Protect that Food!

Having finished seven days each of Breakfast Cookery and Lunch Cookery, where the goal is to turn out as much food as possible in a short period of time, tomorrow we take a giant step back from a production standpoint but a giant step forward from a food standpoint -- Garde Manger, the "Cold Kitchen," or literally, the "Protector of the Food." In a modern restaurant, this is the salad and sandwich station, with perhaps some fancier preparations such as patés.

Back in the day, however, Garde Manger was a big deal. Without modern refridgeration and preservation techniques, chefs had to be creative in the way they preserved their foods. They were also very frugal, taking care to turn any scraps or trim into a new presentation. Garde Manger also encompassed butchering and charcuterie (making sausages, bacon, and other cured/smoked meats).

In a high-end restaurant, this sort of thing is still done. And in a good restaurant, you're certainly worried about saving and utilizing those scraps. Besides that, some of this stuff is just really cool. And after three weeks of cranking out food, I'm looking forward to doing something a bit more classic, delicate, and refined.

Garde Manger culminates with Grand Buffet, a presentation of a variety of dishes, held the day before graduation (in this case, Wednesday December 21st). I've talked about Grand Buffet before; it'll be strange to be on the other side.