Coconut Passion Cake

Coconut Passion Cake
I think it's even more delicious than it sounds!

Two layers of coconut dacquoise, passion fruit mousse, coconut
mousse and candied pineapple soaked in kirsch.

  

     My first stage is this weekend; I'll be working at 

Julius Meinl tomorrow morning.  

Wish me luck!

Nougat Mousse Cake

  
     This is a Nougat Mousse Cake.  It has two layers of pistachio decquoise (the cake), passion fruit gelee and nougat mousse sprinkled with chopped pistachios, pecans and dried cherries and apricots.  The gelee  has a really strong zing of passion fruit and is my favorite part.
     We found out how we did on our exams today.  For the practical exams I managed to get 87%.  I feel awesome.  I felt like things went well and it's such a relief to know that I'm not crazy; I really am okay at this.  To see the chefs notes on my product and it saying, "good job" and "very nice" was incredible!  And I don't think I dreamed it, there was even an exclamation point.  Wowsies.  They grade hard and they're rating you against the chef so a B is more than fine by me.
     Also, Kings of Pastry is now available instantly on Netflix!  Watch it, it's funny and entertaining (the boyfriend liked it too).

Red Wine and Bouillabaisse

     It's restaurant week in the city so I went out for a nice lunch with some people from school.  We happened to go to Chef Pierre's favorite restaurant; we saw him there with a group including Chef Sébastien and Chef Jacquy. (Chef Pierre just started teaching us cakes today.  We practiced glazing a fake cake and piping butter.)  They came over and said hello and even bought us a bottle of wine.  The food was so good; I had the bouillabaisse and it was fantastic.  At the end of our lunch we were taking a group picture and Chef Jacquy came over to take it so we could all be in it.  I'm so appreciative of how nice everyone is and how personal!  
     Anyway I ended up having like four glasses of wine and I never drink.  It's always a struggle to stay awake on the train after school so I usually read a book.  I tried to read my book but the wine coma caused me to keep reading the same thing over and over again.  It was a slow and sleepy walk home.  

First Exams!!

     Tomorrow is day three of our practical exams and so far I think I'm doing well.  Day one I made: a lemon pound cake, coconut rochers, pate a choux, dough for my financiers and finally, croissant dough including the first two turns (it takes three before being cut and rolled).  Day two I baked my financiers, made and baked beer bread, chocolate tart shells and pastry cream and caramel to fill/glaze my pate a choux.  The last day will be rolling and baking croissants, toast bread and espresso tarts.  Day three should be a breeze so I fully expect it to be the worst day.
      I feel really good about everything up to now.  My pate a choux has never looked better (they're basically cream puffs and eclairs).  I managed to bake them on day one even though I didn't plan to.  It was a good thing because only a few people baked them on day one and the dash to the oven on day two was somewhat concerning.  Everything has looked at least as good as when I made it before in class and I didn't burn my dry caramel.  Dry caramel is literally just sugar in a pot on the stove; low and slow!
     I love my partner in class and I feel bad because his first two days didn't go as well as mine.  I'm actually really enjoying the change of pace.  We know what has to get done each day and make a game plan.  We share the kitchenaid and the induction with our partner so there can be some slight issues with logistics but we've done fine.
     Also, I love my boots.  They were an impulse buy last year because they were on sale and I don't know how I would be getting through this winter without them.  There might not be snow on the sidewalk but there are plenty of puddles to jump in.

They fit me like a (foot) glove. 

Birthday Cake and Macarons

     

     Saturday was Emy's first birthday.  I made a chocolate sponge cake with chocolate ganache and red velvet cupcakes with vanilla frosting.  People loved them and I can't lie, my chocolate cake was Amazing.  I used the recipe from a cookbook I bought a couple months ago.  It's called Sono Baking Company; it's the same name as the authors bakery.  

     Bretty made me breakfast yesterday because he loves me!  I'm just so gosh darn lucky!

I think he might be my Valentine 

     He took me out for sushi on Saturday night.  It was a tiny little place packed with lots of hungry Rockford-ians.  There was a couple ahead of us waiting for a table and the lady was very friendly.  I don't know if I've ever had a complete stranger talk to me while waiting for a table.  She asked the hostess why no one was sitting at a four top and they said they were keeping it open for a party of four.  I almost expected her to turn to us and ask if we wanted to share a table.  I told Brett later and he said he thought the same thing.  And you know what, I think we might've said yes.

Fresh Fruit Tart

Almond Tuile 

Pistachio Macarons and Chocolate Macarons with Earl Grey Ganache.


     This week we have our first exams, cross your fingers for me.

All In A Days Work

Apple Nougat Tart

Chocolate Financiers

     First I used the wrong amount of eggs in the meringue for the macarons.  Then I burned them... oopsie.  All in a days work.  Stayed after school to wrap caramels and now I'm a pro.  I could wrap three caramels to every one my classmate wrapped. AND they let us take home the scraps!
     Being at school late had one ill effect.  The lighting wasn't working for my pictures, so I took the pictures in the fridge.  The financiers are easy to make and super tasty; like a brownie in more of a muffin shape.   The apple tarts are like a tiny piece of apple pie with almonds on top.

Opera Cake Amazingness!

The Opera Cake

It is three layers of joconde (a thin cake) soaked in a coffee syrup, two layers of italian meringue buttercream and multiple layers of chocolate/ganache.  Otherwise known as a small bite of heaven.

This is an Espresso and Chocolate Tart.  Brett and I tried these, among other tasty things, when we visited the school last summer.  He LOVED them.  I just sent him a picture text of them and he is very excited to have one again.

Last but not least are the madeleines.  They're actually pretty easy to make, getting the bump right is where it gets technical but I'm going to keep it as my $22,000 secret.  =)

And my partner Chad makes me laugh so hard I cry.
I think he might be my FPS BFF

Teeny Tiny Tasties

Blueberry Tarts

Paris Brest

Apricot & Pear Tarts

For the Love of Chocolate

Chef Scott's Sugar Working Station

Bleeding Heart Bakery's table  

     I was stationed in the Cocoa Sutra room which included: a hookah lounge, a sitar band, chocolate body painting, a fortune teller, belly dancer, massage station and all of it surrounded by tables of decadent chocolate desserts.  The mood was set with dim red/orange tinted lighting and it was Awesome!  The hookah lounge was full of draped shear and silky fabrics, pillows on the floor and low couches.  I was surprised how many people really settled in there dressed in their best and ready to relax.  The sitar band was really good!  It was Chris Freeman & Crew and they have taught me a whole new respect for the sitar.  "... the music seeks to integrate classical eastern music into a rock-electric context."*

     Cocoa Cuisine housed the savory chefs tables.  It smelled heavenly!  There were over 50 chefs at the event from restaurants such as: Graham Elliot, Everest, Takashi, Blackbird, La Sardine and Ria.  Chef Rick Bayless (Frontera Grill/Topolobampo), had his own station in one of the show kitchens (the gala took place in Merchandise Mart).  One of the girls in my class was lucky enough to be assigned to his station; she worked right smack in the middle of Chef Bayless and his (hot) sous chef.  Literally rubbing elbows with one of Chicago's most famous chefs!  We watched her with friendly envy through the display kitchen glass...

Wine Bike

      Anacron DJ'ed in Cocoa Candy Land and he was amazing.  I purposely walked around bussing tables in the area for a while because I loved him.  There were women in beautiful napkin dresses for people to take with their drinks.  A large brass bicycle with an "umbrella" of glasses around the top was riding around and serving wine, a wine bike!
      There was plenty to see while walking around enjoying extravagant desserts from Sarah's Pastries, Cake Nouveau and Boka, to name a few.  Marie Antoinette was working the room serving chocolate cake from her large tabletop skirt.  Models were being airbrushed with chocolate and others were wearing chocolate dresses.  You might also see an oompa loompa or one of several women dressed as candy.  Chef Scott Green worked on an impressive sugar sculpture while at the other end of the room the "cast" of I Love Lucy rolled truffles.

"Let them eat cake."
Marie Antoinette 

     Needless to say, it was amazing!  Next year I'm paying to go as a guest and strongly urging everyone I know to go as well.

Bo Peep Dress

*"2011 entertainment: Chris Freeman & Crew." Events Fortheloveofchocolatefoundation.org. 2007. February 6, 2011 http://www.fortheloveofchocolatefoundation.org
    

Eclairs

Eclairs w/chocolate pastry cream, Salambos w/kirch pastry cream
& Chouquettes w/praline pastry cream

     Tomorrow is For the Love of Chocolate.  I think it'll be a lot of fun.  We have to be really professional so I wonder if I'll be allowed to take pictures....  And Moms coming to visit this weekend =)

Super Pumped!

     I will be staging at Graham Elliot all 4 Saturdays in March!  I'm super pumped!  I really want to go and eat there... I've never actually been to Graham Elliot.  It's a little pricy so it might be hard to find somebody to go with me.  I was emailing the pastry chef back and forth all morning, look at me!  I think I might be all grown up (tear).
     Two snow days this week = sadness.  They've never cancelled school before so I wonder how we'll recover.  One of my classmates pointed out that the pastry cream we've made and haven't used yet has gone bad by now.  Not cool.  I want my eclairs!

This is a picture of Lake Shore Drive in Chicago

Kings of Pastry on DVD

     Kings of Pastry is now available to pre-order!  I highly recommend it.  The two guys on the cover are a major part of the film and they're the founders of my school.
     Brett went with me to see it and he really liked it too.  He texted me recently that he was listening to an Oscar Peterson record and that it made him think of "that pastry movie," me and France.  I thought it was funny and sweet.

http://firstrunfeatures.com/kingsofpastrydvd.html     

If you click the link you can order it at 25% off! 

Snow Day

Dacquoise
a french sandwich cookie

     These cookies are really flaky and light and the filling is creamy deliciousness.
     And in other news school for tomorrow is canceled.  They said no matter what happens there would be school... but then they found out the building is going to be closed.  We're only missing one class but the night people are missing today and tomorrow.  School costs about $183 a day so it's kind of a big deal.
     I got an e-mail back from the pastry chef at Graham Elliot and I think I'm in!!!  I just responded and I have to wait to find out the day =)

I don't like wind.