Savory > Sweets

Well, pastry is officially over. We had our practical last Thursday and then moved swiftly into Mod 5 on Friday with the "Almighty" Chef Chris. Our last few days of pastry were focused on presentation. We learned that a dessert is not complete without it's main component, sauce, and garnish. Each partnership was assigned 2 desserts to make complete with sauces, the ice creams we had previously made, and some form of decoration. One day my partner, Dominic, and I made caramel decorations by combining sugar and lemon juice and slowly cooking it until it turned amber in color. We then sprayed our table with PAM and drizzled the hot syrup right onto the table in cool shapes and designs. The caramel instantly hardened and looked extremely elegant. Who would have thought elegance would be so easy with only 2 ingredients?!? The caramel decorations were the crown of our dessert that featured an Apple Bistro tart, caramel sauce, and caramel ice cream. It was like eating a caramel apple that didn't get your face messy!

Our next dessert was a hazelnut sponge cake stuffed with a chocolate mousse filling and topped with chocolate ganache. We paired it with caramel sauce, caramel ice cream, salted hazelnuts, and chocolate decorations. Most of it was relatively simple, but the chocolate mousse filling was extremely difficult to make! Everything had to be at such a precise temperature and texture that we had to redo every step- from the whipping of the cream to the melting of the chocolate. Beware of the method if you are ever wanting to make chocolate mousse. However, despite the difficulties, the dish turned out great! Dominic and I felt like actual pastry chefs :)

The next day, we had our final pastry test full of piping out "Happy Birthday" in chocolate, rolling dough, and making custard. After that, it was off to Mod 5! Even though I just spent an hour peeling garlic cloves for homework, it feels so good to be around savory foods again. In the first few weeks of Mod 5, each lesson is dedicated to making the infamous creations of the most renown chefs in the world. Our first day was all about Mario Batali as we cooked our way through all of his masterful dishes. Mr. Batali (remember when I saw him at the Dumpling Festival this past fall?) is one of the most famous Italian chefs in the country and owns the only 4-star Italian restaurant in Manhattan, Del Posto. He his known for his creativity and putting a remarkable twist on traditional flavor combinations. Here are some of the dishes we made:

* Sauteed Skate and Shrimp in a Saffron Sweet Clam Citronette (this is the dish I made... I had never had skate before!)

* Mint Fettuccini with Lamb and Olives (a lovely twist on the lamb/mint combo)

* The front dish: Spinach Goat Cheese Gnocchi with Sun-dried Tomatoes, Pine Nuts, and Lemon
* The back dish: Fennel-Dusted Sweetbreads with Bacon and Onions

Some of the upcoming master chefs that we will study this week include Daniel Boulud, Ming Tsai, and Thomas Keller. I am so excited for the intricate dishes we have coming our way this week- you can guarantee that I will have my camera with me at all times! Well, there's only 17 lessons left and I am sad/scared/happy for the little time that's left!

Happy Eating!