Time to stop ignoring the blog!

Only a few more weeks left, really only 1 because after next week it's just written finals! :O Scary!

Looking back, this term really did fly by. Of course there were times when it felt like it would last forever, but I'd say that the first few weeks and the last couple weeks actually have been fast. :)

Anyway! This is... from last-last Wednesday. Frozen Lemon Mousse with Mint Whipped Cream (the mint was our little addition and it was awesome. ^_^) So refreshing!

On Thursday of that week, I actually didn't do a whole lot. I was supposed to be repeating chicken for the 2nd time, but then someone on Salmon station was absent, so I was supposed to help that station instead. Well, she basically wanted to just take charge because she said no one has been letting her do much on Thursdays. Pretty silly, really, to whine about how no one lets you do anything, and then not let ME do a single thing, but oh well. xD So I just helped out on Salad station and then helped Salmon with plating. hehe Super easy day. :)

------------------------------------------------------

OKAY, now LAST Wednesday, we did a "Specialty Pastry." The Gateau St Honore (gatoe saint on-ray :P) Which wasn't actually as horrible as it looks. It was pretty fun, really! I guess last term the students were pretty much crying over it, or losing it in general. lol!

I'll just post a pic and explain it after. :)

So! The base is simple, just a pate brisee, which is basically a mealy pie dough. Then, you make Pate a Choux dough, the annoying pastry that remembers exactly the shape it was in and puffs up accordingly, so if there are any ridges at all when you pipe it out, there will be awkward ridges in your final product once baked. First, you do a ring around the crust to give it some height.. After you have baked that, you do the vanilla and chocolate creme diplomat, and pipe it in alternating layers in a ribbon. After thaaattttt, you bake as many pate a choux bulbs as you can get, pick out the best ones, cut a hole in the bottom, fill THOSE with cream, alternating between chocolate and vanilla. Then, you make caramel, dip the tops in, lay them on parchment so there is a flat "glass-like" look about them. Then! You take more caramel, and glue each bulb on one at a time. o.o For how fancy this thing is, I'd say most of us did a great job. xD

On service, the next day, I was on desserts. So, I had to cut in between each bulb to get slices, which took some very careful hands. Keep in mind that almost everyone had different sizes of bulbs, and some were squished together harder than others. Some bulbs would fall off entirely!

I got to decide the plating design, which is of course my favorite part. I forgot my camera that day so I will make a crappy MS Paint version of what it looked like! :D

Just imagine that, only less silly and more realistic. xD It was very cute, I assure you. The brown lines are chocolate sauce, make from leftover diplomat creme, and the dots are an orange-caramel sauce that somebody made. At the end of the day, I plated 63 of those, so I got pretty efficient at making that design. :)

This week is Thanksgiving, so have a happy one!

Just not much to write about this past week in school. Life has been very hectic, so that has taken most of my focus away. Anyway, there was nothing to take pictures of unless I wanted to whip my camera out during service. (which, by the way, I don't.)

On Wednesday, we made ice cream. Vanilla and Caramel. Making ice cream is very easy if you have the machine for it, but it takes quite a while and is somewhat boring. xD Tasted very good though, and it's cool to be able to adjust the ice cream flavor to exactly your own liking. ^_^ We did a tasting in class of four different brands of vanilla, and you can definitely feel the waxy texture in ice creams that use way too many preservatives. I can't remember which, but there was one brand that had a horrible chemical taste to it after eating the other ice creams. That comes from way too much cheap artificial vanilla, and I don't think the skim milk helped it any. =/ Also, that kind of vanilla will turn it yellow. :D

Yesterday was service day, and I was on chicken... again... except Salmon only had one person due to an absence or two, so I did prep for chicken and then went to Salmon station. So, in a way it was my second time on chicken and my third time on salmon, all in one day. -.-''' The person on Salmon really wanted to take charge because I guess she has been partnered with some huge do-it-alls before. Fine with me. :P I floated between helping her and Salad station plate and carry over their dishes to the table. So, not too stressful. I'm irritated that I keep getting put on stations that I've done before. Next service I am scheduled to do the steak station AGAIN, so I emailed saying that I'd REALLY like some NON-ENTREE EXPERIENCE GRRRBLARGGGHHH!!! I want to do a starter course, or maybe desserts for a change. Guess he really does not keep track of who has been where because I've heard some complaints from others about repeating as well. *sigh* If we had just started this term with a good, simple rotation system, this wouldn't have been an issue. Well, we don't have class on Thursday next week so I am thankful for the break. :)