Internship: Day 13, 11/14/05

Today seemed like a small turning point. I feel like some things clicked into place—a very subtle click, but something. Lunch service was really the usual, although T suggested that on Wednesday he take me through his specific set-up process. I’m getting setup down, but it always feels very random. He said that he’ll take me through it step by step so that I can write down the information for my own reference. I think it’s a great idea.

After lunch, I prepped a vegetable that D explained as a cross between brussel sprouts and broccoli. It must be new a new hybrid, though, because I can’t find any information on it. Broccolini (a cross between brocooli and Chinese kale) is the closest thing I came across, but that’s not it. I believe D called it brusselini, and it looked like a stalk with thick green leaves and little tiny brussel sprout buds. I removed the leaves, pinched off the thick stem, cut them in half, and then cut them chiffonade. I then sautéed them with thin slivers of garlic and shallot until it was tender, and seasoned the whole thing with salt and pepper.

The next project was trimming veal cheeks. K showed me how to slip my boning knife under the silver skin, anchor the flap with my other hand, and use the tension to remove the skin in a thin strip. Once they were all trimmed, I made up what D called the “all-purpose Quake marinade”—extra-virgin olive oil, sriracha, Herbes d’Provence and black pepper—and mixed that up with the cheeks.

I also made up some of the star anise steak marinade before I left—they use it to marinate the hanger steak, which I got to taste the other day. It’s really good—I’m not a big fan of star anise because I don’t like the licorice flavor (although I think the spice itself is so pretty), but it really works with the steak. I plan on making some of it at home for my boyfriend.