Day 63: We Are Now Seven

We've lost two from our class and we are now seven. It was a rough start to the week, and I'm slowly getting back into the grove after last week's exams.

Today we are baking again and are making pies ~ strawberry rhubarb with a strudel topping banana cream and chocolate cream. Chef has given us the recipe for a pie crust bottom of 3, 2, 1, 1 ~ the ratio for flour, shortening, milk, salt. For today, we will be using 6 oz flour, 4 oz shortening, 2 oz milk, 1/8 tsp of salt to make our pie crust.

The fruit pies will have a strudel topping which is a mixture of sugar, flour and cold butter. To this you can add additional ingredients if you like such as rolled oats or chopped walnuts. The filling for the fruit pies ~ rhubarb and strawberries are macerated with sugar.

The cream pies are made using the pastry cream recipe and then adding mashed bananas for the banana cream pie and grated chocolate for the chocolate cream pie. When making my cream pies I added chocolate to my banana cream and so ended up with a chocolate banana cream pie along with a banana cream pie.

In preparation for tomorrow's baking class we made the dough for English muffins. The procedure for this recipe is somewhat complicated. Instead of adding the yeast to warm water, we added it to warm milk. To the yeast and milk, pastry flour was added to create a sponge yeast mixture which we put in a warm spot to proof for about 15 minutes. To make our dough for English muffins we used the electric mixers by first adding our two flours (pastry flour and bread flour) and baking powder, and then adding a water and salt mixture in stages until combined. Next the sponge and then the butter were added until a ball formed. The ball of dough was kneaded and then wrapped in plastic and put into the refrigerator to be used for the next day.

The day was wrapped up by a class discussion around the expectations for the semester. Chef will be quizzing us each day as well as asking us to do some research on various topics to prepare us for our final exams.

Day 62: Nothing Easy

We are making cream rolls today. There is nothing easy about making a cream (jelly) roll. Making the sponge cake for the cream roll is not an easy task. I know this because mine didn't come out as it should. My cake was a little dense instead of light. Still not too bad, but a lighter cake would have been better ~ especially when trying to rolling it without breaking it. I don't know that anyone in the class had success in making the perfect cake. Some cakes were over cooked and couldn't even be used for cream rolls. Some didn't rise properly, while others rose too much.

To make the sponge cake for the cream rolls, we used egg whites, egg yolks, sugar, salt, vanilla, milk powder, water, honey, cake flour and baking powder. The egg whites and egg yolks are first beaten until light using an electric mixer, then sugar, salt and vanilla are added, and then the milk powder and honey that has been mixed with water.The cake flour and baking power are sifted and folded into the mixture to create a batter for the sponge cake. The batter is poured into a lined baking sheet that has been butter on both sides. Buttering the underside helps keep the parchment paper stick to the baking pan. A half inch flat cake is preferred for the rolled cake that we are making today.

While the cake is still warm, we roll the cake and leave to sit in parchment paper until we are ready to add the cream. The parchment paper should be sprinkled with a light layer of sugar so that it doesn't stick to the parchment paper when unrolling.

The cream that we are making today is an orange cream. The ingredients for the cream filling are: egg whites, sugar, water, gelatin, orange liqueur (optional), cream cheese, orange zest, orange juice and heavy cream. The orange zest gives the cream a nice boost of flavour.

For plating we are making two fruit coulis and some creme anglais. We've made fruit coulis before, but this is the first time I've attempted to make creme anglais. Creme anglais is the base for making ice cream. Cream anglais is made with heavy cream, sugar and egg yolks. To make creme anglais, I start off with heating the cream in a pan. The warm cream is added to beaten egg yolks and sugar a little at a time to temper it. Once I've tempered the egg yolk and sugar mixture, I pour it into the pan with the rest of the cream and continuing whipping it over the heat until it begins to thicken and has a smooth texture. I can remove it from the heat and it's ready for use when cooled. If you were making an ice cream you would add additional ingredients such as vanilla, chocolate, berries, etc. The mixture would then be poured into an ice cream maker. Chef said that the volume would increase to almost one and a half.

At the end of class Chef spoke to us about our buffet project. Chef gave us a few ideas for set up and food ideas. It's important to remember the vegetarians and those that have a gluten allergy.

Day 61: Order In The Kitchen

It's a new semester and there's a little bit of havoc in the kitchen. Cooking basics is running tandem with our advance class in the kitchen. Our new Chef (not new to the school, but new to us) is teaching both classes because the patisserie that was suppose to be teaching cooking basics for their first two weeks was a no show. Order in the kitchen was certainly not a problem for Chef as he worked back and forth between Basic and Advance classes providing instruction in how to make our bake goods for the day.

Things happen and you deal with what needs to be done. Chef was great at accommodating both classes in a crunch. I think this is partly attributed to the fact that Chef has run a few businesses in the past and if someone doesn't show up for work, that he knows how to balance the team to get things done. And a lot was done today.

We started our day off with making the crust for our tarts. This involved first creaming the salt, sugar and butter together, mixing in the egg, milk and vanilla, then cake flour and baking powder. The sugar dough was rolled out and cut into rounds to line tart shells. The bottoms were pricked with a fork and filled with rice before baking. Pricking the shells and filling with rice prevents the pastry bottoms from rising. A tart shell is shallow and room is needed for the filling. My lemon tarts disappeared and they were no where to be found at the end of the day. However, I'm hoping a little birdie will bring me one back so that I can have a little taste ~ I need to know if I did a good job or not.

Chef had us make two types of tarts today ~ lemon tarts and fruit and pastry cream tarts. To make the lemon filing, ingredients included: lemon zest, lemon juice, sugar, eggs, and heavy cream. All ingredients were mixed together and then poured into the partially cook tart shells. e lemon mixture was poured into the partially cooked tart shells and placed into the oven to bake at a temperature of 350 F until the lemon became set.

For the pastry cream we needed heated milk and sugar, eggs, cornstarch and sugar and butter. We used the pastry cream for our fruit tarts. The tart's base is pastry cream and decorated with a variety of fruit. Fruit available were kiwi, strawberries, raspberries and blackberries. We were all left to our imagination to decorate this tarts as we wished.

As an extra Chef had us make upside down cakes. Chef prepared the cake mixture for all of us to share. For the upside down fruit we used a granny smith apple and a few slices of pineapple. These were sauteed in a pan with butter, sugar, pineapple juice and a pinch of cinnamon. The fruit mixture was put into the bottom of a loaf pan and topped with the cake batter and put into a 350 F oven to bake. This cake is very moist and delicious too!

With the baking all done for the day, Chef spoke to us about our two projects for the Advance class. We also received one of our two course books and will be getting a black hat, black scarf and a black apron.

Day 60: Level One Exams Over ~ Next Week Level Two of Chef de Cuisine

All exams are over and I have passed both practical and theory for Cooking Basics. Next week I begin level two ~ Advanced Cooking. Level two starts off with ten weeks in the kitchen and five in the classroom with theory.

At the end of class we bid farewell to one of our classmates who is moving out to the East Coast. It was celebrated with a presentation of his certificate by Chef and a speech. Pictures were taken and cake was eaten.

The class presented Chef with a cookbook on grilling to give her more inspiration for her new venture. Chef is opening a smokehouse restaurant in cottage country and is leaving to prepare for a summer opening. If you happen to be in the town of Bala check it out. I'm hoping to make a visit there myself this summer.

Day 59: Dish Hands

Not much going on in the kitchen for me today. The other half of the class is doing their final practical exam. Those of us who did ours the day before are on clean up duty.

Should have been studying in class... but am doing so tonight. It's going to be a tough exam with almost 200 multiple choice questions. These are the hardest type of exam ~ there's only one answer!

Day 58: Judgement Day ~ Final Practical Exam. Glad It's Over ~ But Wish I Could Do It Over

Today was the final for the practical exam of Cooking Basics. Unlike the other tests we've been having throughout the course, today we were timed on service. We were not only scored by our Chef, but a Chef from outside the college who has his own establishment in the food industry. All plating was blind and both chefs did not who's plate they were scoring.

I tried a couple of different techniques and garnishes for today's exam. Some were good and some were not so good. I think that for an exam it's likely more important to stay with what you know. However, that being said there were a couple of things that I did for the first time that turned out really well. I wasn't overly pleased with my dishes ~ but we're all hard on ourselves when it comes to finals. Today was no different and the pressure was on. I took pictures of three of my dishes but didn't get a chance to take a picture of my last ~ the chocolate mousse and Genoise cake dessert.

Tomorrow while half the class is preparing their final dishes, the rest of us will be on kitchen duty for clean up. I'm planning on doing a little bit of studying tomorrow as well for the final theory exam.

Day 57: Cirque and Final Practical Exam

This weekend I had the opportunity to work along side the Executive Chef responsible for all meal for the Cirque Du Soleil Quidam performers. It was an enjoyable experience working with talented people as well as having the opportunity to meet the many people it takes to put on a show like Quidam ~ from the performers to the backstage folks to the IT guy.

The crew of Cirque Du Soleil is served two meals per day by the Executive Chef and his staff. For the lunch meal my job was to grill the chicken and prepare and grill vegetables. After lunch was served, I started on the mise en place for the following day's brunch. I diced onions, sliced mushrooms, diced ham, prepared sliced bacon and breakfast sausage on baking pans.

Each lunch and dinner, the crew is offered two soups, two types of proteins, a starch and one or two vegetables. They also have access to a salad bar and a sandwich bar. Approximately 100 individuals are served at each meal.

I hope to have many more opportunities working in different establishments before I graduate. The experience is different at each and at each I learn a few good tips that I can use in the kitchen.

Today was different. It was my final practical exam in the kitchen. In preparation for service of a four course meal, we worked on our two day prep. I was able to complete most of my prep with the exception of tourne potatoes. I will have to work on these tomorrow as I will need three to complete my plate.

This morning went by quick as I did my prep on my mushroom soup ~ which I'll have ready for tomorrow by heating, adding a little more cream, tasting and seasoning if necessary and creating a garnish and then plating for scoring.

My risotto will need a little more work. Risotto is something that you do not want to prepare a day ahead. I've got my caramelized onions and bacon cooked along with a chicken stock so I'm ready to get the Arborio rice cooking for a creamy risotto when it's time to plate for scoring.

I will be needing a little more work for my main. I've got the forcemeat stuffed chicken supreme done and need only to sear on the skin side in a pan and then finish off in the oven. My ratatouille will needed to be cooked after I dice my eggplant which I didn't do today because it browns. The required tourne potatoes aren't done, so I will need to do these first thing in the morning. The last thing to do for this dish is the white sauce, which I know won't be a problem. Everything should go well as long as I don't forget about my pans on the stove.

If you want to learn how to tourne a potato, check out how in this video from Le Courdon Bleu. The tourne is seven sided and looks like a football. It's a skill that takes some practice. It also helps if you have a certain type of knife too ~ but not necessary.

The chocolate mousse dessert is done with the exception of a few garnishes. I've already got my chocolate garnish and berry couli done and may add some sugar work or other element. I won't be sure which until I get in the kitchen and see what products are available.

With my final theory exam ~ I've got to get going on studying/reading the course book. The exam is 200 questions.