To carry out the preparation efficiently without any delay and confusion, it is essential to ensure that all necessary ingredients and equipment are kept ready for preparation.
Visualize a situation where a dish for flambéing is being prepared in front of the guest but the trolley waiter has forgotten to get the liquor for flambéing.
He/she has no other option but to switch off the burner to get the liquor or ask his/her assistant to get it which will not only delay the process but will result in guests’ dissatisfaction.
It is advisable to document mise en place for each dish that is offered from the trolley.
The mise-en-place for guéridon service includes,
- Equipment on the gueridon trolley.
- Ingredients for the preparation.
- Plates or bowls in which the dish is laid at the table before the preparation.
Types of Food Production for Gueridon Service on Trolley
The commonly practiced food preparation techniques on a trolley and their procedures:
1. Tossing / Mixing
It is the process of combining the main ingredients with the appropriate salad dressings, sauces, cream, or liqueur in a mixing bowl or plate. The sauces or dressings may be prepared in the kitchen and brought to the trolley or made in the presence of the guests.
Generally, sauces, such as Mayonnaise and Hollandaise are prepared in the kitchen, and their derivatives, such as tartare, mousseline, etc. are made on the trolley.
If the Salad dressing is made on the trolley, it should be made first. Some hotels take the guest’s preference for the dressing of their salads and make it accordingly.
The finished dressing is then added to the main ingredients and tossed. Prepared seafood is tossed with mayonnaise if served cold or hollandaise if served warm.
Other variations of sauce are also possible according to the hotel’s recipe. Cut fruits are tossed with custard sauce, sweetened and flavored cream, liqueur, or both.
2. Cooking
Sauté is the ideal type of cooking on the Gueridon. In saute preparations, dishes are cooked in a small amount of hot oil for a very short period of time.
During sautéing, the flavor and fumes that emanate may be enjoyable for the guests for whom it is being made, but for others, it may not be.
The meat for cooking by the table side should be trimmed, fat removed and shaped in the kitchen, and sent to the restaurant for cooking.
3. Carving
Carving in foodservice operations means slicing or cutting the meat, poultry, and game at the time of service. In some fine dining restaurants, the carving is carried out on a specially designed carving trolley in the presence of guests.
The art of carving needs a thorough knowledge of the anatomy of the animals and a high level of carving skills that can be acquired through regular practice.
The Butchery section of Garde manger is the best training area for a person to understand the bone structure of animals and birds and to develop carving skills. The carver should also have plating skills and should be able to explain the work he/she is doing.
Communication skill is essential as the staff is expected to explain to the guests while performing on the trolley. The person who carries out the carving job is called a Trancheur or Carver.
Carving Hygiene
The staff performing carving in the presence of the guests should:
- Ensure personal hygiene and cleanliness of equipment used.
- Wear a clean uniform.
- Do not touch the food with bare fingers.
- Keep the food hot and covered.
- Use different carving boards for different joints.
- Clean the tools thoroughly after use.
