Settling in

He says:

So, the first wave of client checked out today.  Elizabeth and I rolled out a week of pretty fine dining, considering the new kitchen, mixed bag of supplies, and totally new dynamic.  There were challenges, to say the least.  Elizabeth made a really great breaded baked Halibut, but instead of breadcrumbs, somebody had refilled the breadcrumb container with brown sugar and spices (smoke rub).  Needless to say, the breading was a bit to sweet.  We scraped and saved... but it was an unhappy moment.  

Then there was the great dinner roll incident.  I'd spent the morning making a milk bread dinner rolls, and the came out great.  I put them in the warming oven to hold (you can see where this is going)... That's right, pre-heating the oven for baked clams, Elizabeth nuked my rolls.  I was not happy, but you shake that stuff off.  They made great bread stuffing with the Arista di maiale (pork roast with a rosemary-garlic rub) later in the week.

And then there is the great bread experiment.  Sandwiches all week for the clients, made with fresh home-made bread.  We've both made bread.  We've done this before.  But we have been swinging and missing with the sandwich bread.  Finally, we got experimental.  Lots of single loaves, with various recipes.  As it turns out, a good loaf of white sammich' bread needs plenty of sugars to feed the yeast during its second rise up and over the edges of the bread pan.  One T yeast, one T sugar... the rest is pretty much gravy.  Do not taunt the bread during the second rise... it feeds on fear (and anger)!!

So, the clients caught fish, lots of them.  We had seafood this way and that.  Raw, marinated, smoked, grilled, baked, deepfried, panfried... dips, appetizers, breakfast, lunch, and dinner.  I may never buy seafood in the store again.  Fresh fish can not be substituted for... yes, it matters that much.  I am now a fish snob.  I admit it, but there is nothing I can do about it now.

Today is all about cleaning and preparing for the next wave.  Lots to do...