Chrane's "The Bear" Test Kitchen
Episode 4 - Honeydew
Recap: Season 2, Episode 4 - Honeydew
At the beginning of the episode, Nat gets nauseous explaining to Carmy that the DBA was rejected, fire suppression hasn’t been scheduled, we need a deep clean, and there are no walls. She starts choking over her words and pauses to fight the sickness before Carmy stops to ask if she’s alright.
One stressful conversation leads to another when Nat starts to word vomit, “I have something I need to tell you,” and “It’s really a positive thing,” and “I think it’ll be good.”
Carmy looks down at Nat’s stomach and then back up at her eyes.
“But I don’t want everyone to know yet that I’m – ”
The wall beside them collapses.
“Pregnant.”
They look over to see everyone on the other side.
“Congratulations!” Richie says uneasily.
7 weeks out.
We leave the chaos of The Bear to follow Marcus to Copenhagen. Suddenly, glimpses of budgets and packed calendars turn into Denmark architecture, sculptures, and pastries. Marcus stops at a food truck for a hot dog with sliced, pickled cucumbers before navigating to his accommodation. When he arrives, he looks around in confusion, as he stands on a dock surrounded by water. He soon realizes that he’ll be staying on a boat.
When he climbs inside, he notices a note on the dining room kitchen table with a list of everyday chores and one request to set out water for Coco the cat.
Before we know it, Marcus is awake and walking out on the street again.
In the early morning we are transported into a chic, and quite frankly, foreign BOH kitchen space. Tape says “holde Vasken ren” or “keep the sink clean.” We see sheets of dough on sparkly counters accompanied by a pastry Chef. Above him is a very familiar sign on the wall.
“Every second counts.”
Marcus shyly stumbles into the kitchen. Luca, the pastry chef, is plating a desert with tongs.
“Starts at 6 o'clock,” he says as he places his first garnish ‘facing the guest’. He asks Marcus to try. Marcus picks up the plating tongs, first dropping it and then piercing through the outer edges of the dessert. He tries until he gets it right.
“Do you know how to make galette?” Luca asks about the classic Danish pastry.
Marcus says yes confidently but grabs his phone to google it. Luca hands him a written recipe.
As the two work, we’re exposed to a variety of different baking techniques: whisking, blanching, blending, straining, forming desserts with gelatin, etc. We can’t help but reflect on baking in “The Mix” with Chef Robby Hooker – whisking and straining with American Metalcraft, blending with Waring Commercial, and pouring mixtures with Cambro Manufacturing.
“You ever made ice cream before?” Luca asks.
Marcus continues on, separating egg yolks from egg whites, scraping vanilla bean, and whisking his egg yolk and milk a little at a time.
His last task of the day? Plating quenelle with a single plating spoon. Luca shows him blissfully and with ease, and Marcus takes a few tries until he gets it right.
Former linebacker Marcus and pastry Chef Luca huddle over a dish while using plating tongs to place the various dessert components they prepared earlier. As the two dig into the Michelin star dessert, Luca asks Marcus what he thinks. “It’s like a minty Snickers bar,” Marcus says with a smile. The two laugh.
When meticulously plating Michelin-level dessert components, Your Chrane Reps recommend Mercer Culinary. Beyond plating spoons and tongs, Mercer offers brushes, wedges, and complete sets designed to rise to any plating challenge.
Outside of the kitchen, Marcus takes time to walk around Copenhagen, visiting farmer’s markets, eating fruit off trees, and trying a variety of Danish pastries.
Back at the kitchen, the two discuss their different backgrounds while cutting and weighing dough. We learn that Luca started cooking as early as he could remember, and that he wanted to be the best. That was until he met the best – a man who, “worked harder and faster than [he] ever could.” He shares that his experience working with this chef alleviated some pressure on him, and now he can just focus on learning and honing his craft.
“At a certain stage, it’s less about a certain skill and more about being open.”
From bread and cakes to tediously plated Michelin star desserts, ‘European’ Marcus has time before he leaves to prepare a couple of dishes himself, from start to finish. We see him plate his very own Michelin star “Minty Snickers Bar” dish, and watch as he smiles contently while taking pictures.
How did you stumble into the world of foodservice? What advice would you give to Marcus? What’s the most insane dessert you’ve ever had or made?
Products Featured Throughout Chrane's Series:
Alto-Shaam | For more product info, visit: https://www.chranefs.com/manufacturers/alto-shaam
American Metalcraft | For more product info, visit: https://www.chranefs.com/manufacturers/american-metalcraft
American Range | For more product info, visit: https://www.chranefs.com/manufacturers/american-range
Cambro Manufacturing | For more product info, visit: https://www.chranefs.com/manufacturers/cambro
ThermalRite by Everidge | For more product info, visit: https://www.chranefs.com/manufacturers/thermalrite
Mercer Culinary | For more product info, visit: https://www.chranefs.com/manufacturers/mercer-culinary
Waring Commercial | For more product info, visit: https://www.chranefs.com/manufacturers/waring-commercial
Comments (1)