First week back, very eventful!

This afternoon my class hosted a luncheon for 25 invited guests. We've been preparing all week, no easy feat on the first week back from break! I think we were all a little rusty after being off duty for so long. Still, once we got back into the rhythm, things started to straighten out and our movements became more natural and purposeful. I made the appetizers: Lobster Crepes with a Ginger-Carrot Emulsion, served with an arugula chiffonade in a shallot-balsamic dressing. It was bright and colorful and very tasty. The recipe is Thomas Keller's "Peas and Carrots", and I'd love to make this again. One of the guests even asked for the recipe and asked me how I did it! I'm not always the best at talking to people, but when I'm familiar with the subject I'm much more comfortable, so I didn't even feel on the spot. The recipe looks a little intimidating at first glance, but when you have a few days to prepare it, it can easily be broken up into separate parts. On the first day I boiled the lobsters, chopped up the meat, and began making the lobster glaze which would act as a powerful flavoring agent when mixed into the rest of the filling. I boiled down about 2 gallons of lobster stock to about a cup. Now, in my opinion, that would be fit even just for dipping bread into! The part that pleases me about it most is that when most people cook lobster, at least at home, they just throw the shells away! Gone, without ever realizing their full potential! I love making stocks for that very reason, it's like being in on a secret. It's a relatively inexpensive product with infinite possibilities. The next few days were devoted to mixing the lobster meat with ricotta cheese and lobster glaze, trying to figure out how to make a reduction of carrot juice thicken up (the secret? diced potato simmered in the juice, whipped with an immersion blender! Who'da thought?) and making the crepes. Each thing by itsself isn't difficult at all, so sometimes you can't just look at the whole picture at once, sometimes it's better to break it down into it's root components and go from there. Suddenly, anything seems much more do-able!

The kitchen is a great environment to learn things about myself. For example, today a classmate was making uncalled-for rude implications at me, but never actually coming out and *saying* it, he just kept trailing off without finishing a sentence. That's just his way sometimes and we've all dealt with it in each of our own ways. Today, though, I called him on it, demanding that he has something to say, to come out and say it to my face like a man. I actually stood up for myself, and it felt good. Normally if someone or something bothers me I just pretend it doesn't; not a very efficient coping strategy, I know. I felt the strength to fight my own little good fight today because I knew that I didn't have to take his attitude.

Next week, my class is going on a trip to a new resort that just opened in September. It's called Honey Creek Resorts, outside of Centerville, and it sounds like a really nice place. The food-and-beverage director and head chef came to our campus to talk to us about it, and in the end inviting us all over for a tour of the facilities! I can't wait to see it, it sounds like they've already captured major attention. They seemed like decent people to work for, too, they know how to take care of their employees.

I know that in the restaurant industry, most places can't afford to pay much, but that doesn't really matter to me as much as knowing that I'm noticed and appreciated for the work I put in. You would be amazed the wonder a sincere "thank-you" does when crew morale is low. For the boss to take five seconds to say "You're doing a fine job" can mean a lot. Places I've worked have had ways of showing appreciation, whether it was buying us lunch, or letting us pick the music we play while working. Ah, memories!