Cousine Couture Kuwait: All Things Sweet

My favorite New York City bakery embraces the motto “life is uncertain- eat dessert first.” I subscribe to this theory whole-heartedly and consider dessert of the highest priority. It therefore seems appropriate- perhaps even destiny- that my kitchen time at Figs began with desserts.

When I considered making the move to Kuwait, one enticing benefit was the opportunity to get time in an actual restaurant kitchen. Although I accepted a position as “guest relations manager,” I made it clear that I desired exposure to the line, whether during work hours or on my own free time. As I settled in here though, I realized that might be harder than I thought. For starters, I had to learn my own job first. In addition, our own restaurant is still new. The chefs are still mastering the recipes and it seemed selfish to get underfoot and ask for them to turn around and help me. Finally, there is the company beaurocracy. Permission must be obtained for a non-chef to have time in the kitchen.

However, I did not lose sight of my dreams and objectives. Last week I started broaching the subject of kitchen time again. My manager OKed my presence in the kitchen, so long as it didn’t interfere with busy times for front of the house and the chefs graciously told me I could start spending time there observing as long as I understood they couldn’t take time to instruct me specifically. On Sunday, a relatively quiet day in the restaurant, I donned a hairnet and spent two hours in the kitchen quietly standing in the corner, out of the way, watching the chefs work. As the minutes elapsed, I gravitated toward the corner where the pastry chef was at work. I stumbled upon him making the bases for the chocolate tarts, one of my favorite desserts, so that immediately caught my attention. When he showed me the list of projects he had ahead, I knew I had to stick around and see how it all unfolded.

For at least a half an hour, I stood just behind him and watched every move he made, trying to memorize the techniques. As I started feeling more comfortable, I tentatively approached and motioned to the bases that he was filling with chocolate by hand, as if asking if I could mimic what he was doing on other bases. He nodded and before I knew it I was slipping on gloves and swirling chocolate into the tarts. When all the tarts were filled, he pointed to the list and said, “Now we do Nutella swirl.” I didn’t question him- if I was now included, I was going to stand right by his side, do what he said, and memorize every detail. The next hour and a half elapsed like that: working from one dessert component to the next. I mostly watched him work, but occasionally I would do things like measure out dry ingredients, mix melting butter, or pass him something he needed. In total I wound up watching/assisting with: chocolate tart bases, tart fillings, s’mores mousse cake, red velvet pancake mix, and nutella garnish.

I began surreptiously returning to the kitchen each day during lulls in service. I found myself returning to the pastry corner; I felt strangely at home there after Sunday. The chef was quiet, humble, and patient and the corner offered a few square feet of refuge in a tight, loud kitchen. I did thinks like help create a “raspberry caviar.” Tuesday was especially thrilling. I had an idea for a dessert and the pastry chefs were excited by the notion as well. They helped craft a batter that would fit my vision and within 20 minutes a red velvet soufflé was emerging from the oven. I enjoyed that immensely because I felt that they valued my ideas. More importantly, though, I felt like I was a part of a team. It had taken all of us to execute it and we had all played a role in what turned out to be a cool product.

Today (Friday), I slipped into the kitchen once more. (This time they even handed me a chef’s coat!) I assisted the pastry chefs in his list of prep tasks: making the outside bread for the fried apple pie, stuffing the pie, chocolate garnish, and toasted graham cracker crumbles. However, the turning point came when the two guests actually dining in the restaurant during that lull time ordered desserts. I watched him actually assemble the desserts to order and memorized his every move. A few minutes later, another order came out of the blue. I looked at him and he gave me the small, almost undetectable nod. With his help, I actually started assembling my favorite dessert of all: campfire s’mores. And before I knew it, a plate that I’d put together myself was on its way out to a table.

Usually Friday dinner service is overwhelmingly chaotic, but for some reason today was much slower than usual. I found myself taking an order for campfire s’mores from a table and I thought, “Hey, I know how to make this!” As soon as I punched the order, I put on my hairnet and ran into the kitchen so I could be there by the chef’s side when the order receipt came out of the machine. When it did, I looked at him, he nodded, and I started assembling the plate all by myself. It has many steps from heating a mousse cake, to decorative icing pipings, to sprinkling and layering graham cracker crumbs, and my favorite: caramelizing a pillow of marshmallows with one of those pastry torches! But I succeeded, picked up the plate, carried it to the front of the house, and presented it to the table. I felt proud as they oohed and ahhed, took pictures on their phone, and devoured it: all with no idea I’d created it.

To my surprise, the rest of dinner service unfolded like that! The front of the house remained slow, so I overheard, or was almost always the one taking, the dessert orders. As soon as I had one, I would punch it, run to the back, don a hairnet, enter the kitchen, and be there with the chef to pick up the receipt. At first he stood right by my side making corrections here and there. But by the third or fourth dessert, he was standing back or working on something else entirely. I was on the line doing dessert dinner service!

The highlight of the evening came when a table of four received dessert menus. I went scurrying over because I legitimately love recommending desserts; I genuinely love them and enjoy sharing my enthusiasm with the diners. They asked me which I preferred and I didn’t hesitate to them all about why I’m obsessed with the campfire s’mores. They ordered it on my recommendation, I punched it, and ran back into the kitchen. The chef watched from afar, but I made the entire plate by myself. I then presented it to them. They were in awe of the design, taking pictures. But the father and daughter especially went CRAZY for it. A few minutes later, when standing near another table, I heard them calling me. “Excuse me, this was sooo incredible. This might sound strange, but can we have another one?” “OF COURSE!!” I said with a huge smile on my face. I punched another order, went back to the kitchen, and executed what was probably my best plate of the evening. Even the chef took note, saying, “Whoa! A perfect campfire s’mores!” Sometimes the marshmallows have a tendency to slide off the top, but this one was perfectly layered. I brought it back out to the table, they squealed in delight, and relished every last bite of a second order of dessert.

So it’s been just over 5 weeks here and I’ve achieved one of my major goals: be on the line for dinner service! And for DESSERTS!! Don’t worry, I’m not slowing down… this has just given me more motivation to keep chasing my dreams. Special thanks to everyone who taught me, accepted me, and trusted me with a blow torch.

Life is uncertain, eat dessert first. Heck, even go for seconds.