Cohesian

So the kitchen is an organism.  Not always an organisation. It can be organized. We speak of flow and complain when it doesn't happen. Achieving that balance is a strange thing. Micromanage and the balance shifts. Don't supervise or assist and you risk loosing control. I manage the flow and the preparation of raw ingredients to the line cooks. This is where i identified the system most often breaks down.
    Recipes need to followed but can be modified if a technique can increase the speed of service. Procedures are flexible if the result is a better product. I like to think of like ice skating. Balancing on a thin blade and knowing the technique but being creative in the process.

•     I'll let you know how this evolves. The organism that is the crew and ultimately the restaurant.

Intellectual Property

I write recipes as part of my job.  It's not all about pulling something directly out my head. It's a combination of reading three or four recipes and relying on my experience with technique and knowledge of ingredients. So it's not creating it's 'arranging' and experimentation. The question is then who 'owns' the recipe.

I do take care to note where i received the original material. I do make them available on social media. I have never sold a recipe, unless you count the time spent perfecting the technique in my employer's kitchen. As i formulate a cookbook i need to consider intellectual property law.

I'll keep you posted. Every recipe has a story, that story is definately my intellectual property.

re-writing the menu

i am currently employed at  a restaurant. i guess you could say i was re-hired, i had worked there twenty years ago. when i began again the owner told me they were 'in transition'; the menu is being re-written, a few recipes will be tightened up and change will happen. this is in my skill set, along with 'working with difficult people' and 'taking abuse with a smile'.

the restaurant is a place that has been open since 1933 and represents a beer brand that has been around since 1857. i haven't seen all the menus, but a beer and sandwich has been the theme. the owners have decided that standard 'bar food'  should not be the focus. so we are sticking with a German- American theme(which it always had) and bringing in a few healthier options and more in-house recipes.

so the testing phase and the inclusion of necessary team members has begun. the menu changes are running towards cost and efficiency of preparation,  gonna loose a few clunkers and gain a few new best sellers and full dessert menu. we'll try to dodge the sports bar theme, it was never evident on the menu. I like to think 'sports bars' and 'brew pubs' copied this place. here's how i'm attacking it...

•  look at the menu and take off the undersold/unpopular items.
•  look at the kitchen on a typical busy service night. which station is over stressed?
•  which items are kinda a pain in the ass to prepare? 
• which recipes can be tweaked to add value and flavor?
• what are customers asking for that you don't have? 

 so that's what i'll be doing for the next couple of weeks, a little remodeling.

water under the bridge and rising

      line cooking is an art and profession. aspiring for a career in the field always begins with 'i want to be a chef like ____'. fill in the blank with any celebrity chef or local hero. people forget the basics when undertaking a career in cooking. line cooking is like a sport, not everyone who plays basketball is gonna be like Micheal Jordan. not that i advocate mediocrity at any level. i just never aspired to be a hero or perhaps along the way deferred that dream in the face of reality.

       i have worked in the industry since i was 17. i'm a good cook, a dishwasher, a basic maintenance man, a kitchen cleaner, an opener, a closer, and  a gracious host when called out the kitchen. i can bring home the bacon, tell you where to get at a decent price and at the best quality, then fry it up in a pan. being a cook means that i am 'the food guy' at cocktail parties. people ask me for recipes and then tell me that they love food too much to choose it as a profession. my job sometimes entails the tedium of paperwork.  i make an inventory list and hand count every item in the kitchen. i write training manuals and recipes with food costs and weights and measurements. i prepare specs for every item on the menu and even photograph the items before i send them on to other cooks. i order food for parties and estimate how many people can be served with a banquet or platter of appetizers. it's a job and it's work.
     i have been known to work until midnight and then be back in the kitchen at seven the next morning. i can spend a week prepping for a event and then work the event for 3 days straight. I have portioned, prepped and cooked 700 lbs of lutefisk over a weekend event at a college. I see the procedures and the flow of the kitchen in my head when the room is bare and equipment hasn't even been purchased to fill the space. it's a mindset and i can function in the middle of room of sweaty angry people and still find peace in my craft. I have worked in 120 degrees and worn moist towels out the freezer for  cooling.

What i haven't done is appear on TV or get my name mentioned in a review.  i am humble when i need to get the work done and make my boss look good. a local chef after i congratulated him for winning an award told me 'they must have been drunk when they gave that to me'. this is cooking and eating and dancing, i couldn't wish for a more vital profession. i hardly ever sit down and when i do i get nervous like a caged animal. i keep moving and thinking and looking for a better way to serve food. i read and look at pictures and hang out with my peers when i can, but they understand when i can't make it because i have a job to do.  Sure, aspire to greatness but let the celebrities do their thing on TV, that's not line cooking.

tempeh-tation...

tempeh and tofu are soy products that require a treatment before cooking. marination, saute`ing or roasting work well. tempeh is a fermented whole soybean product, the fermentation is accomplished originally by wrapping in banana leaves and adding a culture of rhizopus oligosperus. so there you have it, a little backroundand then into the recipes.

red curried tempeh and sweet potato soup

16 oz. tempeh
1/4 cup sweet soy,  also known as katchup manis
1/2 cup sweet rice wine
1 Tbsp chili garlic paste
      cut tempeh into cubes and toss with above ingredients. marinate for an hour or over night.
      while you are waiting prepare the rest of the ingredients.

1 cup sweet potato/yam, diced into 2 in square cubes.
1/2 cup yellow onion, diced into 1/2 in cubes
1/2 cup roasted red pepper, 1/2 in. dice
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
salt/pepper
    saute above in oil until slightly carmelized over medium high heat
    add
16 oz diced tomatoes
1 qt vegetable stock
16 oz coconut milk
3 Tbsp commercial red thia red curry paste
    bring to boil and simmer for 15-20 minutes until sweet potatoes are soft

back to the tempeh now....
after marinating it will be roasted in a 400 degree oven until slightly caramelized. this will be accomplished thusly... oil a baking sheet(or cover with parchment paper)
 place marinated tempeh on it.
spread out so even cooking will happen.
pop in the oven and wait for the magic to happen.
then add the roasted tempeh to the soup.
correct the seasoning and enjoy with maybe a little rice.

eggsactly

...couldn't resist the pun.
deviled eggs

 1 dozen boiled eggs
mayonnaise
mustard
salt/pepper
garnish
        more of a technique than a recipe
boil the eggs by starting with cold water in a pot and slowly bringing up to a boil and boiling for ten minutes and 
then shock in ice water to cool.
once the eggs have been peeled, scoop out the yolks. i actually started cutting my eggs with a sharp knife(shell intact) and separating the eggs from the shell with a spoon.
mix the yolks with mayo to moisten and and add dijon mustard to taste, salt and pepper too
if you feel like it the yolk mixture can be piped back into the yolks other wise just spoon them into the cavity in the eggs
appropriately garnish and and enjoy a simple pleasure.

goose, yer new year

so i received a goose from a friend this year. i think i'll treat it like duck in the preparation. it seems to have ample fat, goose fat will be nice for a change. but back to present situation; i parted it out yesterday and made stock, i have two breasts and two legs and thighs, both are awaiting an inspiration to be cooked  into something delicious. i think i'll confit the leg/ thighs and saute the breasts.

the stock has been said to be delicious, i roasted the carcass along with mirepoix and fresh thyme. there was a large amount of fat rendered for roasting potatoes, i have an idea where this going. i also still have the liver, heart and gizzard in a bag. i see that going into a delicious rillet with one of the confit'ed legs. the other confit'ed leg will probably maybe go into a pot of cassoulette, along with some sausage and whatever  other bits i can pull together.. i think i need to study the literature a bit more and discuss the possible outcomes with my sous chef before i go any  further. I'm just the creative guy she's the one in charge.

lamb, not mutton.

lamb on buns

boneless leg of lamb
salt/pepper
African spice blend
olive oil

dried black mission figs
red wine
caramelized onions
fresh chevre cheese

buns, (preferably small and dense enough to handle the juice)

• take 2-3 lb boneless leg of lamb out of 'sock', it usually is comes boned and rewrapped in a cotton netting, salt and pepper and rub with an aromatic african spice blend: cardamon, cloves, cinnamon, fresh ginger and garlic, cumin, sumac, cayenne. coriander...etc coat in olive oil( 3 tbsp)  tie into dense bundle and place in hot oven, reduce heat to 300 F and roast to medium/med rare. for maybe 1 hour or more,  to an internal temp of 120 F or less. rest and slice.
• prepare fig compote by reconstituting figs in warm red wine for 2 hours or more, salt pepper , maybe a little honey. bring to boil on stovetop, reduce heat to simmer and cook until soft, puree and hold.
• carmelize onion by heating slowly to a dark brown and sticky consistency(30+ minutes)
• to serve, warm buns, place 2-3 oz sliced, warmed lamb on on bun, dollop of both compote and caramelized onion , add a knob of fresh goat cheese and serve open faced.

thanksgiving 2012

menu
entree: roasted spatch-cocked*  whole chicken  with herb stuffing, including bacon and meatballs(my 7 yr old son's idea)

sides: roasted asparagus
          bacon braised green beans
          pureed sweet potatoes
          garlic mashed potatoes
          cranberry relish
          pan gravy

wine: 2011 dearly beloved table red, central coast California

* this is an actual term for  a semi, de-boned bird, drumsticks and wings are left intact. the breast bone ,ribs, spine and thigh bones are removed.
recipes and procedures to follow.

       

summertime, a reason to cook for friends

i'm ready for jasmine lime green tea, roasted vegetable ratatouille, and maybe some over-cooked meat on the hibachi.  i'll get to that stuff in a little bit.
 i don't feel like writing, i should at least shoot out a photo. i'll find one later.

good afternoon

braised brussel sprouts with caraway seed

1-2 lbs brussels sprouts
1/4 cup finely diced onions
olive oil
whole caraway seed
salt/pepper
1/2 cup chicken stock

prepare brussels sprouts, peeling off outer leaves, cutting off stem end and halve
heat 12 inch skillet to smoking, add olive oil, brussels sprouts and onion
caramelize/brown sprouts and onion maybe 5 minutes depending on heat
toss in caraway seeds, salt and pepper
add chicken stock, should come to a boil quickly
cover and braise until tender but still with a little crunch

preface; rough draft

i've been working on this thing for some time. i went into it thinking that any chef with a clear plan could write a cookbook. then i realized that i don't want to write just a cookbook with recipes or an instructional manual with ingredients and techniques. this is a storybook with recipes, 45 years of my life in various kitchens. i grew up in a household that cooked by the seasons. not based  an ideal, but out of necessity, it's tough getting a decent tomato in northern wisconsin in january. my mother made bread cause she liked to and because it was cheaper. we canned and froze produce cause it tasted better and it was less expensive. that is what i hope to present as a theme to this volume.

i remember waiting for the 'lug' of peaches at 'red's farm stand' in my home town. my mother would check the ripeness and the cost and then we would carry it to the car. i hung out in the kitchen and helped some days, there was something i liked about working in kitchen early in my life. in the spring we had lettuce, loose leaf, cause head lettuce was too hard  to grow, in june we went to the u-pick strawberry ranch and made jam. there were potlucks at church, and then the period of time where my mother held meeting of the 'big dipper' food buying club at our house. there was the time when we came home from a sunday morning service to find that the dog had gotten into the pastry my mother baked the night before, and buried each one in a corner of the chairs and couch in the living room.

i remember eating my first seafood stew at my uncles house, then getting the recipe. my mother indulging my curiosity by letting me cook it at 12 years old, and my first solo project with bechamel, fish stock and fresh seafood. the time i decided after experimenting with chopped liver that i decided it was time time make pate' en croute right out the 'joy of cooking'. the only experience i had then was a steady diet of julia child and the galloping gourmet, i played TV chef with a friend in front of a big picture window. the time we decided to grow basil and make green spaghetti(basil pesto), pasta carbonara, thickened with egg yolks from a community theatre production of 'strega nona'. It was all a series of experiments from TV, books and garden magazines. this is what i thought i could put into a book, years of experience and a healthy dose of experimentation. then we also have to include my grandmother and her juicer in the seventies, serving carrot juice to the card club. the only store bought cookies i ate as a child, fig newtons, cause there was no way anyone could make those at home.

this i remember....

eggs, a benedict arnold

when you cook an egg you give away all your secrets. cooking an egg properly tells anyone eating the meal how good a cook you are. we have all eaten eggs at sometime in our lives, and i believe a properly cooked egg is not the as easy as you would believe.

for a poached  egg you need perfect timing and a good pot of simmering water; too long and it's hard, not enough vinegar in the water and it 'threads, an unfresh egg will make the cooks life miserable when the yolk breaks and the white runs all over the pot. a fried egg must be cooked slowly or it will stick to the pan or toughen to a noticeable degree. an omelet must be cooked in a properly seasoned pan and manipulated to cook up fluffy and evenly. how well you cook eggs should be the value by which a chef is judged.

the perfect hollandaise sauce  is a whole other matter. a good chef knows when to reveal his secrets. i have read and understood the scientific studies of a complex protein, fat and acid emulsion commonly referred to as hollandaise or bernaise sauce.

chef driven or driven chef

it has been a year and a half since i first posted on this blog and 'branded' Blue Collar Cook. i'm not the only blue collar cook out there, so the name is not unique. but what is the next step?, do i finish the book that i have partially written in my head. this blog was brought together to organize my thoughts for the future manuscript.

it's been an interesting work experience in the meantime, short-term gigs, a little unemployment. As i envision this professional blog i have attempted to keep the personal life out of it. i like that in a blog sometimes. we'll keep it that way. to pull together this into a cookbook slash commentary slash storybook, i will need an editor. i'm good but i'm too close to the work to criticize it, my wife is too dear to me to be my editor. I need a word ninja, a heartless cruel bastard to turn this  collection of thoughts into a book. there you go....

poaching

the technique is simple, to cook something in liquid slowly. normally it is intended for a tender protein product, such as poultry, fish or even eggs. the trick is to maintain a slow even heat and cook just to point of 'doneness' the poaching liquid should never boil. the most technical form of poaching is sous vide, where you maintain an even temperature and constant temperature by circulating the poaching liquid with pump and enclose the item to be poached in a special plastic wrapper.

to understand why poaching is great, you have to understand the science of protein and i will explain it briefly. protein is composed of strands that contract when heated, if you heat it too quickly the protein becomes tough, if you heat it longer at a slower temperature those strands relax and become more tender. a poached piece of fish or even a chicken breast will be tender and moist without being overcooked and flavorless. the choice of poaching liquid can even add more flavor. i will now explain how to poach a chicken breast simply and without overcooking. the texture  of a properly(fully cooked) poached chicken breast may be unfamiliar since most people are used to overcooked chicken.

the key in my book to poaching is the slow heating and not so much the rapid heating. select a standard package of chicken breast(2-3 half breasts) of maybe a pound or more. purchase a 2 quart package of low sodium chicken stock(or use homemade). place the chicken breasts in a kettle deep enough to hold them and add chicken stock to cover. set a low fire under the vessel and wait it out for maybe 20 minutes. changes will occur and at no time do you wish for the stock to boil rapidly. when the internal temperature of the chicken breast reaches 165 F it's done. i had to say that, i actually have been known to eat a clean, fresh chicken breast at 145 F but i cannot legally recommend such a practice. now serve the no longer pink, but very tender chicken breast in a salad or chopped in a pasta dish; or just keep it your fridge for a snack with a little honey mustard.

bread of life will not be sliced and bagged

this blog has been occupied. the blue collar cook is a member of the 99% and he's not gonna take it anymore. america has been highjacked by a profit before people corporate model and it's killing us. The corporate food suppliers have given us what we wanted and now we are weak and sick and that's just how they like it.

there are many avenues to discuss this crisis, and i may not have all the answers, but the discussion begins here. most food blogs are about recipes and having a singular food experience, i'm not satisfied with that model. in the months since i dedicated a blog to food, i have become more unhappy with the state of the food world. Maybe it was the affectations of a 'foodie' community that pays to much for good food and lives in a bubble. maybe i shouldn't be a critic of a culture that writes the checks and on which i feed. The knowledge of cooking is now in the hands of professionals and a few dedicated 'foodies'. this is not rocket science folks, everyone once knew how to bake and prepare a healthy meal from whole ingredients where i grew up. 

so how did we get here? the biggest culprit is something that was supposed to make our lives easier.  what is the common cliche`, 'the best thing to come along since sliced bread'. i don't like sliced bread, i don't like soft bread, i don't even like bread that tastes the same tomorrow as it does today. give me a crusty loaf of bread with character that needs to torn and stales if you don't eat it today. so enter that great stuff, a loaf of bread that's as good tomorrow as it is today and is pre-sliced and comes in a nice bag stocked like a can of beans on your grocers shelves.  a whole generation or two has grown up without mama baking bread twice a week or a scratch bakery down the street. so they replace what is truly good tasting and nutritious with what is easy and is 'good enough'. once you got that past the consumer the industrialization of food production was easy. we forgot what good food tasted and felt like, so we didn't know what we were missing. yep, that's how we got here, we decided to make our lives easier in the kitchen and we lost a grip on good food. 

so how do we get back what we once had? or is it even possible. that's the next installment, i haven't got all night to write about this and hell, your attention span is about 2 minutes anyway, so good night.

beyond the microwave

i was recently enlisted to solve a problem, or perceived a problem and sought to solve it.

Q: what did professional chefs do before there were microwaves and  secondly why isn't there a microwave in your kitchen?

A: it's not as complex as you think. steam.heat
steam is hot, hotter than water and it penetrates many foods. some people would think hot oil and deep fryers are another rapid cooking technique and they are. the risks outweigh the benefits and another thing, i don't like hot fat and it's stench in my kitchen, oh and the clean-up is lousy.
there are table top steamers, there are stovetop steamers, you can saute` in a pan and add a cooking liquid and cover.  there you have it.... fast and simple but maybe too simple. just start thinking about steam a little bit more.

Il est interdit d’interdire.

there is class warfare and it's not going away. tonight i am breaking all the rules and posting a political statement on what i consider a largely professional/non-political blog.

there are protests going on in the streets of all the major cities in America, 1000+ i heard was the last count. there will be many opinions formed and my voice will be heard. i am the blue collar cook and it is my duty to provide an analysis.

 people are pissed off at the state of the world and others are telling them this is the status quo and that maybe protesting is a bad idea. i can't pretend something is not happening and the news blackout has gone on long enough. people are getting run over  by gangs of cops on motorcycle in NYC for god's sakes. this will be a another long winter of our discontent.

where do we go from here? who the hell knows, i am not a news analyst or a prophet. i do know and can discern that the polarization is the worst i have seen in my lifetime. maybe i haven't paid attention the rest of the time. i will not keep my head down and do my job and sit idly by watching the world implode and say that i did nothing. I may not be on the front lines everyday, but i will do my part.

i am remembering a line from 'it's a wonderful life'....'while harry fought the war in europe, george fought the war at home'... i can say i will engage everyone i have contact with everyday, if they seem like they have an opinion or an interest. the outcome of the battles in the class warfare will be decided around the kitchen tables and the water coolers not by screaming crowds or radio pundits. i support every-mans right to an opinion but i cannot condone an ill informed public that has soaked up the lies meant to provide 'consumer confidence'. it's bad out there and there is nothing being done to make it better.

it's time for well meaning and informed people to take to the streets and let their voices be heard, thank god it's happening finally. In it's early stages there will be confusion, but don't let that discourage you or say 'this is not my protest'. it is everybody's protest,  who is feeling the pinch of a bad economy? do you feel that washington has turned a deaf ear towards the will of the people? then get out there. there is nothing that the jobless or the working poor have done wrong. people are not out there because they want a hand-out or want to play out their own revolutionary fantasy. people are out there because they got a raw deal and they are pissed. somebody has broken the economy and nobody is doing shit to fix it or actively telling lies to protect their own self interests. you are not a failed potential rich person, your american dream has been stolen. now get out there and do what it takes to get it back

meatless mondays

i like vegetarian food not for any other reason than it tastes good. alright, there's that issue about energy conversion of meat based vs vegetarian diets. i first saw this in francis moore lappe's book and even heard her speak, so a meatless monday is the least i can do. enough chatter, the recipe i have chosen is a perennial favorite at my house and not all hard to make. roasting is an easy technique, if you have a convection oven all the better. otherwise, if the vegetables get limp before they show some color, pop the pan under the broiler for a minute or two.

roasted vegetable ratatouille

3 small zucchini
3 small yellow squash
1 medium italian eggplant or 3 asian eggplants
1 red pepper
1 red onion
1 head of garlic(5-10 cloves)
3 medium tomatoes
olive oil, salt and pepper
fresh basil, thyme, oregano

• dice all vegetables into 1-2 inch chunks, and clean garlic but leave cloves whole
• keep vegetables separate due to differing cooking times and consistencies
• preheat oven to 450 F, yeah, that's hot, but you won't be cooking them that long
• combine squash and zucchini with 1 tbsp. olive oil and salt and pepper to taste
• lay evenly on a sheet pan and pop in the oven, roast for 10-20 minutes or until crisp/tender and slightly browned, reserve to 3 qt cooking vessel
• on the same pan roasted the eggplant(combined with olive oil and s/p) a little longer but to the same degree of doneness or maybe a little softer and throw it too in the cooking vessel
• finally roast the garlic , onions and red pepper and also reserve to cooking vessel
• reduce oven heat to 300 F and roast/dry the tomatoes until most of liquid is rendered and if possible evaporated, may take up to an hour or more.
• all the roasting can be done in succession on one pan or on 4 pans if you're in a hurry, just remember different thing cook for different times and at different temps.
• combine all the ingredients and add chopped fresh basil, thyme and oregano, serve over polenta or pasta if you wish, or chop the ingredients smaller(brunois) and spread on toasted bread

a summer treat

so i like green tea and i like lemon and lime. there is a summer treat that i learned from my time at Peet's coffee and tea. it's really just a twist on an arnold palmer.

jasmine lime cooler
2 cups strong jasmine green tea...jasmine downy pearls are pictured above
2 cups prepared limeade
2 cups prepared lemonade