Peanut butter pie/cheesecake

Peanut butter pie/cheesecake

You can use normal digestive-butter-sugar combo for the crust or oreos instead of digestive. It will be sweet to use oreos, so you'll have to adjust the sugar content in the fillings.

Fillings: Depending on the size of your pan, you add 1/2 the amount if using bigger than 8inch round.

1 pack (8oz each ) of cream cheese

1 cup peanut butter (slightly sweet) - in EU, most peanut butters are unsweetened, you'll have to adjust your sugar content

2 dl whipping cream

1/2 to 1 dl icing sugar

A splash of Amaretto if you want 

Chocolate chips and nuts for toppings

If you don't know how to make the cheesecake crust by now, learn it! 

Use a mixer to beat cream cheese, peanut butter and icing sugar. Add amaretto if using. Scrape off the bottom of the bowl to loosen the cream cheese. Slowly pour in the cream until everything is incorporated and whipped. When lifted, it will hold onto the spatula. 

Pour the mixture onto the crust, top it with the chocolate chips and nuts and refrigerate for at least 4 hours. 

Goodbye diet na!

19. The Christmas Lunch

Christmas lunch at 4Vuodenaikaa. Apple salad, Salmon profiteroles and veggie gratin!

18. Apple is allergic to apples

Getting ready for tomorrows Christmas lunch. I was stationed at Turkey and Apple salad and without batting an eyelash, I of course said yes, forgetting that I have a massive apple allergy. Apart from protecting my new bubu, gloves were my bestfriends today. I love the smell of apples, but the juices that splashed to my face and eyes, had of course developed some allergic reactions. 'All in a day's work' as they say.
It is such a lame excuse for a cook, I know. But it has to be done. And so it was. :)

Powering through with all the help from my back-from-canary-holidays lunch partner. Dippis is the man! If only he will learn to calm down and relax more. He gets me into a frenzy too and I end up not enjoying my meals. But after a week with Chef Eelis, I am slowly encouraging Chef Tummy to calm the f**k down. Let's see, end of year is coming soon.

 

Today's menu were meatballs and pasta in tomato sauce, pizza, and Thursday pea soup. Super uh-may-zing!

Will try to get more pictures of tomorrows buffet.

17. Battle wounds!

This is one of those days when something can really just go wrong.

Karma is such a bitch! I cut myself because I stole some coriander from the catering department. haha. But you know what? Chef Eelis drove me to the clinic. For that, am grateful. I am just a mere trainee in that kitchen. There wasn't a need to give me a ride to that clinic. And yet, he was chivalrous enough to take me there. So to Chef Eelis, Kiitoksia paljon.

 

Luckily, I don't need any stitches. But it is still such a waste of time getting all the insurance papers done for nothing. The doctor saw me, but didn't do anything. Didn't even prescribe any medication. Just changed the dressing and sent me off my merry way. Asked me if I want a sick leave paper, I said no, and that was it! Now I am left with 4 pages of freaking forms to fill up.  Oh what joy!

 Beautiful pork bellies prepared by Chef Eelis at 4Catering Pyynikki. :)

16. SOUS Chef

For this week, my lunch partner is no other than the sous chef himself. A rare find of a gem called Eelis from the magical land of Rovaniemi. He might be related to Santa Claus, I have yet to find out.

It is such an honour to be working along side a very talented chef. And I will always treasure the experience and the knowledge he has imparted even without him trying. I am truly indebted.

For tomorrow, we are serving a special Indian lunch buffet. We are making Chicken and Lamb curry, cauliflower and potato in tamarind sauce, and lentils soup. And yes, we made it together with Chef Eelis and Michael.

With my classmate, Michael.

15. LEAF = Excellent customer service

L - Listen
E - Empathize
A - Acknowledge
F - Fix

These are the four cornerstone of an excellent customer service. I used to teach these to my trainees back in the Philippines where I managed several restaurants. These are very important skills to be equipped with especially when dealing with difficult guests/customers. Today, we faced similar situation at the restaurant and this cutie patoutie host/waitress Lissu was at the receiving end of it. Our guests aren't that difficult, but they wouldn't accept the chicken saying it was raw. I know it isn't, I cooked it! So I came over, took the plates away, said my apologies and fixed it. I put new ones in the oven, made sure the pink veins are gone and served it on their table. Said my apologies once again, thanked them for telling us the problem and a graceful exit all in my chefs uniforms glory. With subtle handling, the guests were appeased, said thank you for the good service and left with the lightest of hearts and a promise to come back.

                  The cutie Lissu

Being in the hospitality business is not for the faintest of hearts. Patience, kindness and the proverbial ways of satisfying others must be a virtue from within.  Otherwise, you shouldn't be in this career path. 

Oh well, tomorrow is another day!

Baked chicken with coriander cream sauce

14. Who needs rest?

We can all rest when we are dead!

 

Am sure I am not the only who have called in sick even when not. But I tell you this, being sick last week made me miss the kitchen so bad. For the first time in my working life, I actually mind being sick. Because for the first time, I really couldn't go to work because I was sick. When I was testing mobile phones, I can still do it at home even when I am sick. With my laptop, paracetamol, tissue papers and juices lying right next to me.  But now, I cannot contaminate the food I will serve. And I cannot afford to get my co-workers sick either. So I was confined at home for a week and feeling miserable that I couldn't go to work!

The consolation? I got to cater for one of my extra babies who got married over the weekend. Here's the red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting covered in sugar fondant.