A lot of the guys I work with know how to carve fruit and vegetables. After watching with amazement for the last few months I decided to take a shot at it. My assistant cook has proven to be quite skilled at this, he even teaches classes on it for the ship. He took some time to explain to me how to make flowers out of beets and turnips. Lets just say it took a few tries to get something that resembled a floral object, but it was fun. I just need to practice a little more. Some of the stuff he does with melons is just phenomenal. I will post pictures next week of some of his work, and maybe mine.
I will say that after thinking about my comment on hollandaise a few weeks ago, I've changed my mind. I am not tired of it. In fact now I am continuously fascinated by it. I mean making a proper hollandaise is quite a nice thing to see. I always seem to get a small sense of accomplishment when I make it too. Also after making several incorrect versions, I learned if made proper you can use less butter and egg yolks and achieve a greater volume. It's pretty cool.
There is a cruise ship recipe competition sponsored by Bacardi, I have been asked to enter a recipe. So, with some extra time I have begun to play around in the kitchen. I came up with crispy braised pork belly over arugula with a Bacardi gastrique (the recipe has to have Bacardi) and pickled apples. I made it and it was quite a tasty treat, everyone else liked it to. I may even get to run it as a special in the restaurant. Man I really love a good pork belly.
A lot of people are starting to leave the ship and new crew members are coming on. This is one thing that is tough. If you work with someone for awhile and then they leave, you have to start all over again. It is funny that many of these guys will be coming back before I leave. Some come on the day I leave, which is the reason for the term, "See you on the gangway." I hear that a lot from these guys.
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