French Kitchen
LEONARDO
- PROJECT IN MARSEILLE
What is Leonardo?
The
European 'Leonardo Da Vinci ' programme
supports and completes the communal policy for
professional training and allows citizens to
gain professional work experience in another
country in the enlarged Europe. The final
aim of this programme is to improve the quality
of professional training thanks to re-inforced
transnational cooperation as well as promoting
innovation and European dimension at the heart
of professional training. The programme
is aimed at different people: young people and
adults undergoing professional training, looking
for work or with a work contract. For
more information, see the site:http://www.sokrates-leonardo.de/frameset-leo.htm
Leonardo
Mobility: EURORESTAURATEUR
Internship
at Marseilles from 25th June to 19th August
in different restaurants and hotels in Marseilles
for 8 young people undergoing training at a
training establishment called « Kiezküchen »
in Berlin.
The
second group of Leonardo internees from
Berlin arrived in Marseilles in mid
June. We hosted 8 young people,
one of whom, unfortunately, had to be
sent back earlier because he did not
behave in a professional manner during
his work. |
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Even
if at the beginning we had to overcome
several difficulties concerning accommodation,
work etc, finally they all finished
their internships successfully.
Some of them even didn't want to leave
after the end of their stay and they
assured us that they would return.
We are therefore satisfied with the
result.
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The
role of the Association EUROCIRCLE
The Association
EUROCIRCLE took responsibility for the organisation
of the internships and the accommodation, organised
an intensive language course, acted as intermediator
for the young people during their internships
and organised excursions as well as an induction
programme during the first week in order to
allow them to integrate easily into the city,
culture etc...
The
programme
In order to
overcome the language barrier, every
Tuesday the internees had language
lessons to assist them when working
with customers and in the kitchen.
Normally the Provençal cuisine
and the regional specialities were
worked on in detail. It is for
this reason that one of the courses
was transferred to a village in Provence
where the young people learnt about
the production of olive oil as well
as the different production methods
and the different tastes.
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The herbs and
spices of Provence were not neglected
either because in the centre of Marseilles
there is a small shop in which the
internees learnt all about this subject
in great detail. Moreover, they
got to know about a typical activity
in Marseilles: pétanque.
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Therefore
neither the young people, nor we ever got bored,
given that the association organised language
courses, excursions etc... and also toopk care
of the correspondance with the « Kiezküchen »
organisation, i.e. the sending organisation
and problem management. In any case, we
were always available for our « Leonardos »
whenever they needed our assistance.
As mentioned
above, we had also prepared an induction programme.
We explained the project and a few rules, and
asked the young people to express their fears
and expectations regarding their internships.
We
did a short « tour »
of Marseilles, during which they visited
the Noailles neighbourhood, we went
to « Notre Dame de la Garde »,
the symbol of Marseilles and we walked
through the oldest area of Marseilles,
« Le Panier ».
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Furthermore,
we also informed them about the different
leisure possibilities in the area, for
example the different beaches, and we
also visited their accommodation and
their internship placements with them. |
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One morning
we prepared typical dishes for the region, such
as « Quiche au Chèvre »
(Goat's cheese quiche) and « Tapanade ».
We really enjoyed ourselves. In this way,
the young people not only learnt about Provençal
culture but also about the eating habits of
the people of Marseilles, all within the first
week.
During the language
lessons which took place every Tuesday, we put
together a short book of receipts including
Provençal dishes and the most important
vocabulary for the catering sector.
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Tapenade:
For 4 people
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Ingredients:
100g black pitted olives
100g anchoivy fillets
100g capers
10 cl. olive oil
½ teaspoon mustard
Preparation:
Carefully remove the bones from the
anchoivies. Crush the black olives
together with the anchoivies in a mortar.
Add the mustard and the capers.
Blend together until you obtain a smooth,
homogenous paste. Gradually add
the olive oil, whisking it just as if
you were making a mayonnaise.
Serve the tapenade in a small dish,
as a starter, with warm toast or slices
of grilled bread as an accompaniament.
Serving
suggestion:
Serve with a chilled rosé from
Provence. |
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Quiche
au chèvre:
For 4 people
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes
Ingredients:
1 roll of puff pastry
4 Eggs
Ham cubes
150g of crème fraîche
1 glass of milk
1 log of goats cheese
1 packet grated Gruyère
Preparation:
Place the pastry into a quiche mould
and prick it with a fork. In a
large bowl, mix the eggs, the ham cubes,
the crème fraîche, the
Gruyère and the milk. Spread
the mixture on top of the pastry.
Carefully remove the rind of the goats
cheese, cut into slices and place on
top. Leave the quîche in
the oven for around 30 minutes or under
the cheese has melted. Serve. |
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Chocolate
Mousse
For 4 people
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes
Resting time: 4 hours 20 minutes
Ingredients:
100g plain chocolate
4 eggs
80g icing sugar
20 cl crème fraîche
A pinch of salt
Preparation:
Melt the chocolate in a bain-marie.
Add the crème fraîche
and blend in with a spatula. Remove
from heat and leave to cool.
Separate the egg whites from the egg
yolks.
In a large bowl whisk the egg yolks
together with the sugar. Mix
in with the cooled chocolate mixture.
Add a pinch of salt to the egg whites
and whisk until stiff. Mix in
1/3 of it delicately with the chocolate
mixture, then the rest. Place
the mousse in the fridge for at least
four hours. Serve.
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In order to
have a change of air, our next excursion
destination were the Island of Frioul.
These islands are situated just off the
coast of Marseilles and can only be reached
via boat. During the journey the
internees therefore had the time to relax
and make the most of the sea and the good
weather.
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At the end of
the two months, we asked the internees to analyse
their internship. Here are some of their
opinions:
« I
was able to get to know the African-Provençal
cuisine. »
« The
first weeks of my internship, unfortunately, were
not as I had imagined them. »
« It
is a good experience to have worked ina French
restaurant. »
« I
must admit that despite the difficulties I had
at the start, I have had a good internship.
I would really have liked to have stayed longer... »
« ...I
learnt to work under pressure and to manage in
a less pleasant working environment... »
« I
have noticed that French cuisine, contrary to
German cuisine, involved a lot of preparation
by hand, which I personally really valued... »
« My
head chef explained a lot of things to me. »
« I
had an excellent welcoming and can absolutely
recommend it. »
At
the start, the young people were not convinced
about their internship in Marseilles.
The language barrier and
the different working practices they were used
to discouraged them a little bit. However,
the remained the course of the eight weeks, wich
allowed them to gain new experiences, both in
the world of work and in their personal lives.
They formed
friendships and made lots of contacts. At
the end of their stay they were glad to have continued
despite everything and wouldhave liked to have
stayed a little longer. They assured us
that they would return to Marseilles one day,
and of course, naturally we hope they will come
to see us at EUROCIRCLE.
We are
convinced that the experience of a professional
internship abroad has broadened the horizons of
the young people and that they will benefit from
it in the future. We wish them all the best
for the future and hope they will remember their
stay in Marseilles fondly.
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