Baking Bread on Chilly, Autumn Days

Hi there!!!

I seem to be constantly apologizing for my late posts, but I found myself not well during the weekend. It seems winter here in London wants to make its grand entrance before time. Still, we have enjoyed a few, rare sunny days, despite the chilly weather. The beautiful autumn colors make up for it. I do love this time of year, when Christmas begins to fill the air. Walking around, layered up, drinking hot chocolate...gotta love this time of year.

Busy kitchen, no?

Anyhow, we left off with the beginning of the Boulangerie Module. WOW. I don't think I have ever made so much bread as we did during this past week. Baguettes, croissants, pain au chocolat, pain campagne, rye bread, pain complet, brioche, ciabattas, kugelhoff, pain supris...so much bread!!! It is rather peaceful to work with bread, but it's a pain when you have to carry it all home. Three days baking, baking, baking. On the third day we had our very first assessment: making a proper brioche. It consists of a round body and smaller round dough on the top, which should remain in the center properly when both, proving and baking. Mine ended looking like a duck pecking for food, but we all sighed in relief when he announced we all passed. During this last class, we also finished off the pain surpris. It is basically a dough which we molded into an alligator (mind you, mine looks like a prehistoric one...), baked and then carved out the insides. We turned these into finger sandwiches. It is quite a popular thing to do in France, for dinner parties and whatnot. 

Pain campagne, kugelhoff, baguettes, pain supris,
croissants and pain au chocolat

Thursday evening I went to the movies and watched Frankenweenie. I am big Tim Burton fan and he did not disappoint. I you're a fan too and haven't watched it, definitely go. Edgar will make you laugh and Sparky will make you cry. 

Friday came and went by in a flash. I made a yogurt cake for one of my dearest friends as his birthday was Saturday and was only too happy to see the cake had set. It was a first time thing, and very much an experiment, so when I removed the ring I had a smile from ear to ear. Instead of dinner, he decided for a lunch reunion, so we headed to Nopi for a birthday lunch celebration. Just before leaving, I cooked the blueberry sauce that was to accompany the cake and made my way to the place. I had never been and let me tell you, the food was spectacular. Composed of middle eastern and a mediterranean fusion, each plate was a flavor bomb. Delicious!!! The plates are quite small, so we shared starters and each ordered a main dish, which we shared as well. I ordered the pan fried duck breast. It came with red quinoa and a yummy sauce. I was much taken with Youssef's butternut squash rotolo, so definitely going back to order it myself. 

Interested? Check it out:

NOPI

21-22 Warwick Street                                                 London W1B 5NE                                                 020 7494 9584

Smoked Ricotta Rotolo, with Butternut Squash and Pecan Pesto

We all commented on the fact that we never go out for casual lunches, as it is usually dinners what we do. Lunches are much better. It's a fact. Lunch was over, the table was cleared, our wine glasses empty and along came the cake with 26 lovely angel flames (honestly, they're BEAUTIFUL!!!) and we sang Happy Birthday to our friend. 

Yogurt Cake with Blueberries and Raspberries

The cake was cut and served alongside the blueberry sauce which turned out quite nice. The lightness of the cake paired nicely with the tangy sweetness of the sauce. Victor said it was like eating a cloud. I definitely took as a compliment. I was greatly pleased to see Youssef happy as he said he was going to challenge me with his cake. It didn't disappoint, and I guess, neither did I. I must recommend this as a dessert. It is light and not overly sweet; something you'd wish to eat after a nice meal. A big thank you to blogger Monika of BakeNoir and her amazing recipe. If interested, please check it out and her other work as well.

Bake Noir

http://www.bakenoir.com/2012/no-bake-blueberry-yogurt-cake/

I tweaked the recipe a bit, by adding raspberries, but I think that the nature of the cake allows for any substitutions. 

Victor: "It's like eating a cloud" Yes...it's that good :p

It was a rainy Saturday, chilly, and we walked around the center of London, clutching our jackets close. It got darker and we popped in the Longitude lounge at Le Meridien Hotel, and surprisingly, few people had ordered proper, alcoholic drinks. We joined the majority when we ordered hot beverages, to accompany the weather. The evening passed by in a bliss and we bid the birthday boy a goodbye.

Sunday morning I woke up feeling worse, with a sore throat and body aches. Saskia and I headed to the Camden Market after a long absence and we enjoyed a scrumptious pork sandwich with applesauce and sweet chili. After a nice lunch, we headed to Camden's Leya's where the atmosphere is great and homely and we enjoyed a cup of tea. As Daylight Saving's Time had come to an end just before dawn, by 5 pm, the sky was black. Nighttime had come and I found myself in bed quite early, not ready in the least to meet Monday morning happily.

It came in  earnest but thankfully I was feeling better. This week we are working with plated desserts on the Restaurant Module so let's see how it goes. In the meantime, enjoying baking and eating while I head home and make use of the yogurt and blueberries in the fridge. 

Today's special

Blueberry Lemon Loaf. 

Yummy? I think so!!!

So I wish you all a lovely Tuesday and I shall come back next week with more adventures here in London and the culinary world.

Until next time

xx

Chocolate Cake for Rainy Days

Hi there!!!

Welcome back to my blog. This week was an interesting one. I told you previously that we would have several final examinations before we receive our diplomas and this week, we basically designed a dessert. The requirements are to make an entremet, which is a multi-layered, multi-textured cake, using at least 15 ingredients from a provided list. It wasn't easy but it wasn't as hard as I expected.

We showed up Tuesday and had a workshop dedicated to brainstorming. It took me a while to figure out what I wanted to make, because I was missing two ingredients. In the end, the chef suggested ideas and I was able to fully figure out my dessert. During our final, we are supposed to make a cake and two individual ones, which we will plate, decorate and turn in for tasting.

Doing my recipe research

That day we also had a cheese lecture. We are required to attend these lectures as they are part of the diploma's qualification. It was our last lecture on the subject and the cheeses we got to taste were fantastic!!! I see myself buying the whole lot in the future. 

I hope you can read the names...so yummy

So we show up Wednesday morning, prepared to bake. It took me a while to start, as I was contemplating on what steps to take first. I then realized that I was completely on my own, as everyone has a different dessert. I made my filling, proceeded to bake the sponge and then baked the base. I began to stress, because we had 50 minutes left and I still needed to make my mousse. I hurried and bustled all around the kitchen and when it was done, all I had to do was leave it to set. The chef announced it was break time, yet half of us were still working. Some left, some like me, remained another ten minutes. I began to worry because the mousse wasn't setting and I asked the chef for help. Because the mousse I chose was a bavarois, the setting takes a bit more time. He said it was almost ready, and I could assemble the cake. I then encountered my second problem. My filling was a caramel one, tweaked so as not to have it stone hard. It had been in a mold to adjust to the shape but it stuck and the chef suggested I pipe it. With his help, I managed to assemble the cake, only to encounter my third problem. The mousse recipe was not enough to fill the ring entirely. The chef suggested I use a shallow ring during my final. I left with the kitchen with ten minutes remaining in my break. I needed to breathe.

We came back, baked our tuiles and made our chocolate decorations. We would finish the cake the following day, when he would taste the entremets and give us feedback. The following day, we simply made the glaze (mine smelled like brownies...so yummy) and decorated the cake. The cakes had been kept chilled all night and to my surprise, the mousse still wasn't set. The biggest shock was seeing that the filling had sunk to the bottom and was oozing out. I immediately glazed my cake, removed the ring and decorated it. I was the first in line for the tasting and was relieved when I received the critics. All in all, the cake was good the chef said. Yes, I do need to change my mousse recipe and perhaps change the filling as it makes the cake too sweet, but good all the same. I now feel more prepared for the challenge that will be out final exam. This week we have our first exam: bread module. Wish us luck!!!

The girls having a taste of my chocoholic's heaven cake :)

Friday went by so quickly as we only has a technical class and then it was the weekend. I  had boughten a pumpkin a few days ago and decided to carve it out. I wanted to make a  Jack Skellington design, but the shape wasn't ideal, so I carved it out looking happy. It was a fun process and I think the outcome was great. Ever tried carving one? Jot it down on your to-do list.

Boo? No, he's too happy :)

Saturday we were invited to a Latin-American Gastronomic Fair and I was so glad to have attended. After pizco sours, pasties, and a box of brigadeiros (one of the many joys of life: Brazilian chocolate sweets), I was basically in a food coma. Still, I had dinner at Bento Cafe (japanese spring rolls and Lion King Maki...heaven) and enjoyed every last bite. 

After a short but restful night's sleep, Sunday greeted us with a gray sky. I have to say I love rainy days.   With coffee and pancakes, the day shaped up to be a calm one. Soon it was 5 pm. I headed out and met with friends. We ate at La Bodega Negra's Cafe and had tacos and refried bean dip. We finished off with spoonfuls of cinnamon ice cream and apple tart. Not a bad day at all. For those of you interested, check it out. We plan on going to La Bodega Negra sometime, (it's soooo busy!!!) so for now, we are glad we tried the cafe. Good food and good company, it just doesn't get any better. My time here in London is quickly coming to an end and I hope I come to think of my time here as fully lived.

La Bodega Negra

10 Old Compton Street W1D 4

020 7758 4100

I hope you all had a lovely weekend, despite the rain (for those of you who aren't fans) and I wish you all a great start of the week. 

Sweet Dreams

xx

Sugar Apples and Underwater Creatures

Hi there!!!

Hope everyone had a lovely and well deserved weekend!!! I keep on apologizing for the late posts but I guess I haven't established a schedule for them. I'll try harder, I promise!!!

So, last time we finished off with a sugar ribbon made with pulled sugar. The result was quite nice and I felt proud, as I was scared I would break it at any given moment. The weekend passed by in a blur and next thing I know, we're back in the kitchens. This past week I felt so much better, having battled my cold. It was hard to wake up so early after a couple of days off, but we all managed. As mentioned before, we had two centerpieces left to make. This time, I went for a more abstract shape. The chef mentioned it resembled a lute.

I liked the end result of the colors

During the same workshop, we worked for the first time (most of us at the very least) with blown sugar. I was so excited. Our task was to either make an apple or a pear. I tried making the apple first. I made one with pulled sugar first, and then attempted to make one with clear sugar (meaning it wasn't pulled). It ended up looking like a gigantic cherry, but it was a good first attempt.

The second one was a bit more complicated. As there is no or little air incorporated into the sugar, the control of the sugar needs to be more. It was too delicate and I left several dents on it. I then asked the chef to help me make a pear. It was a small one, but it looked nice. We also practiced making roses out of pulled sugar. One of our many final examinations will be to produce a sugar centerpiece and pulled sugar rose. I've been having trouble with the rose, as they end up looking like any other flower except a rose. Still, I guess I'll pass if it resembles a flower. I'll let you know when the time comes. 

Sugar centerpiece, giant cherry, green apple, pear and flowers

The remaining two days we worked on a same piece. Thursday, our task was to make an underwater scene with poured sugar. I had an idea in mind for it and I ended up doing something completely different. I guess it was good, because the chef liked it a lot. This time I worked with aquas and greens and the occasional orange/yellow/red tone. I was really happy with the end product of the day. We would finish it the following day, when we'd make a fish out of blown sugar.

My underwater scene PART I

Friday morning we present ourselves in the kitchens and to our surprise, our centerpieces are unusually shiny. Well, since they were placed in the open air, the humidity attached itself to the surface of them "melting" the sugar. If looked at them carefully, they had small drips. It really didn't make a difference until it came time to attach the fishies. So, we cooked the sugar, colored it and poured it on the silicon mats. And we began the process of blowing and shaping it.

Using a pump, a blowtorch and either a fan or blowdryer, we all began molding and shaping our fishes. I made mine orange with blue and orange fins and tail. The chef said it was cute. He taught us how to give it movement. Considering it was our first time making one, he was happy with the effort. 

Giving my fishie life

Once it was shaped, cooled and ready, we proceeded to attaching it to our centerpieces. I honestly didn't think about the fish when I made the centerpiece so I had little idea of where to place it. I wanted to attach him to the blue bubble on one of the weeds. Because the centerpiece was melting, the chef said no, as it would fall and it needed support. So the only place to glue it was on top of my other fish. It looks as if the blown sugar fish is avoiding the poured sugar one, hahahaha.

The centerpiece, PART II. It now has life. :)

All in all, we finished the sugar module on a high note. We'll see where my new acquired skills take me. What's in schedule for this week? Plated Desserts. I'm nervous and excited, as this module is the one with the heaviest weight on our final examinations, so please wish us luck. I just had a nightcap with a friend, as we prepare for this coming week.

With this I take my leave. I wish you all a good night and a happy Monday!!!

Sweet Dreams

xx

Sweet Tooth...Anyone?

Hi there.

It's been too long since my last post. Things have been crazy lately. So slight recap: my friends and I went to Amsterdam and Munich and came back just in time to celebrate a birthday and welcome back our other friend. School started once again last Wednesday and to be honest, it felt like a cold bucket of water. 

Reality hit us square in the face when 8:00 AM Wednesday we were plunged back into the kitchens for some hands on work. The Pastry course has now 4 groups, two of which are working with chocolate and the remaining two working with sugar. I am in one of the latter groups. Let me tell you it's been fun.

If you recall in my previous posts, one of our very last demonstrations involved a sugar centerpiece. Well, that's what we did Wednesday morning, each cooking a kilo of sugar with glucose. 

Forgetting to shock  the sugar to stop the cooking, my sugar turned a lovely caramel color. It didn't help when I tried to make the sugar purple. Still, the end result was lovely and quite appealing to the eye.

Lovely shades of brown

The chef informed us that a sugar centerpiece, as well as a pulled sugar rose (can be seen in the above centerpiece) will be part of one of the assessments in order to obtain our Superior Patisserie Diploma. To pass this assessment, the sugar centerpiece must show 5 different techniques. If you look carefully, the centerpiece base has both foil underneath to create a different texture, as well as a marbled effect. That's two different techniques; next, we see a bubbled effect in the ruffled fan and a frosted coral-like structure, on which the rose sits. That's two other techniques; lastly, the main piece has a window pane effect summing up to five techniques. 

The chef said it was appealing to the eye and it was a job well done. I just need to be careful with the glueing of the pieces. If you observe, the small square on the left has a drop of sugar. It's a minor detail but I need to work on it. This week, we will produce two more in order to practice for the final.

We then proceeded to make the rose. This time, we cooked isomalt (there was a shortage of glucose in the school). Isomalt is an inverted sugar and worked equally well. We cooked the isomalt, working in pairs, to divide the sugar. It was poured on two silicon mats and we colored the sugar brown. Then we proceeded to fold and pull the sugar, making the color more opaque and glossy. The effect is quite extraordinary. The end results look like glass.  I had a bit of trouble managing to form petals. It may not look like a rose precisely but the chef said as long as it looked like a pretty flower, I'd do fine.

The following day we made another centerpiece. This time I changed the design. The result was interesting. I don't think the chef liked it too much. He said I should stick to pastel colors, although my classmates liked it. What do you think?

The base could have been a bit larger

Still, the chef said overall it was ok. I think I'll be sticking to the original design and just play around with the colors. Thursday evening, I met up with my friends whom I hadn't seen in a long time. We had dinner at The Opera Tavern, quite a lovely place for some spanish tapas. The food was great actually. We ordered ham and cheese and peppers for starters, while we waited for our table to be ready. It gave us time to look at the varied menu properly. By the time we got to our table, we still hadn't made up our minds and I think we ended up ordering half the entire menu hahaha. A dish to point out: the lovely mini burgers. We each had one and it was AMAZING. Definitely gonna go back just to eat it.

My friend Youssef and all the burgers

Check it out:

The Opera Tavern 

23 Catherine ST 

London WC2B 5JS 

0207 836 3680

Friday morning it was back to class. After a short night's sleep I thought I would die in class and thankfully it was just one. However, I found myself more energetic and very much interested in the project of the day. Once more we worked with pulled sugar, this time making a ribbon/bow out of it. Honestly, it's not the easiest thing to make but we sure had fun and I was amazed at myself with the result. I think I need to be more careful working with it, as the sugar snaps with little force. My friends outside school mentioned it looked like real ribbon. I was happy when the chef said good work.

Lovely sugar ribbon

I've been coping with a cold that just won't go away: a gift of this lovely London weather. Thankfully, the weekend came and I have class until Wednesday. Feeling much better at the moment, I cannot wait to get back into the kitchens and practice my work with sugar. I hope you all had a lovely Monday, despite the rain.

Until next time.

xx