New Job, Tiredness and Hard Work

I know it's been a while since my last post and a lot has happened in that time. On Tuesday I started a new job. The kitchen job at the pub chain was good and I was enjoying it but like I said in a previous post, I was simply pushing buttons on a microwave, there was very little cooking involved. When a friend let me know there was an opening for a chef at a local golf club and wanted to put my details forward I of course said yes but as it was a proper chefs position I wasn't holding out a great deal of hope. I heard back from them on the same day and the day after I was invited for a chat and then a short trial where I cooked a couple of dishes. Despite over-seasoning my salmon dish I was offered the job, surprisingly, and started the very next day. Over the last two days I have already made, from scratch, pork pies, hummus, walnut focaccia, smoked mackerel pate, an amazing blue cheese dressing and some fantastic burgers. I can't quite believe I am being paid to do this and I'm loving every minute of it. 

The golf club is a lovely place and from what I've heard they are only looking to expand and develop, especially the food side of things and it all sounds like there are exciting times ahead. I find it strange that only a couple of months ago I decided to become a professional chef and now, hardly any time since, I can call myself a chef. It's very hard work, very long hours and I'm very tired but it's a chance I intend to grab with both hands. A big thanks goes to Tom, the friend that made me aware of the job and passed my details on. Without him I wouldn't have the job as I don't think I would have even applied for it if I saw it advertised due to lack of experience or even confidence. I'll let you all know how it goes as I continue.

Less than a week now until we head off to America. I can't believe it's come round so quickly and now I just can't wait to get up in the air and on the way. The food, the travel and of course the wedding at the end of it, it's all going to be pretty incredible.

Thanks for reading!

Ben

National Sandwich Week

I am ashamed to say I did not know at least three months in advance that this week is National Sandwich Week here in the UK. This is criminal as I cannot express in words how much I adore the sandwich. The ultimate convenience food, there's not many things you can't do with a sandwich and I love the fact that there are no rules. There is nothing to stop you adding something, taking something away or re-inventing your favourite fillings. Don't like butter? Use mayo. Not much for white bread? Use brown. You can keep it simple or go for something a bit fancier with focaccia or ciabatta bread. You can have hot or cold fillings. Meat eater or vegetarian, you've just got to love a sandwich. The possibilities are endless. Below are my top three favourite sandwiches.

There's one sandwich that, for me, is head and shoulders above the rest. Unsurprisingly, it contains meat. In fact, there's two meats on my favourite. Chicken and bacon. It's a classic combination, the meat held together with a little bit of mayo, the less the better in my opinion. Just enough to keep the meaty filling solid and together on the bread. I believe that brown bread works best with a chicken and bacon too. Two different types of meat on a sandwich? And one of those is bacon? Sold.

Number two in my list is an absolute classic - the BLT. The bacon has to be as crispy as possible without being burnt. Crisp, crunch iceberg lettuce and fresh, thick sliced tomatoes, it's a wonderful combination. I feel it's more of a summer sandwich, the salad bringing a refreshing coolness to a warm day. Plus it has bacon on it, need I say more?

I'm going to be a bit controversial with my third favourite sandwich, it also used to be considered frightfully middle class. The prawn mayo. Again, I think it's a refreshing sandwich, the filling almost seems to clean the palate. As opposed to the chicken and bacon, I want more mayo on this sandwich and some nice fresh prawns finish the simple filling off nicely.

These are my three favourite sandwiches - for now. As I mentioned in my previous post, my America trip is fast approaching and I would think if you're an American reading this you'll think I'm mad and my choices seem so uninteresting. The UK doesn't really have a thriving sandwich industry. We love to eat them, we invented them, but most sandwiches, let's face it, are boring. The States seem to have a lot of independent sandwich shops with a lengthy menu with thousands of potential filling combinations. You could go every day for a whole year and not have the same sandwich twice. It would be great to have something similar in Stoke. I have a sneaky feeling my holiday will take my love of the humble sandwich to new heights with the lobster roll, pastrami and BBQ pulled pork just some of the sandwiches possibly fighting for a place in my top three. I will let you know.

Thanks for reading.

Ben

New Job Update and America Research

It's been far too long since my last post. No excuses I know, but I have been working a lot and it's made me pretty tired! The problem with working in an office for years is you get complacent and lazy. Going from that to working in a kitchen is a complete change. You are always kept on your toes, physically and mentally, and it's taking some getting used too. This definitely is not a complaint mind you, just a change of habit and we all know how difficult those are to break! It's going really well at work though. I feel myself learning new things that I'm sure will stand me in good stead in the future and just being in that kitchen environment is great experience. I can't help but feel frustration though, as there's not a lot of actual cooking that goes on, with it being a pub chain. I suppose a better job title would be microwave technician. I'm not at all surprised however, I knew what it would be like but I am worried I could potentially pick up bad habits, but I'm not letting it worry me, it's just something I think I'll have to be mindful of going forward.

At the end of May and into the beginning of June, me, my fiance Emma and three other friends - Bram, Eloise and Rich - are off to the East Coast of America on a mini road trip for ten days on our way to our friends wedding. We will be visiting and travelling through four states - New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts and finally we will be heading to Vermont for the wedding itself. I've spent hours looking for attractions and things to do in the cities of Philadelphia and Boston where we will be staying but mostly I've been looking at the food that will be available to us. I have to say, it all looks incredible. I'm looking forward to sampling an authentic Philly Cheesesteak (and the subsequent run up the Rocky steps to work the calories off) and the Reading Terminal Market seems to have all possible cuisines under one roof! The fresh seafood from Boston harbour promises to be something special. The lobster rolls, fresh crab and 'chow-da' all look great. I love my meat but sometimes you simply can't beat fresh from the sea, well cooked fish. What I've found could fill plenty of future blogs, in fact it probably will do!

I promise not to leave it as long before my next post!

Thanks

Ben

The Humble Burger - Do's and Dont's

Whenever there's a barbecue, I'll be there with my burgers. As much as I love to cook pretty much anything I think my burgers give me, and hopefully my friends, the most satisfaction. The beauty of a burger is you can make them exactly as you want. Making them from scratch means you can add any flavours you want in there or even make them with a different meat rather than the standard beef. I like to keep things simple though. More often than not my home-made burgers are beef mince, salt, pepper, mixed herbs and an egg for binding the ingredients together. Just get your hands in there and mix it all together and that's it. Sometimes I will add mustard and ketchup for an added flavour to my standard burger and, for example, I have also made spicy burgers with chopped chillies, cayenne pepper and chorizo added to the mixture. Simpler the better when it comes to burgers, that's the key.

Burgers, like most meat, taste better when barbecued over coals but when the weather has been like it has recently and that isn't possible, pan frying them is a more than adequate alternative. Depending on the meat you've used you shouldn't need much, if any, oil as the meat should have enough fat in there. Burgers need fat, fat equals flavour, just treat yourself. Also, depending on the size of your burgers they shouldn't take long to cook either, four minutes either side is usually more than enough and if you've made them yourself you can afford to have them medium-rare, with a lovely bit of pink the middle. I like to seal both sides of the burger on a high heat then turn the heat down slightly and keep flipping them until cooked. Don't overcook though, a dry burger is a very disappointing moment that you never quite get over. As I said before, I like to keep it simple and that includes my burger toppings. A slice of mature cheddar cheese melted on top compliments the meat perfectly. If you can, steam the cheese on top of the burger. It's actually easier to do this on a hob, just cover your frying pan with a lid if it has one, if not use a plate or something similar, as long as the burgers are covered and the steam can't escape. Just leave it for thirty seconds to a minute and the cheese will be melted perfectly. Serve your burger between a toasted bun and eat immediately. Heaven.

A couple of home-made burgers do's and dont's:

DO'S

• Keep it simple - the flavour of the meat should be enough.
• Season well - make sure there's enough salt and pepper in your mixture. For a standard 500 gram pack of beef mince I'd say a teaspoon of salt is ideal to bring out the meat flavours.
• Steam the cheese - this really makes a difference.
• Concentrate on the cooking process - keep your eye on your burgers in your pan. You don't want to burn them.

DONT'S

• Go for extra lean meat - burgers need fat. Lean mince is the minimum fat content you should go for.
• Press down on the burgers as they cook - this just releases flavour and dries the burgers out.
• Use breadcrumbs to bind your mixture - I want as much meat as possible in my burger. Use an egg instead.
• Overcook - just thirty seconds overcooking can ruin a burger.

Like I said, you can have your burgers however you like but if you follow these rules and you can't go wrong. Enjoy!

Ben