I took my pastry and cuisine practical exams this past Thursday and Friday, thus bringing the basic levels of the Grand Diplome to an end.
I don't think I can do justice to the intensity inside those kitchens while we were making the dishes for our practical exams. The pastry final was actually better than I thought it would be (I was more worried about this one because pastry, particularly piping, is not my strong point). I had to make a Moka cake and line a tarte aux pommes dough. I had to re-do my genoise sponge because I managed to make sugary scrambled eggs (cooked the yolks too long), but I caught up and all went well.
The cuisine final was intense. I had to make the sea brim with fennel that I told you about in an earlier entry. Thank my lucky stars! I practiced this dish with two friends before the exam, so I think I rocked it. I was the first person to finish, and in my rush, I may have undercooked the fish a bit. But it's better than rushing until the end, as most people in my class were doing. The kitchen resembled the last few minutes of Iron Chef, but everyone managed to plate on time. Phew!
To use the ultimate, but absolutely true, cliche, time flew by during this first semester. When did all this happen? When did I learn how to hold a knife properly, and the meaning of the term brunoise? When did I learn how to make a rose out of marzapan and a terrine from fish, eggs, and cream? It seems like I simply blinked and all of a sudden I knew how to flambe, julienne, and turn a potato.
I still have so much to perfect, and endless amounts to learn. The next five and-a-half months will surely fly by as well, but meanwhile, there will be majorly complicated techniques and sky-high expectations coming my way. Wish me luck.
After finishing our final exam, my classmates and I went for a champagne toast. I headed home and was so tired, relieved, and generally out of it, that I had ramen noodles for lunch. That's right, you read correctly. I ate MSG-infested, plastic-tasting ramen noodles after completing my cuisine final exam for the Cordon Bleu. I don't even know what to say in my defense. Don't judge me! You know you've done it too! We're all guilty of it!
Don't worry, though, that night I took my son and my in-laws out to a fantastic dinner at Au Bon Accueil. I've already told you about this place. It's great. We started off with a kir royal, my personal favorite, and three-courses, including salmon tartare, terrine, a delightful poulet fermier with carrot puree for my son, and beautiful desserts. My two-year-old was a super star. He sat still and ate everything (including salmon tartare and caviar), and enjoyed a pleasant evening at a nice restaurant. Get them started while they're young, is what I say!
I don't think I can do justice to the intensity inside those kitchens while we were making the dishes for our practical exams. The pastry final was actually better than I thought it would be (I was more worried about this one because pastry, particularly piping, is not my strong point). I had to make a Moka cake and line a tarte aux pommes dough. I had to re-do my genoise sponge because I managed to make sugary scrambled eggs (cooked the yolks too long), but I caught up and all went well.
The cuisine final was intense. I had to make the sea brim with fennel that I told you about in an earlier entry. Thank my lucky stars! I practiced this dish with two friends before the exam, so I think I rocked it. I was the first person to finish, and in my rush, I may have undercooked the fish a bit. But it's better than rushing until the end, as most people in my class were doing. The kitchen resembled the last few minutes of Iron Chef, but everyone managed to plate on time. Phew!
To use the ultimate, but absolutely true, cliche, time flew by during this first semester. When did all this happen? When did I learn how to hold a knife properly, and the meaning of the term brunoise? When did I learn how to make a rose out of marzapan and a terrine from fish, eggs, and cream? It seems like I simply blinked and all of a sudden I knew how to flambe, julienne, and turn a potato.
I still have so much to perfect, and endless amounts to learn. The next five and-a-half months will surely fly by as well, but meanwhile, there will be majorly complicated techniques and sky-high expectations coming my way. Wish me luck.
After finishing our final exam, my classmates and I went for a champagne toast. I headed home and was so tired, relieved, and generally out of it, that I had ramen noodles for lunch. That's right, you read correctly. I ate MSG-infested, plastic-tasting ramen noodles after completing my cuisine final exam for the Cordon Bleu. I don't even know what to say in my defense. Don't judge me! You know you've done it too! We're all guilty of it!
Don't worry, though, that night I took my son and my in-laws out to a fantastic dinner at Au Bon Accueil. I've already told you about this place. It's great. We started off with a kir royal, my personal favorite, and three-courses, including salmon tartare, terrine, a delightful poulet fermier with carrot puree for my son, and beautiful desserts. My two-year-old was a super star. He sat still and ate everything (including salmon tartare and caviar), and enjoyed a pleasant evening at a nice restaurant. Get them started while they're young, is what I say!
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| salmon tartare with avocado |
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| terrine |
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| poulet fermier with carrot puree |
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| faux filet (not to toot my own horn, but my father-in-law said mine was better!) |
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| chocolate tartlet |
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| rhubarb puree with strawberries and strawberry meringues |
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| cherry millefeuille with vanilla ice cream |
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