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