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!