Lemon zest

Not much to update you avid readers with but I’ll add some photos of my cooking progress. I'll also share an embarrassing secret later which will definitely make you laugh and wonder how I even made it to this stage of my cooking pursuit. I’ve been at school for 3 weeks now and starting to get into the routine of getting up early (getting out of bed really !!), getting the bus and to class on time. I’m getting to know the kids better in class – I’m enjoying working in the kitchen with them and we have quickly got the teamwork going which is nice. We’ve started learning about the various kitchen equipment and the basic precision cuts of food. So there’s been a lot of chopping, slicing, dicing and peeling and of course, cut fingers.!! We’ve made croutons which I burnt in 3 different shades of brown. One good thing about cutting up food is that sometimes we get to eat it for lunch. I have a long long long way to go to master the ‘craw’ by tucking my fingers back while cutting. It takes a lot of practice so I just have to persist.  

 

still got a lot of work to do with precision cuts

Today's menu was coleslaw and bruschetta. It's amazing how many little things I learnt in just doing that. I don't normally order bruschetta when I go out, it's just tomato on toast really but, it's pretty popular if it's done nice and right. Mine turned out quite tasty and I needed some help with my garnish presentation. It's good to look at what everyone else does but again, I learnt a lot and ended up with a decent looking plate.

 

One of my friends badly cut her finger last week and ended up needing surgery as she cut nerves. Poor bugger, she’s got her lower arm and hand covered in plaster and bandages and I think she’ll be off for a few weeks. I was proud of myself for not fainting that day but I was cafeful to not look to closely and just focus on ensuring my friend was feeling ok – which she was. The woman has had 3 children so she ain’t worried about a cut finger….fair enough I reckon.

I’ve put my resume out to quite a few places hoping to get some work. The hospitality industry is unlike my previous career. I’ve had to walk into restaurants and personally hand in my resume and chat with the chef, hoping to make a good impression. Something will come soon but I just have to keep trying. 

The unpacking is progressing slowly. We are offloading some furniture and throwing out documents from about 20 years ago. I finally put my ol’ faithful favourite mountain bike together and need to get it serviced and go for a spin soon. I’d love to ride to school as the bus takes too bloody long and I need to start riding again. We have put a car on hold for Deb and hoping to see it in the next few days – it’s in Wollongong (about 2 hours away). Deb’s been having lunches with friends and getting back into her running group. I’ve started running also and Cricket has been coming with both us most of the time. I’m sure both dogs miss Rock Creek Park – I know I do. No progress on the flying as I’m waiting to get a job first so I can have some money to pay for the lessons. 

Now onto that cooking secret….well it’s quite embarrassing and I have never lived it down. Quite a few years ago I asked a friend for a lemon tart recipe. This friend was a former chef. I took the ingredient list to the supermarket and got everything but one….lemon zest. Well I walked up and down the cooking aisle 5 times, looking up, down, everywhere. I then walked a few more aisles guessing where ‘lemon zest’ might be. Now, I came very close to asking an assistant where the lemon zest was but by some stroke of luck, I didn’t and thank god now that I didn’t. I went home and emailed my friend….what is lemon zest, where do I buy it? Well, she reacted as you probably are right now. Laughing out very loudly. Well, I felt pretty bloody dumb when she told me. Why didn’t they just say grated lemon rind?? I’d never heard of zest. Anyway, that story of cooking shame has stayed with me for years and every time I see it in a recipe, I cringe inside. So there you have it, can a chef have anything more embarrassing than that……looking for lemon zest in the shopping aisles !!

And here’s another funny for you…a friend put this on facebook and it took me a few minutes but I finally got it and laughed my head off. Until next time, stay warm or cool depending on where you are in the world.