Not much in the way of introduction today, we jumped straight into mise and production.

And there is quite a bit more mise than in course I where we might produce three different items; in course II we are producing three different items per plate and at least two different plates.

For example, today we produced Sauteed Pork Tenderloin with Salsify Puree, Sauteed Apples with Golden Raisins and Calvados Pan Sauce. That was plate numero uno. The second plate was Pork Paillard, aka Pork Schnitzel a la Holstein with traditional Garnishes (capers, lemon supremes, anchovies) and Brown Butter, Butter Foam. We also fabricated four pork chops from a rack, including Frenching them. They'll be used tomorrow.

Okay, so those in the restaurant business are not impressed. However, for a guy not used to cooking so much so quickly, this is quite a bit of production. Nevertheless, although it stretches my capabilities, it does not overwhelm them. The learning curve has increased, but my abilities have kept up (so far).

One of the steepest parts of the learning curve is simply keeping up with all the exposure to new ingredients. I'd never even heard of Calvados (French Apple Brandy) before I used it for a couple of different sauces today. Even more interesting was Spanish Salsify, a root vegetable popular in Europe. It isn't much to look at, but it has a wonderful flavor, which means I've been deprived, not having heard of it before.

Of course, we boiled the salsify in milk and cream before pureeing and subsequently adding chopped toasted hazelnuts. So, delightful as the vegetable was, not too many things suffer from being boiled in milk and cream as well as the addition of toasted hazelnuts. I'm definitely going to have to experiment with salsify some more. The only problem may be finding the vegetable itself. I guess I'll have to look into some farmer's markets. Honestly, that salsify was good. Darn good.

The salsify was also a dish I saved from being too thin. I had gotten my salsify simmering quite early in production and so was ready to puree it before Chef Knight had demo'd it. Unfortunately, I poured the entire pot into a foodmill. The liquid ran right through, giving my salsify the consistency of a thick soup. The taste was not bad, actually, (mmmm .. cream of salsify soup) but a plate calls for a much thicker mixture. Initially I considered reducing it. But that would take time and might lead to some scorching or burning. So, I reverse strained it. I poured the soup-like mixture into a chinois, which would let the liquid through, but hold onto the thicker puree. After removing the puree from the chinois, I had my properly thick salsify.

My schnitzel came out pretty well. The most interesting thing about it, for me, was the discussion of garnishing philosophy with Chef Melino. Each plate got three anchovies. The recipe we used called for the anchovies to be chopped up and sprinkled about. But the book also noted that, traditionally, the anchovies would be rolled and placed on the schnitzel. So, I chopped up two of my anchovies, but rolled one and put it right in the center. Although the recipe didn't call for it, I added some lemon zest around the rolled anchovie to highlight it, as well as to spread around the edge of the plate with the traditional chopped parsley.

Chef Melino asked me several questions about my garnishes, forcing me to think a bit deeper about them. For example, the reason the anchovies are chopped is to spread the flavor around, without concentrating the highly flavored anchovies on only a portion of the plate. Chopping saves the customer the effort of spreading the flavor themselves. This is why I chopped up two of my anchovies. However, I rolled the third one as an homage to tradition - that I recognized and respected it. A two-for-one.

With regard to my lemon zest, Chef Melino pointed out that all garnishes should be edible and we must also consider how they would change the flavor of the dish. For example, my zest was concentrated around the anchovie and also spread on the edge of the plate. Although the zest was a bit concentrated near the anchovie, I thought that the zest would enhance the flavor. We were already using lemon supremes and lemon juice, so this would add another layer to the lemon flavor, without being overpowering (used sparingly).

It may seem obvious, but it is definitely something that I will have to consider more as I design my plate presentations.