Little Bites...

I don’t think I can put enough emphasis on how much fun I’m having here at culinary school doing baking and pastry. Granted I am attempting to get up at 4:30 AM for class, but it is difficult, so I sometimes sleep a little later to 4:45 or 5. And only once have I slept through my alarms (yes I have multiple alarms to go off in the AM which I’m sure the person on the other side of my wall loves hearing), but I did wake up in time for class surprisinglyThose that know me well enough know that I am by no means a morning person. I don’t even pretend to be. Luckily at the beginning of classes we have a lecture so I don’t have to talk to people; gives me some time to wake up. The up side of class is that everybody looks the same in the sense that make-up; perfume, aftershave, etc. aren’t allowed (reason being is that there isn’t the risk of somebody’s make-up wont get into any product, or somebody’s perfume/aftershave wont alter the taste of the products). Since I shower the night before… I just have to roll out of bed and put on the uniform (which is sooo flattering *note sarcasm).

I’m already in my second class, pies and tarts. My first class was a class focused on the fundamental skills and techniques of baking and pastry. You are given so much information in such little time. Instead of barely putting your toes in and gradually submerging yourself you are doing a cannonball. It is a great hands on experience. So far I’ve made diplomat cups filled with pastry cream and pears poached in red wine with a hint of orange. Then reduced the poaching liquid down into a sauce to put on top (picture below) (this was from the fundamentals class and was made w/my group I was with)…

In my Pies and Tarts class I’ve made a lot of pies and pie dough. I’ve made an apple pie with a streusel topping, another apple pie but with a dough covering, a blueberry pie, a cherry and raspberry pie, and then a quiche... the quiche dough was made with lard… yes lard, and yes… it was delicious. We (my partner in this class) decided to put sautéed onions, red and green bell peppers, asparagus, and of course bacon in the quiche (sorry no photo of that one). It was lovely. I was a very happy camper. That’s another good thing about class… we get to try what we’ve produced. Well we have to try what we produce. So this helps with not having to go get lunch somewhere… sometimes I still will go to the dining hall to get food b/c eating a lot of sweets is apparently not good for you. Who would of thought? But the last pie I made was a pumpkin pie... I was quickly reminded of how much I love making this pie... went to my ways of making it at home and did all the leaves like I do and my Chef approved of it... which I was really proud of.

This last photo is of obviously the pies my class produced... As you can see some pies didn't do so well in the oven b/c of too much filling or the dough wasn't cool enough before going into the oven... *note for the home cook: keep your doughs as cool as possible b/c if you don't it will look like your dough is melting in the oven b/c it pretty much is b/c of your fat (which would be your butter or lard or shortening) that is in the dough...*

But I must be an old woman now and go to bed... It is now 10 at night and past my bedtime.

long time gone...

OK so here’s what’s goin’ on now. I know that it has been a while since I’ve posted… OK a long while. But here is the run down…..

So for a while I had been struggling on what I really wanted to do. I thought about teaching my last year of college. Then I started looking at grad schools do get my masters in American Studies. It just seemed like a likely “next step.” I knew in the back of my mind it wasn’t what I truly wanted to do, and I knew I always wanted to go to culinary school, but never took the dive to go for it… Until now.

Back in January I started working @ City Grocery back in the kitchen. Worked there until the end of August. I did enjoy my time there. Learned a whole lot but know for a fact that I don’t want to work on a line in any restaurant. It is for sure that I want to eventually have my own bakery. I looked into many different culinary schools all along the East coast. Look as far North as Vermont, and Atlanta was about as far South I went. But here I am out West.

I decided on Johnson and Wales in Charlotte, NC. I was accepted but since the program I was accepted for, baking and pastry, was full I was going to have to sit out for a year OORRR I could transfer to either the N. Miami or Denver campuses. It was an easy choice for me. So here I am out in Denver. I love it to say the least. I’ve always liked the mountains and wanted to live near the mountains. The weather itself right now is something to get use to. I laughed today when somebody complained about the “humidity.” The fire over in Boulder is having an affect on the weather here though as well. Crazy to think that now I have to worry about those wildfires you always see on the news.

The program that I’m in is called Garnish Your Degree (GYD for short). Since I already have a bachelors degree, it will only take a year for me to be done. All the GYDs are in the same advising group and we are all in the same classes. Which is great since we are all older and are more focused on our work than the freshmen… All of us have had the college experience. Speaking of being more focused on our work I have to do a research paper and do some ready for class in the morning… I’m in class by 5:45 A.M. and we aren’t done until noon. The good thing is that I’m done at noon.