Cooking to me is not only a creative outlet, but in many ways I view it as a sport. It involves skill, precision, creativity, reaction time, and the necessity to always be anticipating what happens next, or what to do when obstacles are thrown our way. When I was in culinary school, one of the most important lessons my chefs taught me was to always anticipate the inevitable curveballs that are thrown our way when in the kitchen. What will you do if you run out of an ingredient? How will you modify your menu for a customer’s allergy? I especially learned this lesson during a Christmas day potluck with friends. Now that the holidays are past us, it’s easier to laugh about, but the memories are still fresh in my mind. I am glad to say, “Whew… thank god that worked out!”
The story starts out a couple of weeks prior to Christmas. I was invited to a potluck dinner by a close friend. I always jump at the chance to have other people cook for me even if I have to contribute something, so I was very excited to attend. There was a catch: my friend Lauren wanted to learn more about cooking and since I am a chef who works in an environment that fosters the notion to get the world to cook, it made perfect sense we would prepare our dish together. This way, she learns to cook and we have our dish for our holiday dinner.
Simple, or so I thought!
Now it’s Christmas Eve morning and Lauren and I have waited until the last minute to shop. Lauren was set on pork because many of her guests did not eat red meat and game was a tired option. I had anticipated doing a loin because I had done this before and it always turned out beautifully. I had honestly thought there would be tenderloin left for our modest party of 10. However, this was not the case. One small 2lb loin stared me straight in the face, and I instantly knew this would not work. Because you are a chef, there is a lot of pressure to think on your feet, make quick decisions, and it is automatically assumed you know what the hell you are doing when it comes to a large hunk of meat.
All that was left were two very large 5lb roasts. Lauren said “no problem!” to the guy behind the counter, and after breaking into a cold sweat but hiding it through my smile, we were off with 10 pounds of pork and my silent prayer that I would not ruin Christmas dinner! Pork roast was foreign territory to me, but I figured what the hell, I can do this.
I went home and combed my recipes for an idea on how I would tackle my piggies. With the intensity of a prize fighter, I psyched myself up to make that roast the best darned delicious dish that any of those people would ever taste! All while teaching my friend the basics of roasting 101.
I decided to a mustard rub which consisted of stone ground mustard, honey, herbs de Provence, Chinese five spice, truffle salt, and pepper. I decided to braise it because low and slow is how I have always been told that roasts taste best. So I made a braising liquid out of apple cider and chicken stock. I settled on my plan of getting them into roasting pans with the liquid and throwing in onions, of course apples, and lots of fresh thyme and sage. I felt like Mohammed facing the mountain and I was going to come out on top!
On the day of, I arrive at Lauren’s in my Christmas best, apron in tow ready face my opponent. Ladies and gentlemen, in this corner weighing in at 10 pounds…Piiiigggyyy ROAST! And in this corner…. Andrea…weighing in on a wing and a prayer. What I was not prepared for was the fact that:
A: There were two additional guests.
B. Everyone would be there wine in hand waiting for me to regale them with my knowledge of how to make our dinner all the while anticipating it would be the most delish thing they have ever consumed on the planet Earth.
No pressure here whatsoever folks.
Now comes the real curve ball. How do you roast Christmas pork with no apples? As I opened her fridge, I noticed nary an apple in sight. I got up close and personal with her crisper drawers and noticed we were in that situation where your standing in line at the grocery and the bagger neglects to give you ALL of the items you purchased. Where on earth would I find two pounds of apples on Christmas day when all stores are closed?
The answer is nowhere.
It was me, 12 dinner guests, 10 pounds of pork, and no apples. I felt like I had left the house with only one shoe! I was in that position where I had to think fast, make it work and use what I had available to me in that moment. All my years of cooking crystalized in that very moment.
So, I worked with what she had in her pantry to replace the apples, which was figs. In the end the roast turned out perfect and because of my uncanny ability to be not only “dinner and a show” when you invite me over to cook, all my guests had a good laugh and we went on with our holiday. Thank GOD I didn’t ruin Christmas! Think on your feet while in the kitchen and be prepared that things might not turn out as you hoped, but also be prepared and delighted when they turn out better than you expected. Through this we gain courage to try new things we might have not done before because we have allowed ourselves to be stretched in believing in our own ability and skill!
Andrea 1, Piggy 0
Andrea Larson is a culinary assistant at The Chopping Block. She is a recent graduate from the Illinois Institute of Art where she studied Culinary Arts, and has been a cooking enthusiast for years. She also enjoys learning about wine and baking bread. When she isn’t busy in the kitchen, she likes to bike ride, travel, and volunteer for charities which she is passionate about; currently she is training for her 4th Ride for Aids Chicago.
In case any of you do not know, I LOVE my job! Not only do I love going to work every day, but to make it even better, in January 2011 I was voted Employee of the Year 2010 by my co-workers. The prize for this honor is a flight anywhere in the world you want to go, a week’s paid vacation and some spending cash. It only took me 11 months to decide where to go! Why not Fiji?
Researching this before going, I wasn’t really sure what to expect. My first meal upon arrival was Cajun spiced chicken, fried cassava, and a salad of fresh coconut pieces, carrot, cucumber and cabbage. Dessert was a homemade brioche cup, filled with sweet custard and topped with fresh fruit. For me, the fresh coconut was the star of the dish. Breakfast was amazing every day. The eggs were so fresh with yolks almost orange in color, and the unbelievably delicious fresh coconut crusted-banana stuffed French toast and sugar cane syrup. Yum! Not to mention the picturesque sunrise!
plantations, and natural hot springs where locals still cook their lunch using nothing other than a plastic shopping bag.
