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The Oaxacan black mole takes days to make from scratch and includes more than 20 ingredients.

“It’s a really laborious thing,” Bayless said in an interview earlier this week. “But for an event like this nothing is too difficult.”

OAXACAN BLACK MOLE WITH BRAISED CHICKEN

Serves 8 (with about 10 cups of sauce, which will mean leftovers to make enchiladas or more chicken with)

11 medium (about 5 1/2 ounces) dried mulato chiles

6 medium (about 2 ounces) dried chihualces chiles (see note in Variations and Improvisations below)

6 medium (about 2 ounces) dried pasilla chiles

1 dried chipotle chile (preferably the tan-brown chipotle meco)

1 corn tortilla, torn into small pieces

2 1/4-inch-thick slices of white onion

4 garlic cloves, unpeeled

About 2 cups rich-tasting lard or vegetable oil (for frying the chiles)

1/2 cup sesame seeds, plus a few extra for garnish

1/4 cup pecan halves

1/4 cup unskinned or Spanish peanuts

1/4 cup unskinned almonds

About 10 cups chicken broth (canned or homemade)

1 pound (2 medium-large or 6 to 8 plum) green tomatoes, roughly chopped

4 ounces (2 to 3 medium) tomatillos, husked, rinsed and roughly chopped

2 slices stale bread, toasted until very dark

1/4 teaspoon cloves, preferably freshly ground

1/2 teaspoon black pepper, preferably freshly ground

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, preferably freshly ground Mexican canela

A scant teaspoon oregano, preferably Mexican

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1/2 ripe banana

1/2 cup (about 3 ounces) finely chopped Mexican chocolate

2 or 3 avocado leaves (if you have them)

Salt, about 1 tablespoon depending on the saltiness of the broth

Sugar, about 1/4 cup (or a little more)

2 large (3 1/2- to 4-pound) chickens, cut into quarters

1. Getting started. Pull out the stems (and attached seed pods) from the chiles, tear them open and shake or scrape out the seeds, collecting them as you go.

Now, do something that will seem very odd: scoop the seeds into an ungreased medium-size (8- to 9-inch) skillet along with the torn-up tortilla, set over medium heat, turn on an exhaust fan, open a window and toast your seeds and tortilla, shaking the pan regularly, until thoroughly burned to charcoal black, about 15 minutes. (This is very important to the flavor and color of the mole.) Now, scrape them into a fine-mesh strainer and rinse for 30 seconds or so, then transfer to a blender.

Set an ungreased skillet or griddle over medium heat, lay on a piece of aluminum foil, and lay the onion slices and garlic cloves on that. Roast until soft and very dark (about 5 minutes on each side of the onion slices – peel it off the foil to turn it; about 15 minutes for the garlic – turn it frequently as it roasts). Cool the garlic a bit, peel it and combine with the onion in a large bowl.

While the onion and garlic are roasting, turn on the oven to 350 degrees (for toasting nuts), return the skillet to medium heat, measure in a scant 2 cups of the lard or oil (you’ll need about 1/2-inch depth), and, when hot, begin frying the chiles a couple at a time: They’ll unfurl quickly, then release their aroma and piquancy (keep that exhaust on and window open) and, after about 30 seconds, have lightened in color and be well toasted (they should be crisp when cool, but not burnt smelling). Drain them well, gather them into a large bowl, cover with hot tap water, and let rehydrate for 30 minutes, stirring regularly to ensure even soaking. Drain, reserving the soaking liquid.

While the chiles are soaking, toast the seeds and nuts. Spread the sesame seeds onto a baking sheet or ovenproof skillet, spread the pecans, peanuts and almonds onto another baking sheet or skillet, then set both into the oven. In about 12 minutes the sesame seeds will have toasted to a dark brown; the nuts will take slightly longer. Add all of them to the blender (reserving a few sesame seeds for garnish), along with 1 1/2 cups of the chicken broth and blend to as smooth a puree as you can. Transfer to a small bowl.

Without rinsing the blender, combine the green tomatoes and tomatillos with another 1/2 cup of the broth and puree. Pour into another bowl. Again, without rinsing the blender, combine the roasted onion and garlic with the toasted bread, cloves, black pepper, cinnamon, oregano, thyme, banana and 3/4 cup broth. Blend to a smooth puree and pour into a small bowl.

Finally, without rinsing the blender, scoop in half of the chiles, measure in 1/2 cup of the soaking liquid, blend to a smooth puree, then pour into another bowl. Repeat with the remaining chiles and another 1/2 cup of the soaking liquid.

2. From four purees to mole. In a very large (8- to 9-quart) pot (preferably a Dutch oven or Mexican cazuela), heat 3 tablespoons of the lard or oil (some of what you used for the chiles is fine) and set over medium-high heat. When very hot, add the tomato puree and stir and scrape (a flat-sided wooden spatula works well here) for 15 to 20 minutes until reduced, thick as tomato paste, and very dark (it’ll be the color of cinnamon stick and may be sticking to the pot in places). Add the nut puree and continue the stirring and scraping until reduced, thick and dark again (this time it’ll be the color of black olive paste), about 8 minutes. Then, as you guessed it, add the banana-spice puree and stir and scrape for another 7 or 8 minutes as the whole thing simmers back down to a thick mass about the same color it was before you added this one.

Add the chile puree, stir well and let reduce over medium-low heat until very thick and almost black, about 30 minutes, stirring regularly (but, thankfully, not constantly). Stir in the remaining 7 cups of broth, the chocolate and avocado leaves (if you have them), partially cover and simmer gently for about an hour, for all the flavors to come together. Season with salt and sugar (remembering that this is quite a sweet mole and that sugar helps balance the dark, toasty flavors). Remove the avocado leaves.

In batches in a loosely covered blender, puree the sauce until as smooth as possible, then pass through a medium-mesh strainer into a large bowl.

3. Finishing the dish. Return the mole to the same pot and heat it to a simmer. Nestle the leg-and-thigh quarters of the chicken into the bubbling black liquid, partially cover and time 15 minutes, then nestle in the breast quarters, partially cover and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes, until all the chicken is done.

With a slotted spoon, fish out the chicken pieces and transfer them to a large warm platter. Spoon a generous amount of the mole over and around them, sprinkle with the reserved sesame seeds and set triumphantly before your lucky guests.

Advance Preparation: The mole can be completed through Step 2 several days ahead (it gets better, in fact); cover and refrigerate. Completele Step 3 shortly before serving.

VARIATIONS AND IMPROVISATIONS: Chilhuacle chiles are very difficult to find unless you’re in Oaxaca (even then they’re sometimes hard to obtain). Without them you can make a very respectable black mole with 6 ounces (12 total) dried mulato chiles, 2 1/2 ounces (8 total) dried pasilla chiles and 1 ounce (4 total) dried guajillo chiles.

from HuffingtonPost.com

Cassoulet is just beans and meat. The beauty of this dish, though (and probably what makes it so uniquely French) is the layering of flavors and the depth that is achieved with just a few simple ingredients and a little patience.

Cassoulet
1 lb. dry cannellini beans
1 lb pork tenderloin, cut into 1/2″ cubes
1 lb bacon, cut into 1″ strips
1 lb coarse ground pork sausage
1 lb kielbasa sausage, sliced into discs
four tomatoes, peeled, seeds removed, and cut into chunks
2 yellow onions, diced
2 large leeks, thinly sliced
1/4 cup italian parsley, finely chopped
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 head garlic, cut into slivers
1 cup bread crumbs
2 tablespoons bacon, duck or goose fat
4 whole cloves
3 sprigs thyme
3 bay leaves
white wine
salt and pepper to taste

Place the dry beans in a large bowl and cover with 2″ of water. Soak for 4-6 hours or overnight.

Preheat the oven to 400.

In a large (6 qt. or larger) stock pot, casserole, or dutch oven over high heat, melt the fat. When rippling, sear the pork tenderloin, then remove from the pan and reserve. In the same pan, without emptying the rendered fat, cook the pork sausage. Remove and reserve. Again, without cleaning the pan, cook the bacon, remove and reserve. Finally, sear the kielbasa, remove and reserve.

Drain off the excess fat from the pan, leaving about 1 tablespoon. Reserve the fat for other cooking if you like (I always do, and this is GOOD fat!) Add the onions, leeks and garlic. Cook until the onions are translucent. Deglaze the pan with white wine. Add the tomatoes and tomato paste, along with 1 quart of water. Bring to a simmer and add cloves, thyme, parsley and bay leaf.

Drain the beans, and add to the pot along with another 2 quarts of water. Simmer for 1 1/2 hours or until reduced by 1/3.

Add all four meats back into the pot and stir gently until combined. Bake for 1 1/2 hours. Remove from oven, top with a generous sprinkle of bread crumbs, and return to oven for another 10-15 minutes, or until bread crumbs are golden brown.

Serve with a nice crusty baguette.

Borsch
1 lb stew meat, cut into 1″ cubes
2 quarts water
2 tsp. salt
1/2 tablespoon ground coriander
1/2 tablespoon whole black peppercorns
3 bay leaves
3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1/4 cup fresh dill
3 medium sized beets
1/2 head cabbage, cut up very finely
1 big carrot, shredded
1 small onion, thinly sliced
3 potatoes, cubed
1 Red pepper, chopped
1 Tomato, diced

Preheat oven to 350.

Peel the beets and place them in a roasting pan with about 1/4″ of water in the bottom. Cover in foil and roast for 1 hour at 350.

Place the meat, water, salt, garlic and spices into a large pot and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the potato and onion. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for one hour. If you’re making vegetarian borsch, skip this step and just use 2 quarts of vegetable stock.

Remove the beets from the oven and drain the liquid into the soup. Using a grater, shred the beets and carrot into the soup. Add the tomatoes, dill and red pepper, and continue simmering for another 20 minutes or so.

Serve with sour cream and dill.

Piersohkies

Tecto(tyes’-tuh)-dough
4 c flour
2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
3 T sugar
1 egg
1 ½ c sour milk or buttermilk
3 T oil
4 ½ T sour cream

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl with hands. Knead dough 5-10 minutes; if too sticky add more flour while kneading. Cover and let sit on counter 2 hours.

Dust countertop with flour. Make a 1” thick roll, cut into pieces, roll pieces in flour. Roll flat, not too thin. Add filling, fold and pinch to seal-make sure it’s a good seal. Flatten seal. Heat ¼” oil in frying pan over medium heat, fry till dough is cooked and golden brown.

Classic Fried Chicken
NOTE: I recommend chicken with the bone in and the skin on. A bone-in piece of meat will always be juicier and more flavorful, and you just can’t beat a crispy skin on a piece of fried chicken.

2 lbs of chicken pieces
2 cups flour
1 quart buttermilk
oil
salt
pepper

Place the chicken and the buttermilk in a Ziploc bag to marinate for at least 8 hours, but preferably 24. In a large skillet, add about two inches of oil and heat until rippling. Place the flour in a wide shallow baking dish or pie tin and add salt and pepper to taste. Empty the chicken and buttermilk into a large shallow bowl, and one piece at a time, coat the chicken in the flour. For a heartier crust, dip the chicken in the buttermilk and coat in the flour a second time. Using tongs, carefully place the chicken in the oil. Turn occasionally to ensure chicken is cooked on all sides. When the crust is golden and crispy, and the juices from the chicken run clear, remove it from the oil. Serve immediately.

Collard Greens
3 bunches collard greens, finely chopped
1 pound bacon, chopped
1 medium yellow onion, diced
2 cups chicken stock

in a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook the bacon until crispy. Reserve the bacon, leaving the fat in the pan. Reduce the heat to medium. Add the onion, cook until the onions are clarified, then add the greens a handful at a time, adding a new handful every 5-10 minutes as the greens reduce in size. Add the chicken stock as necessary to keep the greens moist and prevent burning. Cook the greens until very tender, about 45 minutes or up to several hours.

Classic Grits
There are endless ways to cook grits, and every southerner has their own. This is simply the most basic recipe, and can be used as a foundation for whatever you’d like to add to make them your own.

1 cup grits
4 cups water
2 tablespoons bacon fat
salt to taste

In a large saucepan, bring the water to a boil. While whisking vigorously, add the grits a little at a time until all the grits have been added. Stir every few minutes to prevent clumping. Cook for 20 minutes or so until grits are the desired consistency. Whisk in 2 tablespoons of bacon fat just before serving.

Tom Yum Gai
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 white onion, diced
2 green onions, cut into 2″ lengths and sliced lengthwise
2 small tomatoes, cut into eighths
1/2 lb skinless chicken breasts, diced
1 1/2 cups button mushrooms, quartered
4 cups chicken stock
3 stalks lemongrass, cut the stalks diagonally 2-inch long, scored lightly
10 fresh kaffir lime leaves
2″ piece of ginger, peeled and sliced
3 tablespoons fish sauce
1 1/4 teaspoons thai chili garlic paste
5 bird’s eye chili peppers, sliced
1 cup fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
2 teaspoons sugar
juice from 5 limes

In a 5 quart stock pot, heat the sesame oil until rippling, then add the chicken, white onion and ginger. Sautee until chicken starts to brown and onions are translucent. Add the stock and remaining ingredients except the green onions and cilantro. Simmer for 10 minutes. Add green onions and cilantro, simmer another 2-3 minutes, then serve immediately.

And what would Thai food be without fried rice? This one turns out creamy and rich, almost like a risotto.

Khao Phat
3 tablespoons sesame oil
1 boneless skinless chicken breast, diced
1 small yellow onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped1 medium onion, sliced
2 eggs
4 cups cooked white or brown rice
1 tomato, rough chopped
1/2 cup basil, minced
2 green onions, diced
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablepoon fish sauce
1 tablespoon sugar

In a large wok, heat the sesame oil until rippling. Add the chicken and onion, and cook until chicken begins to brown and onions are translucent. add the rice, and sautee for 2-3 minutes. add remaining ingredients except eggs, and continue to sautee and move the ingredients in the pan. Just before serving, crack the eggs into the rice mixture and let set for 1-2 minutes. Stir once more to incorporate the egg, then serve.

Kalbi Marinade
1 1/2 cups soy sauce
3/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup sesame oil
1 head of garlic, minced
1  white onion, chopped
3 large green onions, chopped
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
5 lbs beef short-ribs

Mix soy sauce and sugar until sugar is dissolved. Add sesame oil and whisk vigorously until incorporated. mix in the remaining ingredients. Place the ribs in a large non-reactive container or ziploc bag, and cover with the marinade. Rotate the marinade and ribs every 12 hours to ensure uniform coverage.

Broiling: place ribs in oven with broiler set on high. Broil just  until edges are black and crispy, about 12-15 minutes.

grilling: place ribs over high heat, turning only once, about 2-3 mintes per side.

Kimchi
1 large Napa Cabbage
1 cup kosher salt
1 head of garlic, finely minced
one 2-inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled and minced
1/4 cup fish sauce
1/3 cup chili paste or 1/2 cup Korean chili powder
1 bunch green onions, cut into 1-inch lengths
1 tablespoon sugar

Slice the cabbage in half lengthwise, then finely slice it again, starting at the tip and moving towards the root. You should end up with thin strips of cabbage that resemble confetti streamers. Place the cabbage in the bowl and sprinkle generously with the kosher salt, mixing as you go to ensure proper coverage. Cover and let stand for 1 hour.

Mix all the other ingredients together in a separate bowl.

The cabbage will have released quite a bit of liquid. Drain the cabbage and squeeze it dry. Rinse under cold water, and repeat. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix thoroughly.

Cover, and let stand at room temperature for 2-3 days. Once it starts to get a little bubbly around the edges, you can refrigerate it.

Pa Moochim
2 bunches green onions, sliced lengthwise
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoons red pepper paste
1/2 tablespoon sesame oil
1/2 tablespoon rice wine vinegar

Mix garlic, red pepper paste, sesame oil and vinegar together in a large bowl to make the dressing. Toss green onions in dressing, serve immediately.

Baba Ganoush
2 large eggplants, cut into slices about 1/2 inch thick
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 tablespoons tahini

1/2 tablespoon coriander
Juice of 1 lemon

You can either oven roast the eggplant or cook it on the grill. If you’re oven roasting, brush both sides with a bit of olive oil and roast on a sheet tray for about 20 minutes at 350. If you’re grilling it, brush with olive oil and grill until it’s just starting to blacken around the edges.

once your eggplant is cooked, cut it into smaller pieces, about 2″ square, and throw it in the food processor along with the rest of the ingredients. Blend just until incorporated. add salt to taste.

Olive Tapenade
2 cups kalamata olives
1 cup green olives
2 tablespoon capers
1 tablespoon olive oil

Put everything in a food processor and blend until roughly incorporated.

Hummus
2 cans garbanzo beans
2-3 cloves of garlic (I use 4-5, but I really like garlic)
1/4 cup tahini paste
2-3 tablespoons olive oil

Put the garbanzo beans, garlic and tahini in a food processor. While the food processor is running, slowly drizzle in the olive oil until you reach the desired texture/creaminess.

I also add a squirt of lemon to mine, but Megan doesn’t approve of this. She adds a little chili powder to hers, which I like, but isn’t exactly authentic.

Serve all three of these with plenty of pita bread that has been brushed with olive oil, sprinkled with salt, and toasted in a sautee pan or on a flat-top grill.

Yeah, I thought the same thing, but it’s really full of unique and complex flavors that are worth checking out the next time you’re feeling adventurous.

Adventurous? Well, you gotta consider that Morocco has been on the trade routes for spices for thousands of years, and consequently, they’ve got a little bit of everything. This recipe here has flavors blended from several different spices, and that’s rather pedestrian by Moroccan standards. Still, if you’re looking to see what African cuisine is like, a tajine is a good place to start.

First off, the tajine is both the cooking vessel and whats cooked in it. That pic of the food? That’s what’s inside. This one right here? That’s what the pot looks like. The handle stays cool during cooking, so it’s easy to lift the lid and give it a stir every once in awhile. Typically, this earthenware vessel would be placed directly over a flame for the heat source, but you can buy one that’ll work right on your stove top. If you’re not interested in spending $40 bucks on a pot you’ll only use once in a great while, a good heavy-bottom deep skillet will work just as well.

Secondly, I decided that since this recipe calls for some spices that plenty of people may not be familiar with, I’ve included links to the wikipedia entry for each of the spices used, hope this helps you in your efforts to expand your culinary/world view.

Chicken Tajine
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 teaspoons ground cumin
3 teaspoons sweet paprika
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon turmeric
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
2-3 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice
4-6 cloves garlic, smashed or minced
2-3 tablepsoons of roughly chopped fresh mint
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into large chunks
2 tablespoons moroccan adobo spice blend or ras el hanout (recipes follow)
2 large yellow onions, rough chopped
1 cup pitted prunes
1/2 cup golden raisins
6 oranges, sectioned or cut into supremes
1 1/2 cups green or kalamata olives, preferrably pitted
3-4 cups chicken stock

Heat your pan over high heat. season the chicken with either the adobo or ras el hanout. Add the olive oil to the pan, and just as it starts to smoke, add the chicken. Move it around so that the chicken is in an even layer across the bottom of the pan, and then let it just sear for 2-3 minutes.

Once all sides of the chicken have been seared, reduce to medium-high heat and add the onions and garlic. There should be a little moisture in the pan from the chicken, but add 1/4 cup of stock if necessary.

Cook until the onions clarify, then add the raisins, dates, and spices, stirring to mix thoroughly. Add half the stock, cover, and let simmer over medium heat for 10-12 minutes.

Add the apples, oranges, mint and cilantro and stir to mix thoroughly. Let simmer another 5 minutes.

Top with scallions and serve over couscous.

Couscous
2 cups couscous (I prefer toasted pearl couscous)
4 1/2 cups veal or dark chicken stock

Bring the stock to a simmer. Add the couscous and stock to a large bowl. Cover and let stand for 10 minutes. Serve immediately.

Adobo Marroqui spice blend
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon garlic powder
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1/2 tablespoon dehydrated lemon zest
1/2 tablepoon ground coriander
1/2 tablespoon turmeric
1/4 tablepoon cinnamon

Ras el Hanout spice blend
2 teaspoons ground ginger
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cardamom
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1 1/4 teaspoons freshly grated nutmeg
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Generous pinch saffron threads

A quick note on spices: most of the spices in the adobo and ras el hanout can and should be toasted before grinding them fresh just before adding them to your mix and using them in the recipe. Toasting the spices makes an unbelievable difference in the intensity and depth of flavor, and should be done as often as possible to achieve maximum flavor.

Toasting is easy – add all the spices to a skillet and set over medium-high heat. Don’t walk away, your spices can burn in the blink of an eye. Stand right over it and keep the spices moving in the pan with a sautee motion or by stirring with a spoon. As soon as you see the first seeds start to darken and smoke, you’re there – take it off the heat, dump it into a spice grinder or coffee grinder and grind away. Try not to drool as the heavenly aroma surrounds you.

You’re about to explode. There’s too far too much blood and oxygen coursing through your veins, and your eyes your pupils are so dialated that they would catch the attention of any police officer you came across. You just finished your stage, and it went so beautifully that you’re too wound up to eat, or drink, or even talk about it. This is one of those perfectly fleeting moments, so you just sit there on the bus, missing your stop, so you can soak it all up. You start Tuesday as the new fish cook. Unless:

You blew it. It seemed like your stage was going ok, but right around the end of the first turn the sous told you that you could take off. You considered protesting, but instead you decided to change, have a smoke and get a bite to eat. Sitting down at the bar, you order your food and a drink, and sometime later the chef tells you that you’re welcome back anytime…but no job is discussed. And you dont ask about one. Your stage is over, and you wasted it. So how did this happen?

Prep:
You went into the restaurant between lunch and dinner service dressed appropriately, resume and knives in hand. For a week you’ve been reading the menu on-line, and bringing yourself up to speed on the background of the chef and the restaurant itself. After your chat with the chef, you let him know that you’re ready to stage that evening if he would like. He tells you to come back Friday instead. On Friday you show up early, smiling and introducing yourself to any staff that you come across. You take your knives and a spoon out of your kit that you slimmed down a bit, and settle in with any prep work that they’ll give you–herb picking, cutting bread, citrus supremes. You work quietly and cleanly, with eyes and ears open so you dont miss a thing. Unless:

You drop into the restaurant as you walk by, and approach the chef who is expediting a fairly busy lunch service. He doesn’t have time to talk to you right now, but tells you to come back that evening at 4 for a stage. You tell him that you have tickets to a show, but could you come in tomorrow? He asks for a resume. You dont have it with you. When you do show up for your stage, the chef asks you why you want to work in his restaurant; what is it about this place, this food, that turns you on? You stumble through some bullshit answers. He smirks at you. Unpacking your kit you pull out 6 knives, a spatula, tongs, and a handful of spoons. The sous steps in next to you.
“Um. What’s all that shit for?”
Working through your prep, you dont shut up–about your last job, your opinions on how things should be done, and who you think should win top chef. No one really responds to you, but you go on anyways.

Service:
The chef had told you that he needed a fish cook, so this is the station that you stick with through prep, line-up, and into service. During line up you politely ask if you can taste mise, and as you taste dishes you take notes, and try to memorize the station set-up. Just before service you sweep the station and wipe down everything for the cook. You ask the chef if he wants you anywhere else during service, but he says no. During service you pull plates, and garnish, but generally try to stay out of the way and observe. Eventually the pace starts to build a bit, and the cook catches your eye.
“Alright. We’re going on 7 fish and 6 scallops. We’ll go together, ok? You take the scallop dish.”
An hour later you’re cooking all of the proteins on your own, with the fish cook plating and garnishing for you. When the sous asks how it’s all going for you, you tell him you love it, and want to close the station that night. There will be no end of shift meal or drink for you. Just a cold family meal, a watery iced tea, and a nod of approval from the brigade. Unless:

You bounce around the kitchen getting all up in everyones shit, but not really absorbing anything. You taste without asking, and more than once you criticize the food. During one of your rants about how you used to do it at your last job, the grill cook catches looks at you and growls “Well that’s so fucking interesting.” Most of your evening is spent leaning against the ice machine, and when you do step in, you’re so fucking slow wiping plates and garnishing that the sous knocks the chervil out of your hand and shouts “JUST FUCKING SEND IT!” You cook zero orders, and when you sit down to eat at the bar, you order an expensive cocktail, and dont tip. You. Fucking. Blew. It.

There is nothing like a stage in any other field of work. Sure, athletes have tryouts, and actors have auditions. A stage is both. It lasts many hours, is physically and mentally draining, and everyone is already expecting you to fail before you even begin. It’s the culinary equivalent of getting jumped into a gang. You get one chance to get it right, and being thrust into an unfamiliar, borderline hostile environment guarantees that if you don’t fail outright, you are at very least probably going to make a stupid mistake.

And at the end of your stage, it’s all of this pressure that makes succeeding all the more sweet. To have cooked well, and won over the cooks that let you into their home is a special thing. It’s a re-affirming rite of passage, and a fleeting feeling you only get to enjoy every once in a while. Don’t let your stage just pass on by.