bread, pain au chocolat and more cheese. We had a great breakfast followed by a little work in the garden. As anyone with a yard full of vegetation can tell you – there is always plenty to do. This meant clearing debris from the locks, a wade out in to the river to clear trees stuck on the dam, pruning the hedges along the mill pond and cutting up a tree that had fallen over. The work was followed by some incredible steaks procured from the village butcher. It was melt-in-your-mouth tender! Tanya grilled them on the terrace overlooking the river. If it weren’t so cold it would have been perfect to have dinner out there!

The next day we went to a village nearby and walked through an old fortress built to keep the Norman’s out. Apparently, the village is quite popular as Joan of Arc even came through a time or two! Then it was back home to work……followed by some wonderful pasta with truffle paste, artichokes and another steak! I could never be a vegetarian. Oh, did I mention there was more wine!

Thursday was spent working at outside while the sun was shining. Then we headed in for more cheese and a glass of wine. Tanya was treating us to dinner at a wonderful restaurant in a local village and she was worried that I would ruin my appetite. fat Chance! After some more wine and a few games of Scrabble we took our showers and headed in to town for dinner. I have to tell you that by the end of the night I was in gourmand heaven. I wanted to meet the Pastry Chef and kiss him! We started dinner with a glass of Champagne. Starters of Goat cheese with a tomato relish and balsamic reduction. There was fresh bread and savory tuilles filled with egg salad. My dinner was a roasted red pepper flan, potato puree and young duck breasts. Divine! Cheese course came next. Our young waiter brought a tray of French cheese to the table and if you had any questions about any of the cheeses – he was there to help! He knew everything about that cheese. I had some wonderful blue cheeses and a few goat cheeses! Heaven. But wait – dessert was next. I had ordered (and you must order at the beginning of the meal as the pastry chef makes everything fresh for each person) macaroons with pistachio butter cream and homemade chocolate ice cream with chocolate sauce and creme anglaise! I hardly said a word during dessert. My friends kept asking me if I were alright as I was a silent as a church mouse. I was thinking that I might ever eat macaroons that tasted so much like heaven! The owner came to our table and asked if everything was alright. I explained that I felt like crying as I was overcome with emotion – over dessert! I asked him to pass on my compliments to the chef and that if there was anyway he could find one more macaroon in the kitchen. He laughed and said that the chef only makes what is ordered at the time it is ordered. There are never any left-overs. Apparently, he was really amused by this and when he left his wife came in to tease me about the macaroons. I can tell you that the chocolate ice cream was like a frozen chocolate mousse and that when the dining room was empty of guests I picked up the bowl and licked it clean. I was not ashamed – I would have felt ashamed to let any of that go back to the kitchen.

Well, it was an incredible trip – a much needed holiday with some very close friends. Tomorrow is back to work at the hotel. Seven weeks to go – and winter is pounding on our door! It is getting cold here. I wonder if they can mail those macaroons to Dublin?

Knowing Your Plaice……

Well, I knew going into this trip that there were a lot of words and phrases that we don’t use in the US that are common in the UK and Ireland. I watch a lot of the Britcoms on PBS and am a huge AbFab fan. But I have to say that I have run into a lot more than I bargained for here. One of the first tribulations I had was the accent. There are many different Irish accents and even in Dublin there are several. For instance, I happen to live in a “Posh” neighborhood (just down the street from Enya and Bono, I pass by their houses on my way to work). The accent here is very clear and has a lot of American influence. On the north side of the Liffey River that separates Dublin down the middle from east to west, there is a much heavier accent and incredibly hard to understand. There is a common phrase here, “What’s the story?” and it simply means “What’s up, what’s going on, how are things” (you get the idea). Well, on the north side of the Liffey they say “Story”. If you don’t know the whole phrase you might think the person asking you is a little “thick” (or stupid, if you will).

When I first started working in the Dungeon I had some things to learn there about terminology. One thing that happened right away was when an order for “Plaice” came in. The chef yelled out, “ONE PLAICE PLATE”. I had absolutely no idea what he was asking me for. Asking him for an explanation on Plaice only made things worse. A few minutes later he yelled out, “PLAICE AWAY”. I have to admit that at the time there was a lot going on, I was nervous, the POS (point of sale) was spitting out tickets, there were waiters yelling information to us, hot oil burning “chips” (French fries) and so on. I was sure I would throw up. I had no idea what he meant when he said “Plaice Away”. Well, with some guidance from a young chef who knew exactly what was happening to me (deer in the headlights syndrome) he jumped in and said to just drop it in the fryer. Oh, that simple. Plaice away – drop it in the oil. Got it. Duh! You might be wondering what Plaice is. I know that I am ignorant on a lot of fish. Don’t eat a lot of it and not really a person who cares……sorry. I love the Silver Streak Striped Bass from Texas. You can get that at Central Market or Airline Seafood in Houston. Love it. But Plaice? Well, when I got home I opened my trusted Food Lovers Companion and found that it is in the Flounder family. I have to say, when I saw the fillets that were not breaded, they were pretty unattractive. Well, it is a mild fish, similar to flounder. Easy enough.

One very funny incident happened when I was working in the Dungeon with two Polish chefs. The head chef asked me to go to the banquet kitchen and get some cauliflower. I asked him how much he needed and he said, “very little, maybe a spoonful”. Why so little cauliflower. I asked him, “cauliflower” and he replied with, “yes, cauliflower”. I was very keen on learning why he needed so little? He was making a sauce and I was pretty sure that cauliflower would not thicken it, or would it? How clever. I was really interested in learning how he was going to use a spoonful of cauliflower in his sauce. I ran to the banquet kitchen and came back with one floret. I would eat what he didn’t use. When I returned he had a puzzled look on his face. Too much cauliflower? No, the problem was that he had asked me for “cornflower” or cornstarch. They say cornflower here. Cornflower, cauliflower…..how stupid was I. The same chef also asked me for a portion of Kolislav (pronounced Kohl-e-slav). After a good laugh, my English is apparently not as good as I thought it might be, he really wanted coleslaw. Go figure. When you are busy and orders are flying in, it is imperitive that you know your coworkers. Now when he asks for Kolislav I go right for the coleslaw (with a little giggle).

I have been banished to the Dungeon!

For real, I have been moved to the Dungeon Restaurant Bar and Grill for the next month or so. I was being split between two different restaurants in the hotel before. This is actually a very good thing. I get to spend more time working on one menu and all of the things that go along with it. I have been working on the starters and all of sides and desserts in the Dungeon already. Now I am getting more experience with the main courses. I am helping to plate – which means put the base on, place the protein, flash under the salamander, garnish, make sure there are no spots on the rim and get it out the window FAST! The chef I work with there is a little more “energetic” than the rest of them. He makes sure that everyone is moving and moving quickly. He runs a tight ship and is quick to get your attention should he feel you are wandering around aimlessly.

Last night he took me through the inventory process – a simple process, not the easiest to accomplish. It was on paper and you searched through all of the freezers and frig’s looking for the items and you take a very good guess on how much is there. Oh, in case you don’t know – everything is metric! Yeah for me. As an American we don’t do too much with liters and kilograms. So when the chef asked me how much fish was on the tray I said, “about 3 pounds”. Oh boy, was that a mistake. I explained that in America we don’t understand why the rest of the World does not do things the way we do and I’ll be damed if we will change! That was followed by the entire kitchen in a fit of laughter.

Oh, I wanted to share the dessert menu with you. Pecan Pie with Caramel Ice Cream, Berry Crumble with Creme Anglaise, Coconut Tart with Berry Compote, Cheese Plate, Strawberries Romanoff (Vanilla Ice Cream, Romanoff Sauce – whipped cream and orange liquor – and lots of strawberries with a chocolate fan on top, Poached Peach with Cinnamon Ice Cream, and a Drunken Peach Sunday. I love dessert!

Well, I need to get ready for work! The Dungeon awaits. Happy Cooking!

A Little Welcomed Holiday

I was lucky enough to have the day off and it was sunny – all at the same time! The Gods were smiling on me today. I took a wonderful walk through the harbor in Dun Loaghaire, just north of the village where I live (south of Dublin). The Stena Lines ferry had already left for the day and the harbor was pretty quite. It was lined with sailboats, docked, waiting for a weekend of nice weather so they can be unleashed on Dublin Bay! Good luck with that.

On Monday, the 27th of October I am going to France for five days and visit some friends that I haven’t seen in 6 or so years. They have a mill in Burgundy that they remodeled. Can’t wait to see the changes. The mill is a four story structure with the wheel still intact. The terrace overlooks the river and that is where I plan to be for five days. I might get up to retrieve another bottle of wine, but I cannot think of too many other reasons…..I will certainly leave a posting – including pictures with all the details!

It is now 2 months into my trip (halfway)! It has been a great experience so far. I am planning some classes for after my return the first of January. As soon as I have the dates confirmed I will post them on my website, www.chefdarian.com

Recipes

I have always liked recipes. For someone with the need for organization and structure, recipes are a set of rules for me. I can not say with any amount of truth that I keep to a recipe (entirely) but I feel more comfortable with the structure that a recipe provides. When making bread, for instance, I am not one that “knows” the amount of flour, yeast, water, etc, just from the feel. I have to be told, I need to be told and I can feel safe if I am told. I do know that I may need to add a little more flour or water depending on the humidity and so on.

Well, this trip has left me without lifelines. Recipes are never used. The first day I arrived I was told to make ratatouille. I had never made ratatouille before, although I had an idea what was in it. What were the proportions, all of the ingredients……I asked the chef that was training me and his reply was simply, “egg plant, zucchini, red onion, bell peppers and a can of diced tomatoes.” Oh great, that got me no closer than I was before. A young German chef came to my rescue. he took me to the walk-in and helped me gather the ingredients. We stopped by dry storage and got large can of chopped tomatoes and off we went. I diced vegetables, sautéed and the end result was great. I was so nervous, I thought I would be sick. I need structure!

Well, last night I had the task of making cream of broccoli soup and carrot soup with roasted garlic for a wedding tasting. I knew already that there was no point in asking for a recipe – there are none. (who will make the carrot soup for the wedding since she liked mine – the next persons will be different) I started with mirepoix (carrots, onion and celery) for each, added extra carrots for the carrot soup, broccoli for the other, instant vegetable stock (no chicken because of vegetarians) and simmered then pureed, strained and served. I was feeling really good about the whole thing. Two months of “winging” it and I was really feeling good. Well, the bride sent for the next course following soups. Chef asked what she said and the waiter replied, “they like the carrot soup, but the broccoli was too salty.” Oh crap. Chef asked who made the soup. “Texas, did you make the soups?” (I didn’t know that I had a nickname – oh crap!) I admitted that I did make the soup. Then there was a minute or two of loud noises coming from Chef’s mouth – none of which I could decipher.

Okay, so I always tell people, “Taste, then season. You can always add more salt – you can never take it out.” Although, I think I read somewhere that you can add a raw potato and it will suck up the salt. Too late for that. I don’t remember adding salt, the stock is salty enough. Did it concentrate as it cooked down? Did someone come along behind and taste, adding more salt? I will probably never know. I want my recipes!

Galway

Well, not as good as I thought about keeping up as I thought I would be. I went to Galway for two days. Galway is located on the Western Coast, directly opposite of Dublin. It was a three hour train ride, first class of course. Anyway, the countryside was beautiful. I stayed at the Kinlay House near the train station. It was a youth hostile with about 200 beds. Great location – central to everything. I took a bus tour through the Burren and to see the Cliffs of Moher. It was the most beautiful place. The cliffs just drop, plunging into the sea. Very dramatic. The Burren is an area of limestone that has been stripped of trees and brush (a hundred years ago) and is just now starting to get back to what it was before. It takes so very long for trees to grow back and it is just only now that the brush is coming back. We happened onto some wild goats. There were castles all along the coast. Most of them in a state of ruin. Ireland doesn’t seem to, until now, keep up on its own history. Even the museum of natural history is in disrepair. It is currently closed as apparently, it is not safe for tours to walk around. Funny thing, they were going to move some of the Parliament there while their offices were getting work done, but it wasn’t safe.

Speaking of the Parliament, I was lucky enough to get a tour of the Parliament while they were in session voting on an Unemployment Amendment. I had dinner in their dining room followed by the tour. I went through the Upper and Lower houses…very cool. Then off to the bar in Parliament for a few pints of Guinness. I asked around and found that no Irish person that I came in contact with had ever been in the Parliament. Oh, almost forgot, I got to watch while they debated the amendment. Very cool. A little arguing going on. The sitting party blames the US for their problems, Labor blames the Irish. They said that the Celtic Tiger (economy) was so good the past 10 years, but what did Ireland (specifically the govt.) do with the money? They squandered it away. Anyway, it was finally nice to hear someone say that the United States is not entirely responsible for the World’s economic woes.

Well, enjoy and I promise to do better keeping up. I updated my website and will try and post at least one new recipe a week. Cheers, Darian

Starting out in Dublin, Ireland!

Well, I promised that I would get my blog up and running once I got here to Dublin and started working at the Fitzpatrick Castle Hotel. I have been here two weeks and have finally started to settle in. I arrived in Dublin on the 26th of August and started working at the Castle on the 28th. They wasted no time! I was immediately placed in PJ’s. It is the fine dining restaurant here at the hotel. It is usually open from Friday and Saturday evenings and Sunday for lunch. If the hotel has a lot of bookings then PJ’s will open more throughout the week. I have been put on the vegetable side of the kitchen. This means that I am supposed to come up with two vegetable side dishes and two potato side dishes for each meal. I am also responsible for the soup of the night and all of the appetizers. I will post more on the menu at a later date. Up until now, I have been told what they want me to do as a side dish. I was approached and told that I need to start coming up with the side dishes. No problem! Also, the vegetables are a very seasonal item. I have to plan around that.

The chefs that I have been working with have been more than helpful. I work with four chefs from South Africa, one from Germany, one from China, one from Poland, one from Romania, two from Ireland and one from the Philipines. The Executive Chef is from Ireland and has been with the hotel for 38 years. He told me that the only way he would ever leave is in a box! Well, I can tell you that by being in Ireland I thought that I would do just fine in the way of language. Since everyone here speaks English – what trouble would I have. That soon changed once I started working. The chefs are from all over the world (the wait staff are even more diverse). This means that there are as many accents. I have to really listen to people. The worst is the young chef from Dublin. His accents is insane. For example, he asked me to get a pitcher for cream. He said, “Can you get a joog?” Dry is pronounced “drooy” and when he wants you to put something on the grill he asks me to “lash it on the grill”.

Of course, being and American and living in Texas causes a little grief to be thrown my way. I was getting grief on day (all in good fun, I must add) and I looked around the room and said, “10 chefs against 1, not bad odds for a Texan!” They really thought it funny when I wore my cowboy boots during my orientation at the hotel. When I started working one of the chefs mentioned it and they all laughed. I replied with, “How would you like your butt kicked by a man in 2 inch heels?” That brought a roar of laughter.

I have been switching between the two restaurants. After PJ’s, the other restaurant is called “The Dungeon”. It is more of a quick-service more so than a fine-dining restaurant. A lot of the food is par-cooked and then once it is ordered it is finished off. The Dungeon does a lot of appetizers for the restaurant and the bar. They serve steaks, chicken and lots of fish and burgers. I will post more on the Dungeon as time goes on.

One last thing before I close this entry up. The weather has actually been great. The first few days after my arrival the weather was incredible. It is generally around 60 during the day and 50 at night. In fact, it is 12:30 AM and I have the balcony door open and I am jeans and a t-shirt. It does rain and I have been caught in it a couple of times. I will leave the apartment and it is sunny and bright. 30 minutes later it is pouring down rain. One day I went into the city and it was pouring. I had my raincoat and an umbrella. I spent a couple hours in the National Museum and when I came out is was sunny and warm. I had to carry that coat and umbrella around the rest of the day. But the minute you think you wont need the coat and umbrella, thats when the rain will come!

Thanks and stay tuned for my next post.
Darian