quote:

Originally posted by piqaboo:

quote:

Originally posted by Muffin's sister:
Our chef couldn't do anything because it wasn't our class and the other Chef was too busy to figure it out I guess.

That is ********. Your chef is responsible for her students. Thats like saying you cant figure out which kid is throwing rocks, because it wasnt your son who threw them, just him who got hit.
And the other chef is worse - her/his students caused an injury. They need a scathing lecture, and to come do your dishes for a day after class.

I agree. I'm not very fond of this Chef.

I went into the other kitchen and gave them a lecture myself when that Chef was out for a minute. Ugh.

SM Sr. accidentally locked my keys in my car (SM locked the door and SM Sr didn't listen to me when I told him about 5 times NOT to shut the door) while exchanging SM/carseat before class.

A Scottsdale locksmith = waiting 80 minutes (when on the phone they say 20 minutes) + paying $145 (yes, 145) for 30 seconds of work (if that, my car is SO easy to break into, it's been done several times) + getting home and figuring out there was a $15 charge for using a credit card. Who in the heck carries $150 in cash...oh yeah, it's Snotsdale...but still.

I nearly hit the guy over the head with his clipboard when I found out it was $145. Now I really want to go shove it...somewhere.

Ugh. I wonder how much it would have been to replace a window instead?

I think you can divide the world into two types: the sort who don't carry more than $20 in cash and the sort who carry a lot. I'm always surprised at how much cash some folks seem to carry around. I'm lucky if I can buy a cup of coffee. And it only gets worse with kids-- "Mom, do you have $3 so I can buy a Jamba Juice for lunch?" (always said as the kid is walking out the door with seconds to spare before they're late). :bangs:

Sorry about the key incident.

I carry maybe $5 in random change in my car got used to the tolls in Florida and just stash change now. Drives SM Sr nuts.

It would have been MUCH cheaper to fix the window if our glass coverage hasn't changed from the last time I actually read our auto policy

Live and learn but jeez. I despise credit cards and that's all we seem to be using lately.

i keep a spare key in my wallet

quote:

Originally posted by apple*:
i keep a spare key in my wallet

That would be a great idea, if I carried a wallet . We don't even carry a diaper bag anymore! SM Sr is against the hide-a-key magnet things for obvious reasons. Darn.

Class was interesting tonight. It was another chef demo night, all about chocolate .

There was a very very famous French chef on campus interviewing some culinary students for stages (basically like a temp employee, they're not really teaching you anything (like an internship) but you get to work there for a set period of time) who adores my chef (and there was a catering class buffet at 9) so he hung out in our kitchen all night. Very very funny LOUD man. You could hear his "AAAHHAHAHA OOHHHOHOHOHO" laughs 2 or 3 kitchens down.

The French are VERY particular about protocol. If you are not in the kitchen at least 2 minutes before the start of class you are late, since demo starts the second class starts. Any fiddling, looking for a pen, etc is considered a distraction and disrespectful to the Chef. You are not to peek in windows, crack open the door, etc until Chef comes into the hallway to get you after demo.

The health inspector showed up maybe 15 minutes into demo. French guy was red in the face angry WHO ARE YOU?? DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND THE PETITE PASTRY CHEF IS CHEFFING??!!! The health inspector looked SO offended. Bahaha we were all dying trying not to laugh. Then the whole time the health inspector was there French guy was complaining (even pastry chefs deserve respect he HATES all pastry chefs except "the petite one" aka my chef)

Rules have changed, yet again, we're not allowed to have water bottles! We had a lot of those violations since all of us have a water or soda bottle. We can only have cups with lids and straws. That would be fine...if I had one. Gotta go buy one before class on Monday!

The buffet tonight was breakfast (It was so YUM) and there was a made-to-order omlete station. I felt so bad for those two students, the health inspector was scaring them to death. They had their eggs in an ice water bath and the little "if you want your eggs not done all the way don't blame us if you get sick" sign out first time that sign has EVER been out the 5 times I've been to the breakfast buffet (nor has it been out at any of the other made-to-order stations at other buffets).

Chocolate is over! I'm relieved it's been a stressful week. It's just about to get worse! Tomorrow we are starting our competency exams. We have to make petite eclairs and fruit tarts, lemon bonbons, and a full-size chocolate mousse cake complete with chocolate tiles and curls. Not so bad...until there are no notes and no set "time line" of when to do what so everyone is going to be doing WTFever they want to do . The ovens are going to be eff'd with and it's going to be fend for yourself chaos for the next 4 class days . Shoot me now.

Each item is pass/fail and this chef is ruthless. I'm scared. Last time I did eclairs was my first class and they were pretty shoddy (scroll back and check out the pics ). My fruit tarts and bonbons should pass fine...the chocolate mousse cake.. It's made from devil's food cake and when that's in the oven it CAN'T be messed with and with the chaos that will be the kitchen..I really hope someone doesn't open and slam the oven door while it's in there. I might put duct tape over the handle door, find your own oven!

Pictures:

Chocolate platter!Chocolate platter! This is what we've been working on the last week. There are rows of carioca (mocha) truffles (on chocolate cutout bases), squares of fudge, and lemon truffles. The box in the back holds more chocolates, there were a dozen of each total.



Chocolate box! 100% chocolate, roses and all. Design is cocoa butter on transfer sheets.



Really bad cell phone picture, mimosa truffles (orange + white cocoa butter design. I swear it's orange) and lemon truffles (again, I swear it's yellow (and white). ) for BeeLady's Montana de Luz fundraiser

That box is chocolate? OMG, that is amazing!

Wow. That's just lovely.

Good luck with oven control and timing.

Oh yum!!!! And thank you soooo much! What a wonderful donation! I am sure it will go for a high price at auction!!

Good luck on your exams. That chocolate box is gorgeously elegant. Well-tempered chocolate.

Thanks guys grades were just posted! I got 18/20 on both truffles and 19/20 on the fudge and chocolate box .

We had our final written exam last night. It was really long and really hard. Fingers are crossed, right now I have a 92 but the exam is worth enough points to sink me!

So, what I am interested in knowing...

Do you memorize everything that you make? Can you and are you expected to be able to make everything that you learn in these classes on que? Is that the purpose? Won't you be able to go to notes when you are OUT THERE WORKING? or is that just a no no.

Oh,

And did you lose my address? I have seen no chocolate come my way! LOL!!!

We don't memorize everything that we make, we memorize formulas/ratios for things like pate a choux, pastry cream, ganache, ice cream, creme brulee, etc. Just the very common things, the rest we have to memorize the procedure but not the specific amounts of ingredients because different people/companies use different amounts.
Notes and taking pictures are highly valued in the industry. Most people try to impress and don't do either and then training takes longer and more product is wasted. So yes, you're allowed to take notes and look at them in the industry, you're just not allowed to depend on them. The training I've gained while in school enables me to just look at the ingredients of thousands of recipes and know how to produce the product, very rewarding!