*ramekins=bowls/cups
*ISI container is like a long column like thing, in which whatever liquid we put in , comes out as a foam. In engineer's terminology, input=liquid, output=foam. Gotcha?
*Some(most) chefs that I will mention in this book are real. Of course sometimes their actual work might be a bit different than how it is represented here, just in the technicalities, like I don't know if Jamie Oliver partners with other chefs in his program, but he does have a program as I mention below. Just some minute details might be different. Enjoy!
(^^^^^^ that is JAMIE OLIVER)
RAGINI'S POV
I opened the door of the kitchen and stepped in. It was exactly 10 o'clock right now that means the prep was lunch service was now beginning. Lunch time was 12.00 to 2.30 p.m.
The menu kept on changing every day. There would be a few dishes that would be prepared everyday. Chef Inolas believed less is more, in terms of the number of dishes that would be prepared on a particular day. He was not a huge fan of making hundreds of dishes and just shoving them over the counter. The minimal number of dishes that would be prepared would take hours of prep and cooking time, and they would always be plated carefully, and only after Chef Inolas' approval would they go out to the customers.
Today I was assigned the dessert section and I had to handle it along with the pastry chef, Chef Sabina Morsel, who was also a sous-chef.
"Morning Chef." I said to Chef Sabina.
"Ah. Good Morning Chef Ragini, come help me." Chef Sabina said as I saw what she was doing. She was peeling mangoes and there were strawberries too, amongst other things that were kept on the counter.
I started cleaning my knives. Soon, I moved onto peeling the mangoes and cleaning the strawberries. Chef Sabina had told me what we were making for the lunch service,- 'Choco lava cake filled with strawberry coulis' , 'Mango Cheesecake with Mango Sorbet' and an 'Eton Mess with crispy meringue.' So I started prepping for that. I started working on my meringue and mango sorbet and strawberry . There were multiple elements in the 3 desserts that we had to make, and the time always, always seemed to be ahead of us.
I started putting the mango in the blender to make the mango sorbet that would be the part of one of the desserts. After I was done with that, I needed to work with my chocolate to develop the Choco-Lava Cake. It was one of the customer favourites, and it needed to be done perfectly as timing is a very important factor for the outer layer of the Choco Lava Cake. I started melting the chocolate pieces in a double boiler and kept on mixing the chocolate continuously so that the mixture did not have lumps. Then I took it off the boiler and poured in my wet ingredients in it first. In another bowl I mixed all my dry ingredients and then poured them in the bowl of the wet mixture. I kept on mixing it repeatedly till I was happy with the consistency.
"Coming through, hot hot hot." I heard Jessie say as she passed from behind me.
I took my mango mixture and poured it onto a tray. I picked up the tray and went to put it in the freezer along with the tray that had the mixture that chef Sabina had spread out for our mango cheescake.
"Heavy heavy ,behind you, watch out." I said as I made my way towards the freezer.
This type of communication is absolutely necessary when you are working in a kitchen and there is lunch prep or dinner prep or any sort of service you are working on.
I poured my chocolate mixture in their ramekins and tapped each and every one of them on the counter so that there were no bubbles inside the chocolate mixture. I had only filled the mixture about half way through the cup, because the strawberry coulis needed to be put in the middle and then I had to fill up the remaining chocolate mixture in the cups. I took out the strawberry coulis that chef Sabina had prepared in the meanwhile and then poured it inside the cup. There were dried,cryatalline bits of strawberry that I placed inside the cup on top of the strawberry coulis and then covered the remaining half of the cup with the remaining chocolate mixture. And I did the whole procedure again atleast 35 times more because we are expecting at least 50 guests during the lunch service and from the previous lunch services we could predict atleast 30-32 of these Choco Lava Cakes flying out along with the other desserts. After I poured in the last of the mixture into the cups, I took them to the oven to bake.
I put the 5 huge trays of my Choco Lava Cake cups and then placed them on a trolley and moved them towards the huge oven . I picked up one tray and placed it on the lower rack , and as I was about to pick another tray, sous chef Hugh came near me.
"Need any help?" He more so stated than asked as he picked up the next tray and placed it in the oven rack. We did so alternately and then hi-fied each other and went towards our working stations.
Chef Sabina had prepared the filling for the cheesecake, so now we started working on the Eton mess. For that , we had to prepare the meringue first. She guided me through the procedure of making it. Making the meringue is a tricky aspect of the Eton mess, and a good way to check if the meringue is rightly prepared or not is by taking the bowl in which you have whisked your ingredients for the meringue and then.... taking the bowl up in the air and putting it upside down over your own head. Yup! If it does not fall , that means it is the right consistency. It has to be creamy, light , fluffy and thick .
"Common, check it, check it." Chef Sabina said as I finished whisking the meringue mixture. I took the meringue mix's bowl and took it over my head and turned it upside down, while also closing my eyes a little bit, though now on I was more confident about my mix more than I was some months ago. And, it did not fall.
Chef Sabina and I said a cheerful, "Yes" while we hi-fied each other.
"You are getting better now kiddo." Chef Sabina said while she took my meringue mixture and poured it onto a tray. She flattened it with a spatula and made small mountain like structures on the meringue. She then put it in the refrigerator and then we looked around us and saw that almost everyone had gone to have their lunch.
(^^^^^^^This is a Choco Lava Cake with peanut butter inside it. Instead of the peanut butter, consider it to be filled with strawberry sauce instead.)
(^^^^^^^That is a Lemon cheesecake with lemon sorbet, but think it as the one with mango instead of lemon)
(^^^^^ETON MESS WITH CRISPY MERINGUE)
We would have our lunch at 10.45 sharp. The lunch would be served at the restaurant itself, and some of the younger chefs who had interest in cooking but were too young to be kept in a professional kitchen would be allotted to cook the lunch, under supervision of the apprentices. We would be assigned alternate days to supervise the children . These children came from those places like rehab centers and orphanages and drug recovery centers, basically from places where it would become necessary for us to push them on the right path so that they do not go down the wrong lane ever or again. This was a program that Chef Inolas supported and was run by Chef Jamie Oliver .
However, right now it was almost 11.30 and we had ignored the many calls by our colleagues because it was necessary to finish our tasks in the time-frame before we had lunch so that we were ready before the orders started rolling in. We rushed to have our lunch.Normally, Chef Sabina and I ate with all the other chefs and Chef Inolas would eat with us too. We had soup which was prepared by the 'Little Chefs', as we called them . And that soup was followed by some pasta and then fresh fruits for desserts. It was a healthy meal, not a Michelin star meal, but this is what kept us on through the day. We needed the nourishment and the strength to stand for 10 hours at a stretch, and sometimes, we even had to finish our lunch within 5 to 10 minutes while standing in our kitchen space itself.
We finished our lunch in about 10 minutes and went back to our kitchen. The kitchen was hustling in full swing. Steam was coming off from somewhere, and somewhere someone was chopping up some meat while somebody was taking the lid off the boiler and putting in the lobster. One chef was in full motor mode and was chopping up some greens . The dessert section was a bit calm obviously because only chef Sabina and I were handling it right now. The thing is that once the lunch service starts, it would take about half and hour more for the dessert orders to come in. So even though we had to start prepping , we would have almost half an hour or so more than others. It was a necessity to have more time because all these 3 desserts took a lot of time to be prepped and served.
We went to our station and started working .
"Chefs, we now begin our lunch service." Chef Inolas announced , like he always does before every lunch/dinner service.
"We will cook our best, and we will serve our best. Yes chef, yes chef , yes chef?" Chef Inolas stated.
We all replied in a chorus,"Yes chef, yes chef, yes chef."
And the lunch service began.
It was chaotic, but it was an organized chaos. Chef Inolas kept on reading out orders after orders, and every 2 minutes a chef would shout out,"Yes chef" or "Five more minutes on the trout" or "Order up, service please!" This was the kind of straight forward communication that was needed for the service to go smoothly.
Forty five minutes into the service and it was dessert time.
"2 Choco lava cakes , 3 Eton mess." Chef Inolas ordered.
"Yes chef." Chef Sabina and I stated.
Our Choco Lava Cakes were already out of the fridge. I got the Choco Lava Cakes out of their ramekins as carefully as I could while Chef Sabina started working on the Eton Mess. I put the Choco Lava Cake on the plate after touching it gently to make sure they were cooked like they were supposed to be. But I could not open the lava cake and see the strawberry coulis oozing out of it. That was supposed to be done table-side and only then would our Choco Lava Cakes be a success. There was a possibility that because of sitting in the fridge for too long, the strawberry coulis might have frozen. That is why timing was everything. After placing the Choco Lava Cake on the plate, I spread some strawberry coulis on the plate and also sprinkled some frozen pieces of strawberry on the plate. Then I went on to repeat the same process for the next plate too. After I was done, I placed the plates on the counter and then went near Chef Sabina to help her with the Eton Mess. The Eton Mess was more technical, as it has more components in it. Chef Sabina was onto her second bowl of Eton Mess, so I started preparing the third bowl. I placed the crystals of strawberry on the bottom, then placed the meringue on top of it, and then used an ISI container to put some foam of whipped cream infused with vanilla around the meringue, and then sprinkled some more crystalline strawberries on top of it. I then finished it with a shard I made with sugar and vanilla syrup.
We placed our plates onto the counter and shouted in sync, "Order up."
The servers came and took the plates , while Chef Inolas kept on shouting orders after orders. The whole service went that way. What I needed, and also what Chef Sabina needed was some sort of a feedback from the customers on our Choco Lava Cakes, because that was the only dessert that was kind of not in our control , I mean we could not open it up and know if the strawberry coulis was properly set or not, and if it was not, it might mean the entire batch would be like that, and that would not be a good thing.
I was prepping another bowl of Eton Mess while Chef Sabina was preparing another plate of Mango Cheesecake when I saw a server give a chit of order to Chef Inolas, and then she whispered something in his ears. Chef Inolas then shouted, "One customer loved the Choco Lava cake. He said it was perfect and he has sent his compliments to the chefs. Chef Ragini and Chef Sabina, well done." He said clapping twice.
"Thank you , Chef." We said together, but it was not a time to hi-fi or dance and celebrate. It meant that we had to repeat the same perfection all through the service. Chef Inolas kept on barking orders after orders, and we kept on dishing out plates after plates.
"Last order of the service, one of each dessert." Chef Inolas ordered.
"Yes chef." we replied.
We dished out all the three desserts and the servers took it. The service came to an end .
"That's it , chefs. Well done. " Chef Inolas said as he nodded to each chef and continued,"It was a smooth service and I commend all of you. Let's hope it would go the same way during dinner time. Clean up your stations and take some rest. It is going to be a hectic evening."
I saw all the chefs had started cleaning up their stations.I took a bottle of water and chugged down the entire liquid in it. Chef Sabina and I hi-fied each other and then proceeded to clean our work stations. We took our used utensils and placed it in the sink. The washer boys would clean that up, but as soon as we cleaned our stations , we would come and help them too. I went to my work station, took a cloth and the cleaning liquid and started spraying and wiping the counter tops. It took about 15 more minutes before my station was clean. I knew after a few minutes , Chef Inolas would come in again and then he would take a class sort of thing. The apprentices would be in the kitchen with him, where he would teach us, while all the other chefs generally would go to the in-house library to study .
I was standing while sipping some water when Chef Inolas came in and all the chefs , as if on cue, went out of the kitchen. Another apprentice named John started bringing in some chairs from the back of the kitchen, so I and Johnathan, a fellow apprentice helped him. We all sat behind the counter tops on chairs while Chef Inolas, while pacing in the room, started telling us about some French cooking techniques. Then he moved forward to show us some techniques to make the simplest of dishes that every chef should know (according to him). Chef Inolas always said that making the simplest dishes is the hardest, and I agree with him. I always tried to make my mother's Rajma Chawal, the simplest of Indian dishes, but even though everybody else would like its taste, I was never satisfied with it because it never tasted like my mother's . Right now he was showing us how to make a Consomme, which was like a richly flavoured clear soup. It looked simple when you looked at it's picture in cooking books, but it was never that easy to make. As Chef Inolas says, the easier it looks, the harder it actually is. The class kept on going while Chef Inolas taught us a lot about different broths and their differences . Soon it was time for the prep for dinner service to begin.
"Chef Ragini, you will leave after sometime, am I clear?" He said to me.
"What ? But why?" I asked confused.
"You leave for a long journey soon. I would suggest you take some rest because in the next couple of months you would not be able to do so. So, rest, build up some energy and start packing."Chef Inolas ordered me.
"Yes chef." I said as we began prepping for the dinner service. Chef Inolas had appointed another apprentice, Chef Nicola to help us with the desserts. We started prepping for 3 different desserts this time. With synchronization that developed over time and skills of multitasking that we acquired throughout our experience, we three started making the required components for our desserts.
Soon, dinner service started and it was as chaotic as lunch service. Orders kept on coming in, plates kept on flying out. I had just put up a plate of Souffle when Chef Inolas looked at me and said, "Why are you still here? Leave." I had to follow Chef Inolas without questioning, but as I was about to take my apron off, he said, "Chef Ragini, come here," motioning with his two fingers.
"Before you leave, prepare one dish." He ordered.
"Yes chef." I stated ad I tied my apron again.
"The customer wants a simple , light, vegetarian dish."Chef Inolas ordered looking at the paper in his hand.
"Any special requirements or allergies?" I asked as I brought out my pan from beneath the counter.
"None." Chef Inolas stated as the server handed him another paper and he shouted another set of orders for the other chefs.
I started working on my dish. Simple, hearty , vegetarian meals were what I loved making, and Chef Inolas knew that. I loved making those dishes that a family could eat sitting around it. I decided to make a light gravy with vegetables in it, along with some Jasmine rice. I took my vegetables, chopped them and then started saute-ing them in the pan. This was my mom's recipe , and I had learnt it by heart as this was one of the first dishes that I had learnt to make after I came to London. While the vegetables were saute-ing, I put my rice in some water , and then onto the stove to boil. I started making the gravy for my vegetables and added the spices required in it. My vegetables were ready and so were my rice. I took off the rice from the stove and mixed the vegetables in the gravy . I took a plate and placed two bowls on it. I did not want to do some fancy presentation. This was home-style food and it was going to be served that way. I placed the vegetables in the gravy in one bowl, and then put the rice in the second bowl. Steam was coming out of both the bowls, and I carefully lifted the plate and placed it on the counter. Just like with every dish that left the kitchen , Chef Inolas inspected the dish. He did not touch it or anything, he just looked at it for 3 seconds and then said, "Order up!" The server came and took my plate while Chef Inolas looked at me and said,"You can leave now chef, but when you come back, I need the recipe of that dish."
"Can I please come in tomorrow morning, early morning when..... " I was saying only to be cut off by Chef Inolas.
"Yes, you can. For some time only."
I smiled and did as I was asked to. Internally I was a dancing monkey who had way too much soda and was now feeling funny. I was very, very, very happy because "I need the recipe of that dish" is the biggest and the best compliment any chef could get, and the fact that I got it from Chef Inolas himself made me feel like I am getting better and better in this field I jumped into. I went to the locker room, and took off my apron. I sat on the bench for a minute and took a deep breath in. I could not sit for a long time, because the longer I sat the more I got aware of the pain in my body. I put my apron in the basket near the washing machine, went to my locker, got my things and left the restaurant. Before I left , I did get a sneak peek of the dining area on my way out. Brightly lit, filled with happy people, smiling, eating and laughing, and enjoying the food we made for them . It made me feel happy .
I left for the station and got on my train.
As I sat in the train, I started feeling the pain seeping through my bones. Working in a kitchen was never easy, whether it was home or a restaurant, but working in a restaurant made me feel, at the end of the day, like I had run a marathon . My ankles, knees and shin ached, my back hurt , my shoulders hurt, but I was satisfied. I was happily going to do this all over again, for probably the res of my life. I got off at my station, and took my bicycle that I had locked near the station. I biked my way to my apartment and I knocked the door when I reached the brown door of my apartment.
Aashna opened up ad her face lit up seeing me, "You are home early. Yes! We can have dinner together!" She said excitedly as I walked in . I put my bag down and sat on the bean bag in the corner while I closed my eyes.
"Should I prepare something or can I order something from outside?" she asked .
"Let's order something." I said as I went to the bathroom to change.
I changed my clothes to my track pants and T-shirt and sat down with Aashna to discuss our days .
"How was your internship?" I asked excitedly.
"It was awesome! My supervisor, Mr. Sole, he is the coolest guy ever...." and so Aashna went on to tell me about how her first day at her internship went , how everybody was pretty cool and how she was worrying without any reason. The pizza that Aashna had ordered came up and we ate it while we talked about my day.
It was extremely late by the time we got to bed, almost 11.15 p.m. We both had brushed our teeth and changed into our night clothes. I was thinking whether that person who had order that 'simple, light , vegetarian dish' liked my preparation or not, when my phone buzzed.
"The customer loved your dish. He wanted to see you, but you had already left by then. He will come tomorrow in the morning to meet you!" It was a message by Chef Inolas.
"What is it? Why has your face lit up l like a Christmas Tree?" Aashna inquired lying beside me. I showed her the text and she just said melodramatically as she turned around in bed, "Eh, nothing new. I always told you your cooking skills are on point, but nobody listens to me."
"Eh, drama queen....." I said as I pinched her waist.
"Ouch! That was hard....." she said as she yelped in pain but then jumped on me to tickle me.
She kept on tickling me while I just stayed still . You see, I am not ticklish. HAHAHA!
"Urrggh!! You are senseless, you know that!" she said as she gave up tickling . She first tried tickling my waist and then my neck . But I did not even budge.
"Good niiiight..." I said in a sing-song manner as I wiggled my fingers in front of her so show that I am about to tickle her.
"Eh! Don't you even dare, hun"She said hitting me with her pillow .
And then it went on amongst the two of us, me trying to tickle her while she tried to dodge me.
After some time, we fell on our backs on the bed, tired . We said our 'good nights' and I could sense she had already fallen asleep in sometime, while I could only think about the person who might show up tomorrow , that person who had liked my dish.
I slowly fell asleep, while I was enacting ways I would greet and talk with that person. See, I have a habit of enacting and playing out scenes of the future in my head so that I don't mess up in the future, though I do mess up sometimes, but I do like to dream and think about how things will play out if I don't mess up, and also if the person acts exactly like in the dreams in my head, which rarely happens, but it keeps me occupied instead of freaking out about things.
I let sleep take over my senses while I kept on replaying how I was the perfect , mannerly, chef who knew just the right words to say when someone complimented me.
______________________________________________________
DUN DUN DUN!!!!
ANOTHER CHAPTER IS UP!!!!!
You have seen Ragini as a student, as a friend, as a guide/elder sister and also as a little sister, and now you have seen her as a Chef!
Who do you think is that person who liked Ragi's dish?Any guesses?
So how was it? Did you like the chapter?
Do vote, comment and share!!
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to all of you.
All the love,
-INOLAS!