Chocolate Showpiece!

Just checking in quickly to show you all my chocolate showpiece. I am very proud and wanted to share! Our theme was spring...

Death by Chocolate

OK so maybe petits fours aren't my favorite things...but isn't that what we are here to learn for? :)
Collectively, I think our class did very well (as we always do :))  Here is a pic of all of our different mini cakes

As well as some of my own...

Petits fours are tough...especially when you are working with others. Not only do they all have to look exactly the same, but you aren't always the only one making a certain treat, so you have to match the other people in the kitchen.

As we moved on to cakes, we all could express our own creativity. And we rocked it!
These are a couple of my practice cakes...a black forest cake

a marzipan cake that i practiced piping on...

An a fondant cake with fondant bow...

Also a Fraiser cake filled with strawberries and delicious pastry cream buttercream

And a Buch de Noel, which is the traditional French Christmas log.  Here is Chef Kir demonstrating the cake, and then my own version

I was so happy with my final cake! It was a Valentine's cake that I made for my love :)

 Here is a pic of Kelly and I with our cakes (her's says "I love you more than cake." how cute is that?!)

My classmate, Sam's, beautiful winter solstice cake...

Hunter's hilarious Bachelor cake

Lindsays gorgeous flower cake...

Angela's adorable Baby shower cake...

Josee's perfect cake... I told her she should own a cake shop! (She already does hehe :))

Kathleen's Marry Me cake (hint hint ;))

And Dru's Valentine's cake with a smooching frog...so cute and creative!!

I told you we all rocked it :)



And now...we moved on to chocolate!! Chocolate is its own beast.  I won't bore you with the details of the history of chocolate or with the specific times and temperatures in which to perfectly temper chocolate.  I will just pretend it is really easy and show you the pictures!

First I need to brag that I got to meet Zac Young from Top Chef: Just Desserts

OK moving on.
We of course needed to taste all different kinds of chocolates as an introduction to this unit...oh poor us!

We learned how to make chocolate leaves...
Step 1

 Step 2

 Step 3

 

See, easy! (ya right)

We made a delicious chocolate fruit cake (which doesn't sound good but it really is, i swear!) that I adorned with tempered chocolate and chocolate leaves

Then we made AMAZING L'orange truffles by hand!  Here is Chef Peter demonstrating hand rolling and hand dipping truffles...

We then made chocolate boxes, which was frustrating and time consuming and annoying....and rewarding!
Here is my box in its many pieces...each side is made separately, each pattern is layered, each flower is made pedal by pedal, and each bow is made in a million pieces. 

But when assembled and filled with truffles it is all worth it!

We are now working on our chocolate showpieces, which are 8 inch stand made entirely out of chocolate that can hold our little chocolate candies that we have created.

Stay tuned!!

Practice makes perfect!

Finally done with bread! I have to say it was my least favorite unit so far...but my favorite to eat! :)
The best part of the unit was being introduced to Chef Kir Rodriguez.  He is a former monk and brings an incredible calming energy to the kitchen...not to mention a great sense of humor! Here is a picture of Chef Kir frying English Muffins...

Our exam consisted of croissants, pain au chocolat, petite pains, and currant scones.  We also got to have some fun with pizzas to relieve the test stress. I made a prosciutto, mozzarella, and basil pizza.Yum! I did pretty well if I do say so myself!

 

We finally got to move on to one of my favorite things...petite fours! In French it literally means tiny ovens. These beautiful little treats are meant to be the one perfect bite...and they are! So far we have done raspberry and chocolate macarons, passion fruit tarts, financiers, Sarah Berhardts, and rum raison cookies...and got to plate them all beautifully.

 We also did traditional Opera cakes that are filled with coffee buttercream and chocolate ganache. Decadence!

Being in a kitchen and baking every day, one would think that I would be sick of food...but this is not the case.  We all are aspiring chefs because it is a passion.  So on our free time, what do you think we all do? Eat, cook and talk about food!  We love to try new restaurants together, swap recipes, and go to food demonstration. 
Last week, one of my classmates, Angela, generously invited us to her family's trattoria. We walked into this beautiful, rustic restaurant that felt just like home! Her father greeted us and then brought out the most delicious food...and it just kept on coming! I wish I had taken more pictures for you but we were so ensconced in the food I completely forgot :) I did, however, take a shot of the magnificent pizza oven...it was brought in from Italy and the center stone rotates. If only I could fit one in my 250 sq foot studio....

FCI gives us great opportunities by bringing in top chefs to do all different types of demonstrations.  We can see Chef Jacques Torres demo a Bûche de Noël or Chef Ron Ben-Israel demo his stellar cake decorating skills...but we also can see savory chefs at work, which is a nice change of pace. 
Last week we were honored by the presence of Dario Cecchini, the infamous butcher from the village of Panzano in southern Italy.  We watched him butcher an entire cow leg that was brought in by the butcher from Eataly! It was one of the cooler things I have ever seen...I never thought I would say that about someone hacking up a 250 lb piece of beef...

(That's Dario on the right)

Just when you think you can't get enough of food...think again!  On Sunday I spent hours practicing piping. I made really cute sugar cookies in the shape of the Eiffel Tower. I am getting better everyday!

 When you find your passion, whether its a thing, or a spouse, or a friend, or a child...its something you will never get sick of.  There are days that it makes you so happy, days that it makes you furious, days where it makes you laugh, days where it makes you cry, and days when you just can't figure it out...but everyday, it inspires you.  I am so blessed to have found my "thing."