our definition

my favorite chef, nicolas

today was the certificate ceremony where we receive details of our grade and see the chefs and students one last time.  apart from the uncharacteristic "graduation" speech from the principal...more like a sales pitch to sign up for more classes and what a wonderful team and facility lcb offers, the smiling students enjoyed canapés and champagne while taking pictures of the chefs as if they were disneyland characters.

so while i started off reaching for distinction, practicing and studying, soon learned that it was near impossible for a basic student to get in the 90th percentile as we're graded at a professional level.  so then it was shooting for mention bien (80th percentile) which is where i teetered at mid-term.  all i had to do was execute with the same consistency at the final...and sadly, i didn't.  i knew when i left the final, having prepared the exam recipe, where i messed up.  i know of one student that scored mention bien.  i passed, without special mention, but with a solid score.

disappointed?  yes.  i went shopping.  very disappointed with myself, mulling over how i could have done better.  having mourned and slightly consoled with my new clothes, i felt better knowing my perseverance doesn't stop here.  some girls were very upset with their score - unfair scoring process, lack of transparency, collapsing under the pressure.  it was particularly hard for those defined by a score.  high scores are definitely no small feat but do they sufficient to define oneself, especially for a lifetime?

i'd like to think that attitude and outlook have value, too.  for my part, i am defined by my experiences and my reaction to results and outcomes.

every ending is a new beginning

isn't it funny how some lyrics, whether or not you like the song (closing time by semisonic), get stuck in your head for years?

today was the last day of school.  there are some administrative meetings to wrap up grading and feedback but today was the last day.  we played with chocolate and made truffles.

charlotte aux cassis by chef graeme

it's been some time...actually, the beginning of the quarter, since i've sat down to reflect on the experience of 1)going back to school and 2)attending a famous school made even more famous by a contemporary movie.

the teaching was fantastic - the chefs couldn't have been any more experienced in their profession and prepared to instruct novices.  (administrative aspect was another issue.)  we prepared tarts (shortcrust pastry, sweet pastry, puff pastry), mousse (all kinds...), cremes (stirred and baked), cakes, ice cream and sorbets, petit fours...i certainly learned techniques and little "chemistry" of patisserie that will help going forward.  finals were nerve-wracking, having to prepare one of three recipes and completing the written exam.  but it's done.

pistachio macaroons by chef graeme

the most impactful, however, has yet to be fully discovered.  there's nothing like throwing people with different backgrounds - socioeconomic, cultural, education, interests - and putting them in uniforms for hands-on tasks to even the playing field.  there was the crazy one, sour types, young'uns, a couple that everyone loves, quiet shy ones, perfectionists and yet everyone got along.

st honore gateaux by chef graeme

the take-aways that didn't get blogged during the second half of term primarily had to do with people - "did the wine lecturer just have a botox injection?"  "geraldine...terrorist." "cuisine chef making chicken stock during puff pastry practical was unacceptable."  "chocolate is not stupid."  "it's a fox's tail!"  "i haven't gone to the bathroom in two days."

best one between chef and student:
Q: what do you do when it's rock hard?
A: bang it.
translation - if butter is not soft enough for butter cream, use a rolling pin to bang it.

some of us are returning from whence we came, others will go back to their day job or full-time school and a few will continue with lcb.  it will be interesting to see with time who becomes the expert chef at home, restauranteur, pastry shop owner or someone who just does it for the love of.

11 weeks went by quick and was surprisingly fun.  i'm grateful for the opportunity to learn and even more grateful to have met the girls.

we were there

jason and i can now say we've been to an olympic event.  the olympics in london has been a hot topic ever since we arrived.  engage in a conversation with any perfect stranger and expect an opinion.  cab drivers loathed to see the level of loss and they'd be happy to explain the economics of it during your ride.  local businesses braced for the loss of traffic.  unless they had tickets, most of our friends tried to get out of town.

which is probably why the period of july 27 through august 12 was the quietest it's ever been in our neighborhood (tourist central) as all the tourists were in the east end, near olympic village.  our commutes were the most peaceful and sometimes, the platform was even dead empty (even at oxford circus!).

USA v Korea Women's Volleyball (3-1) 

we got tickets in the second uk lottery - of course, we still had to pay for them.  we watched early rounds - women's indoor volleyball and men's soccer.

it was really cool to be able to watch team USA in volleyball as we had no idea of the line-up during the lottery.  we felt the patriotism of USA fans and were proud to join in song and chants.  the team should have won gold, having beaten brazil in an earlier match 3-0, but we're proud of them all the same!

GB v UAE Football (3-1)

we watched the first team GB ever play against UAE.  it was a young team and the fans seemed slightly confused on how to cheer given that it was the first time they'd ever come together.  usually there's song after song and lots of cheering (hooligan sport played by gentlemen) but it was eerily quiet.  they did, however, love the "mexican wave" known as "the wave" by americans.  asked where the act got its name - it first started at the world cup in mexico.  team gb pulled it out 3-1, better stamina that UAE and performed that much better in the second.

Walk from Wembley Stadium to Tube

wembley stadium has a capacity of 90k but i think there was no more than 70k that night given all the empty seats.  getting to the tube was orderly but the ocean of people was a sight to behold.

team GB was focused on this olympics being "the best ever."  it puzzles me that they feel the need to prove the contribution of the small island to the history.  strategically, it was a difficult task but even with the snafoo of the ticketing process (sam h), the olympics were considered an overall success, especially those who enjoyed some peace and quiet in the west end.

tartes

we finally worked on one of the potential exam recipes.  the basic course gets it a little easier than the more advances courses - we are provided with 3 potential exam recipes to be prepared and presented on exam day.  one chance only.

the tarte au citron, a shortcrust pastry filled with lemon curd and topped with italian meringue piped in the traditional herringbone design and candied matchstick lemon peels.  it's not terribly difficult to make a presentable tart...the things most restaurant chefs pass as acceptable.  however, we are judged on what seems to be a practical curve - most will pass but few will get into in the 80th percentile and maybe one person in the 90th percentile.

it was a pressured 2.5 hour practical as we were constantly reminded of the time constraint of the exam.  -for every minute over time, 2% is deducted from the final score and 10 minutes over time results in disqualification (failure of the course).

so here was my product v the demo by chef graeme (since the school won't released a soft copy of the picture with the exam notes):

went the wrong direction on one of the rows and obviously has room for improvement but chef christope did say it was pass worthy...not bad for the first try.

made by chef graeme

we also prepared the tartes aux pommes: a sweet pastry filled with apple compote and topped with apples.  chef graeme said the french like to have a little bit of black on the top...he literally said that with baking, french say, "black is beautiful."

my favorite lecture - cheese

there are 2 mandatory lectures outside of our regular patisserie routine.  last week i attend the best cheese lecture ever...and arguably one of the top 10 lectures ever attended.

tom of cheese cellar, a wholesale supplier, brought cheese to life from its genesis (post-caveman) through antiquities and the medieval times to modern day...all in 3 hours.  he was the equivalent of a bill nye the science guy for sophisticated cheese mongers or even general food history.

he needs to get his own tv show.  but in the mean time, i'm reading up on food history.

creme and more creme

after creme patisserie, creme diplomat, creme anglaise, creme chantilly (and wanting to try creme mousseline), we delved into creme caramel and creme brûlée along with some coulis and tuile as decoration.

chef christophe told us to channel the artist in us.  -there's a reason i didn't go to art school.  i went through 5 piping bags just to prepare the tuile (the cracker like things on the plate).  then i went through 3 piping bags between practicing and plating the chocolate butterfly.  my plates were the equivalent of drawing with crayons compared to other students sculpting marble.

(not a fan of the fruit salad on the brûlée but it's what the demo wanted.)

as chef nicholas said, patisserie is chemistry.  it is fairly calculating as the break down and coagulation of ingredients is paramount to the final product's flavor, texture and appearance.  about 50% of the time is spent on preparing the dish itself.  and then the rest of the time is for plating.

the pace is picking up with more to prepare during our 2.5 hour practical sessions and it will only continue to add on until the "normal" pace we'll face in 3 weeks.

sugar and creme

fruit salad by chef matthew

i've completely switched gears.  jason asks me what i've enjoyed about lcb so far and i think it will take some time to reflect and thoughtfully articulate a concise sentiment.  i think i've clearly enjoyed everything based on the way i ramble to him everyday.  everything is new.  everyone is new.  there is so much to digest in going back to school-life.

i love that i go to school to learn...perhaps even better myself.  i love the structure, even if it is inconsistent among teaching chefs.  i love meeting people.  i love using my hands to make yummy things.

this first week at school was such a blur figuring out this new schedule.  we focused on food safety and hygiene before we were let into the kitchen.  and even then, there is definitely decorum.  we are evaluated on hygiene (cleaning our utensils and area after every step), safety, presentation of ourselves in pressed and clean uniforms and finally, presentation of the dish.

cool things from this week - 1) plunging my hand in boiling water to feel the different stages of sugar. 2) making creme that once seemed so foreign but now seems is a delight in tarts and desserts.  3) piping meringue.  i have some practicing to do this weekend.

swiss meringue by chef matthew

frankly, the hardest thing about school is finding space to change in/out of my uniform amongst 60+ other girls in a space that allows me to stand in front of my locker (not necessarily bent over to pull my pants on) and an aisle for people to walk behind me as i'm right in front of the door...which also faces directly to the boys changing room.  it's really something else when a girl next to me sprays perfume while i'm changing.

so other than showing up early, taking lots of notes, washing my now-eternally dry hands over and over, whisking with the benefit of arm muscle strength, much time is spent getting to know the girls.  my group is all girls.  the entire basic patisserie class has 2 guys only because they're in the grand diploma program.  the girls have been a surprising treat - getting to know people with different passions, different backgrounds, and thankfully, some very focused and hardworking (affreen!) that make partner-practicals a pleasure.