Finally, an update! With the part time work at Naked Fish Japanese Bistro and classes, I haven't been this busy since I quit my job at the plasma collection center.
But here are the pics from Week 3. Our project for this week involved frozen mousse, meringue, truffles, and classical (not frozen) mousse.
This is our Raspberry-Cappuccino Frozen Souffle:
It's called a 'souffle' (even though it's not baked) because it's molded in a ramekin, with the top above the rim. That's the only reason. One of the guys in my group, G, did this one, and he topped it with Italian meringue, which he torched for that Baked Alaska look.
And this is my French Meringue Swan! It was very airy, light and crispy. Filled with Classical Chocolate mousse, with Blueberry Cream sauce...which Chef thought looked a bit too unnatural. Next time, I'll just stick with the regular blueberry puree.
...And being the overachiever that I am, I made an additional dessert plate. White Chocolate Mug with Chocolate Mousse, Meringue, and Chocolate cake layers...with a Meringue spoon. I had the hardest time molding the chocolate! The molding chocolate was brushed on a sheet of acetate, and left to thicken up a bit (so chocolate won't dribble all over the place while molding), then rolled into a cylinder. Sounds easy enough, but when I started on this, it took me three tries until it finally came out with a decent-looking product. The chocolate needs to be at just the right consistency; not too runny, not too thick. First time around, the chocolate was too runny, and I ended up with a very thick-bottomed cup with a very thin wall--which promptly broke. Same thing happened on second try. Finally with the third try I came up with the above product. *phew* Learned something new today...
Coffee Truffles. Not exactly considered a plated dessert, but the other guy in my group, M, did his best.
Overall, everyone did very well, and Chef was quite happy. :)
Then on to Week 4. Our projects this week involved Angel Food Cake, Japonaise Meringue (meringue with ground nuts), Linzer tart, and several kinds of Creme Brulee--the contemporary, stovetop version and the traditional baked version.
This is our Apple Creme Caramel--basically another name for flan. It tasted great, but couldn't really taste the apple. Chef thought the plate looked a little bland...
Raspberry-Strawberry Angel Food Cake w/Japonaise meringue. Cake turned out a bit dry, but pretty good.
Black Sesame & Nut Tart with Orange Sauce--my own creation! Black sesame filling with Caramel-Nut topping, all encased in crispy almond crust...but it scared Chef. She said she was afraid to try it! Apparently, using black sesame in sweets/desserts were a strange concept to everyone. I mean, seriously...Asians have been doing it for centuries! As for the tart...the topping turned out a bit too chewy. I probably overcooked the caramel :P. But the flavor was awesome--very nutty, from the sesame and all the nuts in it. Truly, every nut-lover's dream!
And then our Creme Brulee. Holy Crap. The guy who did this, G, has got some talent! He made the tuile cups, the stovetop version Creme brulee (all flavored differently; mango, vanilla, and pomegranate), and decorative sugar work, to put together this beautiful plate!
Here's the closeup pic. The sugar work is like glass!
So that's it for the Intro to Pastry. Next week: Blackbox Midterm!!!
...and I'll post an update on the situation at the Naked Fish as soon as I get the chance.
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