Validation

Flaming the apples for Tart Beausejour

Just this once, I'm going to skip writing about my classes for the week. The past week was kind of a review for me. Cake decorationg on Monday and more Petit Fours on Tuesday. I'll be adding photos to my portfolio soon so you can see. What I really want to tell you about is my Friday.

JJ asked me to do some more work for Cuisine En Locale, and I gladly accepted. My challenge: make 3 French desserts for approximately 30-35 people who were attending a class on French Culture at the Cambridge Adult Education Center. My pastries were to follow a fantastic traditional French dinner made with local and organic ingredients cooked by JJ and Ben. We decided for the dessert to have a tasting plate of 3 items: a Pistachio Financier, a Chocolate Macaron with Chestnut Buttercream and a min Tart Beausejour.

I woke up at 8:30 am on Friday morning and was in the kitchen baking by 9am. I did some grocery shopping and prep work earlier in the week, but the brunt of the work was done on Friday. I baked several rounds of Financiers and then gathered my supplies and headed out for lunch with JJ and crew. After lunch I realized I had left all the prepped tart shells in my freezer at home and had to hurry back to get them.

We finally got into the school kitchen by 3:30pm. Dinner was to be served at 6pm and dessert around 8pm. I got to work baking more financiers, making buttercream, almond cream, whipping egg whites for the macarons. Just about the time I was half-way through baking macarons, I burnt a tray full and was trying to figure out if I had enough ingredients left to make another batch. We were then informed we had to vacate the kitchen for a class that was to start at 6:30pm. I was trying not to panic, I had to clear my stuff and possibly carry a tray of unbaked macarons down the street to another location for baking. I managed to buy enough time to bake the last sheet of macarons before moving to the other kitchen to start baking the mini tarts.

First Kitchen Space

We hurriedly gathered our neccesities and walked to the new location for the evening, only to find out the oven was not working in that kitchen and I had 30 mini tarts that needed baking. I was determined that those desserts plates were not going out without those tarts. Thinking quickly, I picked up my phone and called a friend who just happens to manage a cafe convienently located around the block from where we were. It went something like this:
"Hi, I need a big favor. I'm just around the corner, I have 30 mini tarts that need to be baked by 8pm, and my oven is not working". His response, "What tempurature do you need the oven set too?" God Bless Justin!

At 7:00pm I gathered up my 3 half sheet trays of mini tarts and ran as quickly as I could (in the rain) over to the cafe to bake the tarts. I returned about 30 mins later with beautiful, golden, warm and fragrant apple tarts. JJ, Ben and I plated the desserts and exchanged hi-fives. Disaster averted. The adrenaline was making me high and shakey all at the same time. I didn't notice how hungry I was till I calmed down.

Mini Tarts Beausejour

Here is where the validation comes in. This was really my first paid gig. It was a long day, and we had some wrenches thrown our way. I made a few mistakes, but I pulled through. I felt like a working professional. I got great feedback about my work and my pastries. I was stressed but I loved every minute of it. I'm feeling pretty certain I'm in the right place and it's a really good feeling. For all the years I struggled with, "what do I really want to do", it is amazing to know I have finally found it.

The French Dessert Plate

This week in school we start Viennoiserie- laminated doughs and all things Croissant. I keep looking at my recipe binder shocked how much I have covered and how there are only 3 weeks left before summer break. It's been an amazing 3 1/2 months so far! And I have some great oppurtunities in the pipeline for my summer break, but more on that later. I'm off to bed.