In the Midst of Things

I am so happy that I harnessed the crazy energy that is trapped in my brain and finally made the jump into the pastry world. I have now been in school for a little over 6 months. In that time, I have made pies, tarts, cream puffs, eclairs, European tortes, American style cakes, ice cream, sorbet, cookies, plated desserts, chocolate work (truffles, rochers, etc.), pastillage, nougatine, breads and so much more! I wish I had more time though! We have so much to learn yet sometimes I think I could spend more time on more sections! So this is where my blog comes in. I want to keep up my learning outside of class and documenting on here keeps me accountable to my schedule. So while I will discuss things that I create in class, I will primarily focus the blog on things I want to improve upon or just try to make for the first time!

The rest of this month is pretty crazy for me. I am competing in my first pastry competition through the  American Culinary Federation. I am competing in the cold-plated dessert section. What I think I am most worried about is time. I have really enjoyed coming up with this plate and I believe I now have finished my flavor profile. What is more terrifying is the lack of time I have to practice now that the competition is looming at the end of this month. I never realized how much time I like to take on a project. I appreciate my attention to detail most times but it has really slowed me down in the kitchen sometimes. I thought I would show you guys some of the pictures of my plated dessert in progress. It is in no way finished in these pictures. I just thought some of you might like to see a little bit of the process and play!

My cold dessert plate includes caramelized pistachios, cardamom ice cream, a frozen lemon mousse, yellow chiffon cake, and creme anglaise. I have now revised my plate to include a prickly pear puree and a white chocolate ganache. I will probably dedicate a whole post to the competition and pictures of the final plated dessert!

 Now I would have had this post out sooner but my lovely dog, Carlisle (Kreacher :)), decided that he would take the cord that use to upload the photos and he hid under the bed which is probably his favorite spot. I think its because he thinks he can get away with mischief where no one can see him there!

Indecisive Sometimes Has A Nice Ring To It

So I finally decided to make that big jump. I fully realized that I was not ready for it after just coming back to the US two and a half years ago. My priority at the time was my family and that was where I focused. I became frustrated later when most of my friends seemed to have it all figured out and I was still stuck trying to find any path that seemed somewhat clear. I like to do things spontaneously but figuring out what I truly was passionate about and wanted for a career? That is one big pot that took forever to boil! I just wasn't sure I was capable of jumping in. When the word recession lurks at every corner and your decision requires you to step off that firm footing of a full-time job, it is slightly terrifying. So here it is, I am going back to school, pastry school that is.