back in action

ok, so lets bring everyone up to speed on the stuff that's gone down since february of last year.

at that time, i was about a month and a half into my externship at A Voce. Between working at Dolce Italia full time, school 3 days a week, and externing on saturday nights, I was pretty much running myself into the ground. But seriously, if you know my style, that's precisely how I wanted it. The time spent externing was kind of a whirlwind. Getting to know everyone in the kitchen, getting to know Josh Gripper's dishes, getting to know myself as a cook, really. I could see a change in my work habits not only there, but in each other kitchen I was in. My focus was more intense...everything was a little tighter, little cleaner, a little more thought out. I fell in love with the pace of restaurant work. There is nothing quite like service pressure or the pressure of knowing that you've got 200+ on the books that night and sooner or later, its going to rain down on you, hard. I think that the toll that restaurant work takes on you didn't hit me until around April though....

Back to school for the time being. During the middle of February and I was coming off of the restaurant review assignment, where we had to go out for dessert and critique everything about the menu, restaurant, and dessert itself. As I was saying before, certain practices that used to feel awkward when we started were feeling more natural. I could see it too...as my work got progressively better. Basically, I could feel myself morphing into the cook I wanted to be. I noticed my chefs pushing me a bit harder and I also found that I pushed myself a lot harder because I felt confident I could do it. Being someone who's naturally insecure about most things, to have the knowledge and gut instinct to say, 'Yes, I can get this done and do it well,' is a really big deal. I was cannon-balling instead of just poking my toes in. Plus, everything I was learning at the restaurant was really helping me excel in the right areas in class. There was one particular day after class where the Chef said he was really taking notice of all the extra work I was doing and he appreciated it. Then he asked if I wanted him to make class harder for me. I laughed a little bit and said, "Chef, I want you to make this as hard as possible for me." It was just another example of the caliber of instruction we got at FCI. Chef's who wanted to see you succeed and push you to your limits.

From there on out, it was kind of a whirlwind of projects and assignments...Individual desserts, sugar show pieces, evening of desserts, menu projects, wedding cakes, and at long last, the final project. A couple of highlights....the dessert my partner, Holly Burrell, and I made was the biggest 'seller' of the 'evening of desserts' night...i convinced Chef Tom that cake with made with tofu can be delicious...recreating Quentin Blake illustrations with cocoa butter paints...and everything else was kind of blurry up until the actual graduation ceremony on May 30th.

My folks and lil brother came over from Ohio to watch me receive my toque and Grand Diplome. I ended up being one of 5 graduates 'with distinction,' which means that I finished with a 95% or higher for the course as a whole. Plus, I was the only student out of a class of 14 with perfect attendance. After the ceremony/reception, we headed off for an amazing night at A Voce....couldn't have asked for a nicer time...totally worth the pain of walking around in heels all day...

So A Voce....right....i am back tracking about a two months before graduation from FCI here....but I was having a talk with Josh Gripper and he offered me a position, part time until schools end and full time afterwards, as the pm pastry cook. i did some soul searching and some consulting with trusted sources...and accepted the position. It meant I would officially start in a few weeks and that I would have to quit Dolce Italia. Don't get me wrong, I loved the bakery in Astoria. Every second...every customer (haha, minus the guy who called me questionable things in German)...it gave me a good foot into this world and I am really grateful for all if it. I learned what to do and what not to do, what to expect and what not to expect when having a place of your own. I learned to never stop loving what you're creating and the people you're serving it to. Once that love is gone, you're sunk.

However, i left on a good note and started the next day learning everything that I didn't get a chance to during the externship. In my time there so far, I had never had more than a handful of interactions with the man himself, Andrew Carmellini. But my first night working dinner service solo...he made it a point to welcome me specifically and point out that this was the first night in A Voce history ( i think ) that the number of females working on the line/gm/pastry outweighed the number of guys. It blew my mind to know that this culinary giant knew my name and went out of his way to make me feel like this was my home. kind of warm and fuzzy, right?

Once i transitioned into full time, there was no time to look anywhere but forward. Two weeks after I started, I was told that Gripper was leaving...and that was only the start of the forthcoming changes....very soon, AC would be gone...then Luke would be gone as well. But in the present, my only concern was being super new and given the encouragement to stay on the team and hold down the fort with my then-partner-soon-to-be-chef, Kierin. I don't think I could have gotten acclimated to everything so quickly without her (and Nanina's) guidance and training and support and hard work. Most times were insanely busy...with the weather being all nice and the product we were making being pretty damn good, too.

But I'm not going to lie...the first few months were totally mentally, physically, and emotionally taxing on me. There were a lot of nights where I questioned whether or not I would really 'get it.' Whether or not things would just click and I could do service in my sleep and I wouldn't freak out if there were 6 tickets for 4-7 tops on the board all at once and I had 5 min to get them all out. I left feeling totally unprepared for the next day and totally inadequate. then on the other hand, there were days where i felt super confident that I was on the right track and on pace for where i should be in my career. Working in places like this is a total psychout. if you can keep your cool, you'll be ok. Just keep your head down, push harder, and work faster.

It was during this time that AC had quietly departed and the buzz surrounding the future of the restaurant was pretty loud. We held it down for quite a while until it was time for me to make a transition to AM and to bring in a new cook, Tammy. Chatty and sassy...that pretty much sums her up. The three of us made quite a pastry department. We got shizz done....and numbers were still remarkably good. Defying her claims that she wasn't ready for cheffin'...Kierin was bringing wonderful things to the table. Luke transitioned out of the place and we were left in the capable hands of our c-d-c, Ron. Despite losing some of our biggest players, the team was still strong as ever. Even stronger still because shortly after AC left, we unfortuately lost one of our own. I distinctly remember the sunday that ron and luke were in the dining room to talk to everyone as they arrived for the day...our friend and co-cook, Dennis, had passed away over the weekend. He was supposed to work garde manager that night directly to my left....i think all of us, especially those that knew him better than i did, hunkered down and our circle got tighter. we pushed on through the craziness that is nyc with great weather....

summer ended and fall started off with news that we were going to be getting a new executive chef. If i am not mistaken, Missy Robbins came in september...I had never experienced something like that before...a pre established crew and a chef who doesn't know any of them or the way they've been working for the past couple years. everyone was tiptoeing around for a couple weeks it seemed....More changes started...Kierin would put in her notice...which gave Tammy and I a month to get our things together before we were sans pastry chef...then Tammy put in her notice as well. SO three weeks after K left, Tammy would be gone too. I was kind of 75% freaking out and 25% excited to tackle this new situation that was put in front of me. i became a production monster because I had to and because I wanted to. K was gone, Tammy was checked out, and i still had a spell before the new pastry chef started in. God bless Emily Iguchi for holding down service for me while i placed the crap out of pastry station. I know it wasn't how she wanted to spend her last week there, but I am ever grateful that she did. The saturday after she left, I was flying solo and we did 208 that night. After my last ticket came in, I sat in the corner between my speed rack and my upstairs low boy and tried not to cry. those 6-14 days were a true testament to the training i had received. I've always thought that times where you were pushed to the extreme make you 10 times stronger and more competent. that was like, my official 'clicking moment.' I can do this job. and I would be able to work with the new chef, no problem. The day after that, I went for a trail over at Sullivan Street Bakery, just to scope things out and get a feel for what a bigger bakery pace was like. I enjoyed it so much that I accepted a part time position a couple weeks later. I would be going over there on my days off from A Voce. Full time was offered, but i didn't think it was my time to leave the restaurant yet...i felt and still feel that i have some more growth potential there and i wanted to see what was to come with the new pastry chef....

Jennifer McCoy started as pastry chef a short time after the 208 night. I had met her once before when she was in to do a tasting for Missy, but we didn't get a chance to talk more than just short 'get to know you' things. We both possess the enthusiasm and energy that i think i necessary to keep a consistently good flow in a department. After acclimating her to the station and to the restaurant, it was time to search for a PM cook and we found that in Carmen Lopez. She was finishing up an externship at Le Bernadin when she joined our crew....so being with us was a definite change of pace. Christmas and New Years came and went and it was looking like we were on a good pace. We had changed the whole dessert menu and almost hammered out a regular schedule for all three of us. Business was slow, but it was slow everywhere...the beginning of the year, coupled with a crap economy has made things tight all over the city and we are still feeling it. About 6 weeks after Carmen started, she turned in her two week notice. Some people find out very quickly that the restaurant life isn't one for them. ANd that was the same with c-lo. there's no ill will, i am simply glad she did what she believes is best for her and got out when she did. she's a lovely girl and i am glad to have worked with her and gotten to know her.

In her time there, more old school A Voce crew had departed. As it stands right now, there's only two of us who were a part of the Carmellini days...but the people they've been hiring have been really great. Fresh, inquisitive, and just good people. I still see all the cooks pretty regularly, but getting to know the new faces is kind of blowing my mind. i find new reasons to be madly in love with my job every day. Specifically getting to know Jenny as a person and as my chef has been really vital to my development as of late. Not too long ago, we talked about things that were on her mind and subsequently, things that were on my mind. Certain things I do/did...like being unnecessarily perpetually early...and elements of focus were called into question and i explained myself in a conscious effort to be more communicative. Everyone has their 'off' times and I recognized the fact that I try vrey had to achieve perfection, but its quite difficult for me to admit mistakes. i have to learn to start realizing that its ok...everyone slips up every now and again...but they happen less frequently if you always double check to make sure you're taking the time to do it right. I think being put in the postition i was put into so early on forced me to make certain decisions for the department that i don't have to make anymore...but often, its hard to let old habits die. I am used to making sure that I have enough time to get my work done...but now I know I can do everything in a shorter amount of time with the same end result. the conversations were very eye opening to me...and resulted in my asking her if i was in a proper place on the 'career path' for only being a year or so into the field. because when you start in the culinary arts, there is no set path to take...it winds, stops, spins, and spirals down. I was kind of freaking out because I wasn't sure if the extra responsibility i had taken on earlier would eventually hurt my career later on down the line...but i was reassured that i am beyond where i should be at this stage in the game. and if i stay on this pace and keep learning as much as I can, i will be able to go as far as i'd like to go.
However, I need to learn not to bear unnecessary burdens, lighten up on myself, and just concentrate on being a cook and producing the best product possible.

The past couple weeks at work have been busy...we're running specials on regional prix fixe menus at lunch, which has given a new twist to my usual morning routine. ALso, as of yesterday, my hours shifted from 8-5ish to 11-7ish. this is going to give me better time to focus strictly on production and also the chance to work more one on one with Jen. Spring menu changes will be here before i know it, as will the new location of A Voce in the Time Warner Center. i am hoping most of you saw the photo of the broken marble on facebook....after three years and countless kilos of donuts...the mighty marble has been defeated by my own two hands....


Sullivan is going well also. Its a new experience for me and i think it keeps my mind fresh overall. I am learning things I never even thought about doing before...for example...







that's a pork shoulder. dressed, rolled, tressed, and roasted by me. keep in mind that's the first time i've done that....who'd have thought that a pastry trained cook would be doing that...let alone one who doesn't eat pork at all. i get to make dough in a hobart mixer that is just as tall as i am. i plastic wrap my entire arm to fold meringue into a mixture of chocolate, butter, sugar, egg yolks, and bread crumbs. If you've ever been to 'wichcraft and had an apple turnover, there's a good chance i've had my hands on it. each lesson i learn is valuable and i don't see that trend stopping any time soon.

My new partner, Jeannette, started last week. THe winds of change are picking up kids.....and you can rest easy knowing that i'll be here to document them....

that's about all i can think of for right now...it feels nice to be back. sit down. have some cookies....

xx--

over one year

since i've updated in the 'kitchen.' and i can't even begin to tell you how much has transpired over the last 365+ days of my life...but i am going to give it my best shot....tonight....'the kitchen' is back!!!!!

<3

Nougatine

**for those of you reading...this was a blog entry that became a class assignment. The assignment came before I went to Nougatine, but I thought it would be easier for me to write if I was writing it first here. enjoy :)

I entered Nougatine at Jean-Georges around 1:45pm on a Sunday afternoon. The less formal cafe-style front room to Jean-Georges at Trump Towers (Central Park West at Columbus Circle), Nougatine boasts around one-hundred seats stationed around clean, modern decor. The largest table area was directly in front of me and my dining companions as we walked in. Off to our right was a lengthy bar, lined with stools for guests to enjoy a Bloody Mary or Mimosa. Beyond the bar, at the bar of the rectangular shaped room was the kitchen. I really liked the fact that you could see straight into it. Your food wasn't a mystery, like it seems to be many other places. A refreshing amount of light flowed through the floor to ceiling windows and properly lit the entire dining room. The first thing I noticed, though, was the shade of wood used not only for the flooring, but also the chairs, and wooden table elements. It was all honey colored. Strikingly similar to, well, Nougatine. Brunch is served on Sundays until 3pm, so I think by the time we had arrived, most of the crowd had left for the afternoon. However, there was about six or seven tables of people still enjoying their meals. Just as we were seated at a window table for four, our waiter, Jeff, was kind enough to place our menus in our hands for the feast to begin.

First and foremost, the entire staff at Nougatine is top notch. Attentive, welcoming, and definitely eager to meet customers needs. Not to say that quality is a rarity in upscale establishments, but more often that not, the staff is discouraged from interacting with clientele beyond "yes sir, no ma'am." Everyone that waited on us was courteous and more than happy to answer questions we had. As we browsed the brunch menu, Jeff was quick to point out that there was plenty of other options that were not listed on the menu. Its by this piece of information alone that we were able to get particular items added to our meal. Personally, I believe that brunch is the best meal of any day. In fact, I've think that 'breakfast' and 'lunch' should be eliminated all together and restaurants should have brunch every day. We made our meal choices and no more than ten minutes later, our brunch had arrived. There were four of us at the table and two of the party chose a waffle with roasted bananas and the other two of us had omelets. This was the only part of our dining experience that wasn't shared between everyone, so while I cannot speak for the others in at the table, I will say that it was the freshest egg white omelet I have ever had. I could tell from the first bite that they used fresh whites, as opposed to pasteurized boxed egg whites. There is a distinct taste difference between the two and I was even more happy that there was no greasy aftertaste in my mouth or residue on the plate. It was served with mesclun greens topped with a sweet vinaigrette dressing and a circle of roasted, thinly sliced, potato medallions


I also enjoyed a side of fresh fruit with the biggest blackberries I had seen over the past 6 months and superbly ripe pineapple, mango, and cantaloupe.


We didn't think our experience could be any better, until we realized why we were all around the table at Nougatine in the first place: DESSERT.

The dessert menu at Nougatine consists of six dessert choices, a selection of ice creams and sorbets, and a chef's selection of four cheeses. The ideas for the individual desserts are the handiwork of Jean-Georges and Nougatine executive Pastry Chef Johnny Iuzzini. Iuzzini, a 2006 James Beard Award winner and one of Forbes.com's 'Most Influential Chef's' of 2007, is an chef who is as plainly talented as he is innovative. We were able to reap the benefits from some of his work in molecular gastronomy as we ate our way through all of the six individual dessert choices. Now I'm sure you're thinking, 'six desserts?! But there was only four of you at the table!' You would be correct, too. In fact, we only ordered four of the six, but one of my fellow diners is also an exceptional pastry extern for Jean-Georges and Iuzzini. This meant we got all six desserts even though we only ordered four. Knowing the right people definitely works in your favor sometimes.

On to the desserts. I originally ordered the Crisp Warm Apple Tart with Honey-Ginger Ice Cream and Date Puree. It was basically an apple tart tatin with puff pastry. The flaky puff pastry itself was perfectly prepared and baked, as were the apples. The particular apple they used was well balanced with sweet and tart flavor. There was a hole cut out of the middle of the puff pastry to serve as an anchor for the Honey-Ginger Ice Cream, which seemed to have actual bits of crystallized ginger in it that melted on your tongue. The ice cream topped tart was placed on a smear of Date Puree, which was spiced and actually almost tasted like cinnamon applesauce. Seeing as the apple is my favorite fruit and food, I was in heaven. The only criticism I had was that it wasn't warm ENOUGH for me. I would have like to have seen a bit of steam coming from the apples themselves.



Another dessert we tasted was the Sweet Grape Vacherin with Black Sesame, Shiso, and Toasted Almond Ice Cream. A Vacherin is layers of meringue and cream. In this case, it was a Sweet Grape cream and Black Sesame Meringue. Shiso is a member of the mint family, also known as Chinese basil or Perilla. The Shiso was painted across the white plate and the Vacherin in the center, surrounded with toasted almonds and sweet grape slices. The Almond Ice Cream was on top of the Vacherin, which was so cold that it created a small frozen layer of the ice cream that you had to crack through to get into the heart of the dessert. I was really surprised with its mild taste overall. When I think of grapes I think puckeringly sweet. So to have something this smooth and flavorful that didn't make your face scrunch up while eating it was amazing. The black sesame meringue was sweet and light, and shockingly still crisp! It confirmed my belief that black sesame should be used more often in pastry overall. Vacherin is something I had never eaten before, but I would order it again if it tasted like that.



Next up was the Dark Chocolate Brownie (or 'best brownie ever' as they call it in the JG pastry kitchen) with Frozen Stout, Salted Pretzels, and Chocolate Paper. Dark chocolate was swept across the plate using the same paintbrush technique used in the Vacherin. The thinly sliced (and that's all you needed) round of Brownie was placed in the center of the plate and the Frozen Stout looked like a beer souffle on top of it. Bits of Salted Pretzel (made in-house), beer powder, and the Chocolate Paper finished off the plating. The Brownie was decadent and chewy, as it should be, and the Chocolate Paper was literally paper thin. It is made by THINLY spreading out chocolate pastry cream and putting it in a food dehydrator. It was delicate and delicious. My favorite thing, though, was the Frozen Stout. I was pleased to get a smooth beer flavor that wasn't overwhelming by any means. I was concerned that it might be too strong for my taste, but it really wasn't. I think using a darker brew really made a difference. It made me think of a bar serving chocolate covered pretzels as opposed to the normal peanuts and pretzels during happy hour and I kind of wanted a chocolate stick to dip into the Beer Powder, too.



Beth, one of my table-mates, ordered the Citrus Semi Freddo with Margarita Gel, Almond Sponge, and Dehydrated Grapefruit. Semi Freddo means 'half cold' in Italian and refers to a partially chilled or frozen dessert like cake, custard, creams, or fruit. In this dessert, it was a citrus flavored custard that rested upon a cool slice of Almond sponge cake. It floated in a bright-tasting Margarita gel, which enhanced the flavor of the grapefruit which looked fresh because it soaked up moisture from the gel. With many citrus desserts, you have to watch and make sure that it doesn't come out tasting like lemon household cleaner smells. This semi freddo was well balanced and light, perfectly complimenting the moist sponge cake beneath it. They were gracious enough to toss some citrus confit on the top to complete the dish. Excellent use of seasonal ingredients.



The Bitter Chocolate Cream was served with a Crispy Praline Crunch, homemade Graham Crackers, and Milk Sherbet. It looked like an upscale S'more with 'kisses' of the cream on top of the Praline Crunch and Graham. A thin layer of Dark Chocolate was topping the Cream kisses, caramel mou was painted in strips on either side of the main attraction, and the canele of MIlk Sherbet was served in on chocolate crumble with a chocolate cigarette across the top. The cream was a velvety cross between a custard and pudding. Not too rich and just bitter enough to please the milk and white chocolate lovers too. The graham was crisp and buttery and the Praline Crunch tasted like the inside of a Butterfinger bar. Tasting the Milk Sherbet reminded me of the Ice Milk bars my father would buy for us when I was really young. Insanely good and just like everything else so far, the flavors were all really well matched and balanced throughout the whole dish.



I ended the dessert roundtrip with simplicity. Jean-Georges' Warm Chocolate Cake with Vanilla Bean Ice Cream, a standard at most, if not all, of JG's seventeen plus restaurants. This wasn't a flourless cake, but it had a slightly molten center and was baked in a traditional brioche tete mold. Dots of chocolate sauce lined 12 o'clock to 6 o'clock on the plate and a liberal dusting of powdered sugar really made the deep color of the cake pop. I will be the first to say I am not a huge chocolate cake fan. I will opt for spice cake, vanilla cake, or pie most of the time. But I would order this cake again. It was the correct amount of warmth I was looking for, both in temperature and soul-warming quality. The density wasn't light and airy, but it wasn't as heavy as the Dark Chocolate Brownie from earlier. I can definitely see why this has been on the dessert menu's at JG's establishments for so long.




At Nougatine at Jean-Georges each dessert made sense. The plating was gorgeous and the items themselves, for the most part, tasted as I expected them too. Some of them even surprised me with how good they really were. At a restaurant that has a great menu, Nougatine's desserts complete and compliment whatever you may choose for a main course well. They obviously make a point to work with seasonal ingredients and are pushing the normal limits on creativity with technology. At $9 per dessert, the prices were really fair for Manhattan and you got a great amount of food for that price. The really great thing about the flavors was that nothing was TOO heavy. One could easily finish an entire portion after a full meal and not feel sugar sickness afterwards. Iuzzini is really in touch with creating a selection of items and tastes that appeal to the pickiest of eaters. The Nougatine staff went above and beyond for us and for the rest of the diners as well. Would I go back to Nougatine for dessert? All signs point to yes.

Starting Jan. 5th

A Voce
this is where Ms Jones will be spending her Saturday nights. I may need a couple more chefs coats kids....

Happy Sweet Potato accident

At school, we're in the middle of the second part of the Viennoiserie (bread) unit. Making everything from challah to oat bread with blueberries and walnuts, to stollen, pannetone, and fruitcake, cornbread and croissants of every kind. We've even gotten into one of my favorite breads of all time: brioche. The eggy, sweet, teensy rolls that are good with sweet or savory filling. This week was the class I had been waiting for since I first saw the syllabus for the whole first unit of class: Sweet Potato Brioche.

Those of you who have talked to me both during the fall and during the spring/summer grilling season know my LOVE LOVE LOOOOOVE of sweet potatoes. When I saw that we could make one of my favorite breads with one of my favorite root vegetables, I was 100% sold. Soooo it figures that this is the day we throw something off.

Thursday we were making a few different things. One of them was Pain Ordinaire (regular bread dough). This dough is a direct mix, which means that everything is combined at once and mixed, then set aside to ferment and double. Normally doughs are made in stages (12 to be exact) which include adding the yeast and salt after an autolyse process, then proofed a couple times before being cut and pre-shaped, bench rested, shaped and final proofed. Not the case with Pain Ordinaire. We had made that dough and then put it in the proof box to double in size.

It was also the same color and size (but not texture) as the sponge we had put together for the base to our Sweet Potato Brioche. THe sponge is used to pre-ferment the yeast and cut down on how long the dough has to be allowed to rest before we can work up the rest of the gluten structure. When we went to put together the rest of the sweet potato brioche, i stepped away to wash dishes or something and there was what was supposed to be the ST sponge. Not thinking clearly, I did question whether or not to add it to the rest of the mixture in the Hobart. I think I even said 'I'm nervous about adding this in...' But in the end, i threw it in and finished the rest of the brioche dough and worked it to a great consistency and smell.

It wasn't until I went over to the proof box and found a bowl labeled 'ST Brioche Dough' with our names on it did I realize I should have trusted my intuition. We still had a sweet potato sponge, and now, a brioche that had a ton more yeast in it than usual, etc. However, we would have to wait until next class to find out.

Once we had our pre-shaped 'brioches' egg washed, we noticed that the only difference between our dough and everyone elses was the color. Ours was a slightly less orange-y hue. We popped them into the oven and hoped for the best. What we got was a surprisingly great result! Sweet Potato dinner rolls. AND because of the decreased (overall) amount of sugar, we think that it made the flavors we seasoned the sweet potatoes with really pop out.

All in all, not a bad result to a potential disaster. I was lucky enough to get some of the rolls (real ones) and they live in my freezer.

i'm a updating machine....

Dessert Overload

Now how can you read that and expect to find out about something bad? It HAS to be scandalously good. So most of you should be able to realize by now that Ms Jones has been so busy in the kitchen(s) that she hasn't had time to even finish updating you on all that's going on! For example, the last FCI class recap was from Day 10? Yeah, we just had day 46. I am way behind on that. However, there's some exciting things that have gone on here in the past few weeks that I couldn't allow the fatigue deter me from telling you at least a little bit about.

The 10th and 11th of November, I was fortunate enough to be a part of the NYC Chocolate Show 2007. It was the 10th anniversary of the show and everything was taking place at the Metropolitan Pavillion & Altman Building on West 18th between 6th and 7th Ave's. Laissez-vous aller a votre passion chocolat! Basically 40,000 sqaure feet of indulgence for the who's who of the chocolate world and the people who worship it. On Saturday the 10th, myself and a couple others from the FCI went over to have a look around before we all worked the show later in the weekend. Booth after booth of free samples, chocolate for sale, and the actual chocolatiers themselves! Seeing people like Fritz Knipschildt from Knipschildt Chocolatier, Lee Zalban from Peanut Butter & Co, Ilene Shane from SweetBliss, Jeff Shepherd from Lillie Belle Farms, and Jacques Torres himself behind their stations interacting with the consumers directly and on such a personal level was amazing. We got in and passed by the City Harvest booth and went over to the first chocolate art display area to see the 7-foot tall chocolate statue made by Chef Kir Rodriguez and others from the FCI. Making our way around, smelling and tasting, we attempted to check our our Dean of Pastry Arts, Jacques Torres, for his demo in the Viking Kitchen, but it was way too crowded for us to even see! I was able to get a couple photos though. Overall it wasn't a big deal because he's so closely tied into our curriculum and our programme that our paths will cross soon enough...Lucky for us the E. Guittard booth with right next to the stage so we took full advantage of trying the darkest of their dark chocolate: Nocturne 91% extra dark. THe only thing darker tasting than that I had all afternoon was the actual Cacao bean I tried over at Romanico's. How could something be bitter and smooth at the same time? Briliant. As the afternoon went on, we made friends with the worker at the ChocoVision technology booth...now I might be considering getting a tabletop tempering machine someday...but our purchasing took place after we went to the Viking Stage again for the Peanut Butter & Company demo at 5pm.

Lee Zalban was making Peanut Butter Buckeyes, something I was all too familiar with, being from Ohio. It was a favorite recipe from the Peanut Butter & Co. cookbook, which I ended up purchasing and having personalized by Lee himself later on in the evening. Lee didn't really want to get too down & dirty, so he stressed that this was a fun project to have your kids help out on. Therefore a 12 year old boy named Henry, who I later found out had been going to the Chocolate Show since he was 6, and who was also volunteering that weekend, was asked to dive right in and mix the dessert components with his bare (and clean) hands.

After the demo, we 1) ate a buckeye and 2) continued our rounds of the show. I purchased two truffles from Oliver Kita: White Peaches & Cream and Espresso; a pumpkin Bistro Bar from Chocolate Moderne, and Eve's Secret Truffes from Romanico's. These things are insanely good and only 38 calories each because there are no preservatives in them at all. 38 cals for a dark chocolate truffle with an actual hazelnut in the middle! After that, we headed to check out the Chocolate Fashion show and the Chocolate Lounge, where I almost didn't get let in because they thought I was too young. Nice. We made one final stop at the PB&Co booth to get our cookbooks purchased and autographed. Those antics laid the groundwork for the next day, when I would be actually be working the show at the Viking stage.

My shift started at 2pm and I got there with enough time to allow me to change into my chefs coat and checks. Almost ran into Keegan Gerhard when I arrived backstage to check in and get started. Right away, the supervisor of the backstage area, Sarah, was going to have a few of the volunteers who had been there for a while show the new arrivals where to wash dishes, etc. I struck up a conversation with Henry (the 12 year old) to tell him what a great help he was during the demo yesterday and as a result, I was put in charge of monitoring him the rest of the afternoon/evening. Derrick Tu Tan Pho from Barry Callebaut was finishing up his second demo of 'Cappuccino Ebony' of the day. We tidied up after he was finished and got prepped for the next demo, which was from Quady with CocoaVino. They prepared a dessert called 'Drunken Figs' as a part of their demo on Explorations in Dessert Wines: Figs & Chocolate. As volunteers, we were there for set-up, sample distribution, and clean-up for each demo that took place during the amount of time we were there. As Henry's 'keeper' I was also asked to make sure recipes for the demos got properly distributed as well as a couple other things that needed to be passed out to the audience. For the Quady demo, we passed out a sample of the wine that the figs were cooked in, the cooked figs which had been cooled and lightly coated in chocolate, then a white dessert wine to compliment the figs. As we cleaned up after that, the next demo, which was essentially a lecture by DeAnna Radaj, took place. As people learned about Chocolate and Feng Shui, Matt Gennuoso from Chez Pascal in Providence, RI showed up for his demonstration at 5. Henry had gone off to walk around the show, which left me free to assist Chef Gennuoso with his prep for Spicy Black Bean Chocolate Soup and Pork stuffed Piquillo Peppers (a small roasted red pepper from Peru). What I was basically doing was putting a bit of a mixture of fennel and onion (cooked in a duck broth) and then placing one of the Pork (and chocolate) sausage stuffed piquillos on the top of that. They had been cooked prior to coming to the show to save time and we were reheating them before plating them. It saved even more time to reheat them exactly how they were going to come out on the plate. I think I prepped about 150 veg & pepper combos. Once that was finished, my 'partner' Henry and I were set to reheat the Spicy Black Bean Chocolate soup (made with mole). We headed up the stage range with our soup filled stockpot and talked with Chef Gennuoso while we waited for 5 o'clock to roll around. Once the clock reached time, I darted behind the side curtains while Henry helped out Matt and at a certain time during the demo, it was my responsibility to grab the 3 trays full of peppers and veg out of the ovens behind the main range so they could get plated and served hot to the audience members. A teeny cup of the chocolate black bean soup was served on the side of the pepper (on the same plate) with a small dollop of creme fraiche. In the end, all the soup/peppers went out looking and smelling great. From what I heard, it tasted out of this world too.

Clean up ensued while the team from Donatella & DavidBurke finished putting together their individual desserts of Chocolate Domes for Parties & Such. They had two different versions: one dome was covered in cocoa powder and had a slight coffee flavor to it. The center of the dome was a vanilla custard. The other was covered in toasted coconut and the center was fresh grapefruit! Really bright and fresh tasting! It went really well with the cheesecake lollipops they served alongside the dome, which was additionally topped with a chocolate lace pistole. Each cheesecake lollipop was nestled in a rosette of bubblegum, yes, bubblegum, whipped cream. The first thing I thought when I tried it was straight Bubble Yum. However, the gum flavor melted away and you were left with a gorgeous whipped cream taste in your mouth. Gustavo Tzoc really knows what he's doing in creating such a subtle flavor.

The rest of the night was spent cleaning and consolidating kitchen equipment. The actual kitchen set itself had to be disassembled double quick because the people from Viking were coming to physically take it away! All the cabinets, shelves, and fridge compartments were emptied onto tech tables so the Viking guys could swoop in for the takedown. We separated the Kitchen Aid products from the Oxo-ware...the full sheet pans from the half sheets...the spatulas from the whisks, etc. After each piece was cleaned off, they were grouped together either in their original boxes or in rubbermaid totes, then labeled for later identification. Once everything was labeled, organized, and stacked for placement on the trucks, it was time to say goodnight. We were lucky enough to get a few things from the chocolate vendors (ahem, boxes of 72% Valrhona bars...and Oxo cooking utensils) and an immeasurable experience. Where else could we eat our way through exhibits one day and then get to work with world class chefs the next? Everyone I came in contact with was amazing. Sarah, the Viking kitchen supervisor was so professional and down to earth. I thanked her 1,000 times over. At this point, I'm just dipping my foot into the baking and pastry arts world...I can't wait to dive headfirst.



Coming soon...encounters with duff, hot pink Evian leotards, dancing men, and Ron Ben!

FCI Week Three

The FCI Pastry 1 - Week 3

Tuesday 08/28

DAY 7 - Today started off on a rather high note. The ladies of TTS Pastry I adore Chef Guido. He's funny, charismatic, Italian, and his biceps look like someone shoved a tennis ball into them. Up to this point, he's been the only Chef-Instructor we've had for all this Serv-Safe information. On this particular Tuesday though, we had Chef Tim. Apparently Chef Tim is the normal instructor for all the sanitation stuff, but since we're at an awkward time during the week, Chef Guido had been taking his place. I think all of the class (maybe minus Karim) just stopped when Chef walked into the room. In speaking with a couple of the other women after class and beyond that day, Chef Tim's got what is referred to as the 'Mens Health' look. Taller, in great shape, salt & pepper hair...think Bruce Willis or Cal Ripken Jr. That's all I'm going to say about it though because this is a COOKING BASED BLOG after all. But there was a good amount of giggling from grown women. Sort of like those old Diet Coke commercials where the ladies are watching the construction worker through the window...teehee.

We finished all the lecture on sanitation and did a mini-review/practice test because the actual exam was going to be on Thursday. With that out of the way, we could get started on the itinerary for the rest of the afternoon/evening. Just two main projects to work on: Tarte l'Oignon and Fig Newtons.

We thinly sliced (and I onl cried for a little bit) two large onions each to prep the filling for the Tarte l'Oignon. They were placed in a large saute pan over LOW heat with a small amount of butter to start the cooking and caramelization process. Its important to use low heat because you don't want the butter or the onions to burn at all. Slow and low makes the results perfect in the end. The onions took a good amount of time to caramelize, but they turned a beautiful golden brown color. Once they were finished, they were turned out to cool on plastic wrap for later use.

Both our Fig Newton filling and dough were already prepared from last class. Remember we had softened the figs by simmering them in a sugar, water, and lemon juice mixture? Of course you remember! Our dough split between table-mates then rolled out to about 6x24 inches or the length and most of the width of a half sheet of parchment paper. We prepped a basic egg wash (1 egg, 1 egg yolk, and a pinch of salt) and brushed the border of the dough (about an inch and a half in) with it. Half of the the fig filling was placed down the center of each dough sheet in a straight line and then the edges of the dough were folded up around it. Sort of like making a long sweet fig burrito. The egg wash acted like a glue to keep the dough together. The roll was coated with the egg wash and then put back into the refrigerator to chill for another 20-30 minutes. This step is important because if we baked these right away, the dough would melt and expose the fig filling.

While the onions were still cooling and the figs were chilling, each person had a bit of time to make a batch of Pate Sucree for next class. We are really getting quick at these doughs and super quick at tidying up our stations after each section on the daily outline. With our sucrees divided into two, wrapped, labeled, and in the fridge, it was time to assemble Tarte l'Oignon.

We grabbed our chilled galette-style doughs we rolled and decoratively hand edged last class. The cooled caramelized onions were placed in a even layer on top of the chilled round. We sliced roma tomatoes into medium medallions and those went over the onions. Next was a layer of chopped walnuts, followed by a sprinkling of bleu cheese. Any other tangy soft cheese could be used instead, but the bleu really compliments the other components exceptionally well and it melts nicely in the oven. The tart was seasoned with salt and pepper (or in my case, just pepper) and put into a 350 degree oven where it would stay for about 10-15 minutes or until the galette crust was browned and baked all the way through.


The final task for the day was baking off the Fig Newtons. We held off on putting them in the oven with the Tarte l'Oignon so there would be no possibility of scents/flavors mixing and invading each other. You don't want your sweet figs tasting like sweet onions, right? Oven temp for the logs was also 350 and they only took about 10-15 minutes as well. Since the figs were already cooked, the main thing you want to look for in these is a nice brown crust on the dough. When they were finished, they were sliced, while still warm, on a diagonal into equal parts. The dough on these cookies is so crumbly that if you were to wait to slice them, you really run the risk of ruining the look of the finished product. That being said, it is probably the best tasting dough I think we've made so far. Extremely tender and perfectly sweetened. Figs are a unique taste all on their own, so their flavor just went hand in hand with the simple crust.



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Thursday 08/30

DAY 8 - The first item on the outline for the afternoon was supposed to be the big Serv-Safe sanitation exam. A wrench was temporarily thrown in that plan because a Chef-Instructor to actually administer the teste to us was nowhere to be found. Good thing though, because it gave everyone a chance to roll out the sucree dough that we had made on Tuesday. One portion of the dough was rolled into 4 tartelette shells and the other half of it was rolled out into one large tart ring. Chef Guido was finally tracked down by the time everyone had their dough rolled and put back into the fridge to relax the glutens before use.

The Serv-Safe exam was 90 questions, but supposedly 20 of them don't count. You can miss some and others are test questions to gauge what students are really learning from the course book and lecture sessions. There's really so much minute detailed information in the lesson plans that many of the questions are really common sense. I only had to go back and re-assess my answer on two questions. We all kind of gathered in the lounge after finishing until all the tests had been turned in. There MAY have been more giggling about Chef Tim...MAYBE.

Once we had all regrouped and decided the test was ten times easier than we thought it would be, it was time to get down to business. We had to turn our attention to Spritzkakor or Scandinavian Butter Cookies. This was going to be our first attempt at piped cookies, meaning the dough is actually placed via piping bag and a star tip to be baked. Often you'll see these types of butter cookies with a maraschino cherry, nut, or preserves in the middle of them. The one that was in our original curriculum called for butter, powdered sugar, salt, lemon zest, eggs, vanilla extract, Chef Cynthia didn't particularly care for that recipe, so we got another one that used almond paste, granulated sugar, butter, egg, egg white, and a considerably smaller amount of cake flour. Other optional ingredients include a pinch of sat, vanilla extract, and lemon zest. The almond paste and sugar are creamed to a very soft consistency, otherwise the dough would be too stiff to pipe. A bit of the egg can be added to aid in the creaming process if necessary...to ensure total smoothness. The butter was creamed in next, followed by the egg and egg white. After all those ingredients were well combined, the optional salt, vanilla, and lemon zest could be added. And the flour was mixed in last just to combine. With a piping bag and a simple twist of the wrist to make a double rosette on the baking sheet out cookies were placed and then we pressed a tiny well in the center of each one. I know personally, I had to try a few times to get the paper coronet rolled just right to squirt raspberry preserves into the dent, but once the rolling and folding had been mastered, the coronet had been filled, it took no time at all. They went into the oven at 350 until they looked like this:



When the Spritzkakors were in the oven we prepped the tart and tartlette shells for cuire a blanc. The large shell would go for the Claufoutis later on in the evening and the minis would be used during next class for Tartelettes Aux Citrons.

Claufoutis (Klau-Foo-Tea)Aux Cerises Limousin was point five on the itinerary, so we all mis en place'd for that. When our pre-baked shell was finishing cooling, we made a simple custard using milk, heavy cream, vanilla, eggs and sugar. Traditionally, Claufoutis was made with un-pitted black cherries, but this evening, we had blueberries to use. Claufoutis can also be made with flour to create more of a batter filling that is poured into a baking dish over fruit. Chef Kir Rodriguez had a recipe like this that Chef Cynthia made last class and it turns out to be a more cake like consistency. Scratch that, like a round blueberry muffin. That's what it reminded me of. The version we did just had us place the fruit in the bottom of the tart shell, then pour the custard slowly over it until it was filled. It went into the oven at 250 degrees for about 25-35 minutes until the custard was set around the fruit. The thing I noticed about this tart was that the custard didn't pull away from the fruit it was baked around like it did in the Tarte Alsacienne. I'm not really sure why, but it behaved itself more. Perhaps it was because the apples in the Tarte Alsacienne had other ingredients on them which prevented the baked custard to completely adhere to their sides. At any rate, once the custard was set, this is what our Claufoutis looked like:


Lemon Curd was the final task for this Thursday afternoon. We just had to make it and wrap/chill it for use on Saturday. Sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice, eggs, and butter are all placed in a bowl over a bain marie. We also had a couple sheets of gelatin (for thickening) that were soaking in cold water. That mix is cooked over medium heat until it reaches a hollandaise consistency. The gelatin is added off heat at that time then once the sheets have completely dissolved, the curd is strained. This catches any bits of lemon zest or curdled egg that might have remained in the curd. Its then placed and wrapped on a plastic lined sheet pan. When we all had our curds sealed and ready to chill, we could clean up and call it a night. I think it was a nice easy way to end the evening by making something that wasn't that messy.

Haha, I just wish it meant that I wasn't the last one in the classroom again...every night! My OCD gets the best of me. Thankfully its the kitchen cleanliness that really reaps the benefits...However, it also makes me feel like I am not working fast enough. I completely get that school is all about the learning process. Learning to do things well in an efficient manner to meet the time demands of the culinary industry. But for some reason being the last one out of the classroom gives me this overwhelming sense of incompetence. Hopefully that will pass in good time.

Now might be a great time to mention the blogs of two of my companions on this FCI Baking and Pastry Arts journey. Nancy's blog can be found here: http://www.nancy-loves-sweets.blogspot.com/ and Tara's is over here: http://pastryfluff.blogspot.com/. They are filled with amazing photos and useful information. Definitely check both of their sites out and wish them the best of luck on this adventure! I am so glad to have such wonderful people to share this time with.

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Saturday 09/01

DAY 9 - This Saturday's class started off with a good rolling of Pate Sucree that we had made ahead of time. It was to become the base for one of the projects, the Tarte Aux Noix, that was to be completed later on in the morning/afternoon. Nothing like the sound of wooden rolling pins banging on metal tables to 1) soften cold dough and 2) wake you up in the morning.

When that round was rolled, fitted, and back in the fridge chilling to relax the glutens, it was time to prepare the Creme d'Amandes we would need as part of the filling for the Tarte Aux Noix. The first Creme d'Amandes we made was almond cream with almond paste. We used butter, almond paste, eggs, and pastry cream powder. This Creme d'Amandes we were going to use for the Tarte Aux Noix was more traditional, using butter, sugar, almond flour, eggs, and pastry cream powder. Basically we were making our own almond paste for the cream instead of using pre-made paste. Judging from the smell and texture of this traditional Creme d'Amandes, it was well worth the maybe 30 seconds of extra labor it took to get these different ingredients together. With that set aside to use later on, we could move on to Confit de Citron.

It may sound fancy, but Confit de Citron is really just candied citrus peel. It could be orange peel, lemon peel, grapefruit peel, the process is the same regardless of what citrus you're using. You can cut the PITHLESS citrus peel any style you like (we julienned) then place it in a saucepan completely covered with cold water. Bring that mixture to a boil and then strain. This process, called blanching, is repeated three more times before bringing the peel to a SIMMER in a saucepan with granulated sugar and corn syrup. The simmering only lasts as long as it takes to get the peel translucent and tender. The (in our case lemon) peel was dried on a cooling rack until it is tacky-like in feel and then you can roll it in powdered sugar or use it unpowdered. It will keep a GOOD LONG WHILE when refrigerated, as long as you store it in its cooking syrup.

Next up was a short lecture on meringues. Because we were using a meringue for the finish on our tartelettes aux citrons, it was imperative that we learn what kind of meringues there are and how each one is properly prepared and used. Meringues are a mixture of egg white foam and sugar. What differentiates the types boils down to the consistency of the sugar, when its added, and temperatures. There are three types of meringue: French, Italian, and Swiss. French meringue is the most delicate kind of meringue: raw sugar is beaten into egg whites. Its mainly used in cake and cookie preparations because it MUST be baked. This is due to the potential of salmonella to exist in the raw egg whites. The egg whites are foamed in a mixer until frothy and then the sugar is added little by little at medium speed when the whites are at soft peak stage. Its continued to be beaten at medium speed until just before it done, a process called searing, which prevents the meringue from deflating immediately once the whipping action has stopped. For an Italian meringue, wet sugar is cooked to softball stage (around 238 degrees farenheit) and then is beaten into egg white foam. The whites of the egg poach the sugar, which provides for a good amount of volume, but also good stability in the overall mix. Italian meringues are used for the bases of many mousses and buttercream fillings. Since the egg whites are heated by the hot sugar syrup, there is no need to bake the meringue after its made. The egg whites and sugar in a Swiss meringue are heated and foamed over a bain marie to about 130 degrees farenheit. Once that temperature is reached, they are finished whipping in the stand mixer. This technique results in less volume and lightness to the meringue, but its definitely more stable than the French would be. Swiss meringues are often used for baked meringue decorations and it was the Swiss meringue that we used to finish our tartelettes with later on that afternoon.

We had a French Nut Tart to deal with first though. We had already rolled pate sucree shells for this Tarte aux Noix. A thin layer of raspberry jam was spread in to the bottom of the unbaked and undocked tart. Toasted, sliced almonds were sprinkled on top of the jam and then we put the shell back into the fridge while we prepared the rest of the filling. The creme d'amandes we made earlier was paddled until it was smooth. Egg whites and sugar were then whipped to still peak for a French meringue. The meringue was folded into the creme d'amandes along with hazelnut and almond flour to make a batter. This heavenly smelling batter went on top of the jam/almond layer of the tart shell and the whole thing went into the 350 degree oven for about 20-30 minutes.

Each person in the class made a full recipe of pate brisee for next class and then it was time to move into the tartelettes aux citrons. Using the lemon curd that we made in the previous class and our prebaked tartelette shells, we spread a bit of the curd to fill each shell. They were set aside in order for each team to make their first official attempt at Swiss meringue. Not too shabby for novices! Our meringues were then piped onto the tartlettes in our choice of decorative patterns. From there, we each got our hands on a communal blowtorch to brown the tops of each meringue, taking extra care not to burn them. Some of the confit de citron that was draining on racks from earlier was used to finish the decor. At this point in the process I could tell you how good they looked...or I could show you:


By this time our Tarte Aux Noix were out of the oven and waiting to be finished on the cooling racks. The tops of these tarts are traditionally finished with powdered sugar in a pattern. Many of the class did snowflake-esque designs or hearts. I on the other hand, HAD to put my spin on it. So Week 3 at the FCI for Ms Jones ended with a crossbones pattern of my own:



Next week: Chocolate, caramel, chocolate, caramel, a smidge more chocolate, a teeensy bit more caramel, Linzers, and a sprinkling of cheese...