@Shelovescake

One of the great (and not so great) things about having children is that they provide very effective distraction. In the morning hubbub of multiple breakfast courses and packed lunch prep I didn’t have time to feel nervous about the start of my stage at Toklas. It wasn’t until I was standing in the kitchen, looking at the pastry section list of jobs that I had the sudden panicked thought: ‘Oh God, I can’t remember anything from my Leith’s training; how will I know what to do?’. Thankfully I was working alongside a Leith’s alumnus who was incredibly supportive and guided me each through each step.

Alongside the 8.45am morning briefing were large hunks of toasted sourdough from the bakery and a huge pot of Nutella. I tucked in heartily having heard from a friend that lunch wouldn’t be until 4pm when family meal is served. Stray blobs of Nutella wiped from my face and fingers, I got started on my first job of the day: assembling nine tarte tatins for a private lunch. All the prep had been done so it was a satisfying process of pouring caramel, lining up partially cooked apples, tucking in the pastry disc and finally egg washing. Next up were nine beautiful glass bowls to be layered up with tiramisu. Vast quantities of loose meringue mixed with a sort of pate a bombe to make a sabayon style mousse. The sponge fingers dipped in espresso and Marsala, were layered with pillowy dollops of the sabayon on repeat. A final smoothing of the top with the back of a spoon in anticipation of fine shavings of dark chocolate before service.

Lunch service briefing included the introduction of a new summer salad: soft lettuce leaves and chicory, mint, fennel leaf, topped with finely chopped raw shallot and tossed in the classic Toklas dressing. A quick mouthful to try before getting started on a batch of panna cotta before lunch service got busy. The milk and cream were infused with lashings of lemon peel and the seeds from several vanilla pods. Once lunch service began, I swapped on to larder section, helping to plate the artichoke, broad bean and ricotta salad. During I short reprieve, I whisked up a vat of Toklas salad dressing and the lemon, garlic dressing which is doused over the ever-popular carrot starter. I spotted the fried feta and honey going out and one of the chefs kindly made me my own portion as a quick snack lunch. The piping hot fried feta causes the honey to lose its viscosity, saucily coating the crisp crumb and cutting through the savoury, salty creaminess of the cheese. Exquisite! As pudding orders came in, I migrated back to pastry section and plated the orange ricotta cake and learnt how to create a quenelle with creme fraiche. In amongst plating, we continued making the panna cotta, mixing, cooling and carefully pouring into dariole moulds before chilling to set.

Chocolate choux pastry was my final job of the day. And it was a thrill to learn that it doesn’t need to be made to the painstaking methods at Leith’s. Instead of an arm workout, the Kitchen Aid can be used. A revelation! Quick as a flash it was time for family meal and I realised I was ravenous. We’d achieved so much during the day that there was very little to do after that and those of us finishing at 5pm were rewarded with a slightly early finish and a bounty of left-over pastries from the bakery to take home. An insightful first day working in an environment previously alien to me. Being part of the buzz of service and seeing my own plates leave the pass was a joy. Excited already for tomorrow.