Menu for this christmas

The best time of the year is here...December & the festivals throughout this month..mostly, Christmas followed by the new year. I remember my father used to buy those mock christmas tree for christmas every year & then we'd decorate it up with those colored balls, Santa Claus & once it went to extreme...he bought hays and straws & it resembled like the place where Christ was actually born. Mostly, it would end with a cake or may be a dinner outside, however, as I started growing and learnt cooking, I tried to do it at home itself. The lunch was mostly a roast--chicken or a lamb leg[I am not a fan of turkey!!] followed by some dessert...
Last year, I was too busy to cook something for christmas, however, I hope, this year, I do something special, a special treat to myself & whoever wants to sit down & join me for the 6 course menu[FYI...please u need to share the cost with me!!!] & here it is...

Caponata on Brioche

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Cream of Wild Mushroom Soup

Truffle Cream

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Fish & Lentils

Sea bream meuniere style, braised Puy Lentils and confit cherry tomatoes

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Prosciutto di Parma wrapped Quail with its own Jus

Foie gras,  Pureed potato & artichokes

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Millefeuille de Fromage

Creamed Brie, Figs & Apple Chutney, Filo Pastry

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Degustation de Citrus

Glazed Lemon Tart, Orange Panna Cotta & Lime -Almond cake

Fall....and some new *fishes*

Its been a while, that I didn't write in my blog, when I was addressing to my priorities--work and then relax. Also, I didn't write any new menu, though, I had numerous preparation of pork belly, pork steak & beef at home-which were quite simple in nature--one being Braised pork belly in apple-prune puree, blue potato chip, succotash, celeriac puree & an apple crisp. For beef it was just rib eye[a cut that I love to eat, especially I enjoy the fat in the rib-eye, which makes the cut more tender & juicy] with peppercorns or in french as you may say, "Steak au poivre" with gratin potatoes & pepper sauce.

This time, I am being a little fishy, since I enjoy fish a lot, specially when it is fresh

Filet de bar poele ala Marseillaise

Panfried baby seabass, saffron mashed potatoes, clams-mussels ala provencale, white asparagus and sauce bouillabaisse

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Rouget ala Nicoise

Grilled red mullet nicoise style & provencal vegetables

Filet de Bar poele ala Marseillaise

Concept: Bar, i.e. sea bass is panfried and served in Marseille style[south of France, home to the king of all soups, Bouillabaisse]. The accompaniments are being mashed potatoes with the hint of saffron, clams-mussels ala provencale--i.e. cooked with some tomatoes & their own juices. Sauce bouillabaisse is the reduction of bouillabaisse soup & further thickened with the addition of some rouille. It is a wonderful marriage of flavours & all pretty much go well together. Especially the sweet sauce & the subtly butter white asparagus.The recipe is given below:-
Ingredients:[For one portion]
Seabass filet- 160 gm
Seasoning-to taste
Olive Oil-20 ml
Butter, cold-20 gm
For the sauce
Prepared bouillabaisse-100 ml
Rouille-1 tsp
Seasoning as required
For the clams & mussels provencale
Littleneck/Manila clams-4 nos.
Fresh mussels-3 nos
Prepared Tomato sauce- 50 ml
zest of 1/2 lemon, seasoning as required
For the saffron potato mash
Russet potato-100 gm, boiled & sieved
Milk-30 ml
Saffron-1/2 pinch
Butter-25 gm, chilled
Seasoning- as required
For the white asparagus
Fresh white asparagus tips- 3nos.
Butter-10 gm
Seasoning- to taste
Method:
For the Clams & mussels provencale
Open the clams & mussels separately. Reserve the juices & remove the shells. Keep the mussel & clam meat separately. Heat the juices with the tomato sauce till half & heat the seafood meat in the sauce & keep warm
For the Sauce
Heat the bouillabaisse till half[dont burn]& keep warm. When ready to plate, add the rouille.
For the saffron mashed potatoes
Blend the potatoes with hot milk, butter & saffron. Season & keep hot.
For the Asparagus
Peel & blanch the tips in salted water. Strain & saute in cold butter. Season & keep hot
For the Fish
Make few slits on the skinside & season. Saute in a pan with olive oil, till crispy on one side. After three minutes, cook on the other side & add in the cold butter & keep on basting the fish, for two minutes & rest in the pan.
Assembling/Arranging on the plate

Put the mashed potato on one corner of the plate & put the clams-mussels on top with the sauce. On another corner put the white asparagus & rest the fish on top. Drizzle the sauce around

***

Rouget ala Nicoise

Concept: One day I was just going through a book, "Le Repertoire de la cuisine", which precisely describes the famed french classics from starters[you call it "Hors d'oeuvres" in French, by the way!!] till the savories. In the fish section, which describes the french classics on Fishes, I was just looking at the red mullet, a fish that is readily available here & present it with a twist. One recipe that enthralled me was "Rouget ala Nicoise", which is from Nice, south of france again. The recipe mentions of including chopped tomato, tossed in butter, decorate with anchovy fillets and black olives. Give it a twist???Turn the tomato into a sauce, as you'd do & blend with anchovy fillets. For the olives???Well, make some slits on the fish & stuff with slivers of black olives...how does that sound? Well, for the vegetables, I wanted to go for Ratatouille, another Nicoise vegetable stew & butter fondant potato for starch.
The fish itself is of course, who mostly lives on crustaceans...here is the recipe.

Ingredients:[For 1 person]
For the Fish
Red Mullet-1 whole, around 300 gm
Seasoning-As required
Black olives- 2 pieces
Oil-20 ml
Butter-10 gm, cold
For the sauce Nicoise
Peeled chopped tomatoes- 100 gm
Canned anchovies in oil-2 fillets
Garlic-1/2 clove
Butter- 20 gm
Seasoning- As required
For the ratatouille
Shallots-1/2, very small dices
Garlic-1/2 cloves, finely chopped
Fennel, Carrot, Zuchhini[Green], Bell Peppers[Yellow & Red],Eggplant all small dices-10 gm
Olive Oil-30 ml
Tomato Paste-1 tsp
Chiffonade of Basil-of two leaves
Seasoning- As required
For the Butter Fondant potato
Potato-1 big, peeled and then trimmed to make into a square shape
Butter-30 gm
Chicken stock-50 ml
Dried Thyme-1 pinch
Seasoning-As required
Method:
For the Butter Fondant Potato
Make the oven ready at 180 Deg C
In a hot pan add in the butter & when melted, add the potato, with the thyme. Nicely brown on all sides[Don't burn] & and then add in the chicken stock & seasoning. Put the pan in the oven for about 12-15 minutes. Check the doneness-if ready, keep it hot or else, continue to cook, until the potato is fork tender.
For the Nicoise Sauce
Saute the garlic in butter & when lightly colored add the chopped tomatoes. Cook until almost dry, add in
the anchovy fillets  & then blend till smooth. Adjust the seasoning & keep hot.
For the Ratatouille
In a hot pan, individually fry all the vegetables, except onion & garlic, till nicely colored. Take another pan & saute the onion, garlic till lightly colored & then add in the fried vegetables. Add the tomato paste & cook until vegetables are soft--moisten with a little water, if required. Add the basil chiffonade & season. Keep hot.
For the fish
Scale, gut [reserve the liver] & fillet the fish. Season both the fillets[one fish will fetch you two fillets] & make slits on the fish & stuff with slivers of olives. Saute in a hot pan with olive oil, first with skin side down for 1.5 minute & then on the other side for 1 min, whilst basting it with butter, cook the mullet liver in the same pan. Once cooked, allow to rest in the same pan, while you mix in the liver with the sauce.
Assembling for the plate:
Rest the fish on the spool of the sauce & put the ratatouille around the fish. Put the potato on one end & drizzle some more sauce around. You may garnish with zest of a lemon.

And for the time being, Bon Appetit, but check out soon..for some more tantalising recipes...from my kitchen.

Cheese...milk's another leap towards mortality....

"A cheese may disappoint. It may be dull, it may be naive, it may be over sophisticated. Yet it remains, cheese, milk’s leap toward immortality.” - Clifton Fadiman(May 15, 1904 - June 20, 1999)
My childhood was gone through some fancy sandwiches, albeit with some processed cheese, thanks to Amul, still a giant producer of dairy products in India. When it first came up with the idea of "processed cheese", yes, everyone was amused. Even I forced my mother[who has always been tough to my wants & needs]to buy some for me & taste how does it taste like. First taste, creamy, secondary taste, a little salty[but still ok for a palate, who used to hate salt, once upon a time]& the tertiary tastes of creamier texture. Often, it was being grated for my sandwiches[cheese slices were still not produced then!!!], which were often had with loads & loads of ketchup...or have it as it is....
Despite, loving it initially, I started loathing cheese in the meantime, till I got admitted myself to hospitality institute & started cooking with cheese. Thankfully, Kolkata started shedding its much outdated outlook[perhaps, it is still carried over now..in spite of the globalisation everywhere] with more and more supermarkets having a dedicated dairy section, including some imported cheese--prime ones being parmiggiano reggiano, gouda, emmenthal, cheddar, boursin & some other cheeses.

Back those days, since my fascination has always been to cook the one & only Italian cuisine, I treated myself by buying a chunk of grana padano[a reasonable alternative to expensive Parmiggiano Reggiano, parmesan cheese otherwise] & use it judiciously over my pasta dishes, or while making some mushroom risotto...at home...whilst, when I joined hotels, as a professional, for the sake of tasting, I tasted a dozens of cheese or perhaps more than that. Coming to Dubai, again it is a blessing in disguise, as here I have tasted cheeses, which I can never taste in India.
I will not tell you there are how many cheeses & how many types of cheeses in this planet, neither, how they are made. My first attempt for using cheese as dessert was using Danish Blue cheese for making some pannacotta at home--the Italian dessert with a little twist--with pineapple & blue cheese & nutmeg foam on top. The combination to you may be weird, but it is really interesting combination---it was sweet vs. salty. Thereafter, playing with cheeses for making canapes, or sometimes, adding them to meat--mortadella for example & come up with some interesting canapes[there were critics to it also!!!]..
There are some of my favorites, with some combinations, that I will always serve to my friends, guests alike...and they are..
Brie de Meaux, goes well with apples, pears, figs & of course green grapes
Taleggio, excellent with pears, figs
Camembert-serve it same like you do with brie
Gorgonzola..a classical combination is walnut & pears, also pineapple
Goat cheese--with olive oil[???], berries, mango jam
Mozzarella--beetroot [if you are having for salad or as it is...it goes well with roasted beetroot]
Cheddar--onion marmalade
Parmesan--crackers, cantaloupe
[Note:Almost all cheeses can be served with crackers or pane carasau, the Sardinian specialty crackers. Fruits as indicated, can be served in various forms, like compote, stewed or even carpaccio. Roasting the beetroot, actually intensifies the flavours]

I always feel that it is a luxury, to have some cheeses at the end of your meal, especially if the menu is european..a couple of well-ripened cheese, and a bottle of wine...and there you go. But for heaven's sake..never ever, have cheese with water!!!
And finally if you didn't know, the vegetarians of India swear by it, Paneer, like the firm ricotta is India's version of cottage cheese!!!

The magic of slow cooking....

"We are now living in the Mcdonaldised Society"
My college professor said this, during our final year classes. Actually, we had a subject on "McDonaldisation" in our final year classes, versus "De-McDonaldisation". Actually it was quite opposed to what we were taught than what the concept of McDonaldised society is..a movement started by Carlo Petrini, popularly known as "Slow Food Movement".
It was the concept of how fast food chains are conquering [or ruining] our palates whilst restaurant--fine dining, casual dining, speciality restaurants are losing their charm. Since, F&B was not my interest[though it was a major], little do I remember about what we were taught. Truly, the fast food restaurants have exploited our appetite with some fried patty, some french fries & some condiments in a couple of seconds. Its tasty, it gives satiety to stomach..& for sometime...you are no more hungry.
I remember trying McDonald's in the year 2001, that too in Delhi [Unfortunately, McDonald could not enter Kolkata-The city of Joy before 2007, due to strict Anti-American Communist regime!!!] & I was blown away that I had one more...

Not drifting from our topic of the day, these fast foods have done more damage than it did any good.On the other hand, slow cooking has been forgotten by many patrons who are admirers of fast foods[Burgers, Sandwiches & so on & so forth]. Now you will find many people queueing in any fast food restaurant than any casual dining or speciality restaurant. Of course, who has been praising slow cooked food for long, will remain to be the loyal consumer [and there are exceptions to it].

Mutton is a meat that I learnt to cook with utmost reverence. Reasons, being its tough connective tissues, which makes it difficult to cook. In spite of having pressure cooker at home, I preferred cooking in slow temperature, especially in an oven. The advantage of cooking in the oven is that you can graduate the temperature, which is a little difficult in stovetop. The end result??Of course melt in the mouth. Another example of slow cooking is our very own Mutton Biryani.

Now slow cooking, is definitely applicable for tough cuts--I am yet to learn any slow cooking recipe of tenderloin or rib-eye steak--the only exception being sous-vide however. Slow cooking methods like braising, stewing can be applicable for beef cuts like chuck,short ribs, flank, shank. Cuts of Lamb like shank, blade etc & similarly stew meats from pork, veal. However, shank of all the meats receive equal treatment, i.e. braising.Another of the pork cut, which I always prefer to braise for at least 2-3 hours, is Pork belly--unless, I am cooking in sous vide process for about 8-10 hours at a regulated temperature of about 72.2 Deg C.

But today, I am going to share a favorite recipe of mine, the last lamb I cooked at home.It is Lamb Shank. Well, there are two types of Lamb Shank you can get from one lamb--the hind one & the fore one. Generally, what you get in your supermarket is the fore shank.As with any cheap, inexpensive cut, like lamb shank the basic procedure remains the same--sear in a hot pan, after seasoning, with some oil until nicely browned. Once well browned, saute the basic mirepoix in the same pan, add some flour[adding flour is completely optional--when I cook, I rarely add any!!]& allow it to brown for sometime[an important part of caramelisation, as once it will simmer, it will release all its flavours to the braising liquid] followed by addition of braising liquid[generally a flavourful stock--try not to use just hot water]& cook slowly for about 2-3 hours, to get a tender meat, with a quite pronounced flavour of the meat[In this case, it being Lamb].Keep the meat aside, while you can strain & finish the sauce with the addition of lemon zest, garlic and parsley[yes, the gremolata seasoning goes well with any braised meat--not limited to only osso bucco!!] & serve with some root vegetables--pearl onions, potato, parsnip & always the classical accompaniment for lamb--beans & peas!!!
Here is the recipe...
Braised Lamb Shank[for 1 portion]
Ingredients:
Lamb Shank-1 no.
Seasoning- to taste, a sprig of rosemary & thyme
Lamb Stock-300 ml[preferably, homemade]
Shallots-50 gm(chopped fine)
Garlic-2 cloves(chopped fine)+4 garlic cloves, roasted & then peeled & roasted
Carrot-100 gm(chopped fine)
Olive Oil-25 ml
Bouquet Garni- 1
Butter-10 gm, chilled
Gremolata seasoning- zest of 1/2 lemon, 1/2 clove garlic chopped and 5 gm of chopped parsley
Method:
1. Season the lamb shank with thyme, rosemary & also salt-pepper. Heat a pan, when it is fairly hot enough & add in the olive oil until very hot. Sear the lamb shank on all sides, until well-browned. Once done, keep it aside in a colander and reserve the juices & drippings.Set the oven temperature to 160 Deg C.
2. In the same pan, saute the shallots, garlic, carrot until nicely browned. Deglaze with the lamb stock & add in the lamb shank & any drippings/juices from the shank & bring it to a boil. Once it comes to a boil,add the bouquet garni cover & cook in the oven for about 1 hour. After 1 hour, remove the bouquet garni & add in the pureed roasted garlic & cook for a further 1.5 hour. Check the doneness, by trying to pull the meat or pierce with a fork--if it is easy to pierce or pull the meat, it is done!!Another method--check if the meat has pulled away from the bone. If it is, then it is done. Once done, remove the shank from the liquid & reduce the liquid in the stove top, until it is of syrupy consistency.
3. Strain the sauce, check the seasoning & add in the gremolata & pour the sauce over the lamb shank. Serve with assorted root vegetables--pearl onions, parsnip, carrot. Alternatively, blue potato puree, sauted beans & peas are good combinations too...


Bon appetit!!!

Too-sweet Arabic sweets...and Arabic Food

Part I
Okk..you know that I am in middle-east for almost 2 years now, Dubai to be exact & have been trying the Arabic foods..which is again controversial. Turks will claim that all arabic food actually originated in Turkey[do they still believe that entire middle east is under the Ottoman empire?], whilst Greeks also have similar food[cold mezze especially] and a growing disputes amongst arabics too--this is lebanese or syrian..that is from Saudi arabia or palestine & so on & so forth...but I don't care as long as I have food to eat, provided its good.

Caveat: When I came here, I was a little taken aback by the arabic [namesake] food. If someone would ask me, if I liked arabic food or not, I never took time to think--the answer was straight, "No, it doesn't appeal my palate."

But now things have changed, when I just tried to taste---instead of rejecting something outright, why not try?If it is unpalatable, well, that is another thing. Gradually I developed a taste for Arabic foods, but again I am selective. I love the fried mezze[kebbeh, sambousek], hommous, moutabel[and I honestly, dont like Labneh]. I am being selective on Lentil soup...since, I cannot eat all lentils!! And if you talk about main course, bring on as long as you make sure they are good--though mostly meat--Lamb Chops, Lamb Kofta[kind of Indian Sheekh kabab], Shish Kebab[okk..Arabic version of Chicken Tikka, but with Beef], & Shish Tawook[Arabic version of Chicken tikka, except Indian spices], or the grilled seafood--Sabream[i.e. Sea Bream], Sultan Ibrahim[threadfin seabream, like a baby red-snapper], Sultan Hedi[i.e., Red Mullet] or can be other local fishes like Hammour[a local grouper] or Shrimps. But there is more arabic food than what has met my eye & now I have developed a keen interest to make arabic food....is it possible to take it to the next level?Or it is best in its rustic form??



Okk...you know that I love sweets too...sweets of all kind from any corner of the world, provided it is upto my palate.Years before, when I saw Baklawa being made, in one the television channels, especially when hot honey was being poured over the freshly baked filo pastry...it was really appealing. Well, honey is good..isn't it?I always used to ask myself, "When will I be able to taste Baklawa?", since, I could never make filo pastry--the excuse being it is difficult to make at home, so I was waiting for the day to come...the day I would be in middle east or to some Greek islands or even Turkey, to taste this heavenly sweets.
So now I am in Dubai & tasted at least 4-5 types of Baklawa[well, there are many types, if you dont know that]--from excellent to disaster. Baklawa, a little crisp on outside & inside sublimely soft & delicious--the making of it is more than what meets the eye...for those, who think that buying a packet of filo pastry from the supermarket freezers & then making the Baklawa is just like a five-minute handjob, again, you will be very wrong my friend--unless, you are an expert.Another favorite of late, is the Umm Ali pudding- a variation of bread pudding, but on a lighter note, since it is solely based on milk[to make more exquisite, use camel or goat milk] and/or cream...and some nuts, but puff pastry is used instead of breads. And then baked!!!

For over the past few weeks, I was craving for some Baklawa & ultimately, I made one...the result was good..and the taste was getting better over time. So, today, I will share with you a recipe...no...two recipes. One is Shish Tawook [Chicken Kebab] & another being my favorite, "Baklawa", with assorted dry fruits.
For the time being, Baklawa for you...
1 lb package phyllo dough, defrosted
3 sticks (12 oz) butter or 1 1/4 cups ghee
2 1/2 cups nuts (walnuts, pine nuts, pistachios, cashews)
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 3/4 cups sugar
1 cup water
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon each rose and orange blossom water

1. Clarify the butter: melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Let it boil gently without stirring just until a layer of foam has risen to the surface and the white solids have sunk to the bottom (do not let the solids brown). Remove from the heat and skim off the foam as best you can. Then carefully pour the golden liquid into another container, leaving the solids behind (I normally strain it through a cheesecloth while doing this). Discard the solids. Skip this step if using ghee.
2. Make the syrup: Place the sugar, water, lemon, and blossom water in a pan and bring to a boil so that the sugar dissolves. Let boil 5-10 minutes until syruppy. Set aside to cool.
3. Preheat the oven to 350F. Place the nuts, sugar, and cinnamon in a food processor and grind until they form a coarse meal.
4.Brush the pan with clarified butter or ghee & put a sheet of phyllo, trimming off the edges to the fit the pan. Brush with ghee or clarified butter & put another sheet of phyllo, brushing the top with ghee/clarified butter. Continue doing this, until you put 8 sheets of phyllo pastry. Add in the crushed nuts in an even layer. Top with a phyllo sheet and again brush with ghee/clarified butter & do like this, until you top it off with at least 4 sheets.Using a very sharp knife  score the top of the phyllo in a square or diamond pattern.
5. Place in the oven and bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour, until deeply golden and crisp but not overly browned. Remove from the oven and immediately pour the cool syrup over the hot baklava. Set aside to cool and absorb completely.Use a knife to cut all the way through the score marks to the bottom of the pan. It is really best if you let it sit overnight, covered with foil, before serving.This will stay fine upto 3 weeks
 

The Trauma

The Trauma
Part II
The Trauma of Four Months...

I remember it was December 25, 2008. I was busy at home, cooking for a festive menu for my mom & bro. In the midst of the cooking in the evening, I called up ACE employment services, a career consultant in Mumbai [I was in Kolkata then] to follow up about the date of joining[and also an update on the visa status] for Atlantis, in Palm Jumeirah, Dubai--since I was supposed to join there. I dont remember the person's name I spoke to, however, the news I got from the agent was disappointing, "Sorry Gaurav, Atlantis is no longer in a position to hire people--due to recession in Dubai. Like you, applications of many people have been cancelled." I was speechless for sometime...
I told my mom about it. I dont remember what she said, but she didn't react to it. It was so expected, I felt from the way she behaved. Well, I left Mumbai on October 26th, 2008, for Kolkata for two reasons-1)to fix my passport, which was valid through only till December that year & for applying visa, the passport has to be  valid for the next 6 months and 2)to meet my family members--I was missing them so much.

After coming back to Kolkata, I headed to the passport office & applied for the re-issue of my damaged passport....although after initial hassles & the reluctance of the officials there, it was fixed in a couple of weeks & I sent the new passport copy to the agent[Fortunately, the agent never charged me money!!!] and I was eagerly waiting for a reply from them.... "Do you have any update on my visa?", & the immediate answer would be, "Nothing as of now". In the meantime, I clearly remember, Atlantis had a grand opening & we saw that in the television. It was fascinating to see such a grand opening in the middle of crisis & then what happened, you all know that....

Almost all hotels are busy around Christmas & New year's time, so knocking their doors for a job that time, would be futile. Some would suggest me "Send us an email with your CV" & then never revert back whilst others would reject my plea outright, "We dont have any opening right now". I was getting frustrated..though my mother could understand my emotions & feelings..being jobless !!!

Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai & other cities, where I can get a job, at least a good job!!!That's all I wanted & when things improve, I can try abroad again, I used to tell myself. Finally, there were rays of hope & it was in Chennai....and then one in Vizag. Don't forget, I was almost penny less since almost my savings were spent & I was living on my parents' contribution, which means, I will have to minimise my expenses, to accommodate my needs. No going out with friends [even if they asked me], eating less outside, more at home & no more luxury cooking on weekends, rather eat what is being cooked at home.

***

The first call was from ITC Chola Sheraton, first property of ITC in India looking for a Kitchen Associate but what suprised them[and still people me ask me that same question when they look at my CV], "Why such a short tenure in Grand Hyatt, Mumbai?", I could say nothing else than personal reasons, until I really came to Dubai & revealed the real reason, which I wrote before.  Anyways, coming back to our discussion & after some 30 minutes interview over the phone, with the Executive chef, he called me to Chennai for a food trial. It was good...I made a warm pasta salad, a mushroom soup, grilled fish with pomme de terre ecrasse, asparagus & pomegranate jus & for dessert, white chocolate pannacotta with glazed strawberries. He liked my presentation [which was still disastrous those days!!!] & asked me when can I join? I was a little perplexed since, I could make it & I said, "Only after 1 month,", which meant not before March 3, 2009. I was almost starving till 5 pm..since I had only a cup of tea in the morning, around 9 am!!!

I went out...informed my mom & had some food...and wrote in a friends' networking website, "At least Sun has risen in the South", which was confusing, since Sun rises in the east.

The Park, located in Vishakhapatnam[Vizag in short] also accepted my application for a position but as a Kitchen Assistant & my food trial was good, which was again their menu, a simple grilled chicken with mashed potato & pepper sauce. I was offered that job also. But less salary...so I had to judge which one to go for...the one in Chennai was giving better salary & also accommodation[which I needed anywhere else than in Kolkata], whilst Vizag was disastrous--less salary & that city is expensive to live in.

So finally, I decided to settle in Chennai for the time being....

Yes, another dark spot in my CV for having no job for four months..those four months have been traumatic...God, I dont want such setbacks again in my life....and later I used to think, "Are all these incidents, actually a lesson/blessing in disguise???

Fish & seafood...once again

As I said before in one of my postings that I love to cook [and eat too] Salmon, and this time, I am cooking[and ate thereafter] some Norwegian Salmon, which I brought yesterday. And yes, one more recipe for you, the oyster ravioli I cooked last week.
So the menu for you, will be :

Oyster Ravioli

Fin de clair oysters, seaweed caviar

-

Panfried Salmon

Orange braised Fennel, Tartare of confit tomato & mustard beurre blanc

First we come to talk about the oyster ravioli:-
I wrote somewhere before, about a menu for your date, where I advised scallops & oysters for ravioli & this time, I am making it without any scallops. Just poaching the oysters in fish stock for only 30 seconds & then stuffing them in thin pasta sheets. Traditionally, oysters in their very raw form is eaten with few drops of lemon juice---squeezed freshly[though, purists will have it as it is].So the for the accompaniments for this pasta, that is the sauce is lemony, but without any tartness from the lemons/lime. I am using a reduction of cream, fish stock, the juices from the oysters[which was reserved after shucking the oysters] & all these have been infused with lemon & lime zest...interesting..isn't it?
Oysters & caviar are considered to be good partner & signs of luxury[hell, both are aphrodisiacs too!!!]. A little touch of mock caviar around the white creamy sauce & the ravioli looks good ain't it? A couple of parsley sprig or chervil here and there..makes it simple & sexy!!!



Panfried Salmon 
I was really craving to have salmon, since I dont remember when was the last time, I had a proper cooked salmon[I think it was in February this year, even that was cooked by me]. So this was the time, when I wanted to have salmon badly, accompanied by three key ingredients-fennel, tomato & mustard which I felt, should go well together, alongwith the salmon. The salmon was usually panfried with olive oil & then basted with butter. Fennel got a classical treatment--braised with orange juice, honey & star anise. I made a tomato confit & then chopped it up to make a tartare, mixed with balsamic vinegar & some chopped shallots--seasoned of course. For the sauce, it was beurre blanc with some dijon mustard. Whoever said that mustard is a good accompaniment to fish, I must say that he is bloody correct about it. In Bengal, we cook fish with mustard paste albeit, mustard oil is the cooking medium...dont we? Fennel is definitely, a sweet compliment to any fish.

Recipes????Send me mail :)

Bienvenue au French Cuisine

Bienvenue au French Cuisine


Date: Some unrecorded date of December, 2010
Place: Kitchen, in some anonymous hotel
Time: Around 2000 hours

The Chef was teaching me how to make a proper wild mushroom soup, since my previous attempt was disastrous & was intimidating to him. He was sautéing the porcini mushrooms in a pan & after sautéing them, he was deglazing the pan with chicken stock & was reserving them separately. “Once you deglaze the pan, you get the juices, bits left behind in the pan & you don’t lose any flavor”, he was telling me. Well, kind of flashback for me, since this is what we learnt in culinary college; “deglaze” with wine, stock or water or whatever, one of the many basics in the French cuisine. The same thing perhaps we do at home, specially using the same pan or wok, when my mother makes the fish curry, after frying the fish. And yes, I thought, I should revisit all the basics of French cuisine. In college, we made all those classical French cuisine [or haute cuisine] “Poulet sauté champignon” or “Tournedos ala portugaise” or simply, the “Poisson meuniere” [substitute of the most popular Sole Meuniere, since Sole is difficult to procure in India].

However, in between the cuisine of Italy seemed to be more attractive & simple than the complex haute French cuisine, when I’d satisfy myself with pasta, risotto, antipasti & all Italian desserts, tiramisu & pannacotta primarily, for example.
But The Chef’s training just reminded me, why I should start focusing again in French cuisine & for the time being, stay separate from la cucina italiana. All the good things in French Cuisine – foie gras [which I have eaten more than I have sliced], butter [And I love a good, buttery mashed potato], fruits de mer [and I love seafood], demiglace, the tenderloin, croissant and dozens of other French cuisine essentials.

Seeing Anthony Bourdain:No reservations & its 1st & 100th episode [both being shot in Paris, by the way], just evoked the feelings of cooking French, not necessarily, haute cuisine, but putting the old ones in a new way, in a simpler way, using different ingredients, substituting fresh tomatoes with sundried ones or cherry tomatoes, for example or the simple button mushroom with some Chinese black mushrooms or shitake mushrooms. I remember once cooking poulet sauté chasseur [i.e. hunter’s style] in one my employment in India, when I used to handle the western kichen, alone for 15 hours a day & sometimes for 16 hours!!!There we needed to cook for 60 reservations for the lunch & dinner buffet, apart from the ala carte orders. Preparing two vegetarian options & two non-vegetarian options apart from the soup[ either veg or non-veg, after consulting with the Chinese kitchen], was really a pain in the ass…sometimes, cooking the same old & boring “crumb-fried fish”, or vegetables in thai red or green curry & sometimes, when time permitted tried cooking the French classics in my way. Poulet sauté chasseur, also known as “Pollo cacciatore” in its Italian form, is a chicken dish, cooked with white wine, shallots, mushrooms, tomatoes & the demiglace of course[i.e. components of Chasseur sauce]. So I changed the form of mushrooms & tomatoes in this case-I used Chinese shitake mushrooms, which gives a meaty & earthy flavour, compared to the less fragrant button mushroom. I used sundried tomatoes in this case, instead of fresh tomatoes, per se. Well, the results…even the executive chef was wondering what was I upto but he couldn’t say anything else. Yes, it was good & better than what I expected..it was robust!!!
Again, mostly French foods are named as per their garnishes, for example, Poisson clamart, where clamart stands for green peas or printanier, which are spring vegetables; thus giving you scope with names & putting the vegetables or sides accordingly. I remember once cooking at home, “Poulet Roti Forestiere”, here forestiere stands for the bounty of forests, primarily mushrooms and potatoes [ideally parmentier potatoes, small dices of potatoes, by the way], bacon apart from that. But, I was a little flexible with potato-- I used pureed potatoes, mushroom ragout & bacon bits.
And that few days before I made a classic, typical from Provence [South France], Marseille to be exact. And it was Bouillabaisse, commonly known as the Mediterranean fish soup with saffron. The fish used is rock fish, rascasse or known as “scorpion fish” is the ideal fish for making this soup, but if I don’t have access to this fish, can’t I enjoy having other fishes from the Mediterranean, which are also added? I will not get into details how it is made in Marseilles, but I will tell my way I made it & here is the recipe. But make sure, you have enough baguette & rouille to finish up the soup. Don’t make it small portions, make at least 4-5 portions & entertain your guests with this soup—no guests??? Well, freeze it then & consume within a month, the way I do…



My Bouillabaisse [For 6]

Ingredients:

For the basic broth

Assorted Mediterranean small fishes- 1.5 kg [I used baby sea bass, large prawns, red mullet & seabream—you can use John Dory, turbot, monkfish tail, if you get]

Olive Oil -200 ml

Leek-1, white part only, thinly sliced

Onion-200 gm, roughly chopped

Garlic- 6 cloves, crushed

Fennel Bulb- 1 whole, roughly chopped

Very ripe Tomatoes- 400 gm, roughly chopped

Bouquet Garni- 1

Fish Stock- 3 liter

For the Soup:

Assorted fishes, the same ones used to make the broth- 1 kg

Garlic-1 clove, finely chopped

Basil- 1 sprig, finely chopped

Tomato – 2 pieces, peeled, deseeded & chopped

Saffron- 1 generous pinch, soaked in 1 tbsp hot water

Olive Oil- 100 ml

Fennel bulb- ½ bulb, finely chopped

Seasoning- to taste

Cayenne Pepper- to taste

Rouille- as required

Baguette- as required



Method:-

The Basic Broth:

1. Gut the fishes, clean & chop them roughly. Devein the prawns but don’t peel. Keep the heads intact of all the fishes, but remove the gills.

2. Heat the oil in a stockpot & sauté the leek, onion, fennel, garlic until lightly colored. Add in the chopped tomatoes, followed by the fish & sweat the vegetables & fish for about 10-15 minutes, stirring frequently.

3. Add the fish stock, bring to a boil & then lower the heat & simmer for about 40-45 minutes. Remove from the heat & leave it to stand for 20 minutes to allow the flavours to infuse.

4. Pass the fish through a foodmill/ mouli or through a drum sieve, rubbing with the back of a ladle. Discard the bones & other debris. If you want to make it more refine, pass it through a fine sieve. Now this is the broth or the base for making the soup, which will carry quite sweet flavour. If you want to have it as it is, you may or finish with a touch of cream. For the Soup, see the next step.

The Soup:

1. Clean the soup for garnishes-cut them into fillets, deboned & cut into bite sized chunks.

2. Heat all but 25 ml of olive oil & sauté garlic, tomato, fennel until lightly colored & add in the broth & bring it to a boil. Add in the reserved fish chunks, saffron & season and simmer for 5-6 minutes until the fishes are cooked.

3. Serve with the reserved olive oil, drizzled on top & with enough baguette & rouille[mayonnaise with garlic, cayenne pepper & saffron] sauce on side.



In Marseille, also known as the fishermen’s stew/soup, since they made the stew out of the fishes they couldn’t sell [the ugly scorpion fish being the typical addition] is served in two ways—the broth in one bowl & the fish chunks on the other, but I deviated from it. Former Chef Marco Pierre White went a step further---he reduced the broth further & named it as “Bouillabaisse sauce”…isn’t that creative??

[Note to Self: Make plans to visit France—this year or next year, especially Paris, Lyon & Provence.]

There are more to come..and for the time being Bon Appétit…

Fish & Seafood

Let me be honest with you here. I love to cook fish & sometimes I am afraid when I am told to cook fish. Fish—the easiest thing to cook & “overcook” at the same time,and that’s why I am afraid to cook. Sometimes, I am afraid…if I undercook.



Since I hail from Kolkata, Eastern part of India with river Ganges flowing through, fish plays an important part of any Bengali family[and our family too]. From marriage to death…it’s all about fish. As a matter of fact, Bengalis are famous for having fish in their diet & the unapologetic & the tastiest “Bengali Fish curry” or in a bengali’s lingo, “Maacher Jhol”. I am sure there are at least of dozens of variations of this famous curry from its thin version, which is being cooked for daily meal to the thick version, meant for a festive occasion & mostly thickened with mustard paste—making it a little pungent & spicy.



But this is what I like now, never before..when I was a child. I used to loathe fish curry—if it contains any bony fish. That’s why Hilsa, a bengali’s favorite never made it to my favorites. I always preferred fish like bekti/baramundi [a freshwater version of seabass], pomfret & later Rohu, a fresh water carp. So I used to indulge mostly into crumb fried fish, made at home by my mother. My father used to buy the prized fillets of Bekti in the morning & mostly on every evening of monsoons, I used to savour those freshly made fish fries with a little tomato ketchup. A mouthful of heaven….



There is yet another Bengali fish preparation, perhaps rendered from the Parsee Cooking, “Patrani Macchi”, & renamed in Bengali as “Maacher Paturi”. In its simplest form, it is a fish marinated with mustard & other spices & then wrapped in banana leaf [like the pate en croute, banana leaf in this case??]& then steamed till done.





Going out of Kolkata was a blessing in disguise in some way as I had the opportunity to try more & more seafood & fishes. Ok, I cleaned a lot of octopus when I was in Kolkata, but I never tried any[ when I was a simple trainee..back then!!] or may be cut the squids or calamari. I did marinate a lot of lobsters but failed to taste, how they taste like!



My first point was Mumbai, when I was working in a five star deluxe hotel. Which means, access to the world of seafood, especially if they have a restaurant serving high end clientele. If anyone asks me my favorite fish, I may say “Salmon” without a single thought, despite it being fatty & for lean fish, it can be as simple & as prized as “Sea bass”.

Well…then I tried squid, especially its deep fried version coated with semolina & served with saffron mayonnaise and one early morning savored Lobster curry & in spite of sitting in a room with low temperature started feeling the heat & believed that why seafood are often referred to as “aphrodisiacs”.



Dubai…perhaps here, I tried the oysters first in my life. Though, I am being picky about my food..I had to try oysters. With my eyes closed and when I put it in my mouth, it just reminds me of sea. Even, the very smell of the sea…it reminds me of oysters …and then octopus & then a hell lot of seafood—snails, scallops [my favorite], mussels [the least favorite], clams, langoustine aka Dublin bay prawns & more and more lobsters. Didn’t I tell you why I love seafood risotto so much?



You call it King of all fish stews or soups, but I was being moved by bouillabaisse for over a while, until I made it at home & had for my dinner..just few days before. The recipe recommends using rascasse or scorpionfish, but what if I don’t have any?Wont I be able to make without that one? …Well, I used seabream, sea bass, red mullet—expensive fishes & also prawns for the sweetness & when I was having it some baguette & rouille, I was wondering then..which is the best fish stew or soup???Is it the Bengali fish curry or Bouillabaise? Perhaps both are best in their own right..

Pasta..fatta

Pasta....


I recollect my first pasta making & eating too, thereafter. It was some evening during summer of 1998, when I had nothing to do. In the morning, I already saw how to make pasta in one of the shows aired by the then “Discovery Channel” & the program was intimate escapes—a show I tried not to miss. The host, a lady was travelling across Italy & in one of the shows, there was a sneak-a-pick showing how to make a pasta.

Voila…I had everything in the kitchen—flour, eggs, salt, oil, garlic & the notorious tomato ketchup. So I started with an assumption of 100 g of flour & 1 egg. I was not too happy with the result since the pasta was tough. I gave up…

Once I joined the hospitality institute & in the same time, the pasta craze came up with the introduction of “pasta treat” by Sunfeast—a cheap imitation just like Maggi, but I savored it well…until, La Cucina Italiano [i.e. the Italian cuisine] came up. It was a craze for me, when I couldn’t think of any other kitchen but Italian. The language, the eating habits and almost everything was backed by passion for Italian food. Pasta, desserts, mains, appetizers [antipasti in their lingo]—I am not a bigtime fan of pizza by the way, unless, it is thin crust & topped with loads of pork cold cuts!!


Perhaps the most challenging work was convincing a friend who disliked mushrooms, that it is a good combination of mushrooms & fusilli. Yes, he liked it...to the extent that he also left me a thank you note & a note of praise in Orkut [a social networking site by Google].



“This pasta is too dry…add some sauce,” a friend told me long back, when I was cooking pasta for a guest. Come on dear…let the guest taste the pasta. He is not spending some 70 AED for goddamn pasta loaded with sauces & sauces [quite natural when cooking for an Indian palate]. The sauces [which can be from simple butter & sage sauce to the elaborate ragout of Bologna] actually, are meant to complement the pasta, should not be overpowering itself. “No. put some more stock,” came a calling from another colleague. I was telling myself, “Ok…but when I become the boss; I will cook the real way.”
What is my favorite pasta, if I am asked? Well. It’s hard to say. I like fettuccine [more if it is fresh/homemade], fusilli, penne, spaghetti [but never with Bolognese!!!]. I am a fan of Lasagna also [About which I will write separately].Sauces? I am a fan of the meat ragu [I wrote about it before, In search of the perfect Bolognese—please go through the archives]…Alfredo sauce, with some wild mushroom popped in, Carbonara sauce..but my least favorite is “Tomato Basil Sauce”.

Cooking Sous Vide & cooking slow.. Part II

My previous experiment on Sous vide cooking was with Pork---mostly cooked & served well-done, due to the fear of trichinosis. Even, I prefer well-done, well-done to the extent, mostly dry--however, my tests on cooking pork, sous-vide changed the complete outlook towards cooking Pork--well-done & juicy too...& the subtle tenderness.
But this time, I wanted to cook beef. I always wanted to cook short-ribs--abundant fat, meaty & tender & the resultant meat will be juicy. Using the sous vide technique, I tried cooking short-rib. However, my concept was reproducing something from French cuisine & then do a contemporary presentation. So, it was "Boeuf Bourguignon"--braised beef cubes[short rib cubes] in red wine--wine ideally from Burgundy---with an array of root vegetables & also mushrooms--to be served with noodles/pasta or even spatzle--the german dumplings.

I used the sous vide technique cooking short ribs of 200 gm each & using a marinade---Yes, an unusual marinade which is also its braising liquid[Yes, like Sauerbraten]. Its actually a reduction of "Red wine", I used Cabernet Sauvignon, root vegetables[carrot, onion, leek, celery, shallots] an assortment of herbs[rosemary, thyme, parsley], spices[black peppercorn only!!], mushroom trimmings[I mean wild mushrooms], jus[yes, homemade] & finally salt[ yes, a very good salt, not your shitty table salt, but invest in good salt--Maldon salt or any Kosher salt-- I used Fleur de Sal].

The cooking process
The braising liquid, aforesaid, was slipped into individual ziplock bags--with 200 gm of trimmed beef shortribs & properly sealed--taking out as much air I could [I dont have a vacuum pack machine at home] & allowing them to swim in a hot water bath of 55.1 Deg C--Remember, my desired internal temperature is 55.1 deg C--the medium-rare texture of the meet. However, short rib has a lot of collagen, for which one might opt for a temperature above 60 Deg C--for the collagen & fat to dissolve & make the meat more delicious. The cooking process was for entire 24 hours.
After cooking, repack the beef in the same liquid & keep until to ready to use-refrigerated.
The finishing touch
Beef Bourguignon is served traditionally, with an array of root vegetables & vegetables of the earth--mushrooms, spinach as I said before. So before service[yes, for my own service], I seared the meat in a hot pan [to caramelise, thus improving the taste] & cooked the sides.Et Voila..Beef Bourguignon ala Sous vide..is ready!!! :)

The Trauma.... Part I

The Trauma...Part I
In college....

Date: May 27, 2006
Time: Roughly around 13:30 hrs
Place: IHM, Kolkata

Indranil came to me, "Gaurav, the ATKT results are out [ATKT-->if you get a back in any of your subjects, in this case, it was for the first year]".
I asked him, "Is it???What is my marks??Did I pass???" I was worried. This was a do or die for me. Even I fail in one or two subjects in second year, it will matter less--but if I fail again in the first year paper--I'll lose a year in college...a year drop-out in college.

I rushed to the notice board, to see my marks...keeping my fingers crossed.
The result read 35 out of 100. I verified again, "35".
Oh shit....that means I flunked!!!!
I went to Soumitra sir, aka Sammy and came back without any rays of hope. Then I ran to Raja sir...I assume he understood my condition..empathised, but without any rays of hope again. I was praying to God...I dont want to lose a year. People say "If you want to know the value of year, ask a student who lost one year...", it is so true...!!

Now what to tell my parents???That I will be a drop-out..for a person, who has never been a drop out before...who were always in good books. But I had to tell...I was too afraid of the consequences.

Having lost one year [since I passed in the second year papers...but couldn't attend college for 1 year, until I pass in "Hotel Engineering" through re-test] I had nothing to do at home. What to do??I cannot be a fulltime astrologer [a hobby then, when I was growing strong] since my parents will never approve it. I was taking suggestions then. Callcentres or BPOs...a place where I can improve my communication skills & make some quick money. So I started applying....
First one was "Hutchison Essar", now "Vodafone". Pay was comparatively low..but beggars cant be choosers. I was selected for the personal interview. I couldn't tell them that I flunked in my exams & I said, "My classes will be started from date X". The HR asked me, "How will you work then, if you have to attend classes ...I know the classes of hospitality management--you'll have some vital practical & theory classes". My application was not forwarded.

Next one was "Dell", located in Hydrabad, which means, I will have to relocate from Kolkata. I had no problem in relocation, since they were providing accommodation. I passed in the preliminary test & then I was selected for the personal interview. After a brief introduction about myself, the interviewer asked me, "Gaurav, what would you like do after completion of your course??". I proudly said, "I want to join hotels as a chef!!". I messed it up...bigtime!! Eliminated immediately.

One more hope...and it was with Wipro. I was eliminated in the second round. I was getting frustrated ....Tried at 3 places with no success. I went to visit my the then mentor, Mr. Raja Sadhukhan a lecturer in our college. "Sir, what to say in the interviews, that I am still in college??", I asked him. His prompt reply, "Tell them you are a college drop out & not going to attend anymore", he added, "Who is going to check that??".

There was a ray of hope when Ma Foi consultants called me up for a possible employment with HSBC. HSBC BPO was perhaps the best BPO in the city, offering a decent pay, benefits & facilities. I passed in the qualifying rounds & then headed to HSBC GSC[in Salt Lake]. The first round was a group discussion, followed by a rapid fire round, & then an interview with the HR & final round with Card Services, to see if I am fit to be a sales agent. I guess I couldn't make enough ....& after two days, Ma Foi called me up & said, "Congratulations Gaurav!!You have been offered a position of Customer Service Executive in HSBC GSC[Group Service Centre]." I was feeling great. One issue has been solved,securing a job. But next problem..what shall I tell people, that I have lost a year in college. My social life started shrinking & rarely I used to go out. I was afraid people will ask me that inevitable, unavoidable question, "Your classes, campus interviews, college etc". Though, I was selected by HSBC, but was not given any date of joining. Everyday seemed to be too big for me to live. Getting up in the morning, followed by astrology reading in the forums & then studying for the retest, chatting with friends online...then sleep!!! A regular boring schedule, often interrupted by visiting a pub, drinking alone & then getting the hangover. My savings started decreasing, often spent on buying some books on astrology. Gradually, I turned out to be an unsocial creature, my only company was my best friend, Samrat...till I joined HSBC on Sept. 12, 2006.

This was a traumatic period of my life..a period I dreaded the most.People who have gone through such stages can only empathise with me...& can feel it...
 But I was not aware that there were many more to come [& more in future] & I will write on this ...soon.!!

Belated Valentine's Menu....

It was difficult for me to make out sometime & write a new menu for the day dedicated to lovers [I wonder sometimes, if there was a day dedicated only for the singles]. One of my last menus, dedicated for the partners was cook for your dream date--fortunately, one of the followers of this blog, tried this out for her husband [she lamented poorly, if she had tried this out for her lover...before getting married...]and thanked me...and now its time for others I guess...to try out something. Since this year, I didn't work on Valentine's day--I announced an open offer...I will cook for a couple...3 course menu @ only DHS 500!!! Unfortunately...I never got a chance to cook for, but for myself!!

Anyways, the menu that I have planned doesn't have too much of the so called "red" for valentine's[as other people depict]. I understand that "red" is the color of passion, but does that mean all your food has to have something in red???Can't you express your passion through, oysters, lobsters, passionfruit [aphrodisiacs in other words]???

Here is my offer...

Beetroot Salad with Hazelnuts & Raspberry

Lemon Dressing, Pureed Pistachio

-

My Surf & Turf

Lobster Ravioli, Slow-cooked pork belly, Wild Mushroom Jus, Asparagus

-

Passion

Warm Passionfruit Curd, Passionfruit & Milk Chocolate Jelly, Passionfruit Pumice Stone

Stories behind each foods...
Beetroot Salad
I saw this salad in one of the episodes of "No reservations" by Anthony Bourdain. Beetroot & Raspberry may sound odd---but combines well.
My Surf & Turf
It just came to my mind....I had some slow cooked pork belly lying with me...cooked sous vide at 70 Deg C for 8 hours. How about making a lobster ravioli & serve with it?? It goes well too..
Passion
It needs a lot of mise-en place, lots of running here & there.It needs patience. But the end result is well-worth. I made a jelly of milkchocolate with passionfruit & you may ask why. Well, the answer is to cut down the tartness of the passionfruit.I tried it once, making it in a professional kitchen. It is really good. The pumice stone???Well, I borrowed this idea from the concept of frozen foam.

Enjoy reading.... :)

Campus Interviews..

"What is his name, sitting next to you?", the professor aka Baap of IHM asked a student.
"His name is ......., " the student replied.
"And what relationship do you have with him?", Baap asked the same student.
"Sir, he is my best friend....", the student said.
"Well, will he be your friend during campus interviews also???", this was Baap's third question & hopefully the last question.
There was silence...pindrop silence in the Students' Dining Hall, abbreviated to S.D.H.

----

Campus interviews are perhaps, the most threatening period for a student, who was struggling to reach this stage. Its a period---do or die. Either you get it...or you don't. You fight for it...you win it...if you dont, you lose it to someone else. No friendship during the interviews, during group discussion. If you are fortunate enough, you can work with your best friends...
When it comes to my Campus interviews...I will share my part of the story..the most crucial stages, I went through. Crucial to the point, that I used to sleep for only 3 hrs those days...Personal problems, problems in family, low attendance in college & work..many many things etc.
If I recollect properly, the first campus interview I appeared for ...was for Kingfisher. In any case, I was never interested to join any airlines for a ground staff or whatever. I was interested to have an experience for the "interviews" & "group discussion". I was poor in group discussions..most of the times, when my turn came,  I was put off by some other "friend", who tried to establish his fact was correct & ultimate..and ultimately, the entire group was disqualified.
After that...it was with Oberois. If you get a job as OCLD [as a management trainee], its like a dream come true. If you dont get it...you have some other options....or may be nothing. We went to The Oberoi Grand, Kolkata. The then Training Manager, Mr. Deepak Malhotra greeted us & we had a first round. It was introducing each other, career aspirations. Thank god..to my english[I think it was good] & my pronunciation, I was shortlisted for the next round...when it was already 2 pm. Time for lunch...& when my turn came for the next round...it was almost 7:30 pm. I was getting bored in the ballroom, there were not enough good looking girls though...to chat!!
Finally, my turn came. This turn is like you make it...or you break it. Either you get shortlisted for OCLD...or operational trainee.. or simply put...kicked out.
I dont remember the chef's name now...he was a Sous Chef, a muslim guy. First he asked me about myself [now this is so cliched!!] & finally the place where from, I did my training. When I said, I did from ITC Sonar, he started asking me which outlet & what was the most selling dish. "Murg Malai Kabab", I said.
He started shooting, "What is it made of?", I started guessing...and said, "Yellow chilly powder". He was surprised, "Yellow chilly powder??or white pepper powder". I was strong, saying, "Chef, it was yellow chilly powder", it seemed I couldn't convince him. Then he asked me, "What is Shah Jeera in english?". I was good in European cuisine and equally dumb in Indian cuisine. A person who can tell you the basic gravies & some talks on North Indian food...but when it came to basics...I was a disaster. "I dont know", was my humble reply. "What is Kalonji?", his next question. Complete surrender. "I dont know", I said.
"So, which cuisine are you focussing on, Indian??", this was his question then, when he found me dumb in the indian section.
"Chef, I am into Continental", I was ready for him to ask me questions on Continental Cuisine.
Then it was my turn to answer all questions, correctly, to his questions. I guess, he was asking me questions from all around the world, but Indian. I was smart enough, to showcase my knowledge too...Moroccan, Spanish, Italian, French & many many stuff..
His final throw, "If I shortlist you for an operational trainee position, will you come for a food trial?"
I, having no offers in hand, said, "Yes".
"Ok..what will you prepare?", he asked me.
I gave him a three course menu & he asked me, how shall I prepare each of them. And then, I left for the day.

***

I was ready after two days..for the food trial. I reached The Oberoi Grand, Kolkata, located in the busiest part & the most happening part of the city, with its grandeur & old fashioned form...existing for over a century. After having a brief interaction with the then Executive Chef, Chef George K. George, from Kerala, I started off in the La terrace kitchen. Thank god..the kitchen was not busy enough, but when I look back from now, my menu was nowhere close to contemporary menus. Neither, it was expected from a fresh college passout. A person, having no experience in working in any professional kitchen, it was difficult for me, to run from one kitchen to another. My soup was "Cream of Mushroom with Ginger", salad was "Russian Salad", & Main course was "Grilled Chicken Aurore, Aurore sauce, steamed broccoli & Duchesse potatoes," apart from Hollandaise sauce, which everyone had to prepare to show the culinary skill.
I was fighting with my overcooked...undercooked potatoes, to mash them. I was afraid, my hollandaise was a failure & my chicken was getting overcooked.
Finally, the presentation time came. If I was selected, it would have been grace of God...if not, I was ready for it.
"What soup is this?", Chef George asked me.
"Its Cream of Mushroom with ginger", I said, my voice was weak.
"Aah...that means Indian style," He asked me with a smile.
"Umm...I mean I saw this recipe in BBC", I said, quite fumbling...giving an excuse.
"If people can become chefs after watching BBC, why do we need catering colleges?", he said.
I had no answer to his question. He tasted the other foods, and said nothing. After tasting the food of the other mates, informed us to have Lunch in their employee cafetaria & later meet him in person.
We were waiting outside to meet, after the lunch. He called me in, "Gaurav, Is this your first trial?".
I said,"Yes".
"What do you think of it?"
"It was not good, "I said.
"Well, I am sorry, we wont be able to proceed your application any further. Its not that you cannot work in kitchen, but it is not as per Oberoi standards".
I was expecting such outcome, "Thats ok Chef...Thank you.!!" I left his office...

The next one...was, well...with The Taj. It is a game...it is a game by Amitava K. Sen, a senior lecturer of third year classes[generally] & also placement-in charge. If you are in his good books, if you have praised him a lot[Butter..get me right, Butter with some nasal tone]you are for The Taj. If you are not, the end period is not for you.
The Taj conducted a written exam, on the basics followed by a Group Discussion. I said a few words in the GD...but in the end...disqualified. Nothing much to say in this case...
Next came The Park group of Hotels. The GD was fine...I said only one line...& was quickly shortlisted for the Personal Interview with Mr.Siraj Mukherjee, the then Training Manager of The Park Group of Hotels. Once I entered his room, his first question, "Gaurav, which cuisine are you focussing in??".
"Continental", was my reply, not knowing whether I should be specific.
"Continental...well, be specific...French, Italian, Spanish....??" he asked me.
"Italian, to be specific", I fumbled.
Then started a rapid fire round...perhaps, the best rapid fire round, when it comes to interviews. He was shooting me questions...& I was able to tackle him--a few mistakes here & there. I forgot..what was scamorza... :(
After a couple of days, he sent the results & I was shortlisted as a Kitchen Management Trainee[subjected to further interviews in Mumbai], but never forget this was the same person, who rejected my application for Industrial trainee, in December, 2004.

---

Campus interviews were becoming a daily thing...some happy faces..some unhappy faces used to appear at the end of the interviews...Some got what they wanted..Some never got what they wanted, & Some got what they never wanted...Some people, who will backstab....some green eyes...some surprised faces...and so many...
For someone like me...who doesn't have a Godfather in Hospitality industry...getting an offer during Campus interviews was difficult. I didn't learn the art of flattering, which would have secured me a better offer--may be the most coveted position of Kitchen Management trainee. Neither, I was an excellent or outstanding student in college.

***

I remember, attending the Pizza Hut interviews. I succeeded in the GD & then personal interview. I was rejected in the Personal Interview...perhaps, the personnel manager, assumed I am meant for Kitchen..not for service.
Next was Hyatt..I succeeded in the GD, followed by a psychometric test..in which I passed & followed by a personal Interview. I succeeded in that too...offered a position of Commis chef position in the gigantic Grand Hyatt, Mumbai. But salary???I guess, it was peanuts back then.
Next & perhaps, the final one I attended was "The Imperial Hotel", in New Delhi, a majestic hotel in the capital city of India for over 70 years. I succeeded in the GD...followed by an interview with the Personnel Manager. He was impressed with my vast knowledge in Italian cuisine...& shortlisted me for the further rounds in Delhi....a meeting with the Exe. Chef. Which ultimately, never happened...he left that hotel!!!

This was a pain...cracking the interviews in the college...The Park group of hotels didn't hire any student from our college that year...ITC Park Sheraton didn't revert back on what happened to the food trial we gave in ITC Park Sheraton...so ultimately, I had no other option than joining Grand Hyatt, Mumbai...for a meagre basic salary!!!

An evening in Olypub...

"Gaurav...let's go to Olypub", Kaustav was telling me, once we were done with our classes.
"Fine..but where the hell it is??", I asked him.
"It's in Park Street--let's boose", Kaustav added. Two more members of this crime--Joydeep & Joydev. The date, I faintly remember, it was somewhere in the end of January of 2005...from when, officially I started "boozing"....
___
Well, to describe Olypub, it will be real difficult. People swear that nowhere you will get the same ambience like Olypub. The people...mostly dropping in after college, after work, in the midst of work for some *quick relief*,  or just for a casual affair. Olypub is a place for everyone & for everything..
Those waiters, overworked...looking for more & more tips..even if by the means of extortion..
Those same old glasses for everything--beer, water, liqours & even for the check..
Those dingy, shabby getup of the resto-bar...
Even,I started eating beef[the low quality of Indian beef, compared to Angus, Kobe etc] from this place...
___
No sooner, did Kaustav initiate me in the "booze" business, I became a fan of this place. Frequenting this place after classes in college, in the weekends, after exams...or sometimes, during fests etc.
I went to Olypub this time, on January 16th, 2010 to meet two of my friends...Joydeep, who stays in the city & William--who is a NRI like me.
"Gaurav, dont puke 4 bottles after you drink one bottle of beer", was Joydeep's cautious statement, when I ordered one bottle of Budweiser, alongwith Chicken ala kiev[Kaustav's favorite], whilst Joydeep had a pint of Kingfisher and William had whisky--shared a mixed grill[my favorite too..but too much fat!!!].
It has really been a longtime...since I stepped out of this dingy, little place..the ambience has changed drastically...we've changed, the patrons of Olypub has changed..and so are the waiters[One of my friends used to call them as "Dushman", meaning, "Enemy"...his justification,"If he had been my friend, would he have charged us???"..we all agreed to his conclusion...perhaps...]
Our discussion over there was mostly based on our work...a little a personal life...and ended up with dirty talks....who kissed whose ass...who slept with who...whilst William indulged in more & more alcohol.
At around 9:45, we had to call off...settling the "bill"/ check, whilst, the waiter had the same poor attitude---charging us extra for tips--with which we never agreed--same life before & then headed to find a cab--yes, too reach home, though William was reluctant to go home rather wanted to go somewhere else, for physical gratification.

Tasting Menus in Vacation....II

There was yet one more menu, that I wanted to cook for my mother & brother. It was a little elaborate--a five course meal. The meal kick started with a soup, followed by a pasta, main course, cheese course & finally a trio of desserts.
It was a challenge for me...as I thoughtfully planned this menu...focussing on ingredients, generally easy to get...easy to cook...but on the next level....many things, I was trying till I put them on the plate together...eventually, they still need to be refined!!
Here is that menu...

Cappuccino di Funghi

with Wild Mushroom

-

Ravioli di Zucca

Pumpkin ravioli in tomato-basil sauce & parmesan foam

-

Branzino Locale

Fresh water seabass, green pea mousse, poeled potato, Sicilian pesto

-

Selezione di Formaggi

Brie, Camembert, Goat Cheese...served with apple & walnut relish

-

Trio di Citrus

Warm Lemon-Almond pudding, Lime pannacotta & orange-chocolate fondant with blueberry sauce & marinated strawberries

Recipes???If you ask for it... :)

Tasting Menus in Vacation....1

I planned my menus a week before I went for vacation. Ommissions, editions, modifications & all sorts whilst keeping in mind that I will cook something unique, something different, which my "guinea pigs"[meaning, those who will taste my food].
So, here it is, the Tasting Menu #1, I did for my mom & my brother.

Creme de carrote

avec foam de orange

-

Ravioli de Mozzarella

Buffalo Mozzarella, anchovies, olives & basil

-

Poulet Roti Forestiere

Wild Mushroom & Bacon fricasse, Saffron Mashed potato, Port wine glaze, buttered brussels sprouts

-

Cinnamon Pot de creme

with Spiced Apple chutney

Recipes:
Cream of Carrot [For 4 people]
For the soup:
Carrot-200 gm[medium dices--middle rib removed if possible]
Shallots-30gm[finely chopped]
Garlic-10 gm[finely chopped]
Butter-20 gm
Cream- 30 ml[hot]
Salt & Pepper- to taste
Vegetable stock- 400 ml[hot]
For the Foam
Orange Zest- of two oranges
Cream- 100 ml
Soy Lecithin-1/2 tsp
Method:
For the foam
1. Scald the cream with the orange zest. Season a little & allow to infuse.Keep aside.
For the Soup
1. Saute shallots followed by garlic in butter, till lightly colored. Add in the carrots & saute for sometime, till the carrots are lightly colored. Season with salt-pepper.
2. Add in the vegetable stock--barely covered & simmer till carrots just fall apart. Blend to a puree.
3. Reheat the puree of the carrots & adjust the consistency. Season the soup. Once ready for service, add in the cream & check the seasoning.
Assembling:
Pour the soups in hot espresso cups with a breadsticks. Blend the cream for foam to get the foam. Collect the foam with a spoon & put it on top of the soups. Serve immediately

--
Ravioli di Mozzarella[For 4 people]
For the ravioli:
Flour-150 gm
Eggs, whole-2
Egg yolk-1 no
Salt- To taste
Buffalo Mozzarella,fresh- 250 gm
Olive Oil-1 tbsp
For the sauce:

Anchovies, mashed- 1 tsp
Garlic-1/2 clove
Olive Oil- 20 ml
Butter, frozen- 20 gm
Cherry tomatoes- 100 gm
Kalamata Olives- 20 gm
Basil- 15 gm, chopped
Method:
For the pasta:
1.Make a well in the center of the flour. Drop in the eggs & mix in slowly until you get a moist, smooth dough. Add in the salt & oil. Keep on kneading till you get a smooth dough and your hands starts paining. Cover & allow to rest for at least 30 mins.
2. Roll out the dough to the desired thickness[dont make too dough, or your pasta will break, when you stuff & roll].
3. Cut the buffalo mozzarella into sizes of 20 gm each[you will get 12 pieces].
4. Arrange them neatly on the rolled pasta, keeping spaces in between. Put another sheet on top & them into 12 raviolis each. Press the edges, while removing any air inside. Blanch the pasta for 30 seconds & keep aside till ready for service.
For the sauce:
1. Heat the oil in a pan, add in anchovies followed by garlic. Toss in the cherry tomatoes, olives & basil. Cook for sometime, till you get the flavours, add in the salt & pepper. Finish off with butter.
Final assembling:
Blanch the pasta again for 30 seconds & toss them in the sauce. Serve hot.

Want the rest of the recipes???
Email me.... :)

Way back home…again..Part 2

Aargh...I was sitting in the airport for more than 4 hours..for nothing. Today, I didn't take a shower...which is not me...My flight to Kolkata was scheduled at 18:30 hours [I wonder, whether it will leave on the correct time or not...].Most of the time I was sleeping in the airport..occasionally gulping down some water, to quench my thirst, having some chocolates[I had a bagfull, when I left Dubai] & visiting the restroom, to relieve myself.
Finally, when the boarding gates were opened, I headed towards the security check. By then, the brie de meaux & camembert de normandie, which I bought for home---melted. I was more than frustrated, still, I had patience to go through the rigorous security check. I was hungry...what to do...what to do...I needed a mini chicken snacker--assumed that it would keep me full till dinner was served in flight....

I boarded the flight by 18:10 hours, but such early boarding was of no use---it was expected & eventually, the flight departed at 18:45 hours. I went to sleep again...except when the not-too-old air hostess asked me for the inflight meal..the dinner was served at around 19:30 hours...n after eating that, I went to sleep again...[These days, I have started hating the in-flight meals!! :( ]...
I got up around 20:30...only 1/2 hr was left  to reach Kolkata...
And, finally the flight landed in Kolkata....the temperature outside was 19 Deg C....I was back to the ever polluted Kolkata, with the political unrest...

A cook's life

A cook’s life…





“I love to eat Mutton Biryani”

“I love roasted chicken, mashed potato on the side”

“I love burgers too..”

“The ever popular mixed grill, steak & fries..bring it to me..”

“I am an all time fan of sweets & all the desserts present in this planet”

“I love Chinese specials—esp. Noodles”

“I am a patron of French, Italian & Spanish Cuisine”



Perhaps, I would have said all these, had I not been a cook [though I will keep on making few of those statements, still!!!].But alas..I am a cook!

A cook’s life is often over-indulged—there is no count of how many foie gras one eats in the excuse of “tasting”, no control of the most expensive mushroom on earth- Truffles!!! And meat?? Well, thanks to the different meat grades present in the star kitchens—from Kobe to Black Aberdeen Angus, a cook gets the privilege to taste all at the cost of paying nothing, except the long sweating hours & still underpaid.



When I was a trainee in the kitchen, back in 2005, I was seldom hungry, but the kitchen I was working for had nothing to eat, since it believed in processing meat & fish—Butchery. But people get hungry when they see beautiful foods & for me, especially when there is something sweet. Fortunately, the butchery was located in front of the pastry & bakery, in other words, I could see from the butchery what is going on in pastry—the only barrier was the glass door. My boss once told me, “If you feel hungry, just let them know & ask for some food from them”—such was the instruction when I used to do evening shift & ran the butchery alone. “And Dinner??”, I asked him back then. “Have something light in the cafeteria in the evening & then have your dinner from Main kitchen, before you go home—no one will tell you anything”, he said.



So, I was supposed to close the kitchen at 11:15 pm, & then proceeded to the main kitchen. By that time, many of my trainee friends[one who were doing training that time] doing evening shift in the kitchen, proceeded to the main kitchen to collect the ration—foods. There was Mutton Biryani… there was this…n that & so on & so forth. I used to eat mutton biryani, almost everyday [at the end of the day, those will be thrown away…why waste? Eat them…] with some curry, a sweet—freshly made, if Gulabjamun or rasgulla and asking for a glass of soft drinks from a waiter [who happened to be my friend!!]. But gorging foods like this, is a curse [now I am suffering from high purine level in my blood. . ]



But let me tell you, such things happen rarely during the day—when the Big Boss will always be around & may charge you 5 times the selling price in the menu[we’ve had such people back then there…& also till date…]. Let me give you an example. After a long tiring shift, a cook will generally be tired & hungry..so before he goes home, definitely, he’d like to have some food. An incident, that happened when I joined the hotel industry actually, in Mumbai. One fine morning, my co-worker [I was off that day], who was doing night shift, went to another restaurant before going home. He was helping those guys out for breakfast & had an honour to cook his own breakfast—a simple omelette made of black forest ham & cheese. After making it, he moved to back area—an area full of waiters wiping the glasses & plates & started having his own delicacy. Suddenly, the executive chef came in, for a round. He found my colleague, being speechless, just stared at him. “I didn’t know what to do, but his eyes told me, I was doing something wrong and I threw the omelette away,” my colleague told me later. If the food cost is high & if the Big Bosses find incidents like this, “This is the reason why the food cost is high”, ranting at his staff like this, is a sure damn thing.



But are the Big Bosses always like this. Some are considerate, some are shrewd. I remember, in Chennai, I used to decide what I shall have for my dinner. My colleagues in the Chinese kitchen [they used to love Bengalis, I assume] were ready to cook something for me, whenever I used to tell them, “Will you please make me a mixed noodles..no msg, less salt & no chilly,” this was my request. “Without MSG???”[MSG is the poison to me…] but I used to get it. Sometimes, a simple Dal Makhni with a plain naan for dinner, especially on those days, when I used to feel my stomach was over privileged. Sometimes, my day at work used to start with some desserts, sometimes, directly from the buffet…

I was sceptical about having beef, since I was not eating it after 2006. But when Angus beef came in 2009, to Chennai, I tried to control myself. The colour of the meat, the marbling of the meat used to tell something more than what bloody tenderloin of Indian beef. But one night, I gave up my principle & cooked the beef for my taste. I cooked it medium done, with little salt, little pepper & no sauce [a good beef, needs no sauce, I believe!!]. It tasted truly like heaven & it became credible why the guests keep on coming over & over again for buying some 180 gm of striploin steak of Irish Angus beef, to the extent one guest offering, “I want to open a steakhouse with you…” one of the most flattering feedback, I received then.



By no means, I am complaining about this fact, that the Big Bosses shouldn’t shout at those employees who eat in the kitchen—willingly & unwillingly. But this is how life is framed for chefs…you eat what you cook!!! Aint it? I remember, once in India, while having my breakfast+dinner, behind the kitchen[a fire exit, which directly leads to the GM’s room], so we had to be cautious. I was asking my colleague what if the Exe. Sous Chef catches us there?? His reply was smart. He said, “Chef X will say, ‘Who will eat if the kitchen guys don’t eat??’”



When a cook goes out to eat…

A cook is nothing but a cook, when he is in front of the range or in his bake shop…but when he is not in his white jacket, a general dress code globally. He is just another person, who wants to eat food outside. Just imagine, the famed Ferran Adria, enters a restaurant, serving fine dining foods. He is served with Spherical Mozzarella injected with basil oil, Cantonese musico, or fruits served in 5 ways…all cheap imitations of what he already did in past, or the chef there makes all these [crap to him] in his own way. I am definite, Ferran Adria doesn’t want to try a 30 course testing menus [the famous concept followed in El Bulli, served in 3 Acts, viz., Act I, Act II and Act III]. Was that the reason why Ferran Adria entered that restaurant, serving high end customers??? May be he justed wanted some fried prawns, may be for a hamburger??? Or can be as simple as Spanish Tapas???

Keeping my critical aside [I do more criticism than appreciation…], when I enter a restaurant, to eat, definitely, I just want to focus on one food…not like an appetiser, followed by main course…dessert, well, if I keep on craving something sweet for my sweet tooth…

I recollect often frequenting places like Shiraz, a restaurant with all its rustic form, located in the rugged Park Circus. A place, where you can find, perhaps the best Mutton Biryani in India, if Chef Imtiaz Qureshi is not cooking for you. Don’t try something else, if you don’t want to be disappointed.

Another place, is “Sabir’s Hotel” [in Kolkata, Hotel means restaurant also], who is famous for making the perfect Mutton Rezala. Once I heard, that after making the onion paste, they strain the paste through muslin—three times!!! A secret recipe, definitely not passed out, perhaps that’s what makes it special..

Yet, I can swear by the Chicken Ala Kiev or the mixed grill[its European version], in the good, old Olypub. Yes, this place is a little bit creepy, terribly old, lost its charm..but Olypub still pulls the public anytime—weekends, weekdays—after or before work, in the midst of work, after college, festivals. Anything….

There is this Burger Fuel in Dubai. Perhaps, one of the best burgers, I may rate, if I don’t consider TGIF serving good burger. Or sometimes, the notorious Texas Rib Eye steak in TGIF in Dubai. Its awesome..for someone who wants medium/ medium-rare done!!!



And when the cook cooks at home…

There is difference. There is difference between cooking at home and cooking for commercial reasons [i.e. in industry]. Primarily, there is no rush!!! You can go easy, slow [no one is going to complain if the food is late, unless you are serving hungry, unruly mob!!!]. Secondly, you can do most of the cooking before hand, if you are serving 10-12 people…Thirdly, it is prixe-fix. When I cook at home [both in India and in Dubai now], I tend to keep it simple—generally 2-3 courses [on day offs!!!]. Else…one pot meal..

When I am cooking for my family members, or sometimes when it is for friends, relatives….I tend to make 3-4 courses, serving around 8-10 people in one go. Reasons??? Well, I need to get that “appreciation” from those guinea pigs [kidding here, I mean those who “taste” my food] & secondly, I need to show off…what I can & cannot do..

I remember making basil pesto in Kolkata, when I was in college & one of my good friends from college [a batchmate], Amitava came in to taste my “delicacies”. He also had a bite of my home grown sweet basil. Till date, he swears by that pesto & basil, “The best one I ever tasted”. A little bit flattering, but sometimes, I am scared, if I cannot keep up!!

After having cooked for over a week, sometimes, I feel frustrating to cook again at home. Going out to eat is no option, since you hardly get what you pay for, you spend some extra money… For this problem, I found a solution. Make & freeze..n when I was ready to eat…just defrost, reheat & eat. Voila…..problem solved!!!

Its winter in Kolkata....2

Part II

This Sunday I cooked one of my tasting menus for my mom & my bro. It was a pretty simple fare, starting with an amuse bouch of “Cream of Carrot with Orange foam”, followed by “Ravioli de Mozzarella”-in English, a simple buffalo mozzarella stuffed ravioli, with a very rustic sauce of anchovies, garlic, olives, tomato & basil—and generous olive oil. The main course was the good, old “roast chicken”, one of the prime comfort foods, if I may say; accompanied by forestiere garnish—wild mushroom & bacon fricassé and saffron mashed potatoes [though the classical garnish swears by parmentier potatoes..but who gives a fuck???] & some buttered Brussels sprouts. I chose the luscious & the notorious Cinnamon pot de crème, accompanied with a generous dust of cinnamon powder & a quenelle of homemade apple chutney. I guess, my so called “gourmet” meal was successful, since there was slurp from the amuse bouche till the dessert, with neat & clean plates during clearance…& no complaints!!!

Day before yesterday…I got up late, as usual [I don’t recall now, when was the last time, I got up early..n went to sleep early too….] & in the evening, with the excuse of going out to replace the battery of laptop, I was walking all around the city. Once I got my laptop’s battery fixed…I went for a long walk from New Market till A.J.C. Bose Road crossing [colloquially, people refer to this place as “Exide”, due to the presence of the company’s H.Q. in the very crossing]. I was craving for some good food..outside..but damn..I can make it at home..Can’t I?? Apart from being over privileged in the kitchen, one of the virtues can be a cook knows how to cook like in other restaurants….so I changed my mind & instead of visiting “Casa Tosana”, I headed to the old den, Gariahat.

If New Market is the meeting point for North Kolkatans, I must say, Gariahat is the most popular hubs for the resident of South Kolkata-you get every thing here, albeit,at a premium rate. You must know how to bargain[I am poor at it—my friends can vouch for that…], you must know what is good & what is bad…and the poor pollution, the crowded lanes, flocked by hawkers, who swear their products are always the best buy at cheap rates…the screaming conductors & their helpers out of their buses, the never ending traffic congestion..and what not????

Still not sure..what to do…I headed to Café Coffee Day, a popular coffee parlour in India [kinda Starbucks, Costa etc], as I needed a powershot, on one these days, when the brain is near to death—Espresso.

“One espresso and two cookies please”, I asked the server.

“Sir, it is a very bitter coffee”, the server’s reply. I was a little pissed off by his reply. I am not like those customers/consumers who don’t know what are they ordering or their food. I am aware of my food & so I order it, unless when I am intrigued by something new & never mind asking about it…

“Yes, I know….single espresso with some sugar”, I said.

“Ok sir….”, he went away.

I was expecting a free wi-fi hotspot..but damn..these guys don’t have free wifi, like Dubai…Damn it!!!

After gulping down my expresso[this is the alternative spelling], I returned home..with the news that the mercury may drop below 10˚ C. Hmmm…I am expecting some more chilly weather…& such chilly weather demands more & more roasts….I am already shivering inside…don’t know, how long will it continue..but in any case…I am enjoying this winter…better than the desert!!!