I think I can...I think I can...I think I can...

With our final exam coming unnervingly close by each passing day, we started our module on restaurant  plated desserts. Since I happened to be working on my recipe and design for my plated dessert for my final exam, this module could not have come at a better time. 

Bijoux Box: sponge cake filled with chocolate creme brulee accompanied with a raspberry/grenadine sorbet

ricotta and orange zest mousse trimmed with pistachios, chocolate decoration, mango coulis, raspberry compote, tuile cookie decoration 

If heaven were a dessert than it would be embodied in this dish. Not too sure about ricotta mousse?? Well its amazing, especially paired with the raspberry compote. The raspberry compote was SO delicious that Nicole and I literally stood and ate the raspberries out of the pan. 

Sadly my piping bag making skills have once again become a much to challenging task for me to accomplish in class. So my favorite pastry chef Jasmine gave me another piping bag tutorial over one of our infamous "fancy lunches" this past week. Little did I know that I would also be taught to make paper boats. I am now happy to report that I successfully made 4 perfect piping bags for my chocolate work.

Oh the life of a culinary student...studying is obviously a bit different when cooking is involved.  But lets face it...studying is studying and nothing makes me more upset than having to make involved excel spread sheets. After giving myself a quick reminder that "enter" in excel does not give me the same result that "enter" does in every other computer program, I started typing out my final exam recipes and methods. I also had to finalized my plated dessert design and ingredient list. After about 20 sketches I finally decided to do a white chocolate mousse with a passion fruit jelly and....well I cant give it all away yet now can I?! 

Here is a preview of the base of my plated dessert...

CHOCOLATE TRUFFLES

Many of my classmates are in the growing process that is 'learning English'. To practice, they spelled my name in chocolate piping on some of our remaining lemon curd truffles. 

"Some people have been calling them little drops of heaven, but whatever" -Monica--Friends

Below is only 1/9 of the truffles and candies we made in our confectionary class...

Nicole and I were first assigned to make marshmallows. During our lunch break we thought it would be a good idea to bring in sprinkles to 'jazz them up a bit'.  When we brought them in to get approval from our chef he just said "djazz zem up a bit! ooooh lala!". He secretly liked them! 

Chocolate Train...

I think I can, I think I can, I think I can

Taking in a little homage from the classic children's novel The Little Engine That Could, chocolate work most definitely is an uphill battle. It melts, it sets too fast, it curls, it smudges at the touch of your finger, but on the upside chocolate also is fully edible, takes on luster dust fabulously, and, like a souffle, always contains a little mystery. Having had tempered 3 kilos of chocolate today, I can say with complete confidence that chocolate work is my Everest! 

CONQUERED!