Tuesday, October 2, 2012

Tuesday, October 2, 2012

 

Today was the much-anticipated 1^st Julia Child dinner. We didn’t go into class until 1pm to compensate for how late we’d be getting out. I found myself paired with Ihsan Gurdal of Formaggio. Because he was only preparing cheese tasting plates, I spent the beginning of the afternoon assisting JJ on his arctic char prep. We spooned sauce into little bowls, chopped lettuce, and assembled plates. When Ihsan finally arrived, he led us through a demo of how he wanted each cheese and their accompaniments displayed. Accompaniments included Italian hazelnut honey, plum jam, and red pepper jelly. I didn’t like it as much as the cheese and wine tasting Chef John assembled for us last month, but everything still worked together and looked nice on the platters. It didn’t take long to finish that work, too, so I soon found myself floating around the large kitchen and alternating between curious observation and stepping in to help as needed. I got to see how each dish was made, assembled, plated, and expedited. It was a truly unbelievable experience to observe each chef in action. Once thing I loved was that many of the chefs stepped in to help other chefs when they needed it. At one point, two chefs were assisting the chef creating the tarte tatin while three or four more chefs observed. Coincidentally, my favorite chef station was the tarte tatin because Chef Jacky Robert used a red-hot branding iron to caramelize the tops of the tarte tatin. He kept the large, round irons on the stove for quite a while before using them. The gas was cranked up high and we could tell that the next step would be very exciting! When it was finally time for the dessert courses, he began branding each individual apple top, before passing it along to another chef, who plated the caramelized apple and pastry round and dolloped on crème fraiche. A large portion of the room became hazy with a wonderful burnt sugar smoke. And I thought the only thing pastry chefs had to worry about was White Lung (from long-term inhalation of flour).

By the end of the evening, we were able to taste virtually everything that went out into the dining room, including the massive tiger prawns and oysters on the half shell (from Island Creek Oysters). The two shellfish were served on ice in a real wooden boat which was set up on the demonstration table in the dining area. It was AMAZING. The prawns were so big they could have made mock lobster rolls. My favorite savory dish was the monkfish sautéed with roasted cherry tomatoes and olives. I scared a classmate by doing a Google image search for monkfish while we were tasting it. At some point, someone pointed to a large, metal stool hanging out in the kitchen and told us it was “Julia’s stool.” Apparently it was her favorite back in the days when she actually taught students in the program. Awestruck, we all clamored to take pictures of ourselves while enthroned on the very famous stool.

The official menu from the night:

First

 

Omble-Chevalier Mousseline (Arctic Char) by Jean-Jacques Paimblanc

Monkfish pillard Nicoise Olives with a Cabernet Franc Sauce by Richard Vellante

Foie Gras with Oxtail Potato Cake by Stan Frankenthaler

Second

Rabbit Ravioli by Jody Adams

Roasted Lemon Chicken with Garlic and Parsley by Gordon Hamersley

Ginger-Orange Duck “Cassoulet” by Ming Tsai

Pithivier with Candy Striped Beets, Mission Figs, and Roquefort by Susan Regis

 

Third

Cheeses by Ihsan Gurdal

Tarte Tatin by Jacky Robert

Dacquoise and Chocolate by Jim Dodge