1.26.2011

This Week in Culinary School

Week three has come and gone and with a strong emphasis on Souffles and Pie Crust (not American pie crust, French pie crust which is actually thinner).  Since I liked pulling together a little list for last week's recap, I thought I'd do it that way again this week.  So here it is, this week's pictures and little tidbits from culinary school...Enjoy!

Fruit Tart
1. My new favorite dessert to make is fruit tart.  I practically lost my marbles when I got to make one.  I think that they are the prettiest desserts and I love that you get to arrange the fruit on top anyway you want.  I'm totally going to be making lots of these!

Pretty, pretty!
2. Pie crust is a little finicky and takes some practice to get just right.  The crust featured in my fruit tart was more of a cookie crust featuring a trio of toasted nuts: pistachio, macadamias and almonds.  I am going to try making the more traditional type soon, too. I'm determined to make a killer, tender and flaky pie crust.

My First Souffle - Spinach, Poached Egg and Parmesan
3. I had never actually had a souffle before (never mind making them!) and I found them to be not really worth the effort.  They are fussy to make and taste like frothy eggs.  I'm glad I learned how to make them but don't see me making a lot of them in my future..

At least it looked pretty!

4. To eat a Souffle, you pull it apart, starting in the middle.  I got an action shot of our chef/instructor in action, serving the Souffle.

Chef serving up a Souffle
5. This week I also starting taking my classes for my ServSafe certificate.  Can I just say how riveting it is to learn about bacterias?  See? And you thought culinary school was all glitz and glam (and pie crust).  I'll spare you the details because they are gross (although what was I expecting? I mean really, can bacteria and outbreak prevention be riveting and not at all gross? Probably not).

Next week is soups and stocks and homemade puff pastry!

17 comments:

Val said...

This looks really incredible!

Beth B. said...

Please send over one of those dessert pie things!! :) It looks fabulous!

Boston Food Diary said...

I dont understand how bacteria isnt as riveting as fruit tarts ;-) Great recap- cant wait to follow along again next week!

Anonymous said...

That fruit tart looks gorgeous!

Delicious Dishings said...

I LOVED making fruit tarts at Flour. It's so easy to make them look gorgeous. Yours looks beautiful! And I'm sorry the souffle did not live up to expectations... maybe because it was a savory one?

The Glamorous Gourmet said...

How fabulous! Everything looks delicious - thank you for sharing your experiences & keep up the great work - Cheers!

dan said...

It seems weird to me that you are snappin pics in the middle of class... please elaborate.

Alicia said...

That tart looks beautiful. I love fruit tarts! I'm actually planning to make a savory tart from Dorie's cookbook next week. If I have crust issues, I'm calling you.

Jen said...

Your tart is beautiful! Let me know if you make one and need help taking care of eating it!

The Small Boston Kitchen said...

Dan - as part of the program, we have to put together portfolios documenting our experience at school and the progress we've made. Pictures are encouraged and snapped all the time....a total food blogger's paradise!

Paris Pâtisseries said...

I love how OCD you got with the fruit! That's my kind of tart!

Add A Little Love said...

the Souffle looks heavenly. Do you have the recipe? Although you don't recommend to make it at home, I still want to see what is inside. Thanks.

The Small Boston Kitchen said...

Add A Little Love - thanks for the comment! It's not that I don't recommend making Souffles at home, I just didn't particularly care for them and found them to be not worth the effort. I don't give out many original culinary school recipes (out of respect to those, like myself, that pay a lot of money to attend) but I will tell you that the components of the Souffle were spinach, poached eggs, beaten eggs, Grueyer cheese and Parmesan cheese. Hope that helps! Let me know if you attempt making a Souffle at home or if you find a recipe that you think might be worth a shot! Thanks!

ashleigh said...

That tart looks amazing! Looks like you are having fun and doing a great job! Must be fun following your dreams :)

Q said...

Souffle looks delicious and the fruit tart looks like a work of art. Too pretty to eat!!!

Justin said...

Beautiful fruit tart! Keep these posts coming!

Meesh said...

ok i'm officially quitting my job and going to culinary school!

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