It can only get better.

After a hell-ish week, the temperature decided to give us a break. Though 83 is still not ideal for puff pastry, the ten degree difference was very notable. The dough actually cooperated! Plus, we had a plating day, which always means a bit more relaxed. We make something, plate it, eat it and discuss. A welcome change. From the inverse chocolate puff we made yesterday we made chocolate mille-feuille, with ganach topping. With alternating layers of puff pastry and a chocolate-mousse like filling, then topped with ganach and patterned with white-chocolate chevron. This was probably the most difficult of the day. Many people had quite a bit of difficulty with theirs, and several broke. Plus the topping is very time sensitive, you have to pour the ganach, spread, and decorate in under a minute before it gets too firm. That wasn't so bad for me, but I did get my first serious burn while baking. To ensure the dough doesn't bubble, you have to bake between two sheet pans, then quickly take the top off, brush with a corn syrup and get it back into the oven. While I was taking off the top baking sheet, the side of my thumb touched the hot pan, burning it. Then as I run to put it under water, the sink had just been used to wash dishes so some residual hot water remained in the pipe! I've gotten burns before, but that hot water on a fresh burn has to be one of the more painful experiences of my baking career! I managed to avoid burning myself during caramels, but then just picking up a pan I end up really hurting myself! It's alright though, baking battle wound!!

We also baked off our jalousies from yesterday, which are essentially giant pop tarts with a raspberry/pastry cream filling. It was quite good, though I think it may lend itself better to savory applications (spinach anyone?)


With the remaining dough we made mini banana tarts. Though not super interesting by themselves, they do lend well to plating with other flavors. On top of chocolate puff pastry (which, to be honest isn't that great) we layered bananas, then raw sugar which was torched to create a caramel! Simple, but how can you go wrong with caramelized bananas? And pretty much any chance to use a flame torch, I'm all over.

The finished tart! Plated with fresh-made chocolate ice-cream. I LOVE making ice-cream, we got an early lesson. Normally, we don't get to do this until level three, but because we're pretty fast and had a bit of extra time they gave a demo. We also made brown-butter ice-cream! Which was, amazing. Surprisingly, only a handful of us had any experience with brown butter. Personally, its one of my favorite additions to desserts. Brown butter caramels, for example.

I have to admit that even though I'm quite glad this section is almost over (one more day, then exam). I absolutely love puff pastry, almost as much a breads! So versatile, and such an incredible, warm, flaky texture...whats not to love? For part of the baking/cooking frenzy for the 4th of July, I'm thinking of making mini-banana tarte tatins, using ramekins, paired with a yet to be decided ice-cream. Though the main dessert is still a surprise :)