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snousleWe're back. Wow, that was a lot of work. But it was great fun, and nearly everything came out flawlessly.
Although this was my fourth year at the run, I hadn't fully appreciated the degree to which this is a grand culinary event. These guys eat a lot - I'd guess 50% more per person than you see at Badger. This was obvious after the first night, so I had a bit of panic over the quantities I'd brought. Fortunately, Jack had already rounded up the meat order to the nearest case size, and I placed a last-minute vegetable order that helped fill in the gaps.
This event consisted of 360 meals over four days - three of them for twenty people, and five for sixty, making it more than double the size of any event I've served before. The club was VERY happy, since I made it all come in way under budget, and everything was perfectly done and right on time. Of course, it was made infinitely easier by having a huge kitchen, a dedicated dishwashing crew, and plenty of volunteers. But mostly, it's a matter of organization. It's critical to have all cooking-related decisions made ahead of time, so there is no guesswork or complicated judgments to make when you're in the heat of things. There is still a lot of improvement to be had on that front, but I'm feeling really good about what I've put together so far.
Truth is, I've never cooked a prime rib before. I arrived at the run with some really, really bad ideas about how to prepare it. Fortunately, I was also carrying a ten-year-old bound edition of Cook's Illustrated that contained a lengthy article on how this cut should be cooked, and boy, did that ever set me straight. No salt? Four hours at two hundred degrees? That's Fahrenheit we're talking about - that's not an oven, that's more like a sauna! Oven thermostats don't even work in that range. Fortunately, I had both an infrared and a conventional oven thermometer, so I got to play "human thermostat" on three cranky gas units that needed tweaking every fifteen minutes to keep them in the right range.
Anyway, the process begins by searing the meat. When you're cooking for four people, that's pretty easy, but I had sixty pounds of meat to deal with. Fortunately, I also had the fat from fifteen pounds of bacon, and the kitchen had a set of enormous, heavy aluminum braising pans that were perfectly suited to the task.
This was by far the scariest, most dangerous thing I've ever done in the kitchen. I cut each roast in half, so each piece was about ten pounds. The meat sticks and drags in the pan, and with just one slip, searing hot fat flies everywhere. I splashed my hand badly enough early on that if the fat had been really hot, I'd have been out of commission for a week. Thank goodness it was still lukewarm at the time. Anyway, after thinking it through, I was able to manhandle it with a couple of sturdy tongs, moving very slowly and keeping it all under close control. A little focus, and everything was just fine.
The moment of truth...
And it was perfect! The guests went nuts over it. I was so proud, it was like a rite of passage.
John found all the baking to be excessively high-pressure, but it all worked out. Here are the apple tarts, which were a pain in the ass, but delicious nonetheless.
The strawberry pie. He elected to not color the gel, so it looks a little strange, but it was all covered in whipped cream shortly afterwards.
Prepping the romaine for the salad. The expanse of brilliant green in the stainless steel room struck me as especially beautiful... some of the volunteers, perhaps, were a little less amused, but nobody asked "why don't you use bagged salad?", which I found encouraging.
Just one non-cooking picture. I didn't have much time to party, but I liked this shot of the road captain very much - it makes me smile since it captures his character so well.
The Guards did an outstanding job, as always, on a run that is unfortunately shrinking in size. That's a shame, and frankly it's a bit puzzling, since runs of this type are a particularly good way to have lots of fun without spending a whole lot of money. And on this one, you don't even have to bring a tent! Oh well, no accounting for taste, I suppose, but you'd think that with all the belt-tightening going on, people would be looking for ways to avoid expensive hotel and restaurant bills.
It seems that I've gotten over the hump and am now offering truly professional service. And that feels great. After Badger and this, I think I'm ready for anything.
Although this was my fourth year at the run, I hadn't fully appreciated the degree to which this is a grand culinary event. These guys eat a lot - I'd guess 50% more per person than you see at Badger. This was obvious after the first night, so I had a bit of panic over the quantities I'd brought. Fortunately, Jack had already rounded up the meat order to the nearest case size, and I placed a last-minute vegetable order that helped fill in the gaps.
This event consisted of 360 meals over four days - three of them for twenty people, and five for sixty, making it more than double the size of any event I've served before. The club was VERY happy, since I made it all come in way under budget, and everything was perfectly done and right on time. Of course, it was made infinitely easier by having a huge kitchen, a dedicated dishwashing crew, and plenty of volunteers. But mostly, it's a matter of organization. It's critical to have all cooking-related decisions made ahead of time, so there is no guesswork or complicated judgments to make when you're in the heat of things. There is still a lot of improvement to be had on that front, but I'm feeling really good about what I've put together so far.
Truth is, I've never cooked a prime rib before. I arrived at the run with some really, really bad ideas about how to prepare it. Fortunately, I was also carrying a ten-year-old bound edition of Cook's Illustrated that contained a lengthy article on how this cut should be cooked, and boy, did that ever set me straight. No salt? Four hours at two hundred degrees? That's Fahrenheit we're talking about - that's not an oven, that's more like a sauna! Oven thermostats don't even work in that range. Fortunately, I had both an infrared and a conventional oven thermometer, so I got to play "human thermostat" on three cranky gas units that needed tweaking every fifteen minutes to keep them in the right range.
Anyway, the process begins by searing the meat. When you're cooking for four people, that's pretty easy, but I had sixty pounds of meat to deal with. Fortunately, I also had the fat from fifteen pounds of bacon, and the kitchen had a set of enormous, heavy aluminum braising pans that were perfectly suited to the task.
This was by far the scariest, most dangerous thing I've ever done in the kitchen. I cut each roast in half, so each piece was about ten pounds. The meat sticks and drags in the pan, and with just one slip, searing hot fat flies everywhere. I splashed my hand badly enough early on that if the fat had been really hot, I'd have been out of commission for a week. Thank goodness it was still lukewarm at the time. Anyway, after thinking it through, I was able to manhandle it with a couple of sturdy tongs, moving very slowly and keeping it all under close control. A little focus, and everything was just fine.
The moment of truth...
And it was perfect! The guests went nuts over it. I was so proud, it was like a rite of passage.
John found all the baking to be excessively high-pressure, but it all worked out. Here are the apple tarts, which were a pain in the ass, but delicious nonetheless.
The strawberry pie. He elected to not color the gel, so it looks a little strange, but it was all covered in whipped cream shortly afterwards.
Prepping the romaine for the salad. The expanse of brilliant green in the stainless steel room struck me as especially beautiful... some of the volunteers, perhaps, were a little less amused, but nobody asked "why don't you use bagged salad?", which I found encouraging.
Just one non-cooking picture. I didn't have much time to party, but I liked this shot of the road captain very much - it makes me smile since it captures his character so well.
The Guards did an outstanding job, as always, on a run that is unfortunately shrinking in size. That's a shame, and frankly it's a bit puzzling, since runs of this type are a particularly good way to have lots of fun without spending a whole lot of money. And on this one, you don't even have to bring a tent! Oh well, no accounting for taste, I suppose, but you'd think that with all the belt-tightening going on, people would be looking for ways to avoid expensive hotel and restaurant bills.
It seems that I've gotten over the hump and am now offering truly professional service. And that feels great. After Badger and this, I think I'm ready for anything.
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Gorgous
Date: 2008-10-07 11:31 am (UTC)