I Know, I Am So Fired...

So, you have all probably given up on me now.  I obviously did not get any writing accomplished during my staycation.  It's crazy how much there is to do with an additional 6-ish hours every day!  I caught up on some much needed sleep too.

I think that, though I liked them, I am going to skip the last 2 classes for now and talk about my current class that is INSANE but super fun!  Just after summer break/Fourth of July, I started my first advanced pastry class.  Instead of 3 weeks, the advanced classes are 6 weeks.  This one is Advanced Patisserie Techniques, aka - Plated Desserts.  We are spending 6 very intense weeks learning how to make a 4 star restaurant dessert from start to finish - meaning it could be served to a paying customer.  Rather than a test every Friday, we have 8 major plated dessert tests, a sauce test, one written test, a High Tea service, random homework and reports and one CRAZY PANTS final exam that I am already stressing about.

The first plated dessert was Custards.  I made Orange Pot de Creme with candied pistachios, candied orange zest, berries in coulis, orange dust and pistachio tuile.

We have about 3 hours to make and plate everything, which I know, seems like a long time but scaling, organizing, making, cooling, baking, straining, cleaning and all that jazz takes a lot more time than you think!  This one went very well for me and I like the clean, simple lines of the finished product.  We just thought this one was hectic - the tests have gotten progressively more difficult indeed.


The second test was the Chocolate Plate.  I made a Chocolate-Raspberry Mousse Drum with a flourless chocolate cake base and a tempered chocolate band, dark chocolate sorbet, chocolate sauce, chocolate filagree and fresh raspberries.  I wish I had taken a better picture, as my plate really was pretty.

We have also been learning how to quenelle, which I am guessing will be fun-ish once I get the hang of it a little better.  I just need to find my groove.

That is all for now.  Stay tuned for the phyllo plate up and the pear-apple trio when I sliced my fingertip off!  Let's just hope I survive to bake another day.
Until then, ciao!

-QoT-