#87 - Last Demo - Ever!

A bittersweet day in Cuisine this morning - our last demo ever.  I'm already feeling pangs of nostalgia and we haven't even finished yet.  We are so over it already that there was the most talking I've heard in a demo in a long time.  Chef JB asked people to share their best memories of their time at LCB - there were a lot of chef FJ stories (one of the guys apparently had been likened to an animal, after Chef FJ looked at him in his hair net (you have to wear one if your hair is longer than collar length) and beard net (if they can see stubble, you have to wear one).  Another guy had been chased around the kitchen by Chef DM with a crayfish - I'm going to guess that was in Intermediate when they had a crayfish sauce.


Although I didn't say this one, I think the best part of having gone to LCB is being able to cook something for my family and friends which isn't necessarily hugely difficult technically but can end up looking really pretty if you manage to plate it right and taste good.  That's still a work in progress, but I do seem to have an endless supply of guinea pigs, for which I am grateful.


Duck, duck...mushrooms
We had a practical soon after the demo - but it was for a dish that was demonstrated last week so I had to check my notes.  Somehow I managed to get the quantities off on my mushroom flan and I'm not quite sure where.  The volumes were right but I had a lot of mix in the bowl compared to others in the class.  And then I overcooked the flan and it souffleed - crap.  The duck needed just another couple of minutes to get the last of the fat out from under the skin but otherwise was ok - a pleasant surprise because it felt really overcooked - so I have to remember what that felt like so I can duplicate it with the pigeon.  The sauce - well, needed a lot more salt.  He could taste the foie gras and the duck (good - I didn't taste it after I added the foie gras) but it was underseasoned.


I was sous chef today - no idea what I was doing so JE had to show me what to do.  Things have changed a bit since the old school (she had to explain the dummy lift - apparently a goods lift that you can send places) and I ended up wearing some duck blood when I chopped the bones for people to have for sauce.  More laundry - ugh.


Tomorrow night is our last practical class ever.  After that will be the last minute frantic dash to get the Patisserie portfolios done.  I remember friends in previous Patisserie classes who practiced so much and I feel like I'm going into it a bit too casually.  I've thought out the recipes and they need a little tweaking, but last week...no wait - earlier this week was the first time I actually made the plated dessert with all the correct ingredients.  I was going to say it was the first time I made the plated dessert as it was meant to be, but realized that would be inaccurate because there were various mistakes which needed to be addressed.  Hopefully we'll still make it but it seems like there are some people who have practiced a lot and some people who haven't.  I still haven't done a full run through for either Cuisine or Patisserie, although Patisserie is a bit more forgivable as we need some specialty ingredients and tools.  No excuse for the Cuisine one except that everyone is freaking out about our Patisserie portfolio and practical exam.


Must go - my eyes are starting to feel happiest when they are closed.  so until next time may you not experience any freak outs.