Pretty Plates

Now its time to see what we really do know. The first level of plated desserts showed us all the ways we can can twist and evolve our recipes any way we please. This section worked a little differently than those in the past. At the beginning of each class we are all assigned different elements of the final desserts to make such as doughs, sauces, and ice creams. Then at the end of the day we put it all together and made some very nice plating's. This unit was nice because it showed us in may ways how real restaurants work. Hardly ever will we see everything start to finish in the work force. It's all about being a team and working together to get the job done. It was great to see that we all ready knew how to make all the different flavors and components. I hadn't realized how much I've learned all ready.

tempering tantrums

Oh Chocolate how I love and hate you! Despite Chocolate being one of my favorite things to eat it in many ways can also be one of the most difficult things to work with. Between it being extremely easy to burn and only being able to work with it in a 4-degree temperature window without having to start over you can see why I stress. Chocolate is not something that you can "wing" or just throw together and hope for the best it take a lot of deliberate precision. You melt, you cool, you stir, you reheat, then you mold and pray. Because even if you swear up and down that you did everything right sometimes its still not in temper. And that means that your chocolate won't dry and it will turn into a grainy cloudy hot mess.
But have no worries we had a lot of practice and managed to make not only a chocolate box filled with unctuous Gran Marnier truffles, But also a structurally sound chocolate candy stand. I do have to say after the written chocolate test was complete I think my whole class shared in a sigh of relief that we were finally done with chocolate.... at least for now.

NYC Chocolate Show

One of the great things about being in college in New York city is that in many ways it is one of the food capitals of the world. Because of this many great events are held here, one such event that I had the pleasure of going to was the Chocolate Show. Now this place was a wonderland for anyone that has a soft spot for chocolate. With over 52 exhibitors all offering several chocolate samples you can see why I was in a sugar high dream. After walking around and stuffing my face with as many varieties of chocolate that I could I decided it was time to sit down and watch a few demos in the viking sponsored theater.
Many people don't realize that cacao can be used in both sweet and savory preparations. And I got to enjoy some of the best examples of this from shrimp in chipotle vanilla sauce served with cacao over fresh corn polenta to a 4-start dirt cup. This day was quickly becoming too good to be true. I even got to talk to Johnny iuzzini, the James Beard award wining pastry chef from Jean Georges. I even got him to sign his new book for me.
This show made me realize how much I do in fact love chocolate and even got me thinking about going into business selling it on the side with the dove company. Hey you never know when an opportunity will come knocking.

Cakes from level two

As I'm sure everyone knows I love to play with cake. So I was more than happy when I found out that we were once again returning to my favorite subject. It seems like for everything I thought I knew about cake decorating I have learned two more great tips here at FCI, I love it! We got to use lots of new mediums that I haven't gotten to use much before now such as Marzipan. Which is a very yummy cake covering alternative to fondant. I also learned a new fondant recipe And a few tips and tricks for making cheesecakes. One thing that I have been anxiously awaiting making was the buche de noel, the traditional french Christmas yule log cake. The one cake that chef says we are allowed to over decorate and throw a bunch of little decorations on. Cake level two has made me even more excited for the wedding cake we will get to make once we get to level three.

Little Mouthfulls

Petit Fours was our next unit. And now we were finally getting a chance to be a little creative and come up with our own little desserts. Roughly translated Petit Four means little ovens in french. And even though they are little these little guys pack a big flavor punch and are dangerously addictive.
This Test proved to be additionally difficult because we had to collaborate with our partners to create a petit four. Everyone has such differing opinions on what makes a good dessert that agreeing on something to present can be very difficult. My partner and I choose a puff pastry disk with a smear of rum pastry cream and topped with a caramelized banana sphere.