Alright, well, at this point in time I AM DONE!!! : )
I type that in all caps because it is pretty awesome and exciting...but I am actually not so sure that I am happy about it. I mean, culinary school was the end of my life plan...now I have to figure out what to do next and that scares me! : / But it is also exciting because I have so many things I can choose to do! Anyway, here are my adventures from the past month...
Week 3 of my externship was a pretty exciting week as far as working in the dessert station of Oishii goes! I did the usual stuff like helped prepare menu desserts and plated desserts but I also experimented with isomalt and mochi.
You have seen me use isomalt before during my plated desserts class at LCB. It was part of the napoleon plating and we called it net sugar. So I colored and baked this isomalt and then after it cooled for just a little while I scrunched it and bent it to make it look wavy. Chef Ting wants to add a new dessert to his menu that is sea-scape themed. So that is why I was experimenting with this.
I hadn't ever tried mochi actually until my roommate offered some to me earlier that week. Good thing or else I wouldn't have had any idea what they were talking about at Oishii when they asked me to make it. Most mochi you buy in the store is filled with ice cream but Japanese mochi can be filled with all sorts of stuff. In order to make the mochi I had to locate some sticky/sweet rice flour...so I took a trip to the store next door called Ming's Market. Yeah, nobody speaks English there and nobody could help me. I scoured every aisle but couldn't find what I needed. I went back again with Kevin, Ting's son, and we found glutenous rice flour...who knew it was the same thing!? Anyway, so the mochi we made was filled with sweet potato. The sweet potatoes we used were the prettiest dark purple color! I mashed the potatoes and added sugar to them, rolled them into balls, then put them in the freezer.
For the actual mochi you just mix together powdered sugar, the rice flour, and water and heat it in the microwave, stirring occasionally. Then you pat it out and cut it into squares and wrap it around the balls of the filling of your choice.
Another activity that made week 3 extra fun was baking and decorating a cake with my friend Mauricio. He likes to experiment with lots of things in the kitchen and he had bought a few boxes of cake mix and wanted to make and decorate a cake. I helped him with the shell border and the chocolate piping but other than it he did all the decorating on his own. This was definitely a fun way to pass the time during an extremely slow day at work!
Oh and we didn't plan to but we ended up turning the cake into a birthday cake, thinking it was one of the waitress's birthdays. One of the waiters told us it was and we believed him...turns out it wasn't. But everyone enjoyed the cake anyway. : )
***Oh, before I forget I also have an important update! You know the cake challenge I was so excited about entering? Well, I got some random letter in the mail this week saying that it was cancelled and they hope to host one next year. : ( I will admit, I am pretty disappointed! Oh well!
Alrighty, my week 4 of externship was the most awesome week of all...I only went into Oishii on Tuesday then I flew out to Utah for Brailee's Farewell! : ) And honestly I did more baking during the week I was home than I did my whole 6 week externship combined. Sad right? Yeah, so I did all the desserts for Brailee's farewell and it was so much fun! And just fyi everything you see below is made from scratch by me. Just thought I would throw that out there cause people were wondering if I used any premade stuff...nope! : ) Anyway, we wanted to create a little dessert bar with lots of mini options for people to pick from. I think we succeeded! Oh and of course everything is decked out in glitter or shine! (there would be no sneaking desserts without being caught : } ...I am pretty sure everyone walked away with sparkles on their face)
These are the personalized chocolates I made special for Brai! : ) Ah, the little missionary tag ones are still my favorite!
Oh and they are milk chocolates with heath bits inside.
Since it was also Father's Day I felt like I needed to do something special for our favorite guys in the world so I also made these little treats.
This is dark chocolate filled with a white chocolate raspberry truffle filling topped with edible silver leafing. (I could have sworn we got a pic of Heather with a silver leaf grill after eating one of these but unfortunately I cannot locate it. : / )
Dark chocolate filled with peanut butter dark chocolate ganache sprayed with edible pearl spray.
Dark chocolate filled with my friend Arlete's famous soft caramel also sprayed with edible pearl spray. (She is honestly the best at making caramel, I didn't even attempt!)
Dark chocolate filled with coconut dark chocolate filling topped with white chocolate and edible silver disco dust.
Dark chocolate sphere filled with mint dark chocolate ganache also topped with edible silver disco dust.
This tasty treat was definitely a crowd favorite. All it is is layered phyllo dough that I baked in a mini cupcake tin filled with apple cranberry pie filling and topped with cinnamon streusel and edible silver disco dust!
These are just mini sugar cookies topped with cream cheese frosting, edible silver disco dust, and edible silver pearls.
Mmmm one of my favorite desserts...eclairs! Filled with vanilla pastry cream mousseline, dipped in dark chocolate ganache, and topped with white chocolate and edible silver disco dust.
These are mini fruit tarts, another crowd favorite. The shells are sugar cookie dough and they are filled with vanilla pastry cream and topped with fresh fruit and edible silver leafing. Don't mind the millions of pictures I am posting of these lil' cuties, they just photograph so well! : )
I have made these brownies so many times during my time at Le Cordon Bleu because they are just the absolute best. Like, do not let me near them cause I can't stop eating them. Anyway, the ganache for these ones was made with fresh reduced raspberry sauce. These are decorated with fresh raspberry halves and tempered white chocolate nets.
Same brownie but the ganache was flavored with freshly squeezed orange juice. These are decorated with orange zest and tempered white chocolate swirls.
This is the classic dark chocolate ganache brownie, just simple dark chocolate ganache with white chocolate designs. Plain but still delish!
This was the first time I tried this flavor and I think it was a success. The brownies had caramel swirls and chopped walnuts in them and they were covered with dark chocolate ganache. Then I decorate them with caramelized sugar swirls. : )
Just a pic of me, Brai, and Heather on the big day! : ) Brailee seriously gave such a powerful farewell talk. I couldn't have been more proud of my little sister!
Week 5 of my externship was about as exciting as the first 4 weeks of my externship...it wasn't. hahaha Just kidding, kind of. Probably the most exciting thing that happened week 5 is that me and Mauricio baked and decorated another cake...
I helped him smooth the frosting and did all the chocolate piping. The strawberries and candy decorations were all him! : ) (Also, the script is supposed to say Chef Mauricio...I know it is hard to read, I must defend myself though on how crappy it looks...the chocolate wasn't all the way melted and my piping bag kept clogging haha)
GRADUATION!
On Saturday June 22 my parents and Brailee flew in for my graduation, which was on June 23! It honestly was one of the best weekends I've had in a long time. I am already missing the three of them so much and wishing they were still here. : (
Anyway, on Saturday night we went and ate dinner at Oishii! I cannot tell you how much fun I had!!! It actually kind of surprised me how much I enjoyed all the food too...because I don't like sushi and I definitely don't like fish...or maybe I do!?!
The manager, Johnny, spoiled us with 4 appetizers to start...
This one is called salmon on fire. There were four pieces hung but three of us had already taken one. When I was at work I would see this plate get taken out all the time and thought it was just so cool! I was so excited when they brought it out to us! So, I know it is called salmon on fire but the salmon is actually raw. I even surprised myself that I ate my whole piece! It was pretty tasty!
I can't remember what this one was...black tuna maybe? All I know is that the sauce it was in was really good...something to do with lemon...haha
The other two appetizers weren't quite as pretty or as tasty. One was smoked something that my mom describe as tasting "like a whale" and the other was edamame mousse, which kind of tastes like a stinky shoe.
My friend Mauricio also spoiled us with some of his very own special creations. I can't remember what the one on the left is, but then there were two mini tacos, some spicy mayonnaise dipping sauce, and cheesy mashed potatoes. We about died at how cute the mini tacos were!!!
Me and Brai decide we had to order some sushi so we went with a California roll
and a sweet potato roll. The California roll had crab in it which scared me but it was actually really quite delicious and refreshing and the sweet potato roll was SO GOOD.
My mom ordered an entrée of teriyaki chicken, which was excellent, and my dad ordered some type of noodle which was REALLY spicy and so yummy! The picture below is of the two sushis and some of the noodle dish; we all shared and got to try everything.
For dessert Mauricio brought us his special carved strawberry roses filled with mocha cream and drizzled with chocolate sauce. Just way too cute.
Then we ordered some of the prettiest and tastiest desserts on the menu.
Green tea layer cake
Coconut sphere
Black sesame seed bon bon
we also got the molten chocolate cake but didn't take a picture
So, Sunday was graduation! It was a lot of fun and it was so good to see all my friends and instructors and all the other LCB staff! I only wish it would have lasted a little longer! : (
Me right after I walked! : ) The yellow cord is for high honors, the red is for perfect attendance. I also graduated with a 4.0! And I received the Peer Leadership Award which I was really really excited about!!! : ) This award was only given to one person out of the entire graduating class which consists of multiple classes that finished from the time period of January to May, I think it was out of about 200 people. Anyway after we finished class each of us students voted based on the following criteria: "This should be one of your classmates who is a natural leader, excelled in classes, represented Le Cordon Bleu well, and who encouraged as well as motivated you during your time here." So I guess I got the most votes! haha I was really excited about it! : )
Mackenzie, Amy, and me : ) Two of my absolute favorite people!
Me and Steph! She wasn't in my class, she was a few classes ahead of me, but I know her because she is in the same ward as me!
Kat and me...practice kitchen buds! : )
Snow White, Fairy Godmother, and Cinderella. he he he...This is Chef Brennan, she started calling me Cinderella after I made that cake and then started calling Amy Snow White because we were always together...so we had to give her a nickname too!
Another one of my favorite people from school...Arlete!...
And another...Hilderrrrr! : )
Me and Mack-daddy again!
Amy, the most adorable little heart-breaker!
Me and Chef G : )
Me and Amy with Chef Ullman. I met him during my time spent in the practice kitchen after class. He actually teaches culinary but I learned a lot from him just by spending time with him in the kitchen. He is so awesome and became one of our good friends!
Us with Chef Rebecca, the school's cake expert! She always has something useful to teach, no matter what you are doing! She definitely helped us out a lot in the practice kitchen.
Me and the parents! : )
Me and the one and only, Brai! :o )
Ok, at graduation I was obsessed with the medal we received when we walked. I had no idea we were going to get something so cool! I just can't get over how awesome it is! It makes me so happy! hahaha...so I had a little photo-shoot with it...
and I think the pictures came out quite nice. : )
After grad we went and explored Mt. Auburn cemetery and took some fun pictures! Here are some of my favs of Brai...I have such a pretty lil' sista!
I bought Brai a best friends bracelet as a farewell gift...she loved it so much we took a trip to the Alex and Ani store and each bought another! haha...
this is my collection so far: 5
and hers: 2
Us on the top of the tower at Mt. Auburn cemetery! Ah man, this picture almost puts me to tears everytime I look at it! I miss her so much already but am so glad we got to spend some quality time together before she left!!!..and I know she will make such an awesome missionary!
So after an absolutely amazing weekend I had to say goodbye to my dear family and finish week 6 of my externship which, you guessed it, was uneventful. haha... All in all, I liked my time spent at Oishii, but the bottom line is they don't currently need me. They have enough people to prepare all their desserts and during dinner hours we would all literally just sit there until a dessert was ordered and then we got to plate. But there just wasn't enough to do. My time there wasn't wasted though, because I believe every experience you have is something you can learn from. I learned a few new techniques and I definitely learned a lot about working in a restaurant, but I am excited to move on and find a place where I am busy and challenged every single day. I had an interview a few days ago at a place in South Boston and am going in again tomorrow to play around in the kitchen. If I get the job I will post an update! I think it might be just what I am looking for right now : )
