Le Cordon Bleu Week #4

So. much. cream.

 I gained 5 pounds just watching these soups being made. 

The soup base had cream in it, cream was a thickening agent and then they were garnished with a big dollop of whipped cream.  A pretty presentation, for not much flavor..

Lesson 7: Soups Part 1

Les Veloutes:Veloute aux asperges

(Veloutes: Asparagus veloute)

Veloutes aux champignons

(Mushroom veloute)

Les Cremes: Creme Dubarry

(Cream Soups: Cream of Cauliflower)

This crab bisque was great until the Chef added the dollop of whipped cream that covered the whole surface of the soup. 

It was really pretty color.

Bisques: Bisque d'étrilles

(Bisques: Crab Bisque)

These next three soups had much more flavoring and a couple more interesting ingredients/cooking methods.

Consomme. 

I have always heard of "consommé and rice" but never knew what it was past the can of Campbells Consomme. Watching this being made and getting to make it was like magic before my eyes. 

You clarify the consommé broth with ground beef and egg whites (what?!). I had no knowledge of this before the demonstration and was amazed when I got to make it in my practical.

Lesson 8: Soups Part 2

Clarification: Consomme aux brunoises

(Clarification: Consomme with vegetable brunoise)

Here is  my clarification process of consommé in the works. 

The ground beef and egg whites(with a little help for you)eventually form this "hat" with an opening in the middle for you skim the impurities around the edges.

See, it works!

Soupe a l'ogignon gratinee

(French Onion Soup)

I don't have a picture of this because the Chef's assistant burned the croutons/top of soup and we didn't have tie to fix it.

Soupe de poisson façon marseillaise

(Fish soup Marseillaise-style)

With the left over puff pastry we made 

Paillettes au fromage

(Cheese Straws)

The "cheese straws" were nothing to write home about. They were just strips of puff pastry cut long and thin with gruyere sprinkled on them.

But, this image in my flour is!

All the Chefs have such a sense of humor. I have yet to run into the stereotypical, mean, scary french chef.

Le Cordon Bleu Week #3

We are still discussing commonly used doughs; a savory dough (for a quiche) and a sweet dough (for a tart).

Quiches and fruit tarts are two things that I have had my fair share of back home so I really enjoyed learning the recipes. Just like the pissaladiere dough, these are extremely easy!

Lesson #5: Commonly Used Doughs Part 2

Preparation de la pate feuilletee

(Puff Pastry Preparation)

Pate brisse salee: Quiches 

(savory short dough: Quiches)

Quiche Lorraine

(Quiche Lorraine)

 Quiche aux Champignons Sauvages

(Wild Mushroom Quiche)

For our practical we made Quiche Lorraine and started the puff pastry. While it was neat to know exactly how puff pastry is made (with dry butter) I don't think I will ever take the time to make it. It is too convenient to pick some up at the grocery store.

My Quiche Lorraine!

The food that we make in practical everyone takes home....except for me. 

I do not feel like I am wasting my food because I am always giving it to Anajulia (a Brazilian girl who weighs 300lbs. No lie). However, this practical she  wasn't there so I asked the dish washer if he would like my quiche but it was the middle of the Ramadan. 

I heard someone say "Oh, Mary! Can I have it??" I turned around and it was the Chef.

(yes, they call me Mary. Explaining the nickname of Mollie was too confusing)

I was said "Oh! Oui!!!" 

I couldn't believe that the Chef wanted my quiche. Well actually I could, but I still left class  tres bon!

Lesson #6: Commonly Used Doughs Part 3

Feuillete de poireaux et oeufs poches, sauce Albufera + oeufs mollet

(Puff pastry with leeks, poached eggs with Albufera sauce + soft-coddled eggs)

Pate brisee sucree: Tarte aux fruits de saison

(Sweet short pastry: Seasonal fruit tart) 

Here is Chef Vaca..he just makes me smile : )

A big sigh of relief was had for this practical because my puff pastry rose! 
Nothing would have been more telling that I had done something wrong if it had not risen.

I don't have a picture because the Chef tasted it before I could snap one.

Oh my. These fruit tarts we AMAZING! Chef Vaca made an apricot and then an apricot/peach one. I can not wait to get back home and make these for my friends, get ready!

I have to mention real time here, July 29th! It's Cole's birthday and I wish I was home celebrating with him, making one of these fruit tarts. Even though I do not get to spend the day with him, I had fun shopping for a present and doing my own celebrating here!

When Laurie and Kate were in town we wondered into this store over in the Marais area where I saw some book ends. Something Cole has been talking about wanting for his office for a while. Last saturday, I managed to find the store and the book ends, I felt very accomplished. 

So, we skyped and I showed him this:
Bookends, Cafe Cotton swim trunks and of course cupcakes 

While I was out shopping I came across a store called Chatelles PARIS

Too bad Mom and I do not wear the same size...

You pick the shoe, color, material of the shoe and *tassel* color.

I settled on these fun purple ones with a hot pink tassel. I couldn't make a decision on the tassel but the girls told me I could come back any time and have my tassel color switched, ah!

Le Cordon Bleu Week #2

We had a new chef for this lesson, Chef Inman Bogan. He is about 6 feet to Chef Vaca's 

5 feet and is lacking the equivalent of that in his sense of humor.

The demonstration began with finishing the veal stock, which consisted of straining and discussing proper storage methods.

Then we were onto to cooking the new recipes;

Lesson 3: Basic Stocks Part 2

Fond blanc de volaille

(White Chicken Stock)

Souffle au fromage

(Cheese Soufflé)

Unfortunately by the time I was able to take a picture of the soufflé it had fallen.

And now the glamorous poached chicken.

 For something very simple, Chef Bogan went through a lot of effort to plate it. I guess you have to do something to make poached chicken look pretty.

Poularde pochee sauce supreme, ruz au gras

(Poached chicken with supreme sauce, rise "au gras")

That is Uncle Ben's rice you see! I can not for the life of me figure out why they use it. 

Lesson 4: Commonly Used Doughs Part 1

Pate a nouilles

 (fresh pasta dough)

(unfortunately no pictures of this one)

Pate levee salee: Pissaladiere

(Savory Yeast dough / Onion tart with anchovies and olives)

and...here is mine!

I am not a huge fan of anchovies so I tried to do a design that would use less.

I would make this any day. The crust had a great texture and is very easy to work with. 

Le Cordeon Bleu!

Week #1 

Finally, some time to blog about school!!

Dad and I arrived June 12th just 4 days before orientation on the 16th. 

I could not have been more excited to start my first day of class for lots of reasons but particularly because I knew I would be getting my uniform and knife set.

 Accessories for any activity, job, etc. have always been something I look forward to. They give me that extra bit of excitement to get motivated.

 I have cooked in some kitchens with very dull knives and there is nothing worse. I was particularly happy to receive a brand new set of sharp knives.

My friend, Aly (who attended Le Cordon Bleu Basic Cuisine Intensive a couple years ago) recommended that I identify my knives with duck tape so there would no confusion that they were mine. HOT pink duck take did the trick!

The following Tuesday and I had my first class. It was one of my 3 theory classes I will have throughout the course. This was based on hygiene in the kitchen discussing every element from the food all the way to chef.  

The teacher spoke French and there was an English translator.

I had been anticipating this interaction because I knew it would either be a non issue or a BIG issue. Thankfully, it was a non issue and has actually turned out to be a good thing because it gives you more time to write your notes.

Wednesday (the day my dad left) I had my first demonstration. I was able to send him off to the airport and regroup before my class at 3:30.

 Walking to class was when it hit me that I was really doing this. There was no security blanket to come home to after class and that made me a little nervous.

However, food did what it has always done for me and gave me comfort. Once I got into the classroom and was surrounded by other students who were all dressed the same and sitting next to some friends from the States; I had an overwhelming feeling of excitement to learn. 
Something I haven't felt in a long time..probably since my high school art history teacher talked about Egypt and the Great Spinx of Giza!

Lesson 1: Welcome to French Cuisine

During demonstration the Chef will prepare the dish, talk about what he is doing, answer questions, tell jokes, etc. 

Once he has finished the dish he will plate it very nicely and display it on a table to for us to take pictures.

The chef's assistant will then pass around a portion for everyone to taste.

The demonstration consisted of a lot of information I already knew but it never hurts to learn things again.

Chef Vaca, who is my favorite chef so far talked about techniques, presentation and basic knife skills. 

He did all of this by demonstrating a Rustic Vegetable Soup.

Here are all the knife cuts:

Brunoise, julienne, paysanne, mirepoix (2 different sizes).

He also showed us how to cut lardons/prepare them

While I think everything looks very cute in the french bowls, the soup had absolutely no flavor!

I like my mom's vegetable soup much better : )

Lesson 2: Basic Stocks

In this demonstration we learned how to make 

Fond de beau brun

(brown veal stock)

Fumet de poisson

 (fish stock, aka fumet)

I had never made either of these stocks before and I found it very informative.

For our practical we made Fumet de poisson/Lemon sole fillets in white wine sauce

This is the begining on the veal stock that needed to cook longer. We learn how to finish it in the next demonstration.

Les Mademoiselles last day..

Time flies when you having fun! 

We had their last day planned out perfectly, Laurie was going to the Musee Rodin, Kate was going to see the decorative arts exhibit at the Louvre and I would meet them at Huitre Regis (the good oyster place) for lunch . Laurie arrived first and found this on the door...

We walked across the street to Rue du Buci, a fun bustling street off Saint-Germain with lots of character. 

We ate at restaurant called Peres et Filles.

Started with fried calamari, radishes, toast, and a pad of vanilla bean honey

My dad and I had explored this area when he was here and I remembered that there was a Berthillon cart. I spent all of lunch telling Kate and Laurie we had to save room for it. 

10 euros later I had this...1 scoop of framboise and 1 scoop of nougat et miel

It won't be the croissants or baguettes that make me gain weight while living here, it will be the Berthillon ice cream!

We made a visit to Laduree for macaroons

We had rose and macaroons before we set off to dinner at a place called Le Janou in the Marais

A red eiffel tower?!

We asked some girls to take our picture and ended up with lots of sideways pictures. 

European photography at its finest...

Until next time....

Sacre Coeur and L'Avenue

I met Kate and Laurie at the top of Scare Coeur just in time to take pictures and have lunch at an italian restaurant where we each enjoyed our own pizza. 

Aside from Les Georges at the top of the Pompidou this has been my tallest view of Paris.

Lots of selfies taken on this trip...

Dinner was at L'Avenue, a very chic restaurant on the right bank that my parents and I discovered when they brought me here after high school graduation. It's become a family favorite. The music is hotel Costes (mom's favorite) and the best seat in the house for flaneuring is on the outside patio.

How many selfies can you take?

Our cab driver suggested that we visit Maison Blanche for a "great view of the city and an after dinner cocktail". 

Never listen to your cab driver...

We arrived in the service elevator and at the back door...stayed just long enough to snap this picture and bolt!

We ended up at Chez Francis for a Kir Royal and a new found favorite of mine, cafe gourmand!

The eiffel tower is everywhere....!