COOL, COOLER AND COLD
A new part of my Chefs apprenticeship was to work and learn all about the Cold Larder section of the Main Kitchen. The Chef in charge was called: Chef Gardemanger, the chef in charge for the cold larder. In Switzerland the kitchen language was French for all dishes, titles and service commands. We all spoke Swiss German but all the kitchen names where in French.
When I started in the cold larder, the chef in charge was Manuel, a Spanish chef. He was a short man but brilliant in his work. He could also make butter sculptures and ice sculptures. I had a good teacher, he also had a great humour and was a good communicator. Manuel was a hard worker and he would exept the same from everybody working with him, including apprentices.
EVERY THING DONE FROM SCRATCH
Been a apprentice, we had to hand write a minimum of 800 recipes. This was a requirement from the trades school as part of the apprenticeship. Recipes, a apprentice had to cook or make. During our apprenticeship we had to present the recipe folder to our Executive Chef for revue and about 2 times per year we had to bring our recipe folder to Trades school for revue.
Working in the cold larder I had to learn how to do all our salad dressings, mayonnaise based sauces, paté's, different salads and classic salads, terrines, meat jellies, different classic sauces for cold entrees and many more jobs like platters for buffets, canapees for pre dinner drinks, cocktail parties and outsite catering. Also working with smoked fish like smoked trout and salmon, seafoods like lobsters, prawns, mussels, continental meats and caviar.
This was the right opportunity to learn and to write down the recipes before writing the recipes neetly into the recipe folder. We where not allowed just to copy recipes out of a magazines or books. Our Executive Chef would test us by picking a recipe we have written down and make us cook or make that recipe.
The photo shows a traditional salade Nicoice, a cold larder dish
We started working at 8 in the morning, till 5 in the evening. Sometimes we would work straight through till 10 at night when we had a function or a buffet function.
We have a saying when you work as a Chef; You will always know when you start to work but you sometimes don't know when you finsh work and go home.
Preparing and making everything from scratch was a common practise in those days. Nothing was bought ready made. Every section in the kitchen had a in house recipe folder, ensuring that every time the end result of the dish, sauce, soup or what ever we had to prepare and cook, was the same.
The photos show canapé's, served for a cocktail party or pre - dinner drinks
A steady hand, patience and passion
Working in the larder section also required a steady hand. Some work was like surgery, every small detail had to be perfect. Sometimes I had to control my temper, where patience comes to play. Plus I was passionate to always learn and work towards a perfect presentation and nothing less.
Manuel, the chef in charge of the cold larder was a excellent teacher, otherwise I could not make canapé's like the one above. I made them for my Dad's 80th birthday for a birthday cocktail party.
Next week I will talk about a function where the guests paid CHF 10'000 per person and how I was devastated afterwards. A experience I never forget as longest I live. Till then, enjoy life and fine foods.
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