Grilling (Beating Meat and Playing With Balls)

Grilling is a dry cooking method where an open flame is beneath the food. It results in a slightly charred and smokey exterior and a moist interior. Like sauté, it is used for tender cuts of meat. Grilling is an evolution of the ancient method of spit-roasting, which was very slow compared to grilling.

Grilling is heat from below, broiling is heat from above, and pan broiling is heat from below, in a grill pan. In grilling, the juices and fat drip off into the fire and are dispersed, while in pan broiling the fat and liquid is collected between the raised lines of the pan and cause a bit more steaming action. In our class, grill pans were put on the stove tops at every station, and two coal-grills were shared by everyone.

The method of grilling goes like this: Pre-heat the grill, because insufficient heat will cause food to stick. (Food in general will stick till it is done.) Clean the grill while hot, wwith stiff wire brush). Lubricate grill with rag and inexpensive oil. Dry and season the item (because if there is excessive oil on the item, it will cause fiery flareups that will give an overly smokey flavor). Place items on grill, and if they are square, at an angle. Half way through the cooking of the first side, turn 90 degrees. Flip, cook, turn 90 degrees, cook to doneness (same as sauté.)

There is no fond created, so there is no pan sauce. To temper charred, smokey flavor, grilled items are typically served with salsa, chutney, mayo, marinade, or compound butter.

Compound butter is cool. You basically soften whole butter and mush in minced things, roll into a small log in parchment paper, and whack in the fridge to harden. We made the classic Maitre d'Hotel butter, which is a compound of lemon juice, minced parsley and salt.

We split into groups and did some speed drills cutting up potatoes and various veg, then we got to it. I assigned 2LG, RH, and N their tasks and the mise got together pretty quickly; once again we finished ahead of everyone else. (Certain things should not be rushed -- a piece of steak is done when it is done. However, as long as you're accurate, mise should always be rushed.) I removed and skinned the breasts from four whole chickens, then placed them in plastic wrap envelopes and beat them to flatness, adding a bit of lemon marinade I made the moment before.

After a few demos from Chef M, we set about grilling rib-eye steak served with Maitre d'Hotel butter, chicken paillards in a lemon marinade, grilled chimichurri flank steak and various grilled vegetables. All grilled pretty quickly, and came out looking mighty nice. The vegs were a bit tricky, as each one cooked at different speeds, on top of the fact that there were different hot spots on each cooking surface.

N busted out the melon baller and made little balls of the Maitre d'Hotel butter. I would of preferred the more traditional flat rounds, but that's just me.

Tomorrow, shrimp go on the barbie with more grilling.

After class, I took an extra class where the pastry chef of the Ritz Carlton Hotel came in and made some summery desserts, and we ate them as he went along. He made an uzu-flavored cream-filled donut balls with thai chili sugar (the spice made it), a rhubarb soup with elderberry gelee (oddly good), a black forrest cake (the cherry inside tasted too alcoholic) and a wonderful chocolate tart composed of a tart shell, a big of devil's foof, praline cream, chocolate ganache and roasted peanuts in a caramelized goo. I definitely don't want to be a pastry chef, but I have an idea of the thought that goes into these things.

ADDENDA:
I stood on the scale three times this morning because I didn't quite believe the number: 224. After all the pan and deep frying, after all the excessive desserts I scarfed this weekend, after last night's beer-and-pizza nightcap, I was certain I was in for a rude awakening this morning. Which makes me think....what would I have weighed if I was a little bit more restrained?

BREAKFAST: 6:30am, good yogurt with vanilla, raw cashews, honey, .5 bowl, hunger 2/5
Beer and pizza still hanging out in my tummy.

AM TASTINGS: 10:30am - 11am, chicken paillard, chimmichurri flank steak on french bread with grilled vegetables, small piece of very rich walnut cake, 2 bowls, hunger 4/5
Chef kept on saying my food was undersalted, but it tasted salty to me.

PM TASTINGS: 1:30-3pm, 4 tiny very fancy desserts, .75 bowl, hunger 3/5

DINNER: 7pm, big green salad, split pea soup with tortilla chips, 2 bowls, hunger 4/5

EVENING SNACK: 9:15pm, large piece of watermelon, 1.5 bowl, hunger 4/5