Dr. Joy cracks an egg

Certified

drjoycracksanegg — Fri, 18 Feb 2011 17:14:18 +0000

Officially certified in culinary arts!

It means I have some basic level of competency in professional cooking, but it also means I have years of hard work ahead.

Thank you all for the love and support during this process. This blog has been a great accompaniment to my education.

However, I must now focus on developing my skills, offline.

Wishing all food lovers the best.
Happy Eating!

Picture: Special off-the-menu dessert platter at L’Espalier.

Valentine’s Day Prep Underway

drjoycracksanegg — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 17:09:41 +0000

This Valentine’s Day weekend (Friday – Monday) will bring 700+ covers to the restaurant.

Tons of preparations were churned out all through the week. Usually by dinner service time, the back prep area is cleaned up with sparse activity but this past week saw mad action from savory and pastry departments from both restaurants (L’Espalier and Sel de la Terre Back Bay are connected behind the scenes!). Think mounts of lamb saddles, beef ternderloins, produce, cookies, and cakes.

How have I contributed? Oh, only 10 gallons of ice cream. (Macaron and Meyer Lemon)

Filed under: Internship Tagged: Valentine's day prep

Dessert Menu

drjoycracksanegg — Wed, 09 Feb 2011 17:46:04 +0000

I have tasted almost every component of the following, and they are delicious.
Presented on large white plates, each dessert comes with a range of colors and textures, and key distinction — not cloying.

Apple tarte Tatin, kataifi nest, Earl Grey mousse, butterscotch cream; sticky bun ice cream

Tiramisu: epresso chicory curd, malt foam; cardamom mascarpone ice cream

Chocolate-praline gateau, blood orange fluid gel, wafer streusel; fruit of cocoa ice cream

Sachertorte souffle, panna cotta; vanilla ice cream

Aerated chestnut cake, chestnut curd, orange sassafras fluid gel, sesame oil foam; coconut lime sorbet

Compressed Asian pear, tonka bean mousse, chocolate canneles; pear jasmine sorbet

Chocolate banana macadamia bread pudding, creme anglaise; milk chocolate sorbet

Trio of assorted glaces

Jiho’s tasting for two

Filed under: Internship

Work on the Sweet Line

drjoycracksanegg — Sat, 05 Feb 2011 17:28:01 +0000

Pastry department is indeed very different from the savory side. In pastry, the entire team works together as one unit where as savory walks around like Voltron — each unit operating on their own until the assembly during service. The staff’s work style, pace, and personalities are all different between the two departments.

Starting at 7am, the morning shift begins prep. From bread baking to cakes and sauces, a lot of elements are carefully produced. The dinner shift folks come in early afternoon, helps finish up the prep list, sets up for service, then do final plating during dinner service.

I love it when there’s a party and the composed plates lined up looking all nice. (This is also true of savory dishes but they were always sent off right upon completion, hard to photograph).

Cheese Plate
3 cheeses accompanied by apricot, candied walnuts, and French baguette

Party Dessert
flourless chocolate decadence cake, white chocolate powder, wafer crumbs, crimson berry sauce, panna cotta topped with orange foam, (and macaron ice cream right before service)

Filed under: Internship Tagged: cheese plate, chocolate, panna cotta, pastry

Pastry Week

drjoycracksanegg — Tue, 01 Feb 2011 14:04:26 +0000

With only 2 weeks left in my internship, I’m seizing the opportunity to gain some experience at our acclaimed pastry department.

A whole new process and a whole new set of required skills — perfect for my pursuit of “never-boring.”

Think plated desserts with 5+ elements, sweet treats with powders, foams, and the occasional liquid nitrogen.

Measurements and printed recipes. Definitely different from the savory side, but welcomingly familiar.

Filed under: Internship Tagged: pastry department