Hello, Hot Stuff!

The second half of Semester 2 has commenced and we're now moving into Hot Desserts and how to plate them up attractively. Decor/Finishing is left mostly to our own 'creative interpretation' and we make use of whatever serveware and mis en place that's available (fruits, sauces etc). So here's some of the stuff we made this week:-

 Banana and Apple beignets with Creme Patisserie sauce and Chocolate Coconut Cream

 Poached Pears, dried apricots and figs with a White Wine Sabayon sauce

 Rhubarb and Pear crumble

 Tamarillo and Apple crumble with Streusel topping

 Crepes Normandy with Caramel Sauce

 Waffles with Strawberry Sauce

Creme Caramel

Taste Test of Life as a Baker

Part of our Course included 2 weeks of Work Experience in a Bakery/Cafe/Cake shop to give us a little teaser of what's instore for us if we do continue with our dreams (delusions?) of being a Pastry Chef. I think we were all a little nervous- would I love it? Hate it? What if I'm not cut out for life in a patisserie kitchen? I hope I'm not completely incompetent! Ahhh! What if the employer doesn't like me?!

Anyways, we're each assigned to a business, selected by our tutors based on whom they think would be a good fit. And i got placed into The Little Cake Kitchen, which was exactly the type of business i was hoping for- a small cafe that specialises in little cupcakes and such :) Very girly, dainty and so damn cute!

Just some of the yummy things they make. From scratch. Every day. I was a little sad on the last day, having met such kind, sweet people at the Cake Kitchen. But now i know where to go for the most delicious Red Velvet cupcakes when the craving arises! :)

Random Cute-ness

Before our Practical Assessment today we made these in class, Marzipan critters! In case you can't make out what they are: Elephants, Bunny and Pigs :P

Quite possibly, Too Much Bread!

Just concluded my Practical Assessment for Breads tonight! Looking forward to passing out and sleeping soundly without any more nightmares of forgetting yeast in my dough/dough that refuses to knead! To cap off our last few classes:-

 Savarins- this dough is quite bizarre. You'd never think anything could be made with it! It has the consistency of gooey ectoplasm (the kind that was sold in plastic tubs, as marketed by the Ghost Busters cartoons :P). They're piped into donut shaped moulds, baked, soaked in a citrus rum syrup, glazed with apricot jam then filled with cream and fruit. Eating it, it seems like a dense, soggy donut :P

 Brioche. Nuff said.

 Danishes and Croissants (i stuffed mine with chocolate ;D)

 More Danishes...

 Quickbread, made with baking powder instead of yeast. Once you've had bread made with yeast, this type of bread  just feels wrong in your mouth... It's meant to be bread, but feels like a muffin of some sort.

 Irish Soda Bread. This also had a crumblier texture... but went well with Tomato Soup!

Buttermilk scones. Love. I just ate one before typing this all out!

Finally, today's Assessment: Dinner Rolls (Round and Bridge); Savarins; and Scones. DONE!!!

Let Them Eat Bread! Pt 2

Leaving our Lean Breads behind and forging on with Enriched (ie FAT laden) Breads, here's where it really gets naughty ;) Sugar, Spice and every thing nice and calorific gets tossed into the dough.



Coconut Buns (in loaf tin) and Custard Buns

Chelsea buns with Cinnamon, Sugar and Sultanas. Love, love, love!!

Hot Cross Buns! Seeing I didn't get any this Easter I'm chuffed we made these :)

Plaited Zopf Bread. I imagine this would make an awesome French Toast for brekkie tomorrow

or transformed into Bread Pudding Mmmmm...

Donuts!! Deep-fried pillows of Happiness rolled into delectable Cinnamon Sugar.

I am in Heaven.. so please leave me here.

(Here's hoping no one EVER buys me a deep-fryer!)

Let Them Eat Bread! Pt 1

It's back to class, and straight back into the ovens! Been busy kneading, and kneading, and kneading until my shoulders feel like they're dislocated! I should have pretty toned arms by the end of this paper- but probably a lot LESS toned around my gut from OD'ing on carbs day in and out :P Bread is my kryptonite. Whilst I can easily turn down a slice of cake or choc chip cookie, I could inhale a loaf of bread in one sitting. It's been known to happen. More than once...

Here are some pix from class of the breads we've made so far:-

Dinner Rolls

(excellent with soup on these cold winter nights)

Sourdough loaves

Turkish Pide (the oblong loaves) and Focaccia-Pizza bread

Olive Focaccia- thin and crisp, the authentic way apparently :P

I've been eating imitation Focaccia my whole life!

End of Semester One

At the end of each paper we're required to produce 3 items during a three and a half hour practical asessment. Here's what's been produced for our Pastries; Cakes; and Sponges, Gateau and Torten papers over the course of the Semester.

 Pastries: Fruit flan with custard cream filling and decorated with sliced peaches; Savoury petit four sale; Cream-filled Choux buns

 Cakes: Piped Meringues; Madiera cake; Chocolate Hazelnut Gugelhopf

Sponges: Genoise sponge; Orange Roulade; Black Forest Torte