butter.bread.boulangerie: And then there were 13.

13.
13 days of class left. 13 days until I regain my sanity, ability to formulate coherent thoughts and not fall asleep on the subway in the middle of the day. 13 days to execute my dessert menu, make a wedding cake, and construct a final showpiece to display my practical final exam pastries. And of course, take a couple of exams! I am excited though, believe it or not. This doesn't have to be so stressful, I don't need to obsess about my platting or wedding cake design, I don't have to be spending every day after class working on the chocolate showpiece. But I am, because despite the stress, sleeplessness, potential malnutrition (popchips and an apple count for dinner right???) and generally being "out of it," I absolutely love every second of it. I spent 5 hours last night (Friday night!) working on recipes and plating. And yes, maybe it's borderline OCD, but I'm pretty sure all great pastry chefs are a tad compulsive, you kind of need to be. And because I wanted to do something unique, I've had to develop my own recipes for a few items. I've never learned so much! I think I now know more about mousse than could ever be necessary. For instance, the percentage of chocolate you use will greatly affect what method you use for your mousse (there are MANY by the way) since the cocoa butter crystallization is the primary stabilizing agent in the mousse. I think recipe development has to be one of the best mechanisms for learning, you absolutely have to understand the science behind each ingredient. It's hard, and effective, and I'm surprised not utilized as a teaching method more often. Luckily for me, the science is what really interests me, so spending hours researching is enjoyable, exhausting, but enjoyable.

Plated desserts from Friday: