I was extremely lazy this week in class and barely took any photos. Actually, to be fair, I would have taken more but I forgot to charge my camera battery. Whoops.
One of the chocolates we made looked a complete mess, but they were pretty yummy. They were made with dark chocolate, slivered almonds, rice crispies, and crystallized lemon pieces. We first tempered the chocolate, then poured the rest of the ingredients inside and then spooned it out in dollops.
I think my favorite chocolate we made this week was a Bailey's and speculoos combination. We made a Bailey's ganache with milk chocolate, then poured it into milk chocolate molds. Then we made speculoos cookies and attached the Bailey's and milk chocolate balls on top of them by using tempered chocolate as glue. After they were attached and set, we used the spray gun to coat them with more chocolate. Yum!
A runner up to my favorite chocolate was this final one. We made feuilltine and spread it into a round. Then we made a white chocolate and citrus ganache and poured it over the feuilltine in the round. After that set, we sprayed it with the chocolate gun to "chablonner" the chocolate, then cut it into little squares. Then we dipped the squares in tempered milk chocolate to make the final product. Yum!
This coming week (the week I'm technically in right now) is the final week of my pastry course. After that I'm off to travel the world! Ahh, so nervous but so excited!!
Monday, May 28, 2012
Cake Week: Round Three
The last cake week! It was pretty fun. I was partnered with someone as obsessed with decorating perfection as I am, so we worked very well together.
The second cake we made was called B52. It was a coffee, orange, and Bailey's themed cake. We made a chocolate sponge and made ladyfingers with it, as well as two layers of sponge for the inside of the cake. The layers were (from bottom up), chocolate sponge, feuilltine, orange bavarian cream, chocolate sponge, coffee jelly, Bailey's bavarian cream, topped with a mountain of chocolate curls and surrounded by chocolate ladyfingers. It was delicious, but also extremely rich and heavy. Our apartment only kept one cake and we ate only about half of it. Too bad.
The first cake we made was a raspberry and basil tart. The tart dough we made is called "Sable breton," and it's a traditional dough from Bretagne. In Bretagne they really like salted butter, so everything they make in pastry used salted butter instead of the typical unsalted butter. We filled the tart with a basil pastry cream, then topped it with fresh raspberries. It was so fresh and summer-y! I think it was my favorite cake of the week.
The second cake we made was called B52. It was a coffee, orange, and Bailey's themed cake. We made a chocolate sponge and made ladyfingers with it, as well as two layers of sponge for the inside of the cake. The layers were (from bottom up), chocolate sponge, feuilltine, orange bavarian cream, chocolate sponge, coffee jelly, Bailey's bavarian cream, topped with a mountain of chocolate curls and surrounded by chocolate ladyfingers. It was delicious, but also extremely rich and heavy. Our apartment only kept one cake and we ate only about half of it. Too bad.
The third cake we made was called "Mac Cap D'Agde." Our chef invented the dessert and the name. The "mac" part is because the base of the cake is a macaroon, and rest of the name is pretty self-explanatory (the area it was invented). This cake was kind of more of an individual cake, but we made a ton of them. It reminded me of something we would normally make during plated dessert week. The base was a long macaroon (kind of in the shape of an eclair), and on top we put a line of mango pastry cream we made then poured into long skinny molds to set. On top of the mango we piped chocolate banana pastry cream in pretty braids and shells, then sprayed it with a chocolate gun (though I
would have preferred not to). Then on top of that we put a long line of chocolate then put passion fruit caviar on top decoratively. Making the passion fruit caviar was an interesting process. We heated passion fruit pulp and agar-agar together, then poured it into syringe which we then used to push droplets into room-temp oil. The drops then set up into little caviar-like balls, which we strained from the oil to use to decorate. It was very cool.
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| Mac Cap D'Agde final product. |
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| Making passion fruit caviar. |
Sunday, May 13, 2012
Dough Week: Round Three!
After returning from Barcelona and Ireland on my week off, we jumped right into our final dough week! We didn't make a lot of different dough this week because Thursday and Friday were completely devoted to making desserts for a really important cocktail the school was catering for, but I'll show you some of what we did make.
This week we finally made croissants! I've been waiting to make them ever since I got here. I'm really proud of the croissants my partner Merav and I made, they were so pretty. Also, we got the right number of croissants we were supposed to get from the amount of dough we made, which I'm pretty happy about.
The cocktail the school was catering for was kind of like a promotion for the school so a lot of important people were there. The mayor of Agde was one of the guests, and we spoke about the school and we posed for a bunch of photos with him. I'm really not 100% sure what it was about to be honest, but the desserts we made for it were pretty sweet. We made Paris Brests but with a twist. Hazelnuts are usually the preferred nuts to use but instead we used pecans. They were very good and I ate about three of them. Nom. We also made tiny tarts made from chocolate sugar dough and filled with almond cream, and on top we put a raspberry coulis that was frozen and dipped in gelatin so it holds it shapes. When you bite into it the coulis kind of explodes out, so you have to pop the whole thing into your mouth at once. The third dessert we made were macaroons smoked with wine wood and filled with chocolate cream. It was the strangest thing. It almost tasted like it should be filled with something savory like a cheese instead of chocolate because of the smokey taste. Another thing we made was pannacotta layered with passion fruit juice. That was very good, and I liked that we used juice instead of jelly because it gave it a different texture/consistency. The last dessert was a cheesecake square filled with orange marmalade on a sugar dough square, topped with a piece of chocolate. I would have liked it if it didn't have the orange marmalade. Marmalade in France is too bitter for my taste. Overall though the desserts for the cocktail were delicious and they went over pretty well.
Two of the breads we made were "Tradition" baguettes. Traditions are actually my favorite kind of baguette you can get from the boulangeries around here, so I was pretty excited about that. We made the classic Tradition baguette and then we made a second one where we added a bunch of seeds. Both were very good. We also made another bread that the chef called "Tranchoir." "Tranche" means "slice" in English, and that's where this bread gets it's name. It's wide enough to be cut into slices and used for sandwiches or toast. It was pretty good, but I don't have a photo.
This week we finally made croissants! I've been waiting to make them ever since I got here. I'm really proud of the croissants my partner Merav and I made, they were so pretty. Also, we got the right number of croissants we were supposed to get from the amount of dough we made, which I'm pretty happy about. 
The cocktail the school was catering for was kind of like a promotion for the school so a lot of important people were there. The mayor of Agde was one of the guests, and we spoke about the school and we posed for a bunch of photos with him. I'm really not 100% sure what it was about to be honest, but the desserts we made for it were pretty sweet. We made Paris Brests but with a twist. Hazelnuts are usually the preferred nuts to use but instead we used pecans. They were very good and I ate about three of them. Nom. We also made tiny tarts made from chocolate sugar dough and filled with almond cream, and on top we put a raspberry coulis that was frozen and dipped in gelatin so it holds it shapes. When you bite into it the coulis kind of explodes out, so you have to pop the whole thing into your mouth at once. The third dessert we made were macaroons smoked with wine wood and filled with chocolate cream. It was the strangest thing. It almost tasted like it should be filled with something savory like a cheese instead of chocolate because of the smokey taste. Another thing we made was pannacotta layered with passion fruit juice. That was very good, and I liked that we used juice instead of jelly because it gave it a different texture/consistency. The last dessert was a cheesecake square filled with orange marmalade on a sugar dough square, topped with a piece of chocolate. I would have liked it if it didn't have the orange marmalade. Marmalade in France is too bitter for my taste. Overall though the desserts for the cocktail were delicious and they went over pretty well.
Next week is the final cake week-- can't wait!
Plated Desserts: Round Two
Plated dessert week was pretty fabulous. I had a lot of fun with all of the recipes, and they tasted pretty amazing.
The first one we made may have been my favorite. It was a flourless chocolate biscuit, a layer of chocolate earl grey tea mousse, a layer of sesame tuile and chocolate, then an earl grey tea ice cream, and another sesame tuile. It was so good and it was very interesting to look at as well.
The second we made was an apple terrine on pate a sucre base, with a cerdon granite on one, rosemary flowers on the other, black currant coulis, black currant jellies, and a rosemary ice cream. The flavors were so itneresting. I really liked the rosemary ice cream, but I wasn't a fan of the cerdon granite.
The third dessert was by far the prettiest in my opinion. The base was a semolina cake, then a layer of sweet vanilla cream, and in the middle was a grapefruit reduction. On top was a layer of almond tuile, grapefruit sorbet, and a slice of dehydrated grapefruit and a piece of chocolate. Underneath was more of the grapefruit reduction. Chef complimented me on my quenelle of sorbet which was pretty cool!
The last dessert was maybe my second favorite of the week. In the middle of the glass was a tube of lime mousse, and around it we poured in rice pudding, and on top of that we added a layer of strawberry jelly. On top of the lime mousse we put a ball of exotic fruit sorbet rolled in caramelized coconut, and then on top of the glass was kind of a swirl of cigarette paste. The flavors were so fresh and light and nommm.
The first one we made may have been my favorite. It was a flourless chocolate biscuit, a layer of chocolate earl grey tea mousse, a layer of sesame tuile and chocolate, then an earl grey tea ice cream, and another sesame tuile. It was so good and it was very interesting to look at as well.
The third dessert was by far the prettiest in my opinion. The base was a semolina cake, then a layer of sweet vanilla cream, and in the middle was a grapefruit reduction. On top was a layer of almond tuile, grapefruit sorbet, and a slice of dehydrated grapefruit and a piece of chocolate. Underneath was more of the grapefruit reduction. Chef complimented me on my quenelle of sorbet which was pretty cool!
Friday, April 20, 2012
Chocolate Week: Round Two!
Finally up to date. Today was the last day of the second week of chocolate week, though we still need to finish up a recipe on Monday. The chocolates we made this week were fantastic. All three of the chocolates we made thus far are some of my absolute favorite flavor combinations.
The first chocolate is a classic french chocolate called 1848. We made ours with hazelnut praline (which we made ourselves), roasted hazelnuts, feuilletine, and milk chocolate. It's pretty sickly sweet, but so good. We brushed it with an edible gold powder after taking it out of the bar molds.
The second one we made was a white chocolate, strawberry, and lychee ganache inside a milk chocolate shell which we then put a stick in, dipped in more milk chocolate, then sprinkled with crystallized rose candy. They're ridiculously adorable, and they may be even more delicious than they are cute.
Another chocolate we made was sort of a caramel ganache with milk chocolate, which we cut into triangular pieces, dipped in more milk chocolate, and sprinkled with sea salt. Caramel, chocolate, and sea salt? Yes please!
The last chocolate we made this week was a rocher truffle made from a coffee infused dark chocolate ganache, then dipped in dark chocolate and caramelized almonds. Coffee and dark chocolate may be the winning flavor combo from this week.
The first chocolate is a classic french chocolate called 1848. We made ours with hazelnut praline (which we made ourselves), roasted hazelnuts, feuilletine, and milk chocolate. It's pretty sickly sweet, but so good. We brushed it with an edible gold powder after taking it out of the bar molds.
The last chocolate we made this week was a rocher truffle made from a coffee infused dark chocolate ganache, then dipped in dark chocolate and caramelized almonds. Coffee and dark chocolate may be the winning flavor combo from this week.
Cake Week: Round Two!
This was a delicious week. The cakes may have even been better than the first cake week, which is really saying something.
Cake 1:
This was probably my least favorite cake out of all the cakes we've made. This cake had a pate a sucre (sugar dough) base, and on top of that was a brownie. I feel like I should describe this brownie though, because it is not a normal brownie-- it's a frenchified brownie. It started out pretty normal (melted chocolate, sugar, nuts, etc.), but we made a meringue which we then folded into the chocolate mixture. The brownie was not at all fudge-y and gooey, it was light and relatively dry. It would have been good if we had left it at that, but on top of the brownie we spread a layer of really bitter orange marmalade. I was not a fan. On top of the orange marmalade was a chocolate-tea mousse. I actually really liked that, but not everyone was fond of the tea in it. We decorated the top with chocolate decorations we made ourselves. Pretty cool!
Cake 2:
This was suuuuuper good. Chef called it an Inflorescence cake. It was layers of almond dacquoise, milk chocolate mousse, cherry jam, and another layer of the almond dacquoise. We then submerged it in an amaretto flavored bavarian cream, then poured a marble glaze on top. The decoration on top is made of isomalt, which we painted with an really pretty mauve-ish colored edible powder. I think it's the prettiest thing we've made since I've been here. Gorgeous.
Cake 3:
This may have been my favorite of both cake weeks thus far. It's a coconut cream tart with exotic fruits and a lime mousse. I'm normally a sucker for chocolate desserts and often skip over the fruity desserts, but this fruity dessert is giving all of the chocolate desserts I've eaten a run for their money. The dough is a pate a sucre dough, and we baked that slightly then filled it with a coconut cream we made and put it back in the oven. We put an apricot glaze over that, then sliced the lime mousse we made (which we poured into tubes and froze to get the round shaped slices) and decorated the tart with the mousse and a bunch of fresh fruit. We used mango, baby bananas (which I still don't know the technical name for), pineapple, kiwi, papaya, passion fruit seeds, and dried pieces of coconut. Then we sprayed it with apricot glaze again, et voila! Delicieux!
Cake 1:
This was probably my least favorite cake out of all the cakes we've made. This cake had a pate a sucre (sugar dough) base, and on top of that was a brownie. I feel like I should describe this brownie though, because it is not a normal brownie-- it's a frenchified brownie. It started out pretty normal (melted chocolate, sugar, nuts, etc.), but we made a meringue which we then folded into the chocolate mixture. The brownie was not at all fudge-y and gooey, it was light and relatively dry. It would have been good if we had left it at that, but on top of the brownie we spread a layer of really bitter orange marmalade. I was not a fan. On top of the orange marmalade was a chocolate-tea mousse. I actually really liked that, but not everyone was fond of the tea in it. We decorated the top with chocolate decorations we made ourselves. Pretty cool!
This was suuuuuper good. Chef called it an Inflorescence cake. It was layers of almond dacquoise, milk chocolate mousse, cherry jam, and another layer of the almond dacquoise. We then submerged it in an amaretto flavored bavarian cream, then poured a marble glaze on top. The decoration on top is made of isomalt, which we painted with an really pretty mauve-ish colored edible powder. I think it's the prettiest thing we've made since I've been here. Gorgeous.
Cake 3:
This may have been my favorite of both cake weeks thus far. It's a coconut cream tart with exotic fruits and a lime mousse. I'm normally a sucker for chocolate desserts and often skip over the fruity desserts, but this fruity dessert is giving all of the chocolate desserts I've eaten a run for their money. The dough is a pate a sucre dough, and we baked that slightly then filled it with a coconut cream we made and put it back in the oven. We put an apricot glaze over that, then sliced the lime mousse we made (which we poured into tubes and froze to get the round shaped slices) and decorated the tart with the mousse and a bunch of fresh fruit. We used mango, baby bananas (which I still don't know the technical name for), pineapple, kiwi, papaya, passion fruit seeds, and dried pieces of coconut. Then we sprayed it with apricot glaze again, et voila! Delicieux!
Cocktail Week/Dough Week
The week after plated dessert week was even crazier, and I wasn't sure that was even possible. We started the four week sequence over, so we were back to doing dough. But! That was the last week for the students who started in January (and a couple who had started in September), and at the end of every term there's a cocktail party. All of the students leaving/graduating at the end of the term are required to make a dessert (or appetizer if they're in the cuisine course) from their country of origin, and they spent most of that week in the kitchen preparing for it. That was also the first week of a few new students, so the kitchen was absolutely packed.
I don't have any photos of the bread we made that week, and honestly I'm not sure that I even remember all of what we made. I do remember we made an anise flavored bread, pain de mie, classic baguettes, and financiers. That may have been it. Chef also had the students who weren't leaving make some more desserts for the cocktail party (like mini tarts, macaroons, pate a choux with cream filling, etc.) So have some photos of the desserts at the cocktail party!
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