Real life and work in a pastry shop in France Bashny.Net

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This post will be without photos (confectionery), the simple fact of how it is. Without embellishment and lofty words.

The fourth week of my internship. And if at the beginning I was more than set a negative, rather than another, but now everything falls into place.

No one will argue that any candy that exists in France, work top professionals who can learn forever.
They are by their very existence proves this is an indisputable fact. It would be different - a place for a long time to be burned. In France, it is impossible to open a business (food-related activities), not having behind diploma - non-WHO-WMS-no. And then get a diploma "just so" just unreal. We have to show an educational institution, a country, after all, you deserve it. Otherwise, just do not understand.
What is the point to open a pastry shop, if you did not know how to do? And hence it is clear - if the place is your name - then you have to prove every day all to himself in the first place that it deserves to be spoken aloud.

And that's with Nicolas Pepa ...





Now, how it is. What is it, the real work in a candy store.

My working day - 10-11 hours.
I get up at 4.30 am to 6.00 start their work in Patisserie Nicolas Pepin.
And I go to work 16-17 hours. I have no right to bring a phone or something else, absolutely. I do not know whether they are afraid of industrial espionage or microbes, but the phone we have only the Pepin. Therefore, the photos will not be any. All standard - a common culinary laboratory - tables, a stove, a refrigerator, a special machine, dishwasher. Two floors plus basement for working with chocolate and caramel.

The first week for me was very hard.
First, enter in this frantic pace.
In school I was always the first, and the house all the time to do, in a clearly set for myself as possible.
In fact, it turned out - I work at the speed of a lame turtle.
Everything should be done 23 times faster, at least, but you can.
I'm not used to cut off all the fingers, all legs and arms bruised (yeah, once made a tray to drag the meat which weight was kg of 40, I thought, grabbed him ... and welled with all together) ...
The day begins with decorations ready desserts - each has its definite number of berries, some chocolate color (and even the direction of the lines on it) and the label. Everything should be placed clearly and without errors. Then we do what everyone. The first week my little trust, and it is clear.

The working day ends at 16.00-17.00.
At 15.30, where we start to wash all. Wash more thoroughly than at school.
And on Saturdays, a special holiday - a global cleaning! This means that of all the boxes, racks, cabinets - pull out all there is. Perevzveshivaem, measure again, wipe, do the appropriate records (how much of what is left, etc.), most of these in my drawers / cabinets, etc. (filled with a stream of water from a hose, and then wiped dry) and puts everything in its growth. We start at 13.00 (this day is not a break for lunch) and ends just in 16-17 hours.

I have an hour for lunch.
I know that some have lunch at work (salads are made from what would have something to eat from the range of confectionery, but I never suggested, and I myself did not ask). Speaking of pace - for the whole day, no time to even take a sip of water. Not a second.
One single time I was close to it - the very first day, I poured a cup of coffee. With a smile, still so ...
And immediately handed the job.
And that's how I put it next to the cup, so it was up to the moment until someone accidentally it does not shed. Neither did sip.

I also made friends with a nearby pastry shop.
Well, confectionery - is something like a cafe. I go there for lunch. Wonderful place. The family business two pretty young brothers (not the French, something with Arab blood) opened (already as 2 years) patisserie, where you can dine well. They do not have menus, every day one of the brothers making some new dish for lunch (by the way, as it turned in the investigation it turned out, he never, never try that prepared, all at the level of intuition, and it's always delicious!) and only one type.
And it turns out - a soup + Second + dessert, or the next day salad + main + dessert.

On the first day as a dessert, I tried the cake Divin, raspberry and coconut. Nothing is, but in my opinion because of the somewhat dry a little coconut.



Mousse, something totally unreal. After dinner, I walk over to him and quietly thus: "And the recipe?" He hesitated, hesitated and said: "Come after 16". And what do you think? I came in and he gave me the recipe. Without any problems. And then I showed him my portfolio and he said if I spoke French, I would have employment in France would have no problems at all there was. And tomorrow, I promised to make a "Russian Day" and for dinner, for me to be stroganoff! They are good.

When it came to the end of the second week of my internship and mosaic in my mind began to take shape in the image.

That I made during that time for yourself. First of all what is not taught in school.

First. If I thought that we were accustomed to the harsh realities of cleaning, it is ready to say with certainty - to anything we were not accustomed. Compared to how it should be done and how we do it at work, at school, we just wipe the dust.

And the second. At school we are not accustomed to the organization.
At the time it seemed to me that we have such a pace, we will have time to do so many things.
But in reality - it is a team effort and fragmentation. It's bad when the boss gives you a job and you do it together, and then the four of us.
Especially without straining, exchanging epithets and sometimes even simultaneously telling some funny stories.
Someone weighing one half of the recipe, some second. Then, when all the products are prepared, we begin whipping or cooking. Inseparable from the stand mixer or pan, stir, pour and observe the process.

And now I will describe how it should be:

The first time when I was the boss instructed to do "Caramel Cream" I took up the job of school technology. Ie weighed sugar - put down.
I went to weigh the oil ...
Martan and then jumps up, shouting: «What are you fucking doing ???»
Ahem, I had to respond to such an eloquent speech? "Weighed ..." He rolled his eyes and growled something unintelligible, and the syllables, for not very distant person, began to explain: "Put it on the plate caramelized sugar; weighed cream, put them to cook; oil weighed at this time, and eggs, that's not understandable? »

So you run from the plate to the scales - the sugar to prevent that is not burnt, then look to throw the cream that does not boil dry, immediately weigh one hand the oil, the second ruining eggs into a bowl.

Hardly coped with the task, nothing burned down and fled. I felt an incredible hero. But this was only a warm-up. This week, my job is complicated.

I work with the boss, then Martan, it is like a second chef.

Martan gave just two recipe cakes - one "tiger" appearance, which is added to a very, very fine chocolate strushka for him to do «beurre noisette» (brown "nut" flavor butter for Finance), the second type - chocolate, where it is necessary in a water bath to melt the chocolate and butter.

And there is no one at the beginning to make, and then proceed to the next. All at the same time. And the number of ingredients, not at home - on the one or two portions and immediately weigh kilograms. Technology follows:

1. Weigh Oil «beurre noisette» and put it on the stove to drown. From time to time, run up and stir.
2. Put in a water bath to drown chocolate for the second prescription. Without oil, as it was over and had to run to the store for a new box.
3. To run the warehouse and bring a box (15 kg) of butter, as something that was, is over.
4. Measure the right amount of butter and add to the nearly melted chocolate.
5. Prevent the first oil. Prevent a second mixture.
6. Here Martan gives another job in the appendage - from the "freezer room" (the size of my one-bedroom apartment, with the only difference that the temperature in it was almost 30C) bring a box of frozen souffle. The box to the top packed in small circles, no more than 5 ruble coins. We must quickly put them in neat rows (certain side up) all over the baking sheet and put the pan in the freezer for another (then they will cover velours). And I understand that by me for a moment as second more, and the whole box I turn into one lump agglutinate and for what is already the world these little clubs will not unstick from each other. And at the plate even butter and chocolate, do you remember it? And here I am back here noshus («beurre noisette» had already reached the desired color and flavor, pour into another bowl to stop the cooking process and removed in the cold), stirring and shifting.
7. "coins" over. Baking in the freezer drawer back into the room.
8. Urgent dovzvesit ingredients for the second prescription. First do not touch until the oil reaches room temperature.
9. The ingredients have to mix everything by hand. By the way it will be told about the test turned liters 6. Stir hand whisk, very big, until smooth.
10. The first test of the way. Run to the chocolate shop to ask the very small chocolate chips.
11. Mix the dry ingredients with the eggs (32 pieces split by hand), also by hand whisk. Add a "peanut butter" mix. Check the temperature of the dough - it should be cool, otherwise the chocolate will melt immediately. If everything is OK, add chips and has to breathe.

And all this at a constant, "Nina faster. Nina you have to learn the organization! You'll never be able to do nothing and build their own, until you organize all your actions. Faster, more alive! "Even while cleaning I hear:« Push yourself! »Then every minute counts.

Now the range of my responsibilities widened slightly. And I'm confident enough themselves began to feel. Chef Nicolas to me very friendly set up, always trying to joke and talk to me in English, even though I told him that I understood his French. He said: "No, no, I need to speak English" (he has a very, very small vocabulary of English, we can say that he did, in practice, does not know). And he continues: "Ah, if I'm with you worked at least a year, I'd have started to speak in English." I say, "Or I in French. I prefer the latter. " He laughs: "No, no, I want first!»

Or going with him a new cake. It's all new and it does not yet know how best to decorate it. That leaf here, the berry there. All will clean, put macaron. And removes it, add the chocolate plate. Finally, he was pleased and smiling looking at me. I understand, you have something to say: «Très joli!» And the chief French, squinted slyly: "Yes. As a Russian girl. " He is young and good at what they do. I have so much he learned. And if I do not have the right to simply stand idle even seconds (10 seconds in a microwave oven heats the oil - wipe the table, but not stand and do not wait!), I still mow gray eye in his direction - and that he is now doing? Sometimes it comes to me, he takes a tool and says: «This is big secret and very expensive», laughs and shows how this same dejsvie can be done two to three times faster. Now I am confident, thanks to him, I work with two hands at the same time, whatever work it was not.

What can my duty:
 - Otsadit beautiful caramel cream on the cake «petit four» of the cooking bag.
 - Or yesterday, I fully equipped with new eclairs: Cut eclair in half (which is on top of a covering «pate sable»), otsadit chestnut cream, put the cubes of chestnut, on top of the thinnest plate of chocolate (chocolate cut also entrusted to me), but on top of the cream "Chantilly" - from cooking bag packed with "star" - the air at a high spiral, smooth and beautiful. Close all cap eclair, sprinkle with powdered sugar, put a thin strip-string made of chocolate and more chocolate on top of the box with the inscription «Pepin». And here I am working, I try - the cream will melt, the head falls, the chocolate is over ... and even to the Chief said. Not a very nice lay spiral? Not fear. Let's show once again, that take off and try again. Without problems and nerves. Once the last eclair was assembled, the chief gives an unexpected command: "All, bring to the store." Ie right out of my hands in the window. Exciting ... but what a pleasure to see in the shop window cake YOURS!
 - Biscuits - completely "from" and "to" any (today, for example, I made the dough and forming shop 450 small and subtle (with parchment sheet) cookies with almond petals).
 - Assembling the cake
 - Work with short pastry (for example, to lay out shortbread dough into rings 100 and more tartlets)
 - Work with the choux pastry (from the dough to the depositing, baking and filled with cream)
 - Acquisition tartlets (all fillings)
 - Decoration and decoration, self-a.
 - Killograma creams, biscuits, meringues ...

Several times a week we collect "logs." The huge amount - 60-80 units at a time. I make them biscuits (imagine how many kilograms of "Mona Lisa" for the time necessary to do ?, to fit on the trays 14?), And mousses. Then we all gather together, I also take part in this exciting process. All cleverly, quickly, clearly. Not a single superfluous movement.

 - If the smoothed first layer of mousse on the entire width of the logs - two movements. If you smudge it further along the walls - 6 movements scraper (a long piece of wood).
 - If the level the surface before putting some of the last, crowning layer of sponge cake - two movements Spatula.
 - If the mousse is laid out in the metal spherical shape for cakes, he leveled the walls of the - exactly three movements with a spoon. Do more, get a slap.

On my hands, it is generally a separate song. They are all in cuts, hooks, abrasions, burns and frostbite. Imagine:

 - Manual 60-80 VAC plastic molds for Polen.
 - Immediately, quick wet hands on a towel, rushing to get out of the freezer, metal trays and cakes. Hands immediately adhere to the metal. But there is no delay in the second - to pull, move, get a form (metal or silicone). Put back on the trays in the freezer and again.
 - Immediately to rush to unload the dishwasher, ended the regular cycle. And there are all very warm, very much. Quickly get and put on the table, download the new, clean in its place.
 - Get out of the oven with baking biscuit ready (or flip), and this at a time of about 10 trays. And ran into the "freezer room" to bring another box.
 - And then his hands with fresh cuts (that touched the knife, pulling out of the dishwasher, then a sheet of decor, uncomfortable share it with your fingers, then somewhere else caught) - wipe 60-80 forms alcoholic spray ... somewhere after 20 th logs already do not feel pain ...

By the way, there is not no thrown-Th-th. They have a wonderful, wonderful cake "La Gioconda", which are macarons, not proshedsshie "Faith-control." Have you ever heard of it? A cake comes out the best of what I have tried. The entire amount of croissants, muffins, breads, "sweet" and "salty" product is designed so that leaves the same day from the shelves. If some cake while decorating or assembly "laid down" is not exactly - it leaves us. We have a special fridge where you can always enjoy fresh desserts. And just when the boss does something new, always arranged wine.

And also like to mention - overdone feminists in France, oh, how overdone. Here the workers do not share the fact you're a boy or a girl. The car came with ingredients and products - all go to unload. What do you got - whether with a box of berries, if the bag with sugar, cream or pack boxes - even ponesesh on the second floor of the pantry. And quickly, almost at a run. You whipped in a huge mixer bowl about 10 liters of cream ... I think someone will drag? Yeah, how. And contrary to oven, iron, just try one thing to wear.

But ... it is also a life experience and fumed. I understand that anywhere else do not get it. Nowhere did not learn to do everything well - clean, but tough. All pink veil fell from his eyes for a long time. I want to work, I want to do exactly what I want to live it. It is in me, in my heart and in his mind, with every beat of my heart, after each offensive words, I only note to himself: "All I can." And now I getting some masochistic enjoyment of it all. Up at 4:30 am, working at times without a break for lunch, burned or frostbitten fingers and bruises on the next leg - a crooked grin, knead your shoulders and fight again. Then no one will talk to you heart to heart. You do not come to this. You came to work on equal terms with everyone and must keep pace with the overall rhythm. There is a graph, there is a plan and it must perform at any cost.



P.S.
 


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