The Bleu Brick Road: Day 19- Fuck Hollandaise.
January 29th, 2010
Third times a charm right? Seems to be the case. Following numerous disastrous attempts, I finally produced a satisfactory hollandaise. Finally. Having to go at it time and time again, however, was torture. My issue this round? Too thick. All was well until I tried to thin it out with a bit of cold water. This is where the shit hit the fan- the cold water brought the temperature of my egg yolk/ butter mix down and in set the coagulation. Of course, I should’ve used hot but unfortunately caught my mistake too late in the process. Whisking away in hopes that it would magically right itself, I watched with a heavy heart as my hollandaise began to pull away from the bowl. Thicker and thicker still, I added more water, squeezed in some lemon…no matter, what I had now was a sauce the consistency of pudding. Chef stepped in and together we tried for a save… twice. More eggs, more heat, more whisking, more water. By the time we manipulated the mess into an acceptable viscidity I was exhausted, flustered, sore and speckled in yellow. Always good natured, Chef managed to coerce a smile out of me- in the midst of despair theres nothing like a good laugh to help one buck up. I am to say the least grateful for his help & unwavering sense of humor throughout the whole ordeal. Part of the Culinary Foundations final (coming up in 2 weeks) is being able to whip up a batch of hollandaise from memory and in front of the Chef. No recipe cards, no pre-measured ingredients, no direction whatsoever. Its looking like Im going to be busy…practice, practice, practice. I’ve got to beat this thing.
Class came to a close with more cooking, more eating. Chicken breasts were grilled and topped with béarnaise (a much tastier sauce)- made by adding a reduction consisting of shallots, vinegar and tarragon to our hollandaise.
January 29th, 2010 at 9:29 pm
Made it every Sunday for six years….Sunday brunch. It breaks, big bowl, 2 tablespoons ice cold water in bowl. Slowly add the broken crap in the the bowl with the water stirring like crazy. (Have someone pour you stir.) It goes back together and is perfect again!
January 29th, 2010 at 10:46 pm
Wow, sounds intense! I’m so excited, but getting nervous! I will be starting my education at LCB in February… It’s kind of nice to see what is in store for me. Good luck on your next round of hollandaise!
January 30th, 2010 at 9:35 am
Dane,
Ill remember that….thanks for the advice dear. It sounds fool proof and probably is until I try it, then chances are it wont work
. In any case, Ill give it a shot next time around.
Cheers.
-C
January 30th, 2010 at 9:36 am
Karissa,
Its a little intense but its really a very supportive learning atmosphere. You ll love it Im sure. Maybe Ill see you around campus eh? Hope so.
Thanks for reading!
Cheers.
-C
January 30th, 2010 at 1:11 pm
Yeah, but. You’ve learned tons of ways of screwing it up, that’s exceptionally valuable.
I can build a cooking fire out of pretty much any fuel, on any surface, in any device and get wonderful results. This is only because I did it wrong in the beginning. I learned how not to do it, then how to do it, then I totally own its soul.
Years ago, a friend and I headed for the beach to grill and have a few cold, refreshing beverages. We had pork chops and taters, forgot the grate to cook on. Of course we got there after the sun had set, only proper you know? I found that if I flayed open a beer can and set it next to the coals I could cook on it, had to pour a little beer over it to keep the aluminum from melting, but we got it done. Well, okay we had pork chops, but the taters were a lost cause. What I did was cut the top off the beer can, 1/2 full and stuck the tater in the beer can. Steam it? That didn’t work out, clearly.
Fyi, sleeping bags and sand is akin to sleeping on concrete.
xo, Biggles
January 30th, 2010 at 2:56 pm
Biggles,
Beer can eh? Nice…very smart. I love your beach story- your solutions to having to go grill- less were pretty ingenious. Sorry to hear that the taters didn’t turn out but hell…you win some, you lose some- the pork chops were bound to be tastier anyway.
You’re right, screwing up is most definitely the best way to learn. I mean, what better way to find out the ins & outs right?
And yes sir…you are correct in regards to the sleeping bag/sand combo- I, unfortunately, know that from experience. It makes my back hurt just thinking about it.
xo.
-C