Well it's the end of October and the weather in the UK is quite delightful! The temperature's been in the mid 60's and the sad part is I'm still in short sleeves! It's started to rain and be cloudy for most of the day, and I have to say I'm enjoying it.
I would like to think that I really will be able to keep my promises to you faithful readers, but you'll have to give me some time. I am trying, really, to keep y'all up to date with what's going on over here. This post should be short and sweet, with a longer one this weekend. Enjoy!
Alright first off a quick version of my social life, which incidentally turns out is not as glamorous as I would like to believe haha I've been going out and seeing the sights of London-Oxford street, London bridge, the tower of London-and feel so overwhelmed by the amount of history and legacy that this city holds. I've gone out with some of the girls from school and enjoyed what kind of night life London can offer...sadly enough everything shuts down pretty early most nights! I've been on a couple dates, but they haven't really led anywhere worth while. Seeing as I'm not here to find 'true love' I'm not worried about how things are going to turn out in that department! I got to have dinner with a British girl I met back in Texas, as well as host my own little dinner party for people from my group which went really well!
This past week in school was all about making puff pastry...from scratch! It's a 2 day process so we made the dough the first day-it's a very technically precise process-and then used some pre-made dough to make a Jalousie. A Jalousie is a cooked pastry with poached pears and a lattice design on top made of, you guessed it, puff pastry; then it's cooked to a golden brown crispiness and was delicious! The next day we took the dough we made the day before and used it to make a chilled pastry filled with pastry cream and topped with fresh fruit. Again, delicious but the worst part is these pastries I get to take home are huge! There's no way I can-or want to-eat them by myself so they've been just sitting on the counter wishing to be consumed. The technical for last week was about flour and sugar; the different types and what each one is usually used for. It was informative but a bit boring all at once.
For my upcoming class we'll be making Choux (pronounced shoe) pastry used mostly for eclairs. This is another of the possible recipes for my final exam so it's going to be a challenging week. I'm heading back to Mildenhall at the end of the week an am so excited to be back with everyone since most of them have been out of town! I'm in the process of looking up gifts for Christmas-while prices are kind of low-as well as making Thanksgiving preparations! Who knew there could be so many holiday's crammed into one!
That's about it for now-will post again after the craziness of this week subsides! Thanks to all you loyal readers and feel free to comment about anything you like! <3
Monday, October 31, 2011
Monday, October 24, 2011
A couple days late, but here none the less!
Where did Saturday go?!?!? I was planning on updating here on Saturday, I swear but somehow this weekend got away from me! I guess that's what happens when you get busy making friends and taking advantage of the city! :D
So this past week has left me quite tired, but all the adventures I've had have made it worth it! For all of you who are worried about my health being so busy-please don't!! I've taken today to rest and recover because I don't want to get sick and miss class...at this point in the game I don't know how I would be able to keep up after missing even one class!!
Monday/Tuesday of last week were very relaxing; I was with Maria and Kent (by the way Maria gave me permission to use her name so Maria=Mandy from now on!) and we just chilled and did a bit of Christmas shopping. In October!! I know it seems to be a bit early, but we love shopping and why bother with crowds later when you can save time and money doing it now?? She got most of her presents, while I just got ideas for what I want to get for everyone! I had class Wed, Thur, Fri this week and three days in a row gets to be a bit intense.
Wednesday we went over what our final exam is going to be over for this term...and I am super worried about it! Basically our final grade is determined 45% by our daily attendance/participation in our demo's and practicals, 10% by a written exam over any information covered this term and 45% practical exam where I actually have to make a dessert by myself! The practical is what I'm most worried about becaust it's going to be very challenging. We have to memorize 3 different recipes (ingredients, method, and assembly) exactly to the 'T' but we don't know which one we will be making. The day of the exam we are given a number for a station in the kitchen and whatever recipe is at that station is what we will be making. So I could be making a Lemon Tart, Chocolate Eclair's or a Raspberry Sponge Cake. Each one has the same level of difficulty and we will have a teaching chef in the kitchen with us watching our hygiene and preparation method to see how well we stay organized. They are also looking for mistakes-burning the bottom of a pastry, dropping things on the floor and then using them, not cooking things thoroughly-to tell the chefs that come in after we are done. The chefs that come in later are tasting chefs who are grading us on presentation, assembly, taste, texture and overall performance. It's a lot of pressure because if one major thing goes wrong, say your eclair's don't rise, it could mean not passing this term and having to retake it!
In class Thursday and Friday we were making tarts! Thursday we made the Lemon tart...yes the same one I'm might have to do in my final exam! :/ I felt pretty good during class, and most of my tart came out exactly how it was supposed to, but I did have problems with piping the meringue on top...again! Who knew piping would be so hard?!?!? But class that day was stressful because everyone is questioning every step trying to make sure they can replicate it at home to practice for the exam! Now, I don't like Lemon tart...or lemon meringue pie...or anything lemon flavored really. I tried the Lemon Tart chef made in our demo so I could make sure I know what my practice ones are supposed to taste like but I tried the smallest piece I could and nearly died it was so gross!! After class, I had this relatively nice looking lemon tart and no desire to take it back with me...I know I'm not going to eat it and the lady I'm staying with right now is going to bring one with her so I was at a loss of what to do with it. Chef suggested I take it to reception because the ladies there might enjoy it, and boy howdy did they ever! The young lady I offered it to was ecstatic and couldn't take it off me fast enough!
Friday was apple tart day and the first day of class that I left feeling completely confident in my skills and what I had accomplished that day. The difference between the apple tart and lemon tart, for anyone who cares to know, is the crust, the way the filling is made and the decoration. For the lemon tart, the crust is saltier to off set the tangy lemon curd filling, and has a sweet Italian meringue on top to make a nice (to some people) combination. The apple tart is much better in my opinion with a sweet crust, a compote filling of crisp and soft apples, sugar, butter and cinnamon, and a topping of thinly sliced nicely decorated apple brushed with butter, honey and a bit of sugar. Chef helped us out making a rose out of apple slices for a lovely decorating touch and this particular chef is quickly becoming one of my favorites! I took this one back with me and hopefully Kent took it to work with him so someone else could enjoy it!
I realized I haven't told you much about my chefs so it might be time for that!
-Chef Julie is the head Patisserie chef at LCB, English, and my favorite to have in a practical class; she walks around and helps you stay organized by reminding you what you should be thinking of next, what your next step will be and how to get prepared for that. It's very nice and as a woman I feel this connection with her like she's in my corner rooting for me just because I'm a woman in the industry!
-Chef Graeham (I think that's how to spell his name...I'd go find out but I'm way too lazy for that right now) is English and tied for second favorite of the Patisserie chef's. But I prefer to have him for my practical classes rather than demo's simply because he seems to run through things in demo's a bit too fast for my tastes. In practical though, I stand right next to him and look over often to see which way he shakes his head to let me know if I'm doing things correctly. He has a fun, dry sense of humor and is very laid back about most things.
-Chef Matthew is another English chef tied for second favorite chef simply because he reminds me of a cartoon! -If cartoons could cook and tell jokes as well as he does that is!!- If any of you have seen the clay animation films about Wallace and Gromit, Chef Matthew reminds me of a live version of Wallace! I wish I could draw you guys a picture of what he's like in class because it's very entertaining! When he whisks something, he raises one eyebrow and gets 'robot arms' that can go super fast and for quite some time...it's just amazing! He also has a great presence in the demo's but not so much in the practicals.
-Chef Nicolas (pronounced Nick-o-la) is a French chef who can't pronounce my name haha! He's young, has a very thick accent and is very, very French. If you've ever met anyone who is from France and is a chef, you have some idea what I'm talking about! He was nice enough in practical, but that's the only time I've had him as a teaching chef so I can't judge him properly!
-Last is another French chef, Chef Christophe (who prefers we call him Gerard for some strange reason!) I've yet to have him in a kitchen, and from what I've heard I'm very lucky! When I know more about him I will let you guys know!
Well...this post became quite a novel and I haven't even gotten to the social part of the last week!! Guess that means I will be updating again this week, which is a shock for most of you, I know!! Until then, just know things are great in and out of class; I'm getting to explore and have grand adventures as well as learn new things about myself along the way! Here's a quick preview of the next post!!!
------Single's night, Brazilian club, Festival at Russel Square, and a date ;) !!-------
Love from London <3
So this past week has left me quite tired, but all the adventures I've had have made it worth it! For all of you who are worried about my health being so busy-please don't!! I've taken today to rest and recover because I don't want to get sick and miss class...at this point in the game I don't know how I would be able to keep up after missing even one class!!
Monday/Tuesday of last week were very relaxing; I was with Maria and Kent (by the way Maria gave me permission to use her name so Maria=Mandy from now on!) and we just chilled and did a bit of Christmas shopping. In October!! I know it seems to be a bit early, but we love shopping and why bother with crowds later when you can save time and money doing it now?? She got most of her presents, while I just got ideas for what I want to get for everyone! I had class Wed, Thur, Fri this week and three days in a row gets to be a bit intense.
Wednesday we went over what our final exam is going to be over for this term...and I am super worried about it! Basically our final grade is determined 45% by our daily attendance/participation in our demo's and practicals, 10% by a written exam over any information covered this term and 45% practical exam where I actually have to make a dessert by myself! The practical is what I'm most worried about becaust it's going to be very challenging. We have to memorize 3 different recipes (ingredients, method, and assembly) exactly to the 'T' but we don't know which one we will be making. The day of the exam we are given a number for a station in the kitchen and whatever recipe is at that station is what we will be making. So I could be making a Lemon Tart, Chocolate Eclair's or a Raspberry Sponge Cake. Each one has the same level of difficulty and we will have a teaching chef in the kitchen with us watching our hygiene and preparation method to see how well we stay organized. They are also looking for mistakes-burning the bottom of a pastry, dropping things on the floor and then using them, not cooking things thoroughly-to tell the chefs that come in after we are done. The chefs that come in later are tasting chefs who are grading us on presentation, assembly, taste, texture and overall performance. It's a lot of pressure because if one major thing goes wrong, say your eclair's don't rise, it could mean not passing this term and having to retake it!
In class Thursday and Friday we were making tarts! Thursday we made the Lemon tart...yes the same one I'm might have to do in my final exam! :/ I felt pretty good during class, and most of my tart came out exactly how it was supposed to, but I did have problems with piping the meringue on top...again! Who knew piping would be so hard?!?!? But class that day was stressful because everyone is questioning every step trying to make sure they can replicate it at home to practice for the exam! Now, I don't like Lemon tart...or lemon meringue pie...or anything lemon flavored really. I tried the Lemon Tart chef made in our demo so I could make sure I know what my practice ones are supposed to taste like but I tried the smallest piece I could and nearly died it was so gross!! After class, I had this relatively nice looking lemon tart and no desire to take it back with me...I know I'm not going to eat it and the lady I'm staying with right now is going to bring one with her so I was at a loss of what to do with it. Chef suggested I take it to reception because the ladies there might enjoy it, and boy howdy did they ever! The young lady I offered it to was ecstatic and couldn't take it off me fast enough!
Friday was apple tart day and the first day of class that I left feeling completely confident in my skills and what I had accomplished that day. The difference between the apple tart and lemon tart, for anyone who cares to know, is the crust, the way the filling is made and the decoration. For the lemon tart, the crust is saltier to off set the tangy lemon curd filling, and has a sweet Italian meringue on top to make a nice (to some people) combination. The apple tart is much better in my opinion with a sweet crust, a compote filling of crisp and soft apples, sugar, butter and cinnamon, and a topping of thinly sliced nicely decorated apple brushed with butter, honey and a bit of sugar. Chef helped us out making a rose out of apple slices for a lovely decorating touch and this particular chef is quickly becoming one of my favorites! I took this one back with me and hopefully Kent took it to work with him so someone else could enjoy it!
I realized I haven't told you much about my chefs so it might be time for that!
-Chef Julie is the head Patisserie chef at LCB, English, and my favorite to have in a practical class; she walks around and helps you stay organized by reminding you what you should be thinking of next, what your next step will be and how to get prepared for that. It's very nice and as a woman I feel this connection with her like she's in my corner rooting for me just because I'm a woman in the industry!
-Chef Graeham (I think that's how to spell his name...I'd go find out but I'm way too lazy for that right now) is English and tied for second favorite of the Patisserie chef's. But I prefer to have him for my practical classes rather than demo's simply because he seems to run through things in demo's a bit too fast for my tastes. In practical though, I stand right next to him and look over often to see which way he shakes his head to let me know if I'm doing things correctly. He has a fun, dry sense of humor and is very laid back about most things.
-Chef Matthew is another English chef tied for second favorite chef simply because he reminds me of a cartoon! -If cartoons could cook and tell jokes as well as he does that is!!- If any of you have seen the clay animation films about Wallace and Gromit, Chef Matthew reminds me of a live version of Wallace! I wish I could draw you guys a picture of what he's like in class because it's very entertaining! When he whisks something, he raises one eyebrow and gets 'robot arms' that can go super fast and for quite some time...it's just amazing! He also has a great presence in the demo's but not so much in the practicals.
-Chef Nicolas (pronounced Nick-o-la) is a French chef who can't pronounce my name haha! He's young, has a very thick accent and is very, very French. If you've ever met anyone who is from France and is a chef, you have some idea what I'm talking about! He was nice enough in practical, but that's the only time I've had him as a teaching chef so I can't judge him properly!
-Last is another French chef, Chef Christophe (who prefers we call him Gerard for some strange reason!) I've yet to have him in a kitchen, and from what I've heard I'm very lucky! When I know more about him I will let you guys know!
Well...this post became quite a novel and I haven't even gotten to the social part of the last week!! Guess that means I will be updating again this week, which is a shock for most of you, I know!! Until then, just know things are great in and out of class; I'm getting to explore and have grand adventures as well as learn new things about myself along the way! Here's a quick preview of the next post!!!
------Single's night, Brazilian club, Festival at Russel Square, and a date ;) !!-------
Love from London <3
Saturday, October 15, 2011
Love from London! (Well, sometimes London)
I am at the point right now on my view of England that I would really like to go frolicking through the woods...so driving along the English countryside, on of my favorite things to do, I see this field and it butts up to the amazing looking forest. I am usually very tempted to ask the driver to stop so I can run into the woods (they are usually on someone's property) and frolic! Anyone with me on this?? Anyone? No?? Ok it's just me...though I wouldn't like to be there when it's dark because that gets to be the creepy side of things! Also...is it weird to Facebook stalk the person you're sitting next to?? These kinds of things are vital for me to know!
That note aside, things here have been interesting to say the least. Just in case you don't know me, my life seems to have a bunch of drama in it-most of it I'm ok with-but I never seem to be short of a good story! I also enjoy putting in every detail of my life, even though most people don't care about all the details so here is your forewarning:
-----This may be quite a novel-like post about my first two weeks of class and what not. Only start this if you have the time because there's no telling how long it may take you to read it!-----
Also, I will be changing names of people in my blog, because I haven't gotten permission from them to mention them here and I feel this is the best option for everyone! I will give you a character reference so you have some idea as to who these people are!
First off let me tell you about my classes-the number one reason I'm here! To give you an idea of how things work, my schedule is like this: I have Technical Demonstrations where we sit in a class room and learn about random things like Fire safety, the history of flour, why ice cream was first made, etc. So far those classes have been a bit...boring but only because we've just covered fire safety! Then I have Demonstrations where we are shown how to make the items for the day from our notebook. The notebooks contain recipes with ingredients on it, but no instructions so we write that down during the demo.
Later on in the day after our demo's, we have Practical classes where we are required to replicate what was made in the demonstration class. Our practical class has 10 students and a chef to help guide us through the process as well as answer any questions we might have. I've had 4 of the 5 chefs from the Patisserie department in my practical classes and have learned little differences between each of the chefs and how they teach! All that being said, I have one technical demo, 2 demo's and 2 practicals each week...it doesn't seem like it's a lot, but once you get going-usually at 8am-and don't leave till around 5:30 it takes a toll!
The first week in class we worked on knife skills and making syrups (simple syrups and working with cooking sugar to different stages), and making fruit salad. It sounds easy, but you have to start somewhere and it helps break bad habits, or form good ones depending on what experience you've had already. Getting into the practical for the first time and not knowing where to find things in the kitchen, or what exactly to do when starting a practical was scary and nerve wracking to say the least! Good thing a couple people in my group had already taken the cuisine part of LCB and knew how to set up their work station...the rest of us followed suit and the day went smoothly from there. We also learned how to make pastry cream, meringues, and the different variations of the two. We worked on our piping skills with Swiss meringue, and I learned my skills are lacking more than I would like to admit! I have since been working on them with mashed potatoes, but the process is slow going! I can't seem to make my hand follow and make what my brain sees!
---Things I learned my first week: 1) Cutting fruit is easy and even easier when you have a fantastic knife set of the highest quality with your initials engraved on it! 2) Sticking my hand into a pot of boiling sugar to test what stage of cooking it's at is some of the most fun I've had in a kitchen...and the scariest experience in one! 3) When working in teams, make sure you choose someone who has a brain, first of all, and stick up for yourself or you'll end up paying for their mistakes. :( 4) Pastry cream isn't my favorite unless it has whipping cream added to it...but that means it's harder to make! 5) Piping=not my strong suit...and I will keep working at it until I have perfected it! and 6) Making friends in another country requires nothing more than a nice smile and a good southern hospitality mentality!
This last week was a bit more challenging! We have started getting into the scientific process of making desserts; it's not about what ingredients you add together, it's how you add them and when you add them that makes it work! We had our technical over how to take notes during a demo (very helpful actually) and how to work as a team in class...pretty boring but necessary for those out there with no common sense or social skills. In demo, the topic was baked and stirred custards. I don't think I'll ever get over how easy the chef's make our demo's look! They whip something up and you're writing furiously trying to take it all in and thinking, "That looked so easy, surely I can do that!" Then you get to class and you realize they've had help making it look that easy-experience and someone behind the scenes measuring out their ingredients for them before hand...and it's just them in a workspace so they can take up as much room as they need!
So, in practical, we made Creme Brulee, Creme Caramel, Creme Anglaise, Fruit Coulis, and Tuile batter. It was a lot to do in one class but we had the head pastry chef as our guide that practical and she was a blessing! She walks around and makes sure you understand what you're doing, as well as stops you from making a mistake that you couldn't come back from! I was nervous to be with her in the kitchen, but she is an amazing teacher-and I would know!! We didn't get to take anything home that day because we were going to decorate and present it all the next day! Those decorations the next day consisted of piping out our Tuile (btw pronounced twill...strange, I know) and I was actually a bit proud of how well some of my designs came out. The hard part is shaping them to give them a 3D effect because you have to do it straight out of the oven and those puppies are hot!!
Next on the agenda was working with sugar to make baskets, abstract designs, and actual shapes to decorate items. This was more to get used to working with sugar-it's harder than it looks-but I am feeling more confident with my skills the more I practice. Then we finished our creme brulee's by toasting the sugar and decorating it with sugar, our finished tuile shapes, and sugar shapes. We plated our creme caramel's next, adding piped chocolate, decorations with our creme angliase, fruit coulis, tuile shapes, and sugar shapes. If I can figure out how to add photos from my phone onto my computer I will show you my finished designs! I was proud of them and so was the chef of the day! Overall a great week!
I have found, since I've been here, I don't like London until I'm there going to class or hanging out with the people from school. I love leaving the city and living with Maria and her family in Mildenhall, going to the country side and a slower pace of life! Don't get me wrong, London is great and has it's charms, but there's something missing that makes me dread having to be there...that is till I get there! It's all very confusing, but I'm trying to stay positive and really can't complain about much of anything at this point! I've got some of the best friends anyone could ask for-new and old-and the most supportive family that helped make this all possible!
I've got a four day weekend at least once a month, this weekend being the first, and plan to get caught up on sleep, and get things done (laundry, shopping, cooking, Christmas decoration shopping with Maria!!!) I am setting some goals for myself, kind of like new year's resolutions, and you all are responsible for making sure I follow through with some of these! I will work on piping skills every day till I am more competent in my skills. I will blog every weekend about my class experience and what's been happening in my life. I will get out and do things that most people don't get to experience because this is the only life I have, and I will make the most out of this amazing experience!
Until next time, I hope you all got through this massive blog and I promise they won't all be like this...!! I feel the need to say thanks for reading this, even though it was a conscious choice for all of you-I just don't want anyone to feel the need to read it out of obligation! So if you did happen to read this out of obligation, you have my sincerest gratitude for making it to the end!
Love from London!! <3
That note aside, things here have been interesting to say the least. Just in case you don't know me, my life seems to have a bunch of drama in it-most of it I'm ok with-but I never seem to be short of a good story! I also enjoy putting in every detail of my life, even though most people don't care about all the details so here is your forewarning:
-----This may be quite a novel-like post about my first two weeks of class and what not. Only start this if you have the time because there's no telling how long it may take you to read it!-----
Also, I will be changing names of people in my blog, because I haven't gotten permission from them to mention them here and I feel this is the best option for everyone! I will give you a character reference so you have some idea as to who these people are!
- Samantha, Sierra, and Natalie are some of the girls from my class I hang out with quite a bit
- Aidan is my best friend and a great guy for letting me stay with him for a while!
- Lily and Maria are two of my new best friends and I'll be living with Maria for a bit this month...Maria, Kent and their son are being gracious enough to let me stay in their guest room until Aidan gets back!
First off let me tell you about my classes-the number one reason I'm here! To give you an idea of how things work, my schedule is like this: I have Technical Demonstrations where we sit in a class room and learn about random things like Fire safety, the history of flour, why ice cream was first made, etc. So far those classes have been a bit...boring but only because we've just covered fire safety! Then I have Demonstrations where we are shown how to make the items for the day from our notebook. The notebooks contain recipes with ingredients on it, but no instructions so we write that down during the demo.
Later on in the day after our demo's, we have Practical classes where we are required to replicate what was made in the demonstration class. Our practical class has 10 students and a chef to help guide us through the process as well as answer any questions we might have. I've had 4 of the 5 chefs from the Patisserie department in my practical classes and have learned little differences between each of the chefs and how they teach! All that being said, I have one technical demo, 2 demo's and 2 practicals each week...it doesn't seem like it's a lot, but once you get going-usually at 8am-and don't leave till around 5:30 it takes a toll!
The first week in class we worked on knife skills and making syrups (simple syrups and working with cooking sugar to different stages), and making fruit salad. It sounds easy, but you have to start somewhere and it helps break bad habits, or form good ones depending on what experience you've had already. Getting into the practical for the first time and not knowing where to find things in the kitchen, or what exactly to do when starting a practical was scary and nerve wracking to say the least! Good thing a couple people in my group had already taken the cuisine part of LCB and knew how to set up their work station...the rest of us followed suit and the day went smoothly from there. We also learned how to make pastry cream, meringues, and the different variations of the two. We worked on our piping skills with Swiss meringue, and I learned my skills are lacking more than I would like to admit! I have since been working on them with mashed potatoes, but the process is slow going! I can't seem to make my hand follow and make what my brain sees!
---Things I learned my first week: 1) Cutting fruit is easy and even easier when you have a fantastic knife set of the highest quality with your initials engraved on it! 2) Sticking my hand into a pot of boiling sugar to test what stage of cooking it's at is some of the most fun I've had in a kitchen...and the scariest experience in one! 3) When working in teams, make sure you choose someone who has a brain, first of all, and stick up for yourself or you'll end up paying for their mistakes. :( 4) Pastry cream isn't my favorite unless it has whipping cream added to it...but that means it's harder to make! 5) Piping=not my strong suit...and I will keep working at it until I have perfected it! and 6) Making friends in another country requires nothing more than a nice smile and a good southern hospitality mentality!
This last week was a bit more challenging! We have started getting into the scientific process of making desserts; it's not about what ingredients you add together, it's how you add them and when you add them that makes it work! We had our technical over how to take notes during a demo (very helpful actually) and how to work as a team in class...pretty boring but necessary for those out there with no common sense or social skills. In demo, the topic was baked and stirred custards. I don't think I'll ever get over how easy the chef's make our demo's look! They whip something up and you're writing furiously trying to take it all in and thinking, "That looked so easy, surely I can do that!" Then you get to class and you realize they've had help making it look that easy-experience and someone behind the scenes measuring out their ingredients for them before hand...and it's just them in a workspace so they can take up as much room as they need!
So, in practical, we made Creme Brulee, Creme Caramel, Creme Anglaise, Fruit Coulis, and Tuile batter. It was a lot to do in one class but we had the head pastry chef as our guide that practical and she was a blessing! She walks around and makes sure you understand what you're doing, as well as stops you from making a mistake that you couldn't come back from! I was nervous to be with her in the kitchen, but she is an amazing teacher-and I would know!! We didn't get to take anything home that day because we were going to decorate and present it all the next day! Those decorations the next day consisted of piping out our Tuile (btw pronounced twill...strange, I know) and I was actually a bit proud of how well some of my designs came out. The hard part is shaping them to give them a 3D effect because you have to do it straight out of the oven and those puppies are hot!!
Next on the agenda was working with sugar to make baskets, abstract designs, and actual shapes to decorate items. This was more to get used to working with sugar-it's harder than it looks-but I am feeling more confident with my skills the more I practice. Then we finished our creme brulee's by toasting the sugar and decorating it with sugar, our finished tuile shapes, and sugar shapes. We plated our creme caramel's next, adding piped chocolate, decorations with our creme angliase, fruit coulis, tuile shapes, and sugar shapes. If I can figure out how to add photos from my phone onto my computer I will show you my finished designs! I was proud of them and so was the chef of the day! Overall a great week!
I have found, since I've been here, I don't like London until I'm there going to class or hanging out with the people from school. I love leaving the city and living with Maria and her family in Mildenhall, going to the country side and a slower pace of life! Don't get me wrong, London is great and has it's charms, but there's something missing that makes me dread having to be there...that is till I get there! It's all very confusing, but I'm trying to stay positive and really can't complain about much of anything at this point! I've got some of the best friends anyone could ask for-new and old-and the most supportive family that helped make this all possible!
I've got a four day weekend at least once a month, this weekend being the first, and plan to get caught up on sleep, and get things done (laundry, shopping, cooking, Christmas decoration shopping with Maria!!!) I am setting some goals for myself, kind of like new year's resolutions, and you all are responsible for making sure I follow through with some of these! I will work on piping skills every day till I am more competent in my skills. I will blog every weekend about my class experience and what's been happening in my life. I will get out and do things that most people don't get to experience because this is the only life I have, and I will make the most out of this amazing experience!
Until next time, I hope you all got through this massive blog and I promise they won't all be like this...!! I feel the need to say thanks for reading this, even though it was a conscious choice for all of you-I just don't want anyone to feel the need to read it out of obligation! So if you did happen to read this out of obligation, you have my sincerest gratitude for making it to the end!
Love from London!! <3
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