semaine dix.

Chocolate Pistachio Cake

     Last Thursday, I was able to sleep in before heading to campus for my Pistachio Chocolate cake prac. We had a different Chef that we had never had before for Practical and I found him to be very helpful. He gave us lots of great tips and tricks about how to prepare for the final exam, checking on and removing cakes from the oven in a professional kitchen, and time management. Making the cakes went pretty smoothly, and once they were assembled and in the freezer, we began to set up the two stations for glazing. Chef had a very particular system that he wanted us to use, and also photo examples from other students of to do's and not to do's on his iPad. With trepidation, we all nervously stepped up and took our turns glazing. There were some hiccups and bumps in the road, but overall it went fairly smoothly. We all had to remind ourselves that we were just glazing cakes, no one's life was on the line, the nerves could wait. I was actually quite pleased with my final product, I managed to glaze without any major mishaps. I'd also been pretty sick all week, and by the end of prac had essentially no voice. My friend Albert promised to bring me Chinese herb candies for my throat the next day. So sweet this LCB bunch!
     Since it was evening when we were done and my cold had forced me to live like a hermit all week, Joana and I changed and met up with Nora in the Winter Garden (she had also had practical that afternoon) and decided to check out the infamous student bar a few blocks from campus. Aptly named, it's essentially the McClaren's (HIMYM anyone?) of LCB students. Cheap beer, friendly staff, and a constant influx of fellow students make it the perfect place to unwind at the end of the day. The moment we walked in we were greeted by the smiling owner announcing in French, "The girls, champagne for the girls please!" I was sold. (We didn't really get champs on the house, but with a welcome and intro including bubbles, I knew this was a good spot, he got us.) Nora, Joana, and I sat with our friend Gretel chatting about life and school for a couple of hours before parting ways and heading home.
     We had early morning demo the next day (which also happened to be Halloween!) where we would be learning how to make Alhambra, another layered and chocolate glazed cake. Before heading into demo, true to his word Albert called me over and offered me the Chinese herbs as promised. Not only did they help, my spirit was lifted by my incredibly thoughtful friends who were looking out for me and helping to take care of me. Pretty spoiled by this bunch, what can I say?


Chef's personalized B-Day cake :D

     The demo continued to restore my faith in humanity when we all wished and sang one of the girls a Happy Birthday (standard practice and tradition with our group,) but Chef proceeded to decorate one of the cakes especially for her. It may seem small, but we were all incredibly touched by his thoughtfulness while watching him put that together. So much kindness.


Halloween hijinks w.Goni

     After demo a big group of us changed and walked over to a little Lebanese sandwich shop to pick up some lunch. The wait was fairly long (mainly due to us taking over, we tend to mob places and it was only one guy working) but the sandwiches were cheap, delicious, and exactly what we needed. Once we were fed, the most of the group returned for class (Cuisine) and I went to a little shop to pick up some necessities for our Orange and Black themed Halloween shindig later that night (easier than costumes on short notice). I met up with Joana in the evening to get ready and we trammed up to Alex's for the party. We had a good time hanging out and playing games, and ventured out a little later to meet up with some other friends from school, but pretty soon after Joana, Nora, and I called it a night and crashed back at Nora's place which was nearby.


Obligatory bike selfie.

View from Belleville <3

Our delish & healthy picnic

Who could resist?

     We woke up the next day to a beautiful sunny, warm day and decided to take advantage. We had also made a pact the night before that we would make this month "Get it Together November", a.k.a., less fattening foods and more biking everywhere to get back in shape. So after parting ways to shower and get ready, we coordinated at my place, rented bikes, and set off for a healthy picnic at Parc de Belleville which has a fabulous view overlooking the city (and bonus, and uphill bike ride to get there, more exercise, yay!). After a lovely ride (seriously, it was in the high 60s, low 70s in November!!) and amazing picnic, we biked into the Marais to wander around. We spent an epic evening shopping, drinking cappuccino, and allowing ourselves a stop at the éclair genie, (we'd stumbled upon it and biked over 25k, one éclair that we'd been hearing about for weeks couldn't hurt!). After our treats and a bit more window shopping, we were in need of some real food, so we biked to the 6th for our favorite delicious cheap eats at Cosi. After devouring our salads, we biked back home and said our goodbyes until the next day. (If we weren't already, our epic day and pact had solidified our friendship and we were now conjoined at the hip.)

Cosi salad yummmm.

     Sunday we woke up with plans to meet and bike to Canal Saint Martin (where Amelie skips rocks in the film), an area of the city none of us had yet explored but had wanted to for quite some time. Our final exam was coming up the next week and I had read about a café in the neighborhood that was a "must visit" so we grabbed our notes and biked there. Alex was going to meet us at the café, so while he metro'd our way, we did a little shopping and wandering taking in the charm of the Canal. It's quaint and wonderful and full of charm, just like the rest of the city, but with it's own identity (just like the rest of the neighborhoods, yay Paris!).


Craft Noisette.

     We finally settled in at Craft with delicious coffees that tasted like home (excellent coffee, Hallelujah!) and started going over our notes once Alex joined. We studied for a couple of hours until the place closed, and then decided that we should finish up our study session somewhere with space and good eats. Which is how we convinced Alex to join us on the bikes and had dinner at Cosi for the second night in a row. Yay salads, they'll know us by name by the end of this thing.


My Alhambra

    Monday I had my last normal practical of Basic (where does the time go!?) and made my Alhambra. We had the same Chef that we'd had for the Pistachio log cake and had even more of a rhythm. He was pleased with our time management, and despite the added trickiness of glazing a square shaped cake evenly, it went better than the time before (a few less nerves). Chef gave me a solid score and appreciated the décor which felt like a good way to end before the exam. After snapping a few pics to commemorate the occasion in the Winter Garden with friends and giving away my cake, (Get it Together November) I headed home before the final demo the next day.


Cheers! Final demo with my loves.

     Tuesday afternoon I arrived at campus to find my friends in a post-celebratory-final-Cuisine-demo-champagne-toast jovial mood. There was definite excitement in the air as we wandered into the demo room for our last class before the exam. Chef would be making a Chocolate-Bergamot mousse cake with orange crisp (the list of ingredients alone took up an entire page) but we wouldn't be making the cake ourselves in practical since the exam would be our 20th and final time in the kitchen for Basic. Once Chef completed the recipes, we all enjoyed the spoils as well as our own champagne toast taking pictures and soaking it all in. It was fun to celebrate a bit before the stress of the exam fully set in.


Final demo of Basic!

    Once we'd changed, a group of us met up in the Winter Garden and headed over to Chipotle (my first American fair since the move, sue me, sometimes you just need a burrito!) to finish up comparing notes and studying for the final exam. The school gives you a list of 10 potential dishes from the course and on the day of the exam, you will have to make one of them without notes. While the ingredients and quantities are provided, knowing how to execute is all on us, so studying consists of talking through the recipes while giving each other tips and tricks.
    A few hours later, we were sufficiently full and the restaurant was closing, so we said our goodbyes until Thursday (tomorrow) which is exam day. Today, I stayed home, practicing a couple of the trickier recipes I hadn't gone over in a bit, some piping and decorating techniques, and practiced making marzipan roses just in case. Tomorrow, exam day!!