Lime Tart and Sandwich Bread

Not too much to share from my next set of classes. People are beginning to get on my nerves... but I suppose that's only to be expected when an OCD-ish person gets paired with some lazy people! I'll just keep pluggin' along and let my work speak for itself! I'm so proud of what I learned Thursday: we made lime tarts with Italian lime meringue in my "Pies, Tarts, Teacakes and Cookies" class. (By the way, I'm open for suggestions as to what to call this class. I refuse to say or type that every time I want to tell someone about it!) In my "Breads and Rolls" class, we made a simple sandwich bread. I enjoyed the challenge of both classes! Here are some pictures:

Chef Jeffery ("Cheffery") demonstrating our tart dough

Rolling and placing my dough

Filled with fresh lime curd

Piping Italian Lime Meringue

My pretty baby!

My groups' tarts

Chef Becky demonstrating bread making

Yes, we use a special formula to create dough that is an ideal temperature...

My groups' rising dough

Finished product: DELICIOUS!

Cookie Craziness

My first "Fundamentals of Baking" class was great!

I had done plenty of praying about the group I would be a part of for the remainder of the semester. My prayers were answered, and I love the group I'm in! We immediately had a great connection and were joking around and teasing each other within minutes. We were taught how to sanitize our station and were told to start prepping our ingredients for the first of three batches of cookies we would make that day.

Next, Chef Eddy Van Damme started his demonstration of chocolate chip cookies. He reminded us that this was a "fundamental" class and he understood that we might be a little embarrassed about baking cookies on our first day. It was as if he had read the "I already know how to make cookies" sign taped on many foreheads that morning. His demonstration was pretty quick. We were on our own for the remainder of the class.

My group worked quickly and very efficiently. We were done first and our chocolate chip cookies were perfect! They had risen and browned just as they should have. We were on to our next batch: white chocolate macadamia nut cookies. We used the same base recipe as the chocolate chip cookies and switched out the "chunky" parts. These cookies turned out even better than the first! Was that possible? How could you improve on "perfect?" Chef Eddy was so impressed with our second batch that he came over to our station and asked if he could "steal" 4 of them for a photo shoot. ARE YOU KIDDING ME??? We were SO proud of ourselves! Next, we made oatmeal raisin cookies. Those turned out great too... maybe a little flat, but moist and chewy as every oatmeal raisin cookie should be.



I mentioned in my previous post that there were a few "know-it-all" people in the class. Would you have ever guessed that they chose to be in a group together?! It was pretty comical to watch it happen. Maybe they believed that if a bunch very smart guys (yes, they're boys!) worked together, they would be unstoppable. It took an insane amount of effort not to laugh when I heard Chef Eddy tell them to throw out 2 of their 3 batches of cookies because they were "inedible." I should not delight in the failures of others, but I had gotten sick of seeing these guys pull the Chef aside to tell him how wonderful his lectures are and how he was exactly what they had been searching for. I had tired of watching them scramble and fight to do little chores for Chef Eddy as if he were impressed by them.

Later, I helped organize all the cookies to be sold in the cafe. I found myself marveling at the different outcomes. Was it possible that we all used the same recipes? Some cookies were flat, some weren't caramelized enough, some were so strange looking that we had to argue about whether or not they were chocolate chip or oatmeal raisin!

As we were all finishing up, Chef Eddy called us in for a closing lecture. He spoke to us about the chocolate we had just used in 2 of our cookies. I find myself constantly impressed with this man. His standards for our bakery are set so high. He has revolutionized how the culinary department works at HCC. He explained why we only use good quality chocolate. He also talked about how he will only allow us to use unbleached flours in all of our baking (the only exception being cake flour). This is not only healthier because no chemicals are used, but the flavor is exceptional!

Well, I had a blast! My group was great, Chef Eddy was impressed by my group's offerings, and I got to laugh a ton. I'm looking forward to next week!

Starting a New Chapter

Well, I have successfully completed my first week of culinary school! The first week was simply an introduction of the classes, equipment used, and the chef instructors. I'm taking a total of four classes. Each of them dedicated to a different area of baking and pastry work.

My first class is "Food Safety and Sanitation." Not much interesting to tell about this class: it is only a lecture class. It is also my shortest class (3 hours). Every other baking class will last 6 hours at a time. I believe this Sanitation class will be very serious and so important. Comic relief should come from the cross dresser in the back row!

My second class is "Fundamentals of Baking." I expect this class to be my favorite of the semester. My instructor is incredible! His name is Chef Eddy Van Damme. He co-wrote the textbook we use, so right away, I'm impressed! As each student introduces himself, my stomach starts to tingle with excitement! I can barely sit still! Many of the students have transferred to this school because of the wonderful instruction from Chef Eddy Van Damme! It is quickly confirmed that I am smack dab in the middle of my dream! Chef Eddy will be fun to work with: he's funny, laid back, incredibly smart, has a pleasant Belgian accent, and I must say, it doesn't hurt that he's handsome! We spent about an hour or so hearing about Chef Eddy's life and career. He shared his passion for making us the best chefs possible. I couldn't ask for more. He showed us around our "laboratory" and sent us on our way.

My third class is called "Pies, Tarts, Teacakes, and Cookies." Catchy, huh? When I signed up for this class, I was informed that Chef Eddy would also be teaching this class. So imagine my surprise and disappointment when I walked into the kitchen and found a different instructor. He introduced himself as Chef Jefferey (I'm 99% sure that's how he spells it). My husband thinks I should casually call him "Chefferey" and see if he seems offended by it. It may take me a few classes to work up the nerve to try! Chef Jefferey was almost unbearably nervous because this is his first year teaching. He was self conscious about the way he was talking due to his recent jaw surgery. The only thing I noticed was the metal work in his mouth. His nervousness never really decreased. He kept his head down and read us everything we needed to know and we were done in about 45 minutes. The class was supposed to last 6 hours!

My last class is called "Breads and Rolls." I'm convinced this class will be my most difficult. Artisan bread making is very technical and easy to mess up. Even though it will be a difficult class, I'm most excited to gain this skill for the semester. Chef Becky is teaching the class. I quickly realized that her knowledge of the science of bread making is overwhelming. We spent next to no time with introduction and started talking about bread making. I wrote fast and furiously as she spoke about the many components of bread dough, their importance, and so forth. We went over the different methods of yeast fermentation and its importance for different kinds of bread. I must have written five pages (front and back) of information down. I should tell you that I wrote more than I would have on a normal day, but a Korean woman named JungA was sitting next to me panicking. So I wrote too much (being careful to use full sentences and not abbreviate). I let her copy my notes. This poor woman speaks little English and here we are talking about things she's never heard of! She continued to keep her head down, pencil going, and often used her Korean translator for unfamiliar words. Poor thing!

In each of my baking classes, we (the students) are responsible for dividing ourselves into small groups. We will remain in this group for the remainder of the semester. I've already pegged the people I don't want to work with: know-it-all individuals who nod continuously during a lecture and finish the chef's sentences under their breath. I just wanted to scream when I saw this! I believe with all of my heart that being humble in each class will be the key to my success. Seriously, in my first two baking classes, I was receiving a ton of information that I already knew. So I didn't write it down. No big deal. I was proud that I knew exactly what was being talked about, but I didn't make a big scene so everyone else knew that I knew.
I will also do my best to avoid being with immature people who have openly said they are taking a class because "it sounds fun." I am trying hard to accept that it's their choice to take a class simply because "it sounds fun," but I can't help but feel insulted by that. I have worked hard and sacrificed a lot to be in these classes. I have a hard time appreciating their outlook.

My final "written" exams in each class will actually be a portfolio. Each of us will be responsible for taking pictures and arranging them in a great-looking portfolio explaining our experience. That's right up my alley!

I enjoyed my first week, so I can't imagine what next week will be like! I'll keep you updated on what I create! We have not even baked anything and I feel like I'm in my "Heaven on earth!"

Spice Up Your Spice Cabinet

I apologize for the lack of posts lately. It's summer and I'm trying to savor every day I can with Zachary. I've been working hard trying to get into culinary school. I must say, it's been a very frustrating process. But more on that on a later post.

Recently, I cleaned out my spice cabinet. It's amazing what I had in there.... many of the spices were "one time use" purchases. That's sad. I'm gonna work hard to make sure when I clean things out next year, I won't throw out as much. By the way, did you know that ground spices are really only good for a year or so after opening? Seriously... go clean out all the stuff that's been open for a few years. It's not nearly as flavorful anymore. How many of you have a tin of ground nutmeg that only gets love during the holidays? Throw it out already!

This post is going to be a shameless plug for my absolute favorite website: www.thespicehouse.com. I'm completely obsessed with my spice vendor! Whether you like to cook or not, the information alone will keep you busy for hours. They have hundreds of different spices, extracts, salts, spice blends, gifts, and more. Not only can you purchase these spices, but you can read all about them, where they come from, and recipes that make the spices stand out. I can't get enough!

For me, few things are more exciting that high quality food/spices. Now, don't get me wrong... nothing's wrong with good old McCormick cinnamon when you want to make some oatmeal raisin cookies, but what about those cinnamon rolls? Cinnamon deserves to be the star in cinnamon rolls! So how about some organic Saigon Cassia Cinnamon from Vietnam? The Spice House is getting these spices directly from the country they are harvested from. You've never tasted cinnamon quite like this! The color is rich and the smell/taste is sweet and spicy at the same time.

A few weeks ago, I wanted to make my homemade almond poppy seed muffins for breakfast. As I was retrieving my ingredients, I realized I was too low on almond extract. Well, clearly, I needed to get some if I wanted them to be "almond" poppy seed muffins! So I threw my hair in a ponytail and grabbed my shoes. I drove to the nearest grocery store and walked to the aisle I am all-too-familiar with. I almost fell over when I saw that a 1 oz. bottle of almond extract was $4.50! My stomach sunk as I paid for it. I had never paid this much for almond extract before! I quickly ordered almond extract from The Spice House. When it arrived a few days later, I opened my new 4 oz. bottle to take a sniff. I immediately felt a sense of happiness. I had never smelled almond extract to strong, so sweet, and so wonderful. Now, if you know me well, you know one of my favorite smells in the world is almond extract. I would bathe in it if I could! But the quality of this extract was unlike anything else I had ever experienced. I knew I'd never run out of this stuff! Oh, and get this: I paid $6.69 for 4 ounces! That's about $1.67 per ounce! Remember I had just paid $4.50 for ONE ounce of much lower quality extract.

I could go on and on about all the different spices I have from www.thespicehouse.com but I'll spare you! I'll just give you my list of things I don't think I'd like to live without:

Mexican Pure Vanilla Extract: It comes with a real Mexican vanilla bean in the bottle so the flavor improves with age.

Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla Bean Paste: This gel-like extract is the equivalent of using vanilla extract but has a special "wow factor" when added to light cookie doughs or cakes because of the real vanilla beans.

Pure Almond Extract

Whole European Style Peppercorns

Ground Organic Saigon Cassia Cinnamon: The only cinnamon I use!

Chipotle Chili Powder: This stuff is incredible! Add heat and smoky flavor anywhere you would add red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper.

Smoked Sweet Spanish Paprika: Add all the smoky flavor of above-mentioned Chipotle Powder without any heat.

Now, I'm not about to tell you that all of my spices come from www.thespicehouse.com. I choose to order spices I know I use often and won't throw away after about a year and a half. I don't use a lot of dried oregano, so it makes no sense for me to order any. I use kosher salt in most (if not all) of my cooking, so I would never pay a lot of money for French or Hawaiian salt.

Ok, a few more things about The Spice House: You frequently have the option of quantity and container. You can choose to order spices that come in a glass shaker jar or in a resealable plastic bag. I almost always get the zip-top bag because it's cheaper and you get more of the spice. They are very good about getting you your order within 2 or 3 days (even when choosing the cheapest shipping option!). There is always a little hand-written note from the person who packs your spices. How sweet! And their prices are extremely reasonable because they have eliminated the "middle man." (i.e. our major super market chains)

Please check out the website. You won't be disappointed. I have used them for a few years and plan to use them for many years to come.

I believe that any good recipe can be great with higher quality ingredients. So spice up your spice cabinet and let me know what you think!