Today our new chef began and I got to go home early, real early. It’s difficult to say what he’ll be like, but things went well enough for his first day.
Tonight the restaurant is having their monthly wine dinner which includes pre-selected wines along with a prix fixe menu. I helped prep out nearly all the dishes, so I’m a little disappointed to not see the final product. However, there’s not really much work to be done and there really isn’t room for any more people to work.
One thing I accidentally learned today is that creme fraiche will make butter in a robot coupe. Fancy that. I followed the instructions I was given: blend the creme fraiche with basil and garlic, for an end result that would be a spreadable type of peston to accompany ratatouille. After blending for a little while I noticed things weren’t quite right, and on inspection I noticed that the water was beginning to separate out and that the solids were “curdling”. Lo and behold I had basil butter on my hands. After further instruction I was told to strain off the liquid and save what I had. It did taste good, though I’m sure the desired consistency was lacking.
After considering the situation for quite some time, I shouldn’t have been that surprised at the result. After all, creme fraiche is just cultured cream, and I’m aware enough to know that you can make butter by “overwhipping” cream. So there you have it, if you need butter in a pinch and all you’ve got around is sour cream or creme fraiche, just put it in a robot coupe or food processor and voila.
Red Devil in the Kitchen 