Back in the U.S. of A.!

That's right, folks,  I am home at last!!  Since leaving Paris, life has been a crazy whirlwind of planes, trains, and automobiles, but I made it home!  I have been enjoying lounging around and doing absolutely nothing...aside from suffering from a serious case of jet lag.  The past week has been filled with early bedtimes, even earlier wake-ups (think 06:00 - 06:45),and trying to adapt to meal times and general everyday living this side of the Atlantic.

The day after graduation, Nicole and I headed on a train under the English Channel (affectionately known as the Chunnel), and spent a long weekend in LONDON!  More updates to come on that later, I promise!!

I have to say that while I was SO EXCITED to go home, I was DREADING the flight.  For those of you who are not familiar with my fear of flying, let me tell you...I HATE it.  Words cannot convey my feelings toward flying.  That being said, I was proud of myself because I was actually able to make the trip from Paris to Atlanta alone -- without any anxiety attacks!  It could have been the free flowing champagne and white wine, but who knows, maybe there is hope for me yet.  I made it through security after two pretty intrusive pat downs (I thought they were prepping for a full blown cavity search next), and like the good little non-rev that I am, I had plenty of time to kill before my flight.  After settling in, I was excited to wander around the terminal and buy a couple of last minute Eiffel Tower trinkets from tacky airport souvenir stores...but let me tell you, gone are the days of cheap tourist trap shops!  In typical French style, Charles de Gaulle is too good for such nonsense, and instead passengers are enticed with dozens of designer brands and labels.  Meet my friends, Cartier, Prada, and Dior, and down the block were Burberry, Laduree, and Printemps.

I couldn't believe it!  I was waiting for someone to come by and check the current status of my bank account before I could proceed any further.

My name was finally called, and I settled into my seat (Hello, First Class! Many thanks to Mom and her 31 years of dedicated service to Delta!).  Ugh, let the 10 hour countdown begin.  I enjoyed a few adult beverages and a delicious three course meal -- whoever said airplane food was nasty has never tried Delta's roasted chicken and couscous --- but, I knew it was a bad sign when I had napped during Letters to Juliet, watched Twilight AND Marmaduke, completed at least 5 crosswords from my puzzle book, and I still had 4.5 hours left....AHHH!!!!  I did, however, enjoy a breathtaking view from the sky.

The view over Paris

The view over Atlanta right before landing

 I finally made it, and Jonathan was there to greet me at the top of the escalator with flowers and a smile!  Isn't he sweet??

It feels really strange to be back home.  Everything seems so foreign, yet extremely familiar, at the same time.  Does that makes sense?  Anyway, I have taken part in a few culinary endeavors since I have been back, and some of them are worth mentioning, however, some are definitely forgettable.  Let's see...we have a spicy turkey tomato sauce (HIT!), apple tart (for the birds), shortbread cookies (a work in progress), and the granddaddy of them all...Baked Alaska!

We celebrated Grandad's 80th birthday over the weekend, and family flew in California and Colorado to surprise him for the big day!  While it was really, really great to have everyone together again to celebrate such an exciting and joyous day, it was difficult for me because it made me miss David that much more.  We were having so much fun, but it was painfully obvious to me that he was absent.  It feels odd to be back in familiar surroundings because, although I feel as though I have grown a lot in the past 3 months, some of the same feelings and emotions that were dormant overseas have resurfaced.  I guess, just like everything else, this is all part of the healing process.

Anyway, back to the Baked Alaska!  To commemorate Grandad's birthday, I was feeling mighty ambitious and decided to tackle this albatross after watching one of the chefs make it in our last cuisine demonstration.  I have to say that it wasn't as difficult as I thought it would be!  The hardest part was working quickly during the assembly process to make sure the sorbet didn't melt.  Also, I ran out of meringue, so I couldn't pipe all of the fun decorations that I had planned.  Oh well!

Pretend the janky foil covered baking sheet is actually a beautiful silver platter...

So, what do I have on my agenda for the next month and a half?  Well, to start off, I have LOTS of blog updates...I feel like I will never be completely caught up.  Of course, lots of cooking and subsuquent overeating to commence on Thanksgiving -- woo!  Jonathan and I will be heading to the beach for some highly anticipated relaxation, and then I'll be going back to work at Coyote for a couple of weeks.  Before I know it, Christmas will be here and shortly after, it will be time to head back to Paris.  I don't remember if I actually posted it up here or not, but I am going back to Le Cordon Bleu to complete Intermediate and Superior courses in both cuisine and pastry, which, assuming I pass the exams, I will be awarded the Grand Diploma in June.  Whoop!  Who knows what I will do after that, but I'll figure it out as I go along.

Happy Thanksgiving!

- a tout à l’heure!  

I Did It!

Well, I suppose my high caloric "study day" on Sunday paid off, because I passed my cuisine exam!  Hooray!  I write to y'all now as a graduate of Basic Cuisine and Basic Patisserie from Le Cordon Bleu, Paris.  Don't believe me??

That's right!  Graduation was yesterday morning, and while it was a little nerve-wracking as to whether or not they would call my name, I was ecstatic when they finally did!  Mom and Grandad were able to fly in for the occasion, so they enjoyed seeing the ceremony and partaking in the sweets and champagne that followed.

If you look closely, you can see a bandage on my left hand.  That was my casualty from the cuisine exam.  I made it almost 3 whole months without causing any bodily harm to myself, while I watched people cut off the tips of their fingers and grab the handles of pots that had just come out of a 200 degree C oven.  Not pretty.  All the while, I sat back feeling pretty good that I had managed to escape any catastrophes...until the cuisine exam. 

Let me back up a little bit and preface y'all on the exam as a whole.  My class was the first to go (8am), so we didn't have the luxury of hearing from the previous classes what the dishes would be.  As we were waiting to go into the kitchen, however, we did see fennel sitting on the counter.  That only meant one thing --- Sea Bream with Fennel.  I was pretty excited!  I could totally handle that.  We had just had that practical a week before, and my dish turned out pretty well.  Now the question was...what was the other dish?!?!?!  We may or may not have asked the assistant to give us a hint as she walked by, and I can say that she respected the rules and didn't actually say anything, but we figured out what the other dish was.  I'll leave it at that.  Anyway, it turns out it was the Sauteed Veal Chops with Grand Mere Garnish.  NOOO!!!!!  That was the one dish that I blew in practical because my jus was terrible (in my defense, I am pretty sure everyone screwed up their jus...), so I started saying a little prayer that I would get the fish...

Meet my Cuisine class!

 Well, I wasn't that lucky because I most definitely picked the blue chip in the bowl which corresponded to the veal dish.  ACK!  The prepping was going okay until I pricked my finger with my knife while Frenching the bone on the chop...there was actually a point where I saw blood and I didn't know if it belonged to me or the veal.  Gross.  So, I was moving along at a good pace and all was going well, until it came time to brown the chop in the smoking. hot. oil.  I gently placed that sucker in the rippling oil, and not even one second later, it all started popping up at me.  My left hand took the majority of the blow, but I was too concerned with the outcome of my veal chop to tend to my war wound.  It wasn't until after we plated our dishes and were shooed out of the kitchen by our chef so the jury could come and judge our dishes (totally Iron Chef style!) that I looked down and saw that I had slightly charred the skin on my left hand...medium rare, if you will.  I wasn't too concerned about it, but a few people in my class seemed to be, and they decided it was necessary that I seek out first aid assistance from another chef.  Long story long, I ended up with slightly large and over dramatic bandage on my hand.

No need to worry, I don't think we will have to amputate.  My left hand should be able to see another day.  I have been a very good patient, and I've kept my hand saturated in the burn cream from the pharmacy...I suppose if that is the worst that happens while I am here, then it isn't too bad.

Mom, Grandad and I wandered around the city and ate delicious food, but they headed back to the States today.  Nicole and I are hoping across the Channel (or through the Channel since we are taking the train) tomorrow morning to spend a long weekend in jolly ol' London, and then I'll be flying home on Tuesday!  Cheerio!

- a tout à l’heure! 

I've Eaten More Than I've Studied

True. Story.

Here I am again, about 8 hours later, not studying for my cuisine exam feeling inspired enough to write another post!

So, rather than studying, I have...
a. eaten everything in site
b. wandered aimlessly around my apartment...although I use the term aimlessly loosely because it is hard to "wander aimlessly" around a 60 square meter rectangle
c. ventured out in the freezing cold and rain to get more food
d. worn pajamas nearly all day, except to run and get a baguette, shower, then put said pajamas back on

Pastries count since 9am this morning:  3 (pain au chocolat, chausson aux pomme, a couple bites of chocolate cake)
Entire Baguettes that I have consumed since 15:00: 1
Calorie count: unknown, but definitely nearing 6 digits

The day is still young friends, and there are many more hours to do damage to my waistline...ahh!  It just tastes soooo good on a cold Parisian day.  Also, I will be headed back across the Pond in t-minus 9 days, so I figured I might as well indulge in delicious French goodies while I still can.

I realized while I was reading over my recipes that I still need to update y'all on Jonathan's visit!  We had a really great time while he was here, trying to run around and see all of the major highlights in between classes and studying for the written Pastry exam I had at the end of the week.  

We hit up that little shack down the road...some prefer to refer to it as Versailles.  The pictures don't convey it, but I am pretty sure the temperature was negative 78 degrees that day.

We were scared on the train because a. it was the RER and b. there was a serious strike going on, so we didn't know where the train was taking us and when we would get home later that day

I have a serious thing for chandeliers.  I wonder if this would put my suitcase over the 50 lb limit...

Hall of Mirrors!

Beautiful Fall day

 We also wandered around the gardens and headed over to one of Marie Antoinette's "vacation" homes.  I think she and I would have been best friends.  In fact, I read in my book from school that she brought the croissant to France from Austria.  No wonder I love her so much.

One night after class, Jonathan and la tour Eiffel had their first official meeting.

The man who took this picture apparently didn't realize we were aiming to get the entire tower in the background...

Next Up: L'Arc de Triomphe!

 

I am not completely convinced that Jonathan's eyes are open

After class, we headed up to Montmartre to visit my home away from home -- the baby bottle fondue place!! Seriously, 3 visits in the past 3 months?  I am definitely a regular.

The last stop on Jonathan's visit was Pere Lachaise Cemetary.  The final resting place of Oscar Wilde, Jim Morrison, and many other famous and not-so-famous people alike.

Oscar Wilde

Jonathan in front of Jim Morrison's grave

 We ended his trip with a visit to a delicious restaurant down the street from my apartment called Cafe Constant.  I highly recommend it!

 

I'll let y'all know how my cuisine exam goes!!  Say a little prayer!

- a tout à l’heure!

Studying for Exams = Perfect Time to Write a Post

Well, after almost 3 months of donning checkered pants, a white chef coat, and a Waffle House short-order cook hat more often than street clothes,  furiously taking notes while watching demos, and running around the kitchen like a crazy person, I have almost come to the end of Basic Cuisine and Pastry at Le Cordon Bleu.  That is, of course, assuming that I pass the 2 final exam practicals...eeek!

We had our written tests for each class a couple of weeks ago, which after lots of studying/stressing, turned out well (insert deep sigh of relief here), so now all that is left are the exams in the kitchen.  The school had given us a list of 10 dishes that we had prepared in practical over the last 3 months.  On exam day, we are given the ingredient list, but it is up to us to memorize the steps because we aren't be allowed to bring any notes into the kitchen.  They choose 3 dishes, and as we enter the kitchen, we are randomly assigned a dish, so that everyone will not be making the same thing.  We have exactly 2.5 hours to prepare the dish (and a technical skill) clean up, and leave the kitchen immediately.  Very Iron Chef like.  The dish is then be judged by a panel (we don't ever hear any feedback from this, which doesn't seem very helpful to me), and as long as we don't get a phone call the next day, it is safe to assume we passed.

I have my cuisine practical exam tomorrow morning at 8AM (shocker!), and I find that I'm much more creative when I am procrastinating, so I thought it would be, um, better to clear my head and write a blog before really getting started with my studying...or something like that.  

My pastry exam was Friday night, and I really wasn't too worried or nervous about it until just before we entered the kitchen, which was really weird for me.  I was actually genuinely concerned about why I wasn't nervous, which, in turn, made me nervous.  Who knows.  Anyway, the exam wasn't as bad as I thought would be...aside from a couple of hiccups here and there...

1. I forgot my chef pants.  How the *$@# did I forgot my PANTS??  I thought I was so prepared the night before...doing laundry, ironing my uniform, getting my bag all ready to take to school, etc, but somehow I forgot one of the most important pieces of my ensemble.  I realized it when I went to my locker to change and oh, ha, no pants in there!  After freaking out for a few minutes and running around to everyone that I saw asking if they had extra pants, a girl in my class showed me a super secret compartment in a display case that has extra uniforms.  The only catch?  The pants we found were made for Godzilla, and they had bleach and hot pink highlighter stains all over them.  I rolled them up 3 times (they were still falling down) and tried to cover up the stains with my apron as much as possible.  They worked...kind of.

2.  My class was waiting downstairs in the communal area trying to get some last minute studying in, while people who had just come from the exam kept coming up to us and assuring us that it wasn't that bad and blah, blah, blah.  That is, of course, until we headed up to the kitchen we were scheduled to be in.  As we stood there waiting patiently for our dish assignments, we watched each person from the previous class walk out, and they looked defeated.  I couldn't tell if they were generally pissed off or had just been crying, but either way, they looked like that kitchen (and the same chef we were about to have...) had chewed them up and spit them back out again.  Awesome, just what you want to see before walking into an exam.  I felt like I was awaiting my turn at the guillotine, and I wasn't sure if I was going to throw up or pass out.

3.  There were a couple of other minor issues that I ran into...like forgetting to add the butter after the dry ingredients, but before the wet ingredients for the sweet short pastry dough that we had to make for the technical part of the exam.  Translation:  I had to use my spoon to try and scoop egg and water from a well in the middle of flour and sugar, add butter and combine with my hands, then pour the liquid back in...all while trying to make sure the chef didn't see me make a total. rookie. mistake.

The cake I was assigned was not that bad - Dacquoise.  I would say of the three dishes, it was middle of the road in difficulty.  One of the cakes was definitely easier, and one was slightly harder, so I felt confident with what I had to do.

Here is a picture of the Dacquoise cake that the chef made from the demo we had back in September.  I don't have a picture of the Dacquoise I made in practical because it was on my camera when I got mugged (tear), but you can see how it was supposed to look.

We couldn't take any pictures in the exam, so you are spared from seeing the semi-disaster that I produced.  When the chefs would talk to us about the exam, they would say stuff like, "Don't worry, it will be fine.  Just make sure you make the best cake of your life."  No pressure or anything.  I can say with confidence that I definitely did NOT make the best cake of my life.  In fact, I think the Dacquoise I made in practical was MUCH better than the one I made in the exam.  I don't think that is what they were aiming for...my piping looked miserable (even though I had practiced the night before!) and my marzipan flower looked like a blind person made it, but, I don't think it was fail worthy. 

Just before we left the kitchen, the chef asked who all was moving on to Intermediate Pastry, and a handful of us raised our hands.  He then looked directly at me, and said, "Yes, if you pass this exam!!!" (insert evil laugh here).  Yikes!

I had the exam on Friday night, it's now Sunday afternoon.  I haven't heard anything, so I am going to hope that I passed!

Please say a little prayer that my cuisine exam goes off without a hitch!  And that I don't forget my pants...

- a tout à l’heure!  

Four Americans in Paris

That old cliche says, "a picture is worth a thousand words", so I thought I would let all of the pictures from our gallivanting around Paris do most of the talking.  I was actually in class the majority of the time that Mom, Nora, and Jonathan were here, but we still managed to venture out and explore a little bit.

On Saturday, we made the trek long metro ride up to Montmartre.

We toured inside the BEAUTIFUL Sacre Couer Basilica

We looked like total tourists as I read out loud to Nora everything she wanted to know and more about Sacre Coeur.  Jonathan was really interested in the history lesson.

This is where we ate lunch.  It was really, really cute, but the service was pretty terrible.  Our waiter left in the middle of our lunch.  Typical French.

This was our DELICIOUS meal.  Meat, carrots, and potatoes - oh my!  It was perfect for the chilly and rainy October afternoon.

 We had a really great afternoon, but sadly, Mom and Nora had to leave the next morning.  Jonathan, however, stayed for another week!  More details to come on that later.

It wouldn't be right to recount their visit without also mentioning the pastry practical I had while they were here that kept us miserably stuffed all weekend....CROISSANTS AND PAIN AU CHOCOLAT!!!  I had been patiently waiting the entire session to make them, and they were lucky enough to be here when I did!  Let me tell you...I made enough for an entire army, and they were ALL gone within 3 days...record timing.

Just looking at them makes me hungry.  I think I will have to get a croissant on the way to class today...

- a tout à l’heure!