Wines served included Aramis Blanc 2008 not pictured here
The grass always seems greener on the other side of the fence. Last week I received a message from a Belgium Chef instructor at the French Culinary Institute inviting me to join a crew of six judges to dissect the works of Level 3 students during their midterm. Yet another offer I couldn’t refuse and found peculiarly pleasing to finally consent drinking the glass of wine whilst sitting through a four-course meal within school grounds. How could I say no to this?
The first course arrived in the traditional manner consommé is served-garniture in a hot bowl with underlining plate and the clarified broth served at table-side. No points were deducted for style of service. However the vegetables were inconsistent on the most part. Some were over cooked while others were al dente, varying in size that factored into uneven cooking. Emily and I surprised the other judges as we meticulously dissected the ingredients during the evaluation. Points were taken off for inconsistency in taillage, over cooked or under, color, plating techniques, and temperature. At one point discussing if perhaps we were being over critical of the student work. Alas, a gem appeared who stood out from the rest and any doubts of unfair judgement subsided.
The first skate fish arrives
Tempted to finish my initial skate fish, I thought to leave room for the remaining three versions no less. Afterall I had near a dozen plates to try before the night was over. My unfinished poussin course rotated around the table for others to try in the bread kitchen, where judging took place. The perfect skate raised the stakes and unfortunately for the remaining students, they had much to live up to.
The almost perfect bœuf bourguignon
The first student presenting a bœuf bourguignon dismissed plating a crucial ingredient-the noodles. Points fiercely came off their charts. The second had over cooked one side of the crouton and it was burned so naturally I didn’t care to taste it. Although the meat was tender, it missed a mark in my taste buds. A little salt can go a long way indeed. The final version delivered a perfect crouton immersed in parsley on the broader end. The correct number of garniture ratio and the sauce held a correct consistency. A little wipe here and there could have earned this one a perfect score.
I was beginning to realize why chefs invented trails in kitchens. After seeing the results tonight, I would only hire a handful of the students if I had a fine dining restaurant. Preferring those who remembered to season the final sauce, presenting polished, hot plates and delivering on time. There’s a reason why establishments such as Le Bernardin and Daniel require four-months on the waiting list before granting a trail in their kitchens.
I’m not the biggest fan of pate choux and could have exploded by the time dessert arrived. I managed to finish the chantilly crème in the first round. Although the chocolate was rather cold and over sauced on my plate. The remaining presentations seemed mediocre. I understand the difficulty of the students having to create two dishes and this was after all their midterm exam. Nostalgia began to fill me and I began to recount the day I took mine.
This version was still raw inside
By the end of the evening students gathered around our table as Chef Alain instructed us to provide a summarized critique of their work. A bit off the standard one-on-one criticism we were accustomed to at FCI, no less. I felt disappointed to never conclude why the noodles were missing on my bœuf bourguignon. My word of advise to the students: “take a minute to look over your plates, make sure you have all the elements there. I noticed some came in a minute early yet forgot essential plating garnishes, you should have spent the extra minute refining your presentations”. Chef Veronica, whose ghostly voice seemed to ring in my ear throughout the night as I couldn’t help but channel her energy during my final words.
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