ONE THE COOLEST PART OF THE MAIN KITCHEN
INTRODUCING THE COLD LARDER AND WHAT IS HAPPENING HERE
The cold larder is a very vital part of any kitchen operation. In a big hotel, the cold larder is responsible for all the cold dishes, from entrees to salads, terrines to pate, salad dressings to special sauces, butter - and ice figurines for buffets and food displays and lots more.
Like in the Hot Section, a "Chef de Partie" or senior Chef is in charge. We apprentices get to work on all sections for a few months to learn all about the different foods and how they getting made and finished to serve.
Here is a breakdown on what gets made in a Cold Larder Section:
Terrines and pate: A very complex process to make terrines and pate. A terrine is a cold meat packed in a pastry with gelatin, a veal bones based jelly. A pate is also meat based but generally spreadable, therefor more soft. Pate can be made from chicken liver flavored with green peppercorns or any other suitable meats and seasonings.
Smoked trout, smoked salmon and smoked chicken, including some smoked meats: Some hotels have their own smoking machine or oven. The meats are placed on a wire rack where all fish is normally hanging on a hook. Special wood chips are placed on the bottom and ignited so they just create a smoke without fire. The oven gets closed and the smoke will flavor the fish. With meats, also heat is applied to cook the meat very slowly while the smoke will add the flavor. Some meats are getting seasoned with peppercorns and special herbs, including some salts to enhance the flavor. While I did my apprenticeship, we bought all the smoked fish and meats because we did not have any smoking ovens. We still had to learn theoretically how the smoking process works.
Canapes - amuse bouche - small bite size mini appetizers: Only by request, some functions had those mini appetizers served with before dinner drinks or aperitif. Bite size breads with smoked salmon, smoked trout, different continental meats like ham, salami, pastrami, shrimps and prawns, crabs, caviar, lobster and the like. It all depended on how much the customer was prepared to spend.
Salads: Not your lettuce type salads but pasta salads, rice salads, vegetable salads, seafood salads, meat salads, with a ready made dressing mixed through.
Salad dressings: Dressings like Italian dressing, French Dressing, Thousand Island dressing made in the Cold Larder section for the restaurants and buffets.
Special Sauces: Mayonnaise, Cocktail sauce, Tartar sauce, Vinaigrette, plus any requested sauces for functions or special guest requests.
Pickled vegetables: Also made on the Cold Larder Section, pickled vegetables are soaked in a hot vinegar based stock with mustard seeds, peppercorns, herbs and spices.
Condiments: Generally for buffets, small bowls with dill cucumbers, pickled vegetables, special sauces, chopped parsley and herbs, mustard's, chopped onions and garlic, chopped chili, plus anything required for a buffet or a guest request.
Whipped butter: Very traditional, in Switzerland, butter is whipped in a stand mixer until the color is snow white and soft and spreadable.Using a piping bag with a star nozzle, the butter is piped into small butter bowls and served with fresh bread.
Herb butter: A whipped butter with herbs, spices and flavors. A very common one is called "Cafe de Paris", not a coffee but a name for a common herb butter eaten with a grilled steak instead a sauce. There are a number of different herb butters depending what flavor is used. Using a piping bag with a star nozzle, small portions of this butter is getting piped on to a cold stainless steel tray and then frozen.
Butter and Ice sculptures: A top Cold Larder Chef knows the skill of making figurines out of butter or ice. In my apprenticeship I was lucky enough to know the Cold larder Chef who had that skill. The butter used to make figurines is not edible. The melting point is lot higher so the sculptures don't melt away.
The ice used came in a block. You could not made a mistake, when working with ice. It is a very tricky job and one has to learn for at least 1 year to work with ice.In contrast working with butter is a lot easier. If you make a mistake, you can correct that mistake very easy, with ice, a totally different story. The ice needs to have a certain temperature to work with. If the ice is too cold, it breaks or a piece will snap off.
Platters for buffets and special events: All platters for functions and buffets except breakfast buffets are done in the Cold Larder section. Using mirror platters, wooden - and stainless steel platters. From seafood - to meat platters, cheese platters generally on a wooden platter, platters with terrines are done in the Cold Larder Section. Presenting the food is a vital part of any buffet as the guests also eat with their eyes. A skill to be learned, placing all the foods in the right order and keeping the platter spotless. The hardest platters are the mirror platters. Not even a fingerprint, sauce drop or anything out of place.
PREPARATION FOR THE BREAKFAST BUFFET:
The breakfast Chef prepares all the platters and foods for the next day in the Cold Larder Section. The reason for that is the ambient temperature. Part of the preparation was:
Platters: Continental meats, fruit and cheese platters
Large glass bowls with: fruits like cooked peaches, apricots, plums and pears. "Bircher Muesli" (a Swiss National Dish made with oats, nuts, fresh fruits, sultanas mixed with yoghurt, orange juice and finished with a touch of whipped cream), Portion Jams, Butter and Margarine, Portion Yogurts
Egg mix: for scrambled eggs, also whole eggs to be cooked on the day for fried eggs and boiled eggs.
Bacon: placed on stainless steel platters to be cooked in the oven on the day
Chipolata sausages: white small sausages made from veal or chicken, popular in Switzerland
Tomatoes: cut in half's and brushed with liquid butter and seasoned with salt, pepper and herbs, placed on a stainless steel tray to be cooked on the day in the oven.
Bread rolls and croissants: from the pastry section on the day. Toast breads delivered early in the morning of the day.
Next week I will talk about the Vegetable -, Fish and Seafood - and meat section. Until then, enjoy life, eat good food and live well.
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