It's eight o'clock in the morning on a typical day for the students of the Bilkent Tourism
and Hotel Management Department. They put on their uniforms and hats and start another
busy day at Le Piment Rouge Restaurant as cooks, waitresses and waiters. The
kitchen is huge, and full of ingredients: meats, spices, fruits and vegetables. They take
a look at the menu for the day and get ready to begin preparing food for service in the
restaurant.
The idea of cooking in order to pass a course, instead of simply to feed oneself, may
sound unusual to most of us. But these students experience cooking in a different way.
Under the guidance of their instructor Wolfgang Schmelcher, they are learning
international cuisines, from Chinese to French.
The students greatly enjoy taking this kind of practical course. However, working in a
restaurant is a serious matter as well. Wolfgang Schemlcher pays close attention to
hygiene and cleanliness, from the students' uniforms to the kitchen surfaces and utensils.
Service is also an important part of the course. The carefully prepared dishes are
presented just as carefully at Le Piment Rouge. Students take guests' orders and
serve the meals under the direction of the service manager, Ali Ünal.
If you want to enjoy delicious food at Le Piment Rouge, you should make a
reservation, because students prepare their special menus for only 20 to 30 people per
day, during the noon hours.
Here is a recipe from the kitchen of Le Piment Rouge.
FISH & CHIPS INGREDIENTS
Fresh cod, sea bass or hake, filleted (100 grams)
Batter (see below) (50 grams) Vegetable oil (2 litres)
Potato wedges (80 grams) Vinegar (20 grams) Remoulade (40 grams)
The Batter:
Flour (1 cup)
Baking powder (½ tablespoon)
Cayenne pepper (to taste)
Beer (½ bottle)
Remoulade
Mayonnaise, salt , pepper
Lemon juice (20 grams)
Dill pickle, chopped (5 grams)
Shallots, finely
chopped (3 grams)
Fresh tarragon or fresh parsley, chopped (1 teaspoon)
Worcestershire sauce, mustard (to taste)
Chopped hard-boiled eggs (1 egg)
DIRECTIONS
To prepare the batter, mix together the ingredients listed above. Next, clean the fish
fillets and remove the skin. Cut in 6 cm-long pieces and season with salt, white pepper,
Worcestershire sauce and lemon. Dip first into corn flour and then into the batter. Deep
fry until golden brown. To make the remoulade sauce, first prepare the mayonnaise and then
add all the other ingredients. Serve on the side, along with deep-fried potato wedges and
vinegar.
Pınar
Kefeli & Gülay Acar (COMD/II)
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