a whirlwind of 2 wks

i apologize for a bit of emptiness here.. sometimes it takes me a while to get back to the rhythm.. :)

so for that, here's a photo from the very last class in LCB..^^



this suits the occasion just perfectly! happy halloween!

graduated!

(sitting on my lap!)

basic pastry le cordon bleu graduate here!! :D

there were some days when i didnt think it was possible for me to make it through the day.. but this experience i would not trade it for the world! i have proven myself that anything you put my mind in, you can do it do it! :) if i can do it, u too can go for what your heart desires! :P

foret noire (black forest cake)

these were from few weeks ago.. however, i can't get over how yummy they were!








i will have to make these soon.. i keep telling myself that..but the problem is this! where can i get those cherries?!!

everything in school was provided and abundant, so i never realize how scarce baking ingredients are here.. ive seen the red ones, but not the dark ones... one thing about baking in korea is that getting the ingredients is like going treasure hunting... ^^..

charlotte aux poires

oh this cake is my favorite. from lady finger batter molded into a cake and a cake cover on it~ it's like putting a robot together, except it's a cake! hehe.. i had a lot of fun making this one. and that pear flower on the middle is adorable, no? also one of my favorite eating cakes :P breakfast/lunch/dinner!! devoured all of it in 2 days or so... hehe



i love the pear mouse with carmelized pear chunks inside (not shown in this pic below.. it's hiding..)


(at home~)


(here's a pic from school)

had no problem finishing this cake!..

fancy smancy

from choux pastry demo class.

first week back to school

after having 3 weeks off for summer, im back to school~ we're finally done with choux pastry (finally)..



honestly, it's been an exhausting week back to school. but having to get motivated and doing the real stuff feels good. but i might just end up resting before jumping into the "intermediate" session..

other than being back to school, im excited that summer is coming to an end. although it really hasn't gotten cooler much. it's been raining a whole lot though.. i can't wait for fall.. foliage and cooler weather couldn't come any sooner.

apple tart

from our 2nd class.. :) it feels like forever ago~

meringue

from meringue class~

i miss school

i miss waking up early in the mornings arriving to school half awake^^

i miss taking photos of pretty pastry~

i miss hearing french and not knowing what is going on...
....being lost in translation is kind of fun (sometimes, but not usually..)

i miss being busy...
and trying to find "nap time" in between school and work.

i miss the smell of pastry and flour and eggs.. and butter...



i miss my classmates and their competitive spirit that drives me~

i miss eating pastry and breads...

i miss so many things already

but it's only been a week..

3 week vacation from LCB

woohoo~~~ no classes at LCB for 3 weeks bc it's summer!! and the chefs are heading back to their homeland, france for their given vacay days~~ my main chef is heading to paris~ right now!


so, that means.. PRACTICE TIME. loads of it. needs to be done. hopefully, i will be doing enough practice to share it here^^

palms

voila~ yum yum in my tummy

last day of puff pastry

whew.. puff pastry..

so it was our last day to make another batch of goodies from puff dough


(what we demoed and ate after 3 hrs of lecture)






(sniffing the good stuff.. )


(and my favorite one~ almond cream and apricot filling)

dear butter and dough

(rolling pin ready! flour ready!..)

hello there you. dough and butter. you give me so much pain when i have to roll you in 6 folds.. the first night, i suffered from a charley horse and never knew baking could give me such pain :P but i guess that's just the reality of the industry. a lot of physical labor but a lot of JOY(!!) at the end of it. but i do love you.. your yummy layers are just so endearing to my taste buds and my tummy. i just wish you werent so hard to make..^^;

come get em

about to devour a plateful of CAKE after lecture~~
(supposedly "fruit cake" in french is just CAKE!! i never knew)



and a good cup of tea comes with it as well^^

chocolate & raspberry tart with nougatine

the most complicated tart we ever had to make yet.

we baked everything from the chocolate tart to the chocolate nougatine deco on top~



the ingredients that goes into this tart is just exquisite. so much dark chocolate and raspberry brandy~ yumm yumm yummmm...




but just thinking about the process of baking this tart already makes me exhausted..^^;

my body aches by the end of the week and i am waking from charley horse at night..-.- (rolling dough is no joke! im serious...) i think school and work is wearing me out a bit.. and the heat does not help and carrying these delicate desserts home is not fun in the hot blaring sun~~ ^^;... BUT at the end of the week when i sit down and organize my notes and photos from school, i just can't help but smile at all the pastry goodies ive baked.. :)

lady finger biscuit

i never ever thought id be baking ladyfingers ever. until i came to pastry school.. i have so much appreciation for desserts/pastry now. so much more.

PEAR TART

one of the prettiest tarts we made. taste as good as it looks^^



this pear tart was one of the easiest tarts to make too! and cutting the pears and arranging is all fun! but tomorrow is not going to be so easy.. or even fun.. (no no, pastry is all fun! :P)



im dreading it a lil.. bc we are making PUFF PASTRY dough.. folding and butter.. 6x! all by hand. eeks~~.. and dough is yet not my forte.. i kind of miss tarts now..

fruit cake

one of the cakes we baked this week.





~*

and what i took home from class! we baked madeleine, fruit cake and "quarte quart with orange".



that's my nifty carry box~ all 3 goodies all fit nicely~

lemon meringue tartelettes - Le Cordon Bleu

devoured (@ Le Cordon Bleu class in Sookde Uni.)