Week 9
Budget exam week.
November 14th Day 37 AM: Cooking
i liked the baked pears with stilton, but a bit strange that it was all served cold. i would think you would want to pears and stilton to be served warm. the shoulder of lamb was also a bit weird, the lamb itself was ok but the "stew" at the bottom was strange as we mixed the beans and bacon with a large amount of cream and butter therefore the stew or sauce ended up being very oily and thin. so we all didn't know what to make of it as a whole dish. and in the "stew" there was some bacon and then there was even more bacon on the hot spring salad. this was an "interesting" lunch combination. but the crepes were good, i think it was just fun to flambe it.
Baked pears with Stilton and watercress
French roast shoulder of lamb with haricot beans
Hot spring green salad
Crepes au gingembre (Ginger cream pancakes)
Crepes Suzette (grand marnier pancakes)
Day 37 PM: Cooking
Prep work for food we will use during the week.
Butterfield leg of lamb
Frankfurter kranz
Spicy mango chutney
November 15th Day 38 AM: Budget Lunch Exam
exam all finished and done, lots of work not only the actual cooking but also all the paperwork that needed to be done beforehand. of course there were things i could have done better or could have done differently, but it was a good experience. also, it was quite challenging to plate and serve everything all at the same time, as in our previous exam there were STAGGERED serving times which actually helped give some time to finish and plate each dish.
my menu:
Tofu curried puff pastries with an asian slaw
Baked hoisin chicken with chicken rice
stir-fried brussel sprouts and carrots
Lemon lime creams with ginger shortbread biscuits
Day 38 PM: Chocolate Theory
in the afternoon we learned about all about chocolate, where it comes from and how it processed. we also watched how chocolate is tempered, which didn't look easy as each step is temperature sensitive and it takes time to get to each step. and it can get quite messy as chocolate gets everywhere. the second half we did some blind chocolate tastings, we tried 12 different kinds of chocolate and had to analyze the tasting notes as well as the snap and shine of the chocolate. it was quite interesting to then learn which kind and brand of chocolate they were and how many call themselves chocolate but there is more milk or sugar than chocolate in it. i do love chocolate but after the tasting i was quite done with chocolate for some time.
November 16th Day 39 AM: Theory
today we learned about different types of cereals, rice, flour, and pasta, what each one is and what uses they have in cooking. we also went in depth about pastry, points to keep in mind when making pastry, different types of pastry (proportions of ingredients, method, and raising agents) and faults in pastry making. then we tried a few cakes that did not come out well and discussed why or what might have caused it come out that way. so hopefully these points will help us in the future if our pastries or cakes don't come out perfect we might be able to figure out what we did wrong and how to improve for next time.
Day 39 PM: Cooking
Ice cream and walnut bread were made for later use. however we did finish the frankfurter kranz today, which meant making the frosting and assembling the cake.
Creme fraiche ice cream
Frankfurter kranz
Walnut bread
November 17th Day 40 AM: Budget Lunch Exam
the other group did a great job and all the food was delicious with many different flavors and cuisines.
Day 40 PM: Petit fours and sweets demonstration
Petits fours glace
Petits fours glace- fraises
Petits fours glace- marron
To ice with boiled fondant
Friandises
Lime leaf chocolate truffles
Whisky and honey financiers
Blackcurrant and liquorice jelly
Chocolate caramel with vanilla salt
White chocolate and pistachio fudge
November 18th Day 41 AM: Cooking
we had an indian feast today, i was actually very excited not only to make indian food but to eat it. in the uk thre is a strong influence and presence of indian culture and CUISINE, so it is only fitting that we could some indian food. in all i liked it but the true test was approval from my indian classmates. some dishes they thought were good, and some they felt catered to the "british palete," not enough spice or FLAVOR. but after cooking this meal, i will definitely cook more indian food in the future after realzing that many dishes are not as hard to make as i thought.
Butterflied leg of lamb with cucumber and yoghurt raita
Black lentil dahl
Dahl
Bhajias
Samosas
Simple Naan bread
Roti
Peas Pilao
Spicy mushroom curry
Day 41 PM: Demonstration
Welsh Rarebit
Herring roes on toast
Scotch woodcook
Terrine de bavaroise a la vanille aux fraises
Tarte tatin
Tartelettes des demoiselles Tatin
Creme Marguerite
