Tempting Your Appetites

Kitchen Dedication Mini French Buffet, originally uploaded by Theresa111.

 

This is the way buffet desserts are supposed to look … enticing, decadent, delicious, wondrous, creative, divine, Irresistible and scrumptious. This is only a part of the French Mini Buffet for the Kitchen dedication held at my French culinary school. Photo taken March 2005.

It takes hours, days to put this together. A combined effort. Planning, meetings, strategies and precision. This is a beautiful result of all these things executed with love and discipline. This is the result of extensive training at a prestigious culinary school. It takes chef demonstrations, hands-on training, theory, studying and good character to present yourself as one of their students.

I knew I would miss my school. The real world is so different from this special haven of creative thinking. At times I can see myself as an instructor.

Julia Child was my favorite television chef to watch.  Three years ago when I was debating and dreaming of attending a French culinary school, Julia Child passed away on my birthday, August 13th. I took this as a sign to follow my dreams. So far, I am on track. My journey is unfolding even as I write.

Baked Alaska Being Torched can you see the flame?

Baked Alaska Being Torched can you see the flame?, originally uploaded by Theresa111.

This is a big process and time consuming too. The sponge cake is cut X3 in the shape of the bottom of a boat. Freshly made and frozen chocolate, vanilla and strawberry ice cream is packed in-between the layers of cake.

More sponge cake is cut in two long strips to be the sides of the boat shape. The ice cream is now enclosed within the walls and top layer of sponge cake. Next meringue is applied and also piped in designs prior to torching. Cherries are placed as shown.

Traditionally, the cake is wheeled table-side and the chef torches it before the diners. It is served immediately.

Pastry Arts Instructor Chef Mark demonstrated March 2005.

So You Want To Be A Pastry Chef

For years…I so longed to become a pastry chef. To quit my day job and apply to the prestigous L’Academie de Cuisine. To attend Chef Francois Dinot’s culinary school. To study pastry arts and then to prepare edible art.…mouth-watering French desserts. I dreamed of doing this very thing for eight years.

It’s the last week of May 2005……………
I am exhausted! Attending school three days a week. Working at my externship at Grand Hyatt Washington three days a week. Studying, riding the metro home (two hours), taking care of the household. Washing my uniforms and getting things laid out for the next day.

There’s more………………
Typing my recipes onto my computer, getting to visit my Mother only once a week…(two hours driving time). Getting up at 4:45 AM to rush around and be driven on the Capitol Beltway with crazy drivers and gratefully arrive at school by 6:15 AM. With a dash to the ladies lockerroom, I change into my chef’s uniform, tie up my hair, shove my belongings into the small locker, shove the lock closed and grab my books on my way to the kitchen. It’s 6:35 AM…”So you want to be a chef. Right?” This is the question I would ask myself every 24 hours or so.

The Chocolate Roulade is painted with dark rum flavored simple syrup, spread with ganache and then rolled up, is only one of my five desserts. Each student had five desserts to prepare and assemble for our final buffet. Our practical exam. The lighter chocolate is in fact chocolate butter cream that is iced over the entire rolled cake. About thirty minutes before the roulade is to be sliced, it is taken from the freezer and glazed with dark glazing ganache. Ooh la la!

The entire five months and the stress and worry over my elderly mother was grueling and at times I wondered if I would make it. But with a lot of faith and prayers I did just that.

Posted in Chefs, Cooking, Culinary School, Desserts, Food, French Pastry, Personal, Photography, Recipes, Writing. 5 Comments »