My friends, John and Gina, own a restaurant called Cafe Mahajaic in Lotus, California. I have always loved how this restaurant comes alive inside an old general store built during the gold rush. The original window coverings made of heavy metal open at 5pm as the space made of old brick and mortar lights up and smells so delicious. Recently, I had a chance to get some experience in the kitchen and learn a few tricks from the pros. When I arrived at the restaurant, John had a long list of things for me to do which included: preparing fresh ingredients for unique salads and making and preparing desserts.
Mounds of romaine! Tip for large parties, use a bucket of cold water and dunk the whole head into the water multiple times to get it clean, then use a knife to extract the white stem in the middle of each leaf, chop up the leaves into bite size, and toss them into the salad spinner.
Braiding biscotti dough is not as easy as it sounds, but John believes that braiding it allows more air to reach it and cook more thoroughly. After brushing an egg wash over the braid, bake it for about 25 minutes and cut it into thin slices. The slices go back into the oven until just perfectly crunchy. These have pistachios in them which are delicious on top of the creme brûlée! You could make the dough ahead and freeze it, just pop it in the oven when you have guests over for coffee.
Espresso creme brûlée is so delightful! My favorite part about making this is massaging the vanilla bean into the sugar. I also love using a torch! Since my husband is a firefighter, we have more torches than you could imagine. I think I need to make creme brûlée for my sweetie this Valentine's. Working with food really is almost as fun as working with wine. I think it's the passion for food and wine that make these jobs so glamorous. I look forward to learning more from my restaurant friends! Thanks to John and Gina for welcoming me into their kitchen on a busy night to enjoy the pace of restaurant life. Cheers!
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