Olive Internship - Day 6

This morning, I went to the bakery quite early; at 8:30. There was nobody except Chef Sumanthu, the man who bakes all the bread. He made me a cup of coffee, and we began to make the first batch of bread. We started with Wholewheat Onion rolls. once we formed balls and laid them on a baking sheet, we left them out to double in size. Chef Sumanthu then poked each roll with his finger, and put a teaspoon of caramelised onions on top of each.
Then we made Pumpkin seed rolls. Chef Sumanthu brushed the tops with olive oil to help the skin become slightly crunchier.

Pumpkin Seed rolls (left), Wholewheat Onion (right)

In all the bread dough, Chef Sumanthu adds 2 grams of gluten, and 2 grams of bread improving powder. This helps the bread develop maximum flavour.

The last bread we made was Tomato-Pesto Rolls.
The dough was very pale and soft, and Chef Sumanthu rolled it out to about 1.5cm thickness, and used a round cutter to cut circles. We laid these out on another baking sheet, put half a teaspoon of pesto sauce on each, and finally a thin slice of tomato absolutely on top, covering the pesto.
Then we left it aside to rise.

Then, I churned the previously made Vanilla Bean ice cream in the PACO machine. Churning the ice cream is important, as it keeps it soft by constantly moving it around. If it wasn't moved around so much it would just freeze into one solid ice crystalline structure. Churning the ice cream in the PACO machine also helps make it creamy.

My work with Chef Sumanthu was done.

Then we (Keya- the other intern, Chef Babul, and I) began to make Tiramisu. This was made the usual way; kahlua, egg yolks and castor sugar over a bain-marie, and whisked until thick. Fold in the mascarpone, and fold in the whipped cream after that (both liquids have to have equal viscosity).

Next, I made Chocolate Ganache. It's very simple to make, all it requires is cream, glucose (or corn syrup as a substitute), and chopped dark chocolate. First I boiled together the cream and corn syrup (we ran out of glucose to use), then I poured it over the chocolate, and kept stirring till it was all melted. Then I strained it, wrapped it, and put it in the fridge.

Once that was done, we started on the Chocolate Mousse.

For this, we beat egg yolks and castor sugar over a flame until all the sugar had been dissolved, then we folded in melted chocolate, and then whipped cream. This was wrapped and kept in the fridge.

Then, using the Vanilla cupcake sheet cake I made last night, we made an Apple Crumble Cake. Over the sheet cake, we spread previously made Almond Cream, and sprinkled diced apples which we rolled in cinnamon sugar. Over that, we crumbled sweet pastry with our fingers, and put it in the oven to crisp up. 

Finally, I made Pastry Cream. I never realised how much I actually enjoy making it, and how quick I've become with more and more practice.

I boiled the milk, sugar, salt, and vanilla bean over a bain-marie, and tempered it with a mixture of egg yolks and cornflour. Then I strained it, and directly placed cling wrap over the surface to prevent a skin from forming and ruining the texture of the cream. 

The pastry cream would then be used to fill the eclairs that Chef Girish had made for the party yesterday. 

Since it was already past lunchtime and all the work to be done was done, Keya and I headed down to Monkey Bar for lunch.

We ordered starters, a burger, and peach iced tea. The starters were small but filling enough. The first one was a soured cream and chilli Pierogi dish served in a cupcake pan which I thought was a fun idea.
The second was a plate of "Spiked Nachos" which basically had jalapeno peppers, molten cheese, tomato salsa, avocado, re-fried beans, and spring onions.
The third starter was a plate of "Kung Fu Rolls" which was a mixture of lightly spiced noodles and vegetables in springroll wrappers and deep fried. They were crispy and delicious, and they were not greasy at all.
I ordered a cheeseburger with coleslaw and fries. The fries at Monkey Bar are hand-cut, and are crunchy on the outside yet not greasy at all, and that is why I like them.

When we were done, and completely satisfied, we paid the bill and left.

Olive Internship - Day 4

This morning, Chef Babu first got me started on the Salted Caramel ice cream. We prepared it the usual way except before tempering the egg yolks and castor sugar with the boiling cream mixture, we caramelised grain sugar in a pot and added butter to make a sticky caramel sauce which we then added to the cream mixture.
Once we tempered it with the egg yolks and castor sugar, we returned it to the heat and it quickly started to thicken up.

Salted Caramel ice cream cooling in an ice bath at the back, Espresso cupcake batter, and Apricot chocolate setting.

When that was done, we glazed frozen sticks of peanut butter mousse with dark chocolate and left them to chill. These sticks are used as a component in Olive's signature 'Snicker Bar' dessert.

Then, we began to make macarons. Something I have personally wanted to make for a long time. They do not require many ingredients, and Chef Girish said that the two real hard parts were (a) getting the temperature of the sugar-water solution right when heating and (b) the last stage; when you mix the almond meal and egg whites with the sugar and egg whites.
When you under mix the batter, the macarons do not spread and come out tasting like cardboard whereas when you over mix it, they spread out too much and lose their shape.
We made two colours, periwinkle (which belongs to blue and purple families), and light pink.

When piping macarons, it is important to keep your piping bag completely upright. For support, you could place your index finger right next to the nozzle to stop yourself from piping at different angles. When you are done piping the macarons, tap the baking tray against a hard surface (like a kitchen counter), and set aside for 10 minutes minimum, to allow the macarons to form a skin on top which helps form the shell when baking as well as provide the top with smoothness.

We then broke for lunch. I went to a place down the road called 'Monkey Bar', and had a peach iced tea with a hearty bowl of prawn and chicken Laksa.

To fill the macarons, we made an Olive Oil Ganache with white chocolate.
Since we ran out of glucose, we used corn syrup instead. It can be used as a substitute however it doesn't always have the same effect on foods as glucose does.

Then, while Chef made Apricot chocolates (photo attached above), I made coffee cupcakes for a party order.

These cupcakes remain moist and soft for a longer period of time because they contain yoghurt. Chef Girish told me that adding either yoghurt or mayonnaise helps prevent the cupcake from hardening very soon, without affecting the flavour of the cupcake.

Finally, we made Florentines using pistachios and almonds. Since there was no more work left and it was already 4pm,
I went home.

Olive Internship - Day 3

I went for my shift this morning instead of the usual evening as it is my cousin sister Keyaa's thirteenth birthday!
The kitchen was extremely busy today, and lots of prep work was to be done.

The first thing I did was make Nutella Powder with Chef Babu. We made it using maltodextrin powder, which is a substance that can convert anything containing fat to a powder. All we did was mix nutella with it, and we were done!

Second, I started on the Tiramisu. I began by making the coffee mascarpone cream filling using egg yolks, Kahlua, and castor sugar; to which I added mascarpone and whipped cream. Chef Girish told me that when folding two liquids or creams together, the best way to ensure an even texture is to make sure the viscosity of both the liquids are equal.
(I beat the whipped cream a few seconds more than I should have which made it firmer than the egg mixture so I added a bit more whipping cream to liquefy it so it was creamy enough).
Once the cream was ready I layered it with a simple Vanilla sponge cake which would also serve as lady finger biscuits, that I just brushed gently with a mixture of a double shot of espresso, kahlua, and instant coffee powder to give that pang of flavour a Tiramisu must deliver.
I then left it in the deep freeze to set.
This was extremely exciting for me as the tiramisu was going to be served to the customers who ordered it!

Next I made Spiced Hot Chocolate. I boiled milk and cream in a heavy-based saucepan with some spices that i had previously put in the oven for about 8 minutes. Then I poured it over chopped dark chocolate and stirred it until it had melted. The hot chocolate was then strained, and ready to serve. The spices really helped cut through the richness of the chocolate and the sweetness it provided.
Chef Babu said that they usually add a shot of rum or brandy to soften the heaviness of the chocolate and provide it with an even stronger flavour paired with the spices.

After that, Chef Babu made Sweet Pastry, which is used in tarts to give the pastry a hint of sweetness and crumbliness. The pastry was then stored in the fridge to rest.

Finally, we made Lemon Sorbet. We used milk powder and stabilizers to help the sorbet hold, and provide it with creaminess while still keeping it light and fresh.
I made Lemon Mousse to go with this. I used egg whites and gelatine to help give the mousse height and fluffiness as well as whipped cream. Chef Girish then piped the mousse into little tubes that would be set in the fridge and then served with Earl Grey Granita.

We finished work about ten minutes early today, so I cleaned up and left for my friend's house.

Olive Internship - Day 2

Today was a bit more relaxed but still extremely hard work. We started off by making Vanilla Bean ice cream. In the final stage, Chef Girish taught me a way to check whether the ice cream was ready to take off the heat. If you had less enough liquid to tilt the saucepan over, you could check for a thin skin on the base of the pan however if this wasn't an option, using a spatula you could test the thickness of the liquid by running your finger down it.

Next we made Dark Chocolate sorbet, with a stabilizer which would help hold the sorbet together and prevent it from watering down too easily. Once that was ready, we poured it into a container and put it in the deep freeze.

Chef Babu and I then made Banana cake, but it was a special recipe. One that was moist and spongy, and brought out the flavour of the banana although the batter was smooth because the bananas had been pureed.

Chef Girish told me that at any culinary school, the first thing they ask you to do is to make Pastry Cream with absolute perfection; and that is what we made next.
He told me that the recipe doesn't matter as much as the method of preparation.
When making pastry cream, it has to be of uniform consistency. There can be no lumps and it has to be completely smooth. While it is cooking, you cannot stop whisking it as this causes lumps to form. Chef also told me that while you leave it to set, you should cover it with plastic wrap but place it directly over the pastry cream to prevent a skin from forming over the top because of the air space.

The last thing we made, were the chocolate coated pretzels. Yesterday we made pretzels, so today we cut them into smaller bits and dipped them in melted dark chocolate, placed them on a silicon mat over a large baking sheet, and left them to set.
When I asked Chef Girish why we coat the pretzel bits with the chocolate and how they were served, he told me that the chocolate hardens outside and helps preserve the crunch of the pretzel inside as the pretzel bit is placed inside the chocolate/salted caramel mousse that could soften the pretzel in the absence of the outer chocolate layer.

Finally, since I was done with all my work I got to watch Chef Babu plate up the Cassata dish at the order rail. He first placed a round of sponge cake over which he placed a larger round of strawberry ice cream and garnished it with different, pre-prepped elements like cut strawberries, vanilla mousse, nuts, and a pinch of chocolate crumble. Chef also clipped a couple of baby pea leaves and placed them alternately over the dish. The end result resembled a vibrant garden!

I was done for the day, and headed home.

Olive Internship - Day 1

Since I am currently on my summer vacation (April-June in India), I decided to do an internship at Olive Beach. Chef Girish- the head pastry chef, is mentoring me and I cannot begin to describe how much fun my first day was. I have already learnt an incredible amount and can only imagine how much more there is to come!

When I reached Olive, I was given an apron and was immediately submerged into work. We started off simple; a batch of brownies. 

Then we proceeded to make Soba ice-cream and a Soy sticky toffee sauce. Both are served with a Buckwheat Chocolate cake. Chef Girish said that the idea was to give the consumer a new sensation in the mouth with each bite, through the warmth of the sticky toffee, the density of the cake, and the coolness of the ice-cream to help soften everything. 

Chef Babu- the Sous chef, taught me how to make a berry sorbet using blueberries and strawberries, after which we made vanilla bean and mint marshmallows. They were a lot easier to make than anticipated, and Chef Babu piped a layer of the marshmallow liquid in a rectangular mould, placed a cube of pre-made mango and orange sorbet, and piped some more marshmallow over it, covering it completely. When it set, it looked like a cube of mint and vanilla bean marshmallow but it had a log of the mango and orange sorbet inside. I found it delicious! (I am not a big fan of most fruits)

Chef Girish and I then made a 'Honeycomb' Toffee. It looks like caramel until baking soda is added. This aerates it immensely, causing bubbles to form throughout when it is poured into the mould to set. Once it's set, you crack it out of the mould and when you look inside (cross section) it looks exactly like a honeycomb. 

When I asked Chef how they serve it at Olive, he said that they use it as a base over which they place their salted caramel desserts.

Once we were done with that, we began to make pretzels. In the pretzel dough, Chef Girish added protein enhancers and bread improvement powders to help the texture and stability of the dough as well as provide it with greater elasticity when relaxed. Once everything was kneaded, we tested the dough by forming a window with it (stretching the dough between four fingers in the shape of a square) .On the first go, the window tore apart which showed us that the dough was not ready yet, however on the second go (once it was kneaded for a bit longer) the window didn't break. This method of testing is called 'Gluten Matrix'. 

We rolled the dough really thin and cut it into 3-6cm pieces, placed each piece onto a silicon mat on a large baking sheet, wrapped it, and left it to ferment overnight. Tomorrow, we are going to dip them in a baking soda mixture to extract maximum flavour, bake them, and dip them into tempered dark chocolate. 

Before I left, I watched Chef Babu make a dark chocolate and almond-pistachio praline, which is a component in Olive's signature 'snicker bar' dessert.

Once I went home, I was eager to try making the marshmallows again, and so I did. I didn't have dried mint powder so i made them with vanilla bean instead. They came out deliciously, and I was so proud of them however the next time I make them, I may have to work quicker as they begin to set very quickly, and they need to be rolled out on a flat surface so that it makes it easier for you to cut them into cubes and roll in icing sugar. 

This is how my marshmallows turned out: