PTC

'There is no more appealing sight on earth than the sight of a woman making dinner for someone that she loves." --Thomas Wolf

It's that time of year again. The time that every student with s reputation at stake dreads. Parent-teacher conferences.
My mother attended a conference with Chef Tony on Thursday night. She offered to take me with her, but I declined as graciously as I could.
>She was running a little late at work, so she left from there straight to the school, then I met her at Bible study later.
I think it would be safe to say that I was fairly nervous.
When Michelle and I arrived at Bible study, and my mom was already there.
It was a sign. Whether good or bad, I couldn't tell.
As nonchalantly as I could muster, I asked her what he said.
Essentially, Chef Tony said that he really likes my work. He said that I was doing really well. My mom told him that I was really enjoying the class, but I was looking for more of a challenge, and that I had some experience under my belt.
Well, he definitely took those pieces of information under advisement.
When I came in on Friday morning, Chef Tony called me over.
"Aubry, as soon as you wash up, you're with me."
SCORE. Way to put in a good word for me, Mumsy.
What he had me do first was decorate some orange-glazed cookies with white and milk chocolate.I must say, they looked pretty darn good when I was done. Just sayin'.
After I finished this, he taught me how to make his signature pumpkin cheesecake.DEELISH!!! Not to mention, gorgeous.
Hope I'm ready for whatever's in store for Tuesday!!! Thanks for reading. <3

Creme de la Creme

"I am not a glutton, I am an explorer of food." --Julia Child

Well, as you can probably tell from my lack of bloggage, I haven't been at school for the past two days. I was stuck at home with a harrowing toothache. It started over the weekend, and carried over the beginning of the week. I was able to get to the dentist yesterday, and got some answers.

I was happy to be at school again today, though. I was getting pretty bored at home, so I was ready for some pastry ballgame.

Chef Mary was also glad that I was back, and put me to work pretty much at once.
She had me whip a quart of cream and then fold it into some Bavarian cream.

Just a clarifier.

Bavarian cream is pretty much the butter of the gods. And once it's mixed with whipped cream... GAME OVER.

After the creams were combined, Ashley piped it onto eclaires that I had cut. To be completely honest, they were pretty gorgeous. I envied those who were going to eat them.

Ashley and I went on break to stew about the coveted pastries.

We came back to find MORE cream.

Coconut cream.

Like a balmy island getaway.

PLEASE.

This cream was left over from coconut cream pies that Chef Tony made, and Chef Mary decided that we needed to get rid of it.

Someday, I hope that I'm as objective about as she is about food. *sigh*

We paired the left-over cream with a pineapple up-side-down cake.

Can you say divine.

All you need is a beautiful Hawaiian in a grass skirt to come and deliver it to you. It'd be a done deal.

By the time I was done piping the coconut onto the cakes, it was past time for me to go and get dressed. I farewelled the cakes and eclaires, and left.

Thanks everyone, for reading. :]

Love you.

Endless Boxes...

"A cookbook is only as good as it's worst recipe." --Julia Child

I'm sure it would be safe to say that I have spent a considerable amount of time in the back store room at school.

Some days it's rotating stock, today it was organizing boxes.

Oddly enough, I was happy to do the job.

Chef Mary took me aside, and asked me to do it. She said that one of her reasons for asking me was because she knew that she wouldn't have to "hold my hand". Trying not to let that go to my head. :]

Of course, that particular chore sounds more glamorous (well, as glamorous as pantry work can be.) than it really was. I spent the better part of about an hour and a half trying to find a home for each of the boxes. Rather tedious work.

But I had a considerable amount of visitors, which made the job a little bit better. Some of them needed help finding the coarse sugar, or ginger, which gave me a break every once in a while.

When I finally got finished sorting the plethora of boxes, I went into the kitchen, and Chef Tony asked me to help another student make some doughnut holes.

She had the port-a-fryer hooked up in the classroom on the counter. Kinda weird. =/

My job was to take the freshly-fried dough, and roll it in either cinnamon sugar or powdered sugar.

We made A TON. Chef Tony said that they were a practice for when we had to make 8,000 of them next week.

HOLY COW. That's a lot of freaking doughnuts.

So, that was my Thursday. Thanks for reading. <3

Apples, Delicious Apples.

"The only time to eat diet food is while you're waiting for the steak to cook." --Julia Child

Bake Shop; Bake Shop; the adventures we have!

Well, today my morning was bombarded with Apples. Apple cakes, apple pies, apples compote, all of them simply marvelous. I've rediscovered my love affair with the blessed fruit that had left off last year.

They are, in a word, scrumptious.

The day started with a fellow junior baker (who's last name is, get this, McIntosh:)) and I rolling pie dough, which was slightly more successful than last time. I then filled them with sliced apples with some cinnamon sugar and flour.

Chef Mary needed some other help with some odd jobs around the bake shop that I busied myself with until A-shift left. When they did, I was the only student left in the bake shop, which greatly aided the communication flow for the last hour between Chef Mary and I.

To be honest, I don't think that she gets upset when I keep asking her what she wants me to do. I just think that sometimes she needs to be refocused. Don't we all?

We soon found out that some apple cakes that had been made earlier in the morning did NOT turn out. They tasted really good, but weren't presentation-worthy. We decided that in order to salvage what we could of the cakes, I would make an apple compote to be served over it. The idea of it was already melting in my mouth.

I had never made a compote before, but I had seen them made (on tv.), so I gave it a shot. C'mon, how bad could it be?

For everyone who doesn't know what a compote is, the one that I made was basically a cooked-down mixture of apples, cinnamon, sugar, flour, and water. Its positively ambrosial.

Well, after what seemed like an eternity of cooking down of all the ingredients, it was ready for the oven.

Sweet Success.

Thanks for reading, everyone.

Oh, Storage.

"How can a nation be called great if it's bread tastes like kleenex?" --Julia Child

Well, today was grossly uneventful.

Our duty in bakeshop was to organize the back dry foods store room.

By the time we were done, I was so freaking sick of being back there, I could've puked.

We also discovered that our two week rotation actually starts this week. So, essentially, last week counted for nothing. That's really irritating. >:[

Whatever. there's not really anything else to write about. I just didn't want you to think that I forgot about you guys. :]

Love you all. Thanks for reading.

Eggs, Eggs, and More Eggs.

"If you're afraid of butter, use cream." --Julia Child

Bake shop started with Chef Mary on Monday. Not a whole lot was accomplished. We just had a tour of the bake shop, and learned how to work the industrial washer and dryer (which could probably hold several small children inside the drum).

Today, however, we did WAY more. I think that the reason was because the Cafe opens tomorrow, and we need to have desserts to sell.

Anyway, when I first came in, I mixed a custard for bread pudding.

After this, Chef Nate needed some dessert for the teachers, so Chef Mary asked me to put chocolate mousse on some dark chocolate cake that she had gotten out. So I was like "Ok, no biggie..."

Oh, no. Biggie.

I mean BIGGIE.

When I pulled the mousse out of the reach-in cooler, I thought I was going to die.

It was love at first lustful sight.

"Please, Chef Mary, please ask me to pipe this luscious cloud-like mousse onto these pieces of cake, and NOT EAT ANY OF IT. That would work out great for me."

I remained strong until I was done piping, and transferring that scrumptious chocolate dream to a different container.

When I took the original container to the dish tank, I sneaked a finger-full. It was pure bliss. I now know that I am going into the right profession.

Also...

When my mother got home, I she asked me to make some homemade applesauce. I had done this many times before, so I peeled my apples, diced them, and threw them into the crock pot with some cinnamon on top. When I went to check on it, I removed the lid, and breathed in.

Ladies and Gentlemen, fall has officially begun, and I for one am STOKED.

Thanks for reading. :]

Table Settings

"All happiness depends on a leisurely breakfast." --John Gunther

To be quite honest, I don't think that I have ever folded so many napkins as I have today in my ENTIRE LIFE.

EVER.

It wasn't necessarily a bad thing, it was just crazy!

I was assigned to Chef Nate again today, but I didn't work in the Skills Grill. Josh Hall (one of my classmates) and I did dining room set-up (which was pretty much code for "you're going to be folding napkins until you turn 100"). We also set the tables with flatware and glassware.

This is a good sign, people. The cafe will be opening soon!!

Good Times.

Afterwards, I helped Chef Tony pull together a vegetable tray. He was very impressed by my extensive home-schooled vocabulary. ;] Thanks Mom.

Sorry that these last few posts have been so short. We haven't really done very much this far. But fear not, for on Monday, I start in Bake Shop with Chef Mary. And that, my friends, promises to be interesting.

Thanks for reading! Talk to you Monday. :]

Pick me! I have Skills!

"Life itself is a proper binge."-- Julia Child

Day one in the Skills Grill.

There's not really too much to write about today. We started in the Skills Grill with Chef Nate, and it went pretty well. I sometimes felt during the day that there wasn't enough to do for the amount of people that we had.

A few "too many cooks in the kitchen".

I worked on the line serving fries, and when I grabbed the fry-shuffler thing I was confused. Sure I had seen them used at McDonald's and other fast food restaurants, but I had never actually used one before. I was slightly embarrassed to have to ask for help, but I did anyway.

I also secured my first burn on the job. Call me crazy, but I have a strange feeling of accomplishment because of it, although it's rather small.

All in all, a good day. I'm becoming more and more accustomed to the kitchen, and where things go, and how things happen, which makes everyone's job easier.

Fire drills.

"So long as you have food in your mouth, you've solved all the problems for the time being."-- Franz Kafkan

Day two with Chef Dave = PURE AWESOMENESS.

When I came in, A-shift was practicing taking a hotel pan full of soup out of the steam box. Thrilling, really.

After this, we went to the slicer. Each one of us had to take it apart, wipe it down, and put it back together. At first, I thought I was going to throw up. There is probably almost nothing that scares me so much as a electric slicer. There was a warning label with a lovely picture on the side showing a hand with all of the fingers cut off and the nubs left bleeding.

I nearly fainted.

I was the last to come forward, and right as I was in the middle of trying to wipe it down, a siren started going off, and there was a light that was flashing.

Of course, a fire drill.

Who does that? Can't they see I'm in the middle of trying to conquer one of my biggest fears??!

FORGET ABOUT IT! No respect.

Once the entire school had traipsed their way to the lawn, teachers had to make sure that everyone was accounted for. What the heck.

After this whole ordeal was over, we came back into the kitchen, and resumed our work as if nothing had happened. I finished [praise God] putting the slicer back together, and went to a station for some more lessons in peeling and slicing.

Our next victim was an unsuspecting potato. After it was thoroughly and meticulously peeled, Chef Dave had us slice them into shoestring fry shapes, and then dice them.

We then took the carrot that we peeled yesterday, and cut it into thirds. By the time that everyone had this done [which ended up being a while], A-shift had to leave.

Once they were gone, we continued to slice the carrots into smaller slices.

I was sure that I was going to slicing carrots into a fine julienne for the rest of my young life.

When we had finished, Chef Dave showed us the proper way to core, and dice/mince an onion. As soon as we had finished with the onion, we cleaned up for C-shift, and got dressed.

To be honest, it really is so amazing. Truly worth the wait.

Thanks for reading.

:]

FINALLY.

“For fish to taste right, it must swim three times. Once in water, once in butter, and once in wine.“ --Polish Proverb

Sorry everyone for not writing yesterday. I know I kind of built it up, then dropped you flat. I was dropped quite flat, myself.

I went into school yesterday expecting to get my rotation, and get started in my station. This unfortunately didn't happen. Big surprise. I spent the majority of class time organizing the myriads of gloves and washing dishes. Needless to say, I was not happy.

We did, however, get temporary rotations for about the next week or so.
I was assigned to the Hot Foods area with Chef Dave. I was a little nervous about this, because I didn't really know what to think about him. I quickly discovered that he is completely awesome. He's a really excellent teacher, and I appreciate his style.
He taught us about developing an objective palate, how to cut and slice celery, and how to peel a carrot and an onion. All very important.

After A-shift left, we got an 8 minute break. When we got back to Chef Dave, we asked him what was next. He informed us that we would be, essentially teaching the other B-shifters (they had a math class) what they had missed in class.
So, we did our best to recreate what Chef Dave had done, with some of his help. By the time that we had finished, it was time to get dressed, and get ready to leave. Not bad for a first day.
Thanks for reading. <3