One of my classmates, Kelly, and I went today after class. We initially went for a quick wine tasting and ended up eating at TWO different places and stayed for THREE hours!!
Best three hours of our lives!
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
"You are what you EATALY!"
One of my classmates, Kelly, and I went today after class. We initially went for a quick wine tasting and ended up eating at TWO different places and stayed for THREE hours!!
Best three hours of our lives!
Fire Drill! (Day 9)
I know, I know...I haven't written in a while...but so much has been going on!! I have so much to tell you...and show you. :)
First a few pictures of our creations of the past couple of days: below please see a picture of our tarte aux noix (nut tart), which is my favorite so far. The first pictured is mine, with a beautiful powdered sugar maple leaf. The second picture is of my classmate's, Hunter (and resident class clown for all obvious reasons :)).
The next is a mini fruit tart. The other one in the picture was smashed during rush hour in the subway...hey that's what you get in New York City!
One of my favorite endeavors so far was piping our Spritskakor cookies (a Scandinavian butter cookie):
We also did: a savory tart of caramelized onions, gorganzola cheese, and tomatoes; tarte aux citron (lemon tart), with beautiful confit de citron as a garnish, which I gave away to a homeless person on my way home (didn't want to carry it around Eataly - see next blog entry :)); and of course learning how to brulée. All creations are pictured below, including a picture of Chef Michael demonstrating the brulée technique, and my fellow classmate, Jennifer, practicing said technique.
Our days as pastry students are extremely intense. You have to LOVE what you are doing or else you will surely fail. This presents a certain stress within our days, however it also reinforces our dedication to the art. During our first week or so of class, we have all been walking on egg shells (no pun intended) and quietly learning our way, not only around the kitchen, but around each other. Last Friday some of the class went out to the "dedicated" student bar, O'Neil's, and got to know each other a bit more. I learned that my fellow classmates are pretty cool! We also got to mingle with more seasoned pastry students, as well as some of the culinary students. Every single person I met had a fire inside them when it came discussing food...a true inspiration and motivation! One of the pastry II students even visited me the following Monday and blessed us with his passion fruit macaroons...yummm!!
With every passing day I am loving pastry more and more...as well as loving my peers more and more! We find time to laugh a bit during the day...especially today when we had our first fire drill. Whilst filtering out into the street and seeing a sea of white, we could all not help but laugh...and secretly all be proud of what we represented!
Congrats future chefs!!
First a few pictures of our creations of the past couple of days: below please see a picture of our tarte aux noix (nut tart), which is my favorite so far. The first pictured is mine, with a beautiful powdered sugar maple leaf. The second picture is of my classmate's, Hunter (and resident class clown for all obvious reasons :)).
We also did: a savory tart of caramelized onions, gorganzola cheese, and tomatoes; tarte aux citron (lemon tart), with beautiful confit de citron as a garnish, which I gave away to a homeless person on my way home (didn't want to carry it around Eataly - see next blog entry :)); and of course learning how to brulée. All creations are pictured below, including a picture of Chef Michael demonstrating the brulée technique, and my fellow classmate, Jennifer, practicing said technique.
Our days as pastry students are extremely intense. You have to LOVE what you are doing or else you will surely fail. This presents a certain stress within our days, however it also reinforces our dedication to the art. During our first week or so of class, we have all been walking on egg shells (no pun intended) and quietly learning our way, not only around the kitchen, but around each other. Last Friday some of the class went out to the "dedicated" student bar, O'Neil's, and got to know each other a bit more. I learned that my fellow classmates are pretty cool! We also got to mingle with more seasoned pastry students, as well as some of the culinary students. Every single person I met had a fire inside them when it came discussing food...a true inspiration and motivation! One of the pastry II students even visited me the following Monday and blessed us with his passion fruit macaroons...yummm!!
With every passing day I am loving pastry more and more...as well as loving my peers more and more! We find time to laugh a bit during the day...especially today when we had our first fire drill. Whilst filtering out into the street and seeing a sea of white, we could all not help but laugh...and secretly all be proud of what we represented!
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Day 5: Yes Chef! No Chef! Thank you chef!
These are basically the only three phrases you say in a day as a pastry student...and you barely have time to say them! As I am cutting in my butter for my pâte brisée, I am also weighing out and rolling my viennese vanilla crescent cookies, while simultaneously preparing my mise en place for my beautiful tarte alsacienne. All while I am making sure to keep myself, and my station, sparkling clean! Oh right, and also all while trying to not pass out from the pressure, sugar high, and pure excitement of it all!
Today we learned how to flambé: a technique that is both classic and exciting! We flambéd apples for the tarte alsacienne by first caramelizing the apples and then adding apple brandy and tipping the pan into the flame in order to catch the liquor on fire and cook it out. Watching this technique as chef demonstrated was great! But then walking away and realizing that we could potentially burn the school down on our 5th day was, well, completely frightening! However we all walked away with the school in tact, with all of our eyebrows, and with delicious tarte alsacienne.
Here is a picture of the class watching chef flambé, a picture of my apricot tart, as well as a video of Chef Mike demonstrating rolling the vanilla crescents.
Bon appetit!
Today we learned how to flambé: a technique that is both classic and exciting! We flambéd apples for the tarte alsacienne by first caramelizing the apples and then adding apple brandy and tipping the pan into the flame in order to catch the liquor on fire and cook it out. Watching this technique as chef demonstrated was great! But then walking away and realizing that we could potentially burn the school down on our 5th day was, well, completely frightening! However we all walked away with the school in tact, with all of our eyebrows, and with delicious tarte alsacienne.
Here is a picture of the class watching chef flambé, a picture of my apricot tart, as well as a video of Chef Mike demonstrating rolling the vanilla crescents.
Bon appetit!
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Day 1 - 4
I have completed my first four days in the pastry kitchen...and I am exhausted! But I am also elated. I am in pastry boot camp and loving every single second of it.
Walking into the school on the first day was...well...it was scary! This is the Princeton of culinary schools and everyone is there to be the best of the best. I was so nervous and anxious to start my studies that my uniform was starched to the point where I was not sure I could move, and I had about 20 pens and 3 notebooks. For those of you who really know me, I have never necessarily been the stellar student. So my level of preparation can only speak to how excited I was to begin this incredible scholarly adventure.
After successfully finding my way through the many (confusing) hallways to the locker room, and sloppily dressing into my uniform (I had no clue if my apron went over or under my chef jacket, never mind what the heck I was supposed to do with the necktie) I ventured into the student lounge to meet my other equally-confused classmates. "Do we put our hats on now? Did you bring your own knives? Do we really have to wear these pants?" My only internal reactions to these questions were: Thank God I am not the only one that is freaking out.
Chef Mike started the first minute of the first day off with an obvious zest for cooking. Every flick of a wrist, slice of a knife, and placement of a product was an inspiration to even the most novice of student-chefs. We were introduced to Chef Jeanne (the assistant chef), the ins and outs of a professional kitchen, how to work as a team, our own personal chef kits (which was a brand new bag of every tool you would ever need and more!), and all of our ingredients. I could not wait to get started!
While I thought perhaps the first day would consist of a 6 hour lecture, the next thing I knew I was beating my pate sucree in preparation to assemble my apple tart. At this point I realized that I was in the presence of the geniuses of the pastry world as well as the 19 other students aspiring to be just like them. In other words...I was in heaven!
I will be trying to blog everyday, but here are some pictures of my first 4 days as a student of the French Pastry Arts:
First my chef jacket (so exciting!), my Tarte aux Pommes (apple tart), my Tarte aux Bananes et Creme (banana cream tart), my Tarte aux Fruits Frais (fresh fruit tart), and my Tarte Bourdaloue (poached pear and almond tart).
Also a picture of Chef presenting his Tarte Bourdaloue, as well as Chef and Chef Jeanne doing a demonstration.
Bon Appetit!!
Walking into the school on the first day was...well...it was scary! This is the Princeton of culinary schools and everyone is there to be the best of the best. I was so nervous and anxious to start my studies that my uniform was starched to the point where I was not sure I could move, and I had about 20 pens and 3 notebooks. For those of you who really know me, I have never necessarily been the stellar student. So my level of preparation can only speak to how excited I was to begin this incredible scholarly adventure.
After successfully finding my way through the many (confusing) hallways to the locker room, and sloppily dressing into my uniform (I had no clue if my apron went over or under my chef jacket, never mind what the heck I was supposed to do with the necktie) I ventured into the student lounge to meet my other equally-confused classmates. "Do we put our hats on now? Did you bring your own knives? Do we really have to wear these pants?" My only internal reactions to these questions were: Thank God I am not the only one that is freaking out.
Chef Mike started the first minute of the first day off with an obvious zest for cooking. Every flick of a wrist, slice of a knife, and placement of a product was an inspiration to even the most novice of student-chefs. We were introduced to Chef Jeanne (the assistant chef), the ins and outs of a professional kitchen, how to work as a team, our own personal chef kits (which was a brand new bag of every tool you would ever need and more!), and all of our ingredients. I could not wait to get started!
While I thought perhaps the first day would consist of a 6 hour lecture, the next thing I knew I was beating my pate sucree in preparation to assemble my apple tart. At this point I realized that I was in the presence of the geniuses of the pastry world as well as the 19 other students aspiring to be just like them. In other words...I was in heaven!
I will be trying to blog everyday, but here are some pictures of my first 4 days as a student of the French Pastry Arts:
First my chef jacket (so exciting!), my Tarte aux Pommes (apple tart), my Tarte aux Bananes et Creme (banana cream tart), my Tarte aux Fruits Frais (fresh fruit tart), and my Tarte Bourdaloue (poached pear and almond tart).
Also a picture of Chef presenting his Tarte Bourdaloue, as well as Chef and Chef Jeanne doing a demonstration.
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