Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Looking ahead to Day 3

Prepping for Day 3 means being comfortable enough with the regular menu items that you can step up and add an extra item to your routine and still be on time. Everything must be ready by 11:00.

Sous Chefs - You'll need to have a new service diagram for the Dim Sum. We don't have space on the steam table, so we usually set up two chaffing dishes with sterno on table 5. Think about how you would lay it out. Two chaffing dishes with three 1/3 pans in each. You'll need a pan for the steamed dumplings, the pan-fried dumplings, the spring rolls, the ribs, and the stuffed peppers. Everyone who comes to K1 will get a Dim Sum plate on Day 3. Presentation will be on 6" round plates with a ramekin of ginger-soy dipping sauce in the center. The five dim sum items will be positioned around the dipping sauce and a dab of spicy mustard will go on the plate next to the spring roll. Make sure that you know who will be doing what during service- figure it out ahead of time and tell the people involved what their duties are well before service. With a small group, you're going to have to be creative and everyone will need to multi-task and hustle.

Station 2 - Braises PLUS Steamed dumplings (Shao Mai) - make sure to remember that each dim sum plate gets a 1 oz ramekin of the ginger soy dipping sauce (only fill each ramekin 1/2 way).
The dumplings can be steamed ahead using the wok steamer and then re-heated as needed during service. They are brought to the service line in 1/3 hotel pans.

Station 3 - Moo Shu PLUS Pan Fried Dumplings. The dough must be kept cold. As soon as it's rolled and cut, it should be stacked in single layers- with parchment paper between each layer - in a 1/2 hotel pan, covered and kept in the cooler. After they are shaped and filled, they should be held in similar fashion. When brought to the cooking line, the pan containing the dumplings shod be nested on another pan of ice. If these dumplings become warm before cooking they stick like crazy and are very difficult to work with.

Station 4- Spring rolls - filling should be made and cooked on Day 2, rolls filled on Day 3. There are two recipes for filling - we can do the stir fried pork and vegetables or the raw vegetable one with the BBQ pork and Shrimp - or both, ask Chef if you want to do that. Once they are rolled, they should be kept cold - layered between parchment paper sheets in a 1/2 hotel pan. Set up a proper fry station and fry them in batches as needed for service. Remember - you're responsible for the spicy mustard that's served with them.

Station 5- Ribs may be put in Chinese oven with the Roasts early in the day. When they are cooked through you can cut them and hot-hold them, covered, until service. Bring them to the line in a deep 1/3 pan.

Station 6- In addition to the Grandmother's bean curd, you'll need to fill, cook, and finish the stuffed peppers. They can all be steamed ahead and held at room temp - covered - for service. At service they should be sauteed in small batches as needed, 15-20 at a time, and brought to the service line in a 1/3 pan.

Questions?

2 comments:

  1. Chef,
    Team 6 has to make broth for day 4, what kind of broth? What else can we start prepping for day 4? Cabbage BUndles, KIm Chi pancakes?
    Also what is the special rice+grain mixture? I couldn't find a recipe
    Thank you

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  2. Make the broth for the soup - see the soup recipe from the Korean menu. You need to blanch beef bones AND beef shoulder together, dump the blanching water and then start a stock. Simmer it as long as possible - that means start blanching bones and meat as soon as you come in. All of the woks and the range will be busy tomorrow - the grill is the only free heat source you have. Use the grill as a flat top and simmer the stock there until it has decent body and flavor. Total yield should be 3-4 gallons - don't over reduce.

    Thanks for catching the flaw in the new web site, I forgot to include the mixed grains and rice recipe. If you go to intra-learn and look at the recipe manual link under my name, it will be in the Korean section near the end.

    PLEASE encourage more of the class to dig deep, research well, and ASK MORE QUESTIONS before I get there on Day 5.

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