jwu ri week 8

[KateW]

Thursday was my last day of Continental Cuisine. It's the second time we have had that chef already. We also had him for American Regional Cuisine. He is the nicest guy, not too hard on us but just strict enough so we get the work done but still have a good time doing it. Thursday, I made pork and clams, which arent actually cooked together except briefly at the end. Basically you marinate pork cubes in a white wine marinade with oil, garlic and piri piri which is a hot pepper, olive oil and sherry concoction, then you sear the pork and start stewing them in the marinade, and add a lot of sweet paprika. You stew that until the liquid is almost gone, then you steam open the clams on top of some onions thinly sliced, add the clams, juices and onions to the pork, and serve.
Anyway this was the dish I got graded on for my practical. I don't know what I got yet. We also had the scantron final, which I got an 82 on. Monday we will find out our other grades, such as quiz average, homework grade, and final grade for the class.
Next we have baking and pastry. I hear the chef we have for this is good. I sure hope so. I am not really into baking, but I know it's important to know the basics.
I got my schedule for next trimester, and I have afternoon labs again, meaning more cooking classes, from 1:30-7:30 p.m. I am a little glad about this and a little unhappy. Having academics in the last trimester might be a good way to end the year--less demanding hours, no kitchen cleanup...but I just hope I don't get too bored with it. We will have to see.
Forgive me for not being detailed in this entry. I am kind of tired, but if you all have any questions, feel free. I will probably come back tomorrow and try to add some more detail.

[KateW]

Well I got a B+ in Continental, which I am pretty happy with. My highest grade yet. I got 14/15 on my pork and clams--one point taken off for mise en place, because I always invariably forget an ingredient, or utensil and end up scurrying off at the last second to get it. I got a 90 on the paper about "A Great Food Experience", in which I wrote about the memories I have of having great food at my aunt and uncle's house and how it is still a tradition to have way too much food no matter the occasion.
I am in Baking and pastry Intro now, and I must say I am not a Baking type of person. It almost doesnt seem like cooking. You put a bunch of raw ingredients together which have to be exact and the same every time, roll it out and/or shape it, let it sit, perhaps roll it out 2 or 3 more times (as is the case with croissants) and throw it in the oven. Not much room for creativity or adjustment and just overall boring. But I understand the need to be "well rounded" (get it...bad roll pun). I still have a good time in class, as usual, and we get to have a wonderful dinner in a rather pretty dining room.
We are nearing the end of the trimester and I am sad that the group that has been almost the same for the past tri will now be totally split up.
I have a scrapbook that was meant for my boyfriend and myself during this time, where we could write back and forth to each other and glue pictures and other memories in it. But we see each other more often than I anticipated, and I am thinking of making it into a school scrapbook.

[Greg]

Good job, Kate!! Baking was kind of boring for me, too. You'll have a better time in Patissier.

BTW, is the stuffed duck still on one of the menus for continental?

[kokopuffs]

Explore this book written by Time/Life. Combining baking with charcuterie IMHO is what this country lacks. Combining baking with meat, you could find yourself a real niche.

[KateW]

I thought I wrote a reply a few days ago but apparently it never got through. I do not see any stuffed duck on the menu, but it has probably changed. They tend to play around with the menus a lot and even if something is on the menu, they will change it and just tell the servers it is duck, not chicken, or whatever.
I am still struggling through baking and pastry. I swear this class seems like it is lasting forever. I don't understand the measurement system, the baker's scale throws me off when you have to figure out how much weight to add to it and how to use the little pound scale thing on it, i'm not strong enough or tall enough to get good leverage and evenness when I am rolling things out, and it is just not a technique I was created to do, I guess. Oh well. 5 more days.

[THINKVAIO]

Hi there kate i think you take baking and being a pastry chef so boring and easy and being uncreative.I was the same when i was in school i was in cooking thats all,but i always thought baking was for girls and that it was boring,but its not.Anyway extreme talent comes out of pastry chefs these days,i have worked very hard to get were i am,i did both cook and baking but moslty baking,just quit my last job which was a saucier.Anyway i know exc. chefs would maybe always be on top of pastry chefs but these guys and girls work as hard as them.When i was in school i did not take pastry seriously..lol..man i hated it..then i went as a line cook,then they had a pastry postion open so the pastry chef as me if i wanna to make extra money and i said yes ad there was my first love for pastry..mygod it was a very good experience,this guy had my doing things i would never think i could do,like sugar work and chocolate work...it was so cool..I know some exc. chefs who don't know **** about desserts,its really funny,i mean they are the boss at least know something you know..anyway those are my thoughts in pastries...Good Luck

[KateW]

Hey, I did not say it was easy. Quite the opposite. Boring does not have to mean easy, LOL. I don't mean to say it is uncreative in a bad way, because I know there are lots of fancy things you can do with spun sugar, chocolate, marzipan, etc. I would just rather have the food in front of me, cooking away, and have the ability to alter it in some way without being so afraid of messing up some chemical reaction, or something like that. Baking and pastry is not touchy feely enough for me--can't handle it too much, can't change things too much, can't taste test it halfway through...get what I mean? I like to be more involved in my cooking. It's not all that bad. I dread going, but once I am there, it is all good.
I have gotten a 95 and 92 on my quizzes so far, so at least I sort of know what I'm doing, I guess.

[THINKVAIO]

I know what you mean,cooking is your cup of coffee..hehe..i mean i love to work in the line too i have done both...but pastry is my LOVE..lol.maybe i sound a little crazy but i know pastry chefs that go over broad..lol..anyway goodluck..