Week 8

Only 3 weeks of basic training left!!

So monday! We did a raspberry mouse cake,  Pralines and Cream, as well as Marjolaine. I unfortunately didnt take any pictures this day as mousse cakes take our class awhile, so this day was a liltte hectic/rushed almost so i didnt even think about taking pics haha sorry guys!

Tuesday was more mousse cakes, although a chocolate mousse cake with a Pate Bombe base. Which you also have to be careful to not make chocolate chips.

We also did Bavarian Creme and got everything ready to put together the cakes on wednesday. Which included an insert, so instead of putting a floater of cake in the middle of a mousse cake would you put a fruit insert. 

Thursday was another day of mousse cakes. Its a good thing we have a couple days to practice these as my  class including myself just could not grasp this fully, we just could not pound these out like we should have been able to. 

My partner and i did a lemon blackberry mousse cake together
To the right hand side you can see where our Jaconde (which is the bottom stripe band) meets up and we did an awesome job of making it fit together




This was also an overflow day so we got to create and make our own creation,  My plan was a White Chocolate mousse cake with a coffee ganche floater/insert.

 The white chocolate mousse worked. And i made the coffee ganache and then out it in the freezer so i could handle it better and put in the cake. Although i put it on saran wrap.. Ganache and saran wrap are best friends and will never leave each other sides. SO i should have used parchment paper.  Both times we got to create our own i have learnt from the mistakes that i make, which i prob would have never thought of if not for these days.

These two cakes actually went to the bakery 101 to be sold!

The other project we worked on that day was the Sachertorte. This is cake with an interesting history. lol.

Depending on where your from, depends on how you fill it, and how you fill it depends on how you write the name, haha yeah.

 My partner Aoran and I  (A-Team!) with our Sacher Torte. Oou class made 4 different types, they were all similar idea, but did taste differently.










This is just a close up our sacher torte.











Thursday.
Last day due to Remembrance Day.
Side note: I am glad that we still have a day to honor and thank the soldiers who have fought so we can live the life we all live today. Hopefully we will never get this day pushed into commercialism or religeous political drama. 

Some of us got to help out the gingerbread team! When i didnt make the team i told gabby( the team leader) if she ever needed help, and if it was okay that i would like to help even though i didnt make the team, but that i also understood if i couldnt help.  But i was lucky and i got to help :)

I made ducks :) hah at first i was trying to make black birds but they kept looking like ducks but they said that was alright as there is a duck pond as well








I also made a tree (mine is the one on the farthest left) the other tree and lumberjack was made by nikki in my class!






Two other girls in my class, Jessica and Rebecca made a witch!


Tonya made a stool, table and then fire in the fireplace, and i helped complete the room by making a chair with an elf sitting in it relaxing, although i forgot to take a picture as i was almost late for class. lol oops!


Chocolate tempering... 
i officially had a meltdown at school. I was in tears. My Chef actually had to tell me to put the spatula down and walk away.
Still not sure excatly why but i think a part of it is that no matter how much you know the theory of it, the execution is all about practice and knowing how the chocolate should be. Not just knowing what temperature the chocolate should be and then doing what you should do at those ''specific correct temperatures''
It was very intimidating.

You temper chocolate So that when you melt it down to mold or write with when it sets it has the right apperance that you want. Chocolate can manifest itself in 6 different ways. So your wanting to heat it up to melt it all and then cool it down so when it sets its in the 'v' formation.

Textbook says to heat it all up to 49 then take temper some down to 27-29 and then when you combine the cooled chocolate to the remaining chocolate it should be at a temperature around 31-33 and then when you test it be perfect.
i tried that the first time, it didnt work.
So the second time my partner helped me, as he had correctly tempered and didnt use a thermometer so i tried that. and it did work although i had little chunks of chocolate from incorrect tempering movement.
So onto the third try.. I knew what temperature by feeling it with my finger and how the choc should be acting at the three different stages, the only part that i was doing incorrectly was the actual tempering on the marble. So my chef stood by my side and talked me through it.

So that is me with my test of correct tempered chocolate. Finally!


Monday we are doing chocolate again.. Practice will make perfect!









"We often take for granted the very things that most deserve our gratitude."
Hope everyone has an amazing Remembrance Day
<3 Amz