Once again, the end of a week had come to classes. It is a blessing; it means I can sleep and recuperate from waking up at 7:30 every morning. This past week, the first week of class, has been a nice introduction the life of London and how the London LCB runs. People are nice and low key. There is not competition between one another. The students in my group, Group D, show up about 10 minutes early to class, if not 15 minutes. It is just like France, students going up early to get the good spot or steal the equipment. But it is not like that here. People just show up early to get there early. Students take out their knives, scales and other equipment they own. There is plenty of bowls, pots and pan for everyone, since there are only 8 students in Group D. It is a relief. There is not running around like chickens with their heads cut off. If there is running around, it is controlled running around - people just hurrying to get things done. I like not being in a competition to see who finishes first or who out does another.
The past two days were filled with making assortments of chocolate filled truffles. There were many different kinds of truffles - raspberry, soft caramel, orange marzipan, banana, liquor, cherries, and so many more. It was busy, but we all finished on time. We all good reviews and markings from the chef, Chef Julie. She will be my chef for the next two weeks while we work on chocolates. We filled our chocolate boxes we finished on the first day of classes and took the rest of the truffles home, along with out chocolate box.
I brought mine home to my house mother, Mrs. Mary Leen. She loved it and was in awe that I did something like it. It was pretty cool to see what I had created. The two Austria girls staying with her, came down for dinner and liked the box too, but they likes the truffles even more! Chocolate is the way to any woman's heart - remember that boys! It was s good end to the first week of classes. I was happy with my chocolate box.
Other news from London, well nothing really. The weather has been weird, cold one day and hot the other. It has been raining and nasty out, but then beautiful sunny sunshine will fall on you. I was talking with chef and she told me to save all my tourist seeing for April - it would nice and pleasant out by then. I might take her word on that. That way, I can try to get into some kind of routine with sleep and school. I was thinking about getting a job. My best bet would be getting a job in a hotel. I might try. Who knows really.
Oh, exciting news...mom wrote me to tell me I received my certificates from Australia. I did not fail cuisine after all! Now, I just have to wait for the certificates from Paris for cuisine and patisserie. Hopefully soon they will arrive!
I think life in London is going to be good. Graduation from superior patisserie is on June 8th. Anyone want to come? I found out on Friday that last term they graduated a girl who scored the highest in many years on her final. She scored an 89% on her final. That does not do much for my confidence, but it does a world for my competitive streak inside me. I want to beat that and try to do better. So now I have something to strieve for. The only problem is, I have no idea what out final is going to be. And that makes me nervous. But now, I have something to strieve for - a 90% on my final assessment!
Saturday, March 31, 2007
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
Well....I know you are all just dying to know about my first day of school here in London. You're gonna have to wait just a bit longer, unless you scroll down. In my description from the last blog, I forgot to tell you about my neighborhood. There are old facades that run down the whole road. It is very sweet looking. My neighborhood is filled with all kinds of ethnic foods, not your typical English fare. You walk down the street and smell meats roasting or fat frying from the regular fast food chains. The smells are not as great as walking the streets of Paris, but at least I am able to walk through the neighborhood. It is great to walk around and actually understand people; it makes it so much easier to eavesdrop on them. I think this city could grow on me. I might even have to give the Indian food another go - curry is not my most favorite thing to eat. There are of course fast food chains, mainly McDonald's and a KFC and some other chains that are local to Britain, I think. There are few bakeries that can bring anyone off the streets by the sweet smells that drift out of them - fresh baked breads and sweets, YUM. Then there are Chinese restaurants, Lebanese, Indian, Caribbean and lots more. The possibilities are endless!
Now, on to the first day of school. My first class was at 9 this morning. It was on the third floor, with the head of the patisserie chefs. Her name is Chef Julie, I think, but she is fantastic. She made me feel at home at once. She introduced herself and showed me around the tiny kitchen. About half way into the class, other people began to introduce themselves.
We jumped right into the lesson - tempering chocolate to make a chocolate box. We paired off and began tempering dark and white chocolate. It was fun and I learned a new method - using an ice bath. We then began to make our chocolate pieces. We worked from 9 until 12, then it was time to break for an hour for lunch. I went out with four other girls to lunch, just up the road. One of the girls works there, there are only girls in my class - 8 of us. It does not seem that anyone is competitive, so I am my own worst enemy, great. Lunch was great - just talking and them asking me questions about the schools and what not. It was pleasant. Then back to the kitchen. We assembled the pieces and decorated them. Don't worry, I am taking pictures of everything I do this time! I will have slide show later on, at the end of the term for everyone!
Tomorrow we work on filling the chocolate box with different kinds of filled chocolates. I don't know what they will be quite yet, I have not looked over the massive notebook with the lesson plans. That will be tonight and also trying to decipher my wacky schedule. I will not be going to school everyday, thank god, but when I am there for school I am really there all day. I think this is going to be good, hopefully the best yet (save the best for last).
I will be working on 5 different modules: restaurant style desserts, afternoon tea (Mrs, the tea room might just come true), boulangerie (which I will not be assessed on), chocolate and decorative sugar work. These are not in order of how we will be doing the schedule. Superior is graded differently than basic and intermediate, the final counts for a lot more.
The set-up of the school is the same as Paris. There are three levels and a basement for changing. There are 5 kitchens and two demo rooms. The changing rooms are not hooked to a bathroom, those are on different floors. The outside of the building, Paris is better. Paris just looks the part. Well it is only the first day. I will have more to write on as the week progresses. I am glad that I transferred. It helps in knowing what the chefs are saying. I am a little nervous, but hopefully it will fade away as time goes on. The knots and nervousness never really went away in Paris. Well, Cheers.
Now, on to the first day of school. My first class was at 9 this morning. It was on the third floor, with the head of the patisserie chefs. Her name is Chef Julie, I think, but she is fantastic. She made me feel at home at once. She introduced herself and showed me around the tiny kitchen. About half way into the class, other people began to introduce themselves.
We jumped right into the lesson - tempering chocolate to make a chocolate box. We paired off and began tempering dark and white chocolate. It was fun and I learned a new method - using an ice bath. We then began to make our chocolate pieces. We worked from 9 until 12, then it was time to break for an hour for lunch. I went out with four other girls to lunch, just up the road. One of the girls works there, there are only girls in my class - 8 of us. It does not seem that anyone is competitive, so I am my own worst enemy, great. Lunch was great - just talking and them asking me questions about the schools and what not. It was pleasant. Then back to the kitchen. We assembled the pieces and decorated them. Don't worry, I am taking pictures of everything I do this time! I will have slide show later on, at the end of the term for everyone!
Tomorrow we work on filling the chocolate box with different kinds of filled chocolates. I don't know what they will be quite yet, I have not looked over the massive notebook with the lesson plans. That will be tonight and also trying to decipher my wacky schedule. I will not be going to school everyday, thank god, but when I am there for school I am really there all day. I think this is going to be good, hopefully the best yet (save the best for last).
I will be working on 5 different modules: restaurant style desserts, afternoon tea (Mrs, the tea room might just come true), boulangerie (which I will not be assessed on), chocolate and decorative sugar work. These are not in order of how we will be doing the schedule. Superior is graded differently than basic and intermediate, the final counts for a lot more.
The set-up of the school is the same as Paris. There are three levels and a basement for changing. There are 5 kitchens and two demo rooms. The changing rooms are not hooked to a bathroom, those are on different floors. The outside of the building, Paris is better. Paris just looks the part. Well it is only the first day. I will have more to write on as the week progresses. I am glad that I transferred. It helps in knowing what the chefs are saying. I am a little nervous, but hopefully it will fade away as time goes on. The knots and nervousness never really went away in Paris. Well, Cheers.
Monday, March 26, 2007
Who has seen Love Actually? Most of you, right? Well in the beginning Hugh Grant starts off with going to Heathrow Airport to see people who love each other. They are hugging one another and being happy, they miss each other from long absences. When I arrived in Heathrow, I thought I would be able to witness all the love, the hugs and the kisses, but then I remembered, I was coming in with the domestic flights. So sad.
After three months in Paris, I was done with intermediate cuisine and patisserie and on my way home for five days of relaxation and just being in the comforts of my own house. Well, I got to relax, but I was sick. I ran errands and slept as much as I could. My birthday, 23 years old now, was spent with family. It was perfect. The following day I was boarding a plane and going abroad once more to finish my culinary diploma.
My flights were easy. (Note to self, fly on the weekdays, NO ONE flys then, so you are able to have whole rows to yourself!) I tried to sleep on the long flight, but it was hard. I arrived at the Manchester airport and had to go through customs. It was alittle hard, but my bear is still with me! I forgot to print all the documents that tells the customs agents that I am enrolled in school and my housing information. The customs agent was very nice and let me go, just in time. I just made my flight to Heathrow. I went to collect my bags and find a pay phone to call the housing agency. I had a car waiting for me!
I was driven to my house for the next 3 months. I meet my 'house mom'. She is probably in her 60's. She is from Ireland originally and has lived here in London for the past 30 years. She likes to talk, which might cause a problem, but oh well. She likes to cook and she cooks alot of food for dinner! I will not go hungry while I am here. Her food is good. Nothing beats a home cooked meal! She loves tea. She loves watching English soaps - Days is much better Charles!
My room is small. Very small. It is about three twin beds put together. There is a bed, a closet, a chest of drawers, a little bedside table and chair. And yes mom, all my stuff fits. The bed is so comfortable. I love it. Mrs. Mary, the house mother, has never seen anyone sleep as much as I can. She has woken me up twice. I think she finally understands that I like to sleep. It is going to be fine. The house to close to a train station, about a 10 minute walk. I am happy.
I went to orientation on Friday. It was ok. The whole trip, from house to school, takes me about 30 minutes. A 10 minute walk to the train station, a 10 minute train ride and then another 10 or 15 minutes walk to get to school. It isn't bad....just like Paris, except I get to take the train. I am at a good stop, so the train is not too crowded. The walk is nice too. Just pray for not alot of rain while I am here!!
The school is ok. It is better then Australia. It is it's own school. I think in terms of look, the Paris school takes the cake. Orientation goes to London. It was very informative. I was taken for a tour, but it wasn't anything to write home about. I will get a better idea of it when school begins, then I will write more. The school is four stories high. There are 5 kitchens, I think. The set up is like Paris. The patisserie kitchens, 2 of them, have marble tops. The cuisine kitchens do not. I will write more about the school when I get to explore it more.
Bad news: I will be here for 6 months, well 5 1/2 months. They had no room for me in the superior cuisine course. So I have to stay here longer to finish it out. It sucks, but it will be worth it in the long run. I might try to get a part time job, so I can stay busy. I am going to talk with the chefs on Wednesday. I will only be going to school a few days out of the week, not everyday like I was accustomed to. This has it's ups and downs, but whatever. I'll deal with it. Hopefully I will be able to get a job...that will keep me busy. I'll let you know.
Well, this is the only news I have for ya'll. I'll write more when school begins. Until then...take care.
After three months in Paris, I was done with intermediate cuisine and patisserie and on my way home for five days of relaxation and just being in the comforts of my own house. Well, I got to relax, but I was sick. I ran errands and slept as much as I could. My birthday, 23 years old now, was spent with family. It was perfect. The following day I was boarding a plane and going abroad once more to finish my culinary diploma.
My flights were easy. (Note to self, fly on the weekdays, NO ONE flys then, so you are able to have whole rows to yourself!) I tried to sleep on the long flight, but it was hard. I arrived at the Manchester airport and had to go through customs. It was alittle hard, but my bear is still with me! I forgot to print all the documents that tells the customs agents that I am enrolled in school and my housing information. The customs agent was very nice and let me go, just in time. I just made my flight to Heathrow. I went to collect my bags and find a pay phone to call the housing agency. I had a car waiting for me!
I was driven to my house for the next 3 months. I meet my 'house mom'. She is probably in her 60's. She is from Ireland originally and has lived here in London for the past 30 years. She likes to talk, which might cause a problem, but oh well. She likes to cook and she cooks alot of food for dinner! I will not go hungry while I am here. Her food is good. Nothing beats a home cooked meal! She loves tea. She loves watching English soaps - Days is much better Charles!
My room is small. Very small. It is about three twin beds put together. There is a bed, a closet, a chest of drawers, a little bedside table and chair. And yes mom, all my stuff fits. The bed is so comfortable. I love it. Mrs. Mary, the house mother, has never seen anyone sleep as much as I can. She has woken me up twice. I think she finally understands that I like to sleep. It is going to be fine. The house to close to a train station, about a 10 minute walk. I am happy.
I went to orientation on Friday. It was ok. The whole trip, from house to school, takes me about 30 minutes. A 10 minute walk to the train station, a 10 minute train ride and then another 10 or 15 minutes walk to get to school. It isn't bad....just like Paris, except I get to take the train. I am at a good stop, so the train is not too crowded. The walk is nice too. Just pray for not alot of rain while I am here!!
The school is ok. It is better then Australia. It is it's own school. I think in terms of look, the Paris school takes the cake. Orientation goes to London. It was very informative. I was taken for a tour, but it wasn't anything to write home about. I will get a better idea of it when school begins, then I will write more. The school is four stories high. There are 5 kitchens, I think. The set up is like Paris. The patisserie kitchens, 2 of them, have marble tops. The cuisine kitchens do not. I will write more about the school when I get to explore it more.
Bad news: I will be here for 6 months, well 5 1/2 months. They had no room for me in the superior cuisine course. So I have to stay here longer to finish it out. It sucks, but it will be worth it in the long run. I might try to get a part time job, so I can stay busy. I am going to talk with the chefs on Wednesday. I will only be going to school a few days out of the week, not everyday like I was accustomed to. This has it's ups and downs, but whatever. I'll deal with it. Hopefully I will be able to get a job...that will keep me busy. I'll let you know.
Well, this is the only news I have for ya'll. I'll write more when school begins. Until then...take care.
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
I AM FINISHED!!! Monday was my patisserie final and Tuesday was my cuisine final. They went ok. I could have done better, but my nerves got the best of me. Oh well. That's life I guess. For patisserie I made a passion fruit and raspberry tart. We also had a technical point, writing OPERA and doing a boarder on cardboard. It is harder than it seems. I need to work on my writing skills. For cuisine I made beef, celery flan and turned potatoes. The technical aspect in cuisine was making a Bearnaise sauce (thank you Aunt Karen).
The finals went alright, I should have done better. I think the nerves were just too much. The crust on my tart should have been straighter. That would allow my surface to be smoother and look a little prettier. Oh well. In cuisine, the beef was a touch over done....I was busy working on the Bearnaise sauce. Stupid! I should have known better, oh well. That's life.
After the cuisine final I went out with a friend, Beka. She is fro Houston, Texas. She is awesome. She took me to one her favorite restaurants on the Champs-Elysees. It was so cool. The rooms were old and palace like, lavishly decorated, like in the times of kings and queens ruled, just smaller. It was rich in colors of green and yellows and the smells from the kitchen rose. It was fantastic! We got to the restaurant by 7:30 or so and did not leave until 10:15. We talked and ate. I got a glass of champagne to celebrate being done. It was fantastic. Then for dinner a black truffle omelet stuffed with tomatoes, ham, cheese, mushrooms and fine herbs. It was SO good. For dessert, four mini macaroons that we shared and a coffee. It was the best time. The macaroons were amazing! Crusty surface and a smooth middle of luscious yumminess! We got vanilla, raspberry, dark chocolate and violet-blackberry, which was so yummy! We sat and just talked about life and school.
After dinner I took a cab back home. But I did not go home right away. I decided to walk around the river Seine and take in the beauty that is Paris. (I was careful mom) It never ceases to amaze me the look of the Effiel Tower. I will never grow old of looking at it. It was bright and lit up on my way to dinner, sparkling. Tonight, it was quite and lit. The spotlight at the top of the tower was rotating going into the distance. It is soothing and just beautiful to look at. You stand by it and you feel so small. It is just unbelievable. I said good-bye to Paris.
One more thing. I finally got my grades for patisserie in basic from Australia. I was awarded the Dux award. This means I was first overall all the patisserie students. How cool is that? I got a book of desserts from LCB. It is very exciting. I just need to receive my certificate for basic cuisine. Hopefully I will get it soon!
Well one more chapter closed in this culinary journey. The next section will begin and end in London. I am 2/3rds done and I can taste the freedom. In superior patisserie I will be playing with pulled sugar and chocolate show pieces. I CANNOT WAIT! Cuisine, well hopefully I will get in for the cycle starting March 23rd....that would be a great birthday present. Well, until superior starts....au revoir
The finals went alright, I should have done better. I think the nerves were just too much. The crust on my tart should have been straighter. That would allow my surface to be smoother and look a little prettier. Oh well. In cuisine, the beef was a touch over done....I was busy working on the Bearnaise sauce. Stupid! I should have known better, oh well. That's life.
After the cuisine final I went out with a friend, Beka. She is fro Houston, Texas. She is awesome. She took me to one her favorite restaurants on the Champs-Elysees. It was so cool. The rooms were old and palace like, lavishly decorated, like in the times of kings and queens ruled, just smaller. It was rich in colors of green and yellows and the smells from the kitchen rose. It was fantastic! We got to the restaurant by 7:30 or so and did not leave until 10:15. We talked and ate. I got a glass of champagne to celebrate being done. It was fantastic. Then for dinner a black truffle omelet stuffed with tomatoes, ham, cheese, mushrooms and fine herbs. It was SO good. For dessert, four mini macaroons that we shared and a coffee. It was the best time. The macaroons were amazing! Crusty surface and a smooth middle of luscious yumminess! We got vanilla, raspberry, dark chocolate and violet-blackberry, which was so yummy! We sat and just talked about life and school.
After dinner I took a cab back home. But I did not go home right away. I decided to walk around the river Seine and take in the beauty that is Paris. (I was careful mom) It never ceases to amaze me the look of the Effiel Tower. I will never grow old of looking at it. It was bright and lit up on my way to dinner, sparkling. Tonight, it was quite and lit. The spotlight at the top of the tower was rotating going into the distance. It is soothing and just beautiful to look at. You stand by it and you feel so small. It is just unbelievable. I said good-bye to Paris.
One more thing. I finally got my grades for patisserie in basic from Australia. I was awarded the Dux award. This means I was first overall all the patisserie students. How cool is that? I got a book of desserts from LCB. It is very exciting. I just need to receive my certificate for basic cuisine. Hopefully I will get it soon!
Well one more chapter closed in this culinary journey. The next section will begin and end in London. I am 2/3rds done and I can taste the freedom. In superior patisserie I will be playing with pulled sugar and chocolate show pieces. I CANNOT WAIT! Cuisine, well hopefully I will get in for the cycle starting March 23rd....that would be a great birthday present. Well, until superior starts....au revoir
This is for Nicole.
Nicole, LCB is awesome! I am so glad that you were able to get some insight to Le Grande Diploma. But one word of advice, if you plan to come to Paris, I hope you know french. Superior cuisine and patisserie are taught only in french. If you know it, good. If you plan to take french lessons and take Le Grande Diploma, you need alot of coffee and a lot of stamina; it takes alot out of you.
About housing.....when you are accepted into any program within LCB, they send you info about everything, especially Paris. Paris is wonderful with all the information they give to you. It is very helpful. I went through one of the agencies that was in their booklet of housing. It did not take long, except looking at the apartments on-line. There are many flats and apartments, you just have to be willing to look.
I hope this helps you. If you have anymore questions, please contact me. I would love to help you in anyway! Just leave your e-mail in the comment section and I won't publish it. If you need anything else, don't hesitate to ask
Laura
Nicole, LCB is awesome! I am so glad that you were able to get some insight to Le Grande Diploma. But one word of advice, if you plan to come to Paris, I hope you know french. Superior cuisine and patisserie are taught only in french. If you know it, good. If you plan to take french lessons and take Le Grande Diploma, you need alot of coffee and a lot of stamina; it takes alot out of you.
About housing.....when you are accepted into any program within LCB, they send you info about everything, especially Paris. Paris is wonderful with all the information they give to you. It is very helpful. I went through one of the agencies that was in their booklet of housing. It did not take long, except looking at the apartments on-line. There are many flats and apartments, you just have to be willing to look.
I hope this helps you. If you have anymore questions, please contact me. I would love to help you in anyway! Just leave your e-mail in the comment section and I won't publish it. If you need anything else, don't hesitate to ask
Laura
Thursday, March 08, 2007
This week has been filled with, well, the ending of intermediate cuisine and patisserie. I have not been able to sleep very well this past week. My only guess to why is because of finals approaching. On Tuesday, I had my first written exam in patisserie. It went ok. It was 8 pages long, but nothing too serious, except the last page with half a recipe missing. We were supposed to memorize 8 different recipes and then fill in the blank on the test with quantities, ingredients and the names of each part of the cake or macaroon or whatever. I did not memorize the recipes. I learned bits and pieces of each. But all in all the test went smoothly. We will have to wait and see about the grade.
Wednesday was my last practical ever in Paris, for both cuisine and patisserie. Unfortunately I missed my last cuisine practical. I wanted to sleep, so I did. Plus we were doing fish and I did not want to smell of fish all day. So I slept and went to school by 12 for my 12:30 class, a demonstration in patisserie. We were making croquembouche: little choux puffs filled with delicious patisserie cream, dipped in caramel and stalked high. It was fantastic. This demo was for us to watch the chef assemble the masterpiece. He made two. We also got to watch him play with sugar. He made three different colors of sugar and then began to pull it.
Pulled sugar is a mixture of sugar, water and glucose which is cooked to 170 degrees Celsius, or around there. Then it is colored and poured out onto a silmat. It is then worked into itself, by turning the sides into the middle and kneading it. This is to prevent the sugar from forming lumps. Finally, when it has cooled a touch, the chef begins to takes pieces and made things out of it. Chef made a ribbon of three colors, a red/yellow rose and petals. It was so cool to watch the chef pull sugar. The whole room went quiet. The room is never quiet. It makes you stop breathing just watching. I want to do this!
My croquembouche is ok. It needs alittle help, but it is my first one. I will have pictures up later. The students in Paris had made a base for a cake in basic using this method of choux puffs, patisserie cream and caramel. So they had a head start. But it was a great last class.
Today, Thursday, and tomorrow are the last demonstrations. Today's last demo in cuisine was fantastic. The food was excellent and everyone was happy, even chef. Tomorrow, I have my cuisine written exam, patisserie demo and then the student party later that night. Le Cordon Bleu rents out a pub for all the students. Just about everyone comes. There is free food and free drinks from 10 until 2. That is 4 hours of complete debauchery. And since we are chefs, or wanna-be chefs, alcohol runs in our blood and it is of course a given that everyone will get drunk. It should be interesting.
The rest of the weekend I shall be studying and hanging out with some friends, a final good-bye. The friends that I have made here are sad that I am leaving. But they understand. Hopefully we will keep in touch. Next week is my final time in Paris. Two cooking practicals for finals and then I am on a plane back to the states. Hopefully I will not miss this plane like I did in Australia, knock on wood. Well, I should go and study, take care all
Laura
Wednesday was my last practical ever in Paris, for both cuisine and patisserie. Unfortunately I missed my last cuisine practical. I wanted to sleep, so I did. Plus we were doing fish and I did not want to smell of fish all day. So I slept and went to school by 12 for my 12:30 class, a demonstration in patisserie. We were making croquembouche: little choux puffs filled with delicious patisserie cream, dipped in caramel and stalked high. It was fantastic. This demo was for us to watch the chef assemble the masterpiece. He made two. We also got to watch him play with sugar. He made three different colors of sugar and then began to pull it.
Pulled sugar is a mixture of sugar, water and glucose which is cooked to 170 degrees Celsius, or around there. Then it is colored and poured out onto a silmat. It is then worked into itself, by turning the sides into the middle and kneading it. This is to prevent the sugar from forming lumps. Finally, when it has cooled a touch, the chef begins to takes pieces and made things out of it. Chef made a ribbon of three colors, a red/yellow rose and petals. It was so cool to watch the chef pull sugar. The whole room went quiet. The room is never quiet. It makes you stop breathing just watching. I want to do this!
My croquembouche is ok. It needs alittle help, but it is my first one. I will have pictures up later. The students in Paris had made a base for a cake in basic using this method of choux puffs, patisserie cream and caramel. So they had a head start. But it was a great last class.
Today, Thursday, and tomorrow are the last demonstrations. Today's last demo in cuisine was fantastic. The food was excellent and everyone was happy, even chef. Tomorrow, I have my cuisine written exam, patisserie demo and then the student party later that night. Le Cordon Bleu rents out a pub for all the students. Just about everyone comes. There is free food and free drinks from 10 until 2. That is 4 hours of complete debauchery. And since we are chefs, or wanna-be chefs, alcohol runs in our blood and it is of course a given that everyone will get drunk. It should be interesting.
The rest of the weekend I shall be studying and hanging out with some friends, a final good-bye. The friends that I have made here are sad that I am leaving. But they understand. Hopefully we will keep in touch. Next week is my final time in Paris. Two cooking practicals for finals and then I am on a plane back to the states. Hopefully I will not miss this plane like I did in Australia, knock on wood. Well, I should go and study, take care all
Laura
Friday, March 02, 2007
I woke up today with a sore back, right at the base of my neck. I finally realized why when I left school this afternoon….making bread. On Thursday, my patisserie group got to make bread, the real French bread: baguettes and sandwich bread. It was so cool. Making bread makes me happy.
My class is so much fun. It started off, like most every class (cuisine and patisserie), with a song, the whole class (who knows English) begins to sing “O Happy Days”. (It usually only 6 of us, but it is still fun.)That’s right, the same song in Sister Act II. The chefs think it is funny and it puts everyone in a good mood. So why not do it. So we sing, weigh out ingredients and began making bread. We kneaded the bread for at least 30 minutes, by hand. We bring the dough over our heads and slap it on to counter and repeat. It kind of tires you out, but the final outcome is perfect. We made two different breads. The first was the traditional French baguette that you can buy for less than a euro in most bakeries. Mine was perfect, according to the chef, pointed end and everything. The second type of bread we made was sandwich bread. It was different; we cooked it in molds with covers on it. This prevented the dough from rising too much over the mold. When it was done, I turned out a perfectly square white sandwich bread. It was all very yummy. I dined on a great sandwich from my freshly baked bread.
I think one of the most exciting things about going to culinary school in France is learning how to make French bread. I know my father was excited to know I would be learning how to make the French baguette. He loves bread. We always have a baguette with dinner. Plus, bread serves as a utensil at times. You can use bread to mop up sauces and juices, use it to scoop up salad and with the leftover from dinner, in the morning make French toast!
I learned, but I still have a lot more to learn about bread baking. It all has to do with the flour. In France, they use type 55 flour. In America, we use bread flour. These two flours are very different in gluten, what gives the bread elasticity. The chef said that a great baker would be able to make great bread anywhere anytime. Hopefully, one day I will be able to do that, even using the bread flour from America. Just give it time. Bread baking is an art form, one I hope to learn more about.
It is the end of another week, almost. That means I am another week closer in coming home. Finals begin on Tuesday, with written exams. Than on March 12th, the final in practicals begin. That is when I will actually be cooking. No one really knows what to study or what to expect. Oh well. I have to buckle down this weekend and study study study. Anyone have any tips in memorizing numbers? Let me know.
My class is so much fun. It started off, like most every class (cuisine and patisserie), with a song, the whole class (who knows English) begins to sing “O Happy Days”. (It usually only 6 of us, but it is still fun.)That’s right, the same song in Sister Act II. The chefs think it is funny and it puts everyone in a good mood. So why not do it. So we sing, weigh out ingredients and began making bread. We kneaded the bread for at least 30 minutes, by hand. We bring the dough over our heads and slap it on to counter and repeat. It kind of tires you out, but the final outcome is perfect. We made two different breads. The first was the traditional French baguette that you can buy for less than a euro in most bakeries. Mine was perfect, according to the chef, pointed end and everything. The second type of bread we made was sandwich bread. It was different; we cooked it in molds with covers on it. This prevented the dough from rising too much over the mold. When it was done, I turned out a perfectly square white sandwich bread. It was all very yummy. I dined on a great sandwich from my freshly baked bread.
I think one of the most exciting things about going to culinary school in France is learning how to make French bread. I know my father was excited to know I would be learning how to make the French baguette. He loves bread. We always have a baguette with dinner. Plus, bread serves as a utensil at times. You can use bread to mop up sauces and juices, use it to scoop up salad and with the leftover from dinner, in the morning make French toast!
I learned, but I still have a lot more to learn about bread baking. It all has to do with the flour. In France, they use type 55 flour. In America, we use bread flour. These two flours are very different in gluten, what gives the bread elasticity. The chef said that a great baker would be able to make great bread anywhere anytime. Hopefully, one day I will be able to do that, even using the bread flour from America. Just give it time. Bread baking is an art form, one I hope to learn more about.
It is the end of another week, almost. That means I am another week closer in coming home. Finals begin on Tuesday, with written exams. Than on March 12th, the final in practicals begin. That is when I will actually be cooking. No one really knows what to study or what to expect. Oh well. I have to buckle down this weekend and study study study. Anyone have any tips in memorizing numbers? Let me know.
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