Only I could be disappointed by a 90 out of 100.
Well, maybe not only me. There are plenty of perfectionists in my class. A week ago I'd have been completely happy with a 90. After working my desserts over for a bit, I can see some obvious changes that would have given me a higher score.
My apple dessert, which I will be posting pictures of as soon as I can get them, was perfect. Flavor, perfect. Balance, perfect. Presentation, perfect. It was a thing of beauty; a dish that Chef John called at different times extraordinary, phenomenal and truly fine dining. Really, it was a very simple dish of sauteed apples and pecans delivered two ways, alone and in a fried won ton, served over a bourbon caramel sauce, a quinelle of ginger ice cream and a baked caramel straw filled with white chocolate. It was a spectacular dish. I had plans of adding a balsamic reduction to it, but in the end I felt it took the overall flavor too far into acid. As it was, I had the exact balance I wanted out of it.
and this is the one without the ice cream.
The funny thing, at least to me, is I never checked the apples for doneness, and never tasted anything but the balsamic reduction. I am no professional, but I guess I was just in a zone on the dish. I didn't check the temp of my frying oil. I never tasted the caramel sauce. I eyeballed the whole dish. Throw in some butter, a handful of pecans, the apples, a bunch of brown sugar, cook it until it looks soft - done. I screwed up the caramel straw a couple times before I'd nailed it down, but, hey, I've never made one before, so whattaya want? Overall, I spent perhaps a quarter of the time on the apple dish as I did the chocolate dish, and guess what-
My chocolate dessert, as much of an experiment as the first, was not good. I was going for a chocolate dessert that wasn't so heavy, as chocolate will tend to be. Everyone was doing mousse, so I stayed away from mousse. Everyone else was doing some sort of cake, so I stayed away from that as well. The chocolate crepe gratin with a mascarpone custard and whipped espresso cream seemed like a sure way to end up with a chocolate dessert that was airy, light, but still had a richness. I knew as soon as I had baked off the gratin that it wasn't what I wanted. The flavor was fine, but the texture had an almost rubbery quality. Chef did applaud me for attempting something more or less original, but the dish just wasn't quite there. I served it up with a chocolate rum butter that I couldn't pipe into a rosette, so I just molded it into a cork shape and set a raspberry on top. To give the dish height I shaped a pointy shard of phyllo dough along side of it. Whatever. In immediate retrospect, I think I was a little lazy with the dish, as though I'd spent all my creative energy on the apple dish and screw the chocolate dish. A phyllo decoration? Please. Why didn't I shape a chocolate wafer? Can't pipe a rosette? Fine, then leave the butter off entirely. I put a damn cork shaped cylinder with a raspberry on the plate. Lazy, dude, very lazy.
I take the good with the bad. I hang my hat on the apple dish, which I would put up against anyone, I mean anyone, anywhere, anytime. It was that good. My ego runs unchecked.
As with every final, we destroy the kitchen. We plated at 9:35. Chef began his one on one grading with me, where I walked away with a solid if unsatisfying 90, and then I made omelets for the group while we cleaned up. Shiitake, sausage and cheese. With all the sweets flying around, it's not easy to get a decent savory meal. We got out of class at right around midnight.
I'm tired. I'm worn out. I'm drinking a cup of coffee and chain smoking to get through this post.
Next week is a short one, and I expect it will be slow at the Careme Room, the Main Building's dining facility, being that it is Thanksgiving week. There will be more competencies, but it's crap like writing Happy Birthday in chocolate and such. Nothing exciting, nothing special. Advanced B&P is all about plated dessert competency. I did fine, though I wish I could have another shot at it.
By the by, I installed a hit tracker on my blog, so I know who you are. Sort of. At least I know my mom checks the blog three or four times a day. I'm also getting hits from all over the country and a few from places further afield. If you are reading this, drop me a line, say hi, ask questions, make comments. True, I did shut the comments posting down due to spam bullshit...
Well, maybe not only me. There are plenty of perfectionists in my class. A week ago I'd have been completely happy with a 90. After working my desserts over for a bit, I can see some obvious changes that would have given me a higher score.
My apple dessert, which I will be posting pictures of as soon as I can get them, was perfect. Flavor, perfect. Balance, perfect. Presentation, perfect. It was a thing of beauty; a dish that Chef John called at different times extraordinary, phenomenal and truly fine dining. Really, it was a very simple dish of sauteed apples and pecans delivered two ways, alone and in a fried won ton, served over a bourbon caramel sauce, a quinelle of ginger ice cream and a baked caramel straw filled with white chocolate. It was a spectacular dish. I had plans of adding a balsamic reduction to it, but in the end I felt it took the overall flavor too far into acid. As it was, I had the exact balance I wanted out of it.
and this is the one without the ice cream.The funny thing, at least to me, is I never checked the apples for doneness, and never tasted anything but the balsamic reduction. I am no professional, but I guess I was just in a zone on the dish. I didn't check the temp of my frying oil. I never tasted the caramel sauce. I eyeballed the whole dish. Throw in some butter, a handful of pecans, the apples, a bunch of brown sugar, cook it until it looks soft - done. I screwed up the caramel straw a couple times before I'd nailed it down, but, hey, I've never made one before, so whattaya want? Overall, I spent perhaps a quarter of the time on the apple dish as I did the chocolate dish, and guess what-
My chocolate dessert, as much of an experiment as the first, was not good. I was going for a chocolate dessert that wasn't so heavy, as chocolate will tend to be. Everyone was doing mousse, so I stayed away from mousse. Everyone else was doing some sort of cake, so I stayed away from that as well. The chocolate crepe gratin with a mascarpone custard and whipped espresso cream seemed like a sure way to end up with a chocolate dessert that was airy, light, but still had a richness. I knew as soon as I had baked off the gratin that it wasn't what I wanted. The flavor was fine, but the texture had an almost rubbery quality. Chef did applaud me for attempting something more or less original, but the dish just wasn't quite there. I served it up with a chocolate rum butter that I couldn't pipe into a rosette, so I just molded it into a cork shape and set a raspberry on top. To give the dish height I shaped a pointy shard of phyllo dough along side of it. Whatever. In immediate retrospect, I think I was a little lazy with the dish, as though I'd spent all my creative energy on the apple dish and screw the chocolate dish. A phyllo decoration? Please. Why didn't I shape a chocolate wafer? Can't pipe a rosette? Fine, then leave the butter off entirely. I put a damn cork shaped cylinder with a raspberry on the plate. Lazy, dude, very lazy.
I take the good with the bad. I hang my hat on the apple dish, which I would put up against anyone, I mean anyone, anywhere, anytime. It was that good. My ego runs unchecked.
As with every final, we destroy the kitchen. We plated at 9:35. Chef began his one on one grading with me, where I walked away with a solid if unsatisfying 90, and then I made omelets for the group while we cleaned up. Shiitake, sausage and cheese. With all the sweets flying around, it's not easy to get a decent savory meal. We got out of class at right around midnight.
I'm tired. I'm worn out. I'm drinking a cup of coffee and chain smoking to get through this post.
Next week is a short one, and I expect it will be slow at the Careme Room, the Main Building's dining facility, being that it is Thanksgiving week. There will be more competencies, but it's crap like writing Happy Birthday in chocolate and such. Nothing exciting, nothing special. Advanced B&P is all about plated dessert competency. I did fine, though I wish I could have another shot at it.
By the by, I installed a hit tracker on my blog, so I know who you are. Sort of. At least I know my mom checks the blog three or four times a day. I'm also getting hits from all over the country and a few from places further afield. If you are reading this, drop me a line, say hi, ask questions, make comments. True, I did shut the comments posting down due to spam bullshit...
