I've never felt like this before - I want to go back to school!

Today is Wednesday 7th January (happy new year one and all!) and EVERYONE has gone back to work following the holidays. I'd like nothing more than to go back to school immediately but sadly classes don't begin for another week. I really must love what I'm doing as I've never felt such a strong desire to get back into the classroom before!

Sadly my New Year didn't begin quite as planned. Whilst on my walk to work, in broad day light, whilst on the phone joyfully reliving tales of how I'd seen in the New Year, I was mugged. My iPhone was stolen from the palm of my hand far too quickly for me to even really grasp what was happening - let alone grasp hold of the phone. Welcome to London! Now on my 7th day of essentially being cut off from the digital world (yes, I am being dramatic), rather than feeling angry (although the admin has been a huge pain in the backside) I strangely feel grateful. They say that everything happens for a reason and perhaps this was the universe's way of telling me to put my iPhone down and pick up my camera, which is exactly what I've done. As well as using my camera, I've read a book cover to cover which I've not done in a long while and strangely whilst outside I've 'seen' more. Yes, I was looking previously, but I was looking through the screen of my iPhone rather than actually stopping to look at, take in and enjoying what was in front of me with my eyes.  

Muggings aside, the Christmas holidays were, as usual, filled with gifts, food and copious amounts of baking. Coming from a family of baking enthusiasts my Mum, Nan and I took to the kitchen to whip up some festive treats together - it was like the generation game with me at the helm of Team Downs. Under my instruction my Mum weighted the ingredients whilst my Nan grated lemon zest and assisted me with melting the butter in order to create the beurre noisette. When the mix was ready I pulled out the madeleine tin and instantly a look of confusion crossed my Nan's face. "Oh" she said, "I've never seen a madeleine made in a tin like that before." Rudely assuming my Nan was having a 'senior moment' I explained the history behind the French madeleine and continued to prepare the tin for baking. If you missed my original madeleine post from last term you can read all about the origins of this treasured French treat here: Le Cordon Bleu week 6 - cake!

I could see that she wasn't satisfied with my explanation and after a few minutes spent thinking she began to recall something she'd seen many years ago. Nan told me how she used to walk past a bakery in Maidenhead when she was a little girl and how her eye was always caught by one cake in particular. She said this was the type of shop that you didn't go into, she wouldn't have been able to afford what was for sale, but how she'd always stop to stare and image what they'd taste like. The cakes she described were delicate, light sponge cakes dipped in jam, rolled in coconut and topped with a cherry. She was convinced they were called madeleines. Still doubtful, I took to Google and there it was - the English madeleine, just how Nan had described it. Never will I doubt her again! 

Saddened by her tale of having never tried the cake that so regularly caught her eye, I've made it my mission to find the perfect recipe to surprise her with and I think, after two failed attempts and one successful, I've found the one! More than anything I'm glad to have discovered a truly 'vintage' petit four - I cannot believe that I've never seen or heard of these little beauties.

Before I could begin to attempt making the English madeleine, I need to purchase some dariole moulds. Again, something I'd never heard of! I'm going to have to find another use for them as the shape is rather lovely. 

The recipe which worked best for me is very simple, essentially the English madeline is a cupcake rolled in jam and covered in coconut - some recipes even suggested using a muffin tin to bake the cakes within but I didn't feel the shape was quite as elegant. 

Once the batter was prepared, as mentioned, a very simple all in one mix (100g butter, 100g caster sugar, 100g self raising flour, 2 eggs, 1 tsp baking powder and vanilla extract to taste), I divided it into my gleaming dariole moulds. 

The cakes were then baked at 180 degrees for 20 minutes and once cool, painted with warm, seedless raspberry jam, then rolled about in a bowl of desiccated coconut and topped with a cherry. I opted for real cherries vs. glace for no reason in particular, I simply prefer the taste and quite frankly, to me they look far more inviting. And so here it is, my take on the English madeleine! I cannot wait to surprise Nan with them and this time, she can eat as many as she likes! 

"Hey Glace, you're so 1980"

It's been quite the week for madeleines and I. Very kindly, I was given the opportunity to sell my baking wares at the Southbank Christmas market on the Good & Proper tea stand, and I'm happy to say that they sold like hot cakes! It was agreed by all that they were the perfect accompaniment to a warming cup of tea, even the French customers who stopped by to taste them said how delicious they were and they are a tough crowd to please when it comes to baking! So I'm a very happy baker indeed. 

My path to patissiere will continue as usual, with regular Sunday posts and updates next week. As we don't receive our intermediate course folders until Monday I haven't a clue what's in store for me but what ever it may be, I'm looking forward to the challenge. 

*Please note that the views I express are mine alone and do not reflect the views of my place of study*

Le Cordon Bleu week 9 - MACARONS

"Women LOVE macarons because they're so tiny and delicate that we can enjoy them without seeming greedy" says lingerie designer Chantal Thomass within Laduree's Fabricant de Douceurs. "Eating a macaron is not like giving into real gluttony, but rather letting yourself be tempted...just a little."

And tempted I was and always have been. I began my eighth week at Le Cordon Bleu with much excitement and trepidation. My time table featured an ice cream lecture followed by a macaron demo, then a macaron practical followed by more sweet desserts. For someone like me, who has a ridiculously sweet tooth, the only way to have improved upon this week would have been to perhaps add a little more chocolate. 

Unlike previous weeks where I'd felt unsure as to exactly what I'd be making and felt it necessary to hunt down the best of the best in London in order to sample the patisserie prior to my class, the macaron and I needed no introduction. I fell in love with them a number of years ago and our romance is still as strong now as the day I first laid eyes upon their pastel shades and gooey middles. That didn't however stop me from swinging by the Laduree Salon in Convent Garden to remind myself just how much I love them. I left, floating on a cloud, with my favourite trio in hand: pistachio, vanilla and salt caramel. 

Some believe that Laduree are to be held responsible for the macarons second wave of popularity in the UK and I think they might be right. My first encounter with the macaron was at the smallest of the their Salons in London which can be found at the end of the Burlington Arcade, a stones throw from Fortnum and Mason. It was here that encountered my first macaron tower and, like a child, I stood, jaw dropped, staring at it as though it were magical. I'm sure I even pressed my nose to the window, trying to take in its every detail. 

Before I continue to gush over my love for the macaron, I must clarify that my love is for the French / Italian macaron, not to be mistaken for the more robust, British coconut macaroon. Although made from much the same ingredients, the results of the British recipe couldn't be further from it's continental cousins if it tried. Baked upon edible rice paper and often dipped in chocolate, the coconut macaroon isn't as pretty, colourful, nor light however it does fulfil its promise of a sweet indulgence. 

For those of you reading who are unfamiliar with the French macaron, its a delicate little thing, made using icing sugar and whipped egg whites, gently folded with ground almonds. The shells are then left to crust over before being baked, giving them their shine. When ready, the shells are married, then sandwiched together using a variety of tantalising emulsions...from pistachio buttercream, to chocolate ganache to salted caramel the flavours are both enticing and endless in terms of possibilities. Looking back through my Instagram account it clear to see just how much I love these little treats...and how regularly I indulge in them! 

When I travel abroad, I always make a point of hunting out the best patisseries and macarons in the city I'm visiting. I like to taste the variety of flavours used, as often they are a little different to those found at home. I enjoy discovering the culture influences the pastry chefs have taken inspiration from and infused into their recipes. 

When I arrived in Sydney, the first thing I did was to take a trip to one of Adriano Zumbo's store. I'd heard him be described as the Willy Wonker of the macaron world, adventurous with his flavours and finishing touches. I can  now look back on this day fondly, although at the time my feet were in absolute agony...and I really only have two people to blame for this. Myself and Google. It was a beautifully sunny day, not too hot but not by any means cold. I was staying at a friends apartment on Manly beach so I did a quick Google search and located the address of the patisserie on Zumbo's website. 

Wow a boat ride and a 15k walk...well, it's a lovely sunny day, I thought to myself and I should imagine I'll see lots of fun things on the way, so off I went on my little journey of macaron discovery. Some 3 hours later (I stopped for sightseeing and refreshment purposes en route) I arrived at the tiny boutique patisserie in suburban Balmain only to be informed by the sales assistant (who I think wondered why I was so out of breath following the mostly up hill walk) that I must have passed at least 4 other Zumbo stores on my way in order to arrive at this one. including one on Manly. Taking pitty on me, she gave me two extra macarons on the house and wrote me out some simple instructions for my return trip. Which was significantly shorter. After my 3 hour hike I felt it perfectly just to devour all 8 of my macarons whilst sailing back to Manly. When the boat pulled in, there was Zumbo's, stood proudly on the edge of the pier. I sighed and chuckled to myself whilst I ate my last macaron for consolation. 

    
Although long and tiring, the walk really was worth it. Zumbo's macarons were every bit as wacky as I'd heard and with over 40 flavour combinations to delight and inspire, it took me the best part of ten minutes to choose which to try. In the absence of Laduree, I found Zumbo's macarons to be very tasty alternatives. He now has several patisseries in Sydney and has recently opened a store in Melbourne. All well worth a visit if you're in the area, if only for the decor! adrianozumbo.com

Luckily, when I was in Barcelona not long after, I didn't fall victim to the same issue. I was told by a friend who lives in the city that the only place to go was Bubo's (and thankfully she provided me with directions). A group of friends and I had flown out for a long weekend to celebrate a friends hen do, but convincing a group of girls to take 5 minutes out of partying to eat patisserie wasn't exactly a challenge. Off we went to the gothic quarter where we were greeted by giant macarons dressed as burgers and an award winning chocolate moose cake. Torn between the cakes and macarons we brought a selection of both and returned to our hotel to indulge with a cup of tea. When you see a sign claiming "Worlds Best Chocolate Cake" you simply must give it a go. To this day, I have never tasted anything like the Bubo's chocolate moose cake. It was the very best composition of tastes and textures to ever come into contact with my taste buds and its clear to see why they've won so many awards, including Worlds Best. If you ever find yourself in Barcelona, I recommend that you make it your sole purpose to find Bubo's and immediately order the chocolate moose cake upon arrival. You won't be disappointed.

Shortly after returning home from our trip to Barcelona the bride to be, Sophie, asked me if I'd be able to make her wedding cake. Her now husband, Ben, suffers from celiac decease meaning that sadly he can't eat anything containing gluten. Luckily for those who are intolerant, macarons contain only three ingredients: egg, almonds and icing sugar, none of which contain gluten, so it seemed the perfect solution to make them a macaron tower. I discussed the style with the bride and groom to be at length and it was decided upon that the tower should be ombre in terms of colour and a wide variety in terms of flavour. I remember driving the macarons to the wedding venue, no faster than 30MPH the entire journey so as not to damage them! Once on site it took me the best part of 3 hours to assemble the tower, one macaron at a time. I only had minutes to spare in order to position my masterpiece in the reception room, get changed and take my seat before the ceremony began, but much to the delight of the bride, groom and guests I did it. Just! 

As you can probably tell, I rather like a macaron so naturally when I arrived at school for my macaron class I wanted to hear everything there is to know about them. I was delighted to discover that it was, once again, down to the wonderful pastry chefs of Catherine De Medici of Italy that macarons came about, although they were rather more basic than they are today. If you're a regular reader of Path to Patissiere you may remember reading about her in one of my first blog posts: pathtopatissiere.co.uk

Like me, Catherine De Medici had a sweet tooth so when the time came for her to move from Italy to France to marry Henry II, she refused to do so without being accompanied by her pastry team. Yes, team. The macaron was created by her team in approximately 1533 along with many other favourites of mine, but it wasn't until 1792 that this beautifully light indulgence began to gain its popularity and fame and funnily enough, this came about thanks to a pair of asylum seeking Carmelite nuns. The nuns, so thankful for the housing and protection offered to them in the town of Nancy during the French revolution, wanted to thank their landlord, so they'd bake and sell macarons in order to raise money. They quickly became known as the "Macaron sisters" or the "Soeurs Macarons" and people would travel from far and wide to taste their famous delicacies. Unlike the recipes we use today, the recipe of the "veritables macarons de Nancy" is still closely guarded by Nicolas Genot of the Maison des Soeurs Macarons! One day I'll visit and see if he'll give me some pointers. 

As per the previous weeks at Le Cordon Bleu, we sat in ore as chef danced around the kitchen, making the task ahead of us look so simple and easy to complete. Before our very eyes, he'd conjured up two batches of macarons, begin the class by making chocolate macarons using a French meringue base, followed by pistachio macarons made using an Italian meringue base. My heart leaped - how did chef know that pistachio was my absolute favourite??! 

Unlike the previous weeks at Le Cordon Bleu we had to wait the best part of an entire day before we had the opportunity to bake them ourselves! We did so with very little drama and both myself and chef were very pleased with the results. Below are both Chef's and my efforts - I wonder if you can tell whose is whose :o) 

  

It seems crazy to even mention the word macaron without giving a nod to Pierre Hermes. Although I favour the macarons from Laduree, Pierre is the undisputed champion of the macaron. Thankfully he now sells his macarons in Selfridges so I have been able to sample them. Prior to this you could only find them at his patisseries in Paris and Tokyo. 

Pierre is a man with an interesting background. In 1976, aged 14, he was the apprentice under the innovative patissier Gaston Lenotre. Gosh, at 31 I have some catching up to do! At that time, macarons come in only four guises: coffee, chocolate, vanilla and raspberry. "I didn't really like macarons, they were too sweet for me" says Herme. "I started to experiment with them in the mid 1980s. I tried creating different flavours such as lemon, pistachio, salted caramel and mandarin." The results caused a sensation in France...a sensation which has thankfully now made its way across the channel. 

Pierre Hermes is best known for his wide variety of flavours, his collection now including delights such as: chocolate, caramel and gingerbread spices, white truffle oil, rose, raspberry and litchi, milk chocolate and passion fruit and Madagascan vanilla. But not only this, he is also notorious for his sensational and unique food photography. It was whilst reading his book 'Macarons', that I first discovered 'food pornography'. His book, as well as informative is a piece of tantalising art. Flicking through the pages you feel sadden to turn to the next, but instantly delighted to see what he has in store for you. 

With macarons successfully added to my repertoire, it was time to put my head down and revise for my forth coming basic patisserie exams. When it comes to revising patisserie it is of course not only the theory that needs to be covered and revisited but the making of the exam dishes also. In order to ensure full focus I left London in favour of the Malvern countryside where I've taken refuge at my parents house. I thought it best to take over their kitchen for the day and to make all three of my exam dishes so that they could share them out amongst their friends, much to their delight! I spent almost 10 hours in the kitchen, making the odd mistake here and there but learning along the way. My mistakes resulted in my Dad having to leave the house incredibly early this morning in order to fetch my 4th dozen of eggs...he commented that it might have been more cost effective for him to have purchased a flotilla of chickens prior to my arrival. I'm sure it's a flock but he wasn't in the mood to be corrected.  

Watching my parents and their friends enjoy each of the dishes I'd made filled me with happiness and if their feedback is anything to go by, all three would have passed! Let's hope the chef marking next week is as happy with my efforts! Below you can see my tarte au citron which I first made during my third week: i-heart-lemon-tart. Next, my eclairs au cafe made during week 5: choux-look-beautiful. And lastly my least favourite dish to make...the genoise a la confiture de framboise which I first whipped up during week 6: cake! 

Next week on my path to patisserie...exams. Dum dum duuuuuuuum. Please think very positive cakey thoughts for me on Wednesday and Thursday. I'll let you know how I get on next week! And before I sign off for the night, thank you to those of you who've taken the time to read my patisserie tales. My blog has now had over 3,000 views which feels both incredible and crazy! If you ever want a recipe or have any questions about baking or my time at Le Cordon Bleu please do leave a comment and I'll come back to you.

For now, please keep your baguettes crossed for me and hopefully, come Thursday I'll be channeling St. Honore and all will go well! x

*Please note that the views I express are mine alone and do not reflect the views of my place of study*

Le Cordon Bleu week 8 - a rather vanilla nod to the Patron Saint

Having moved from the wonderful city of Bristol to London only two months ago, leaving a well paid job behind to become a student again, I still feel very much like the newbie in town and my purse feels much lighter than it used to. I was therefore very happy to begin my eighth week by doing some paid work. Invited to work a few shifts down at the South Bank Christmas market, serving Good and Proper tea, I jumped at the chance of earning some pocket money whilst meeting new people and gaining experience in the catering industry. I absolutely loved it and now have several more shifts in the diary. If you're ever in the area, do drop by and say hello! The Good and Proper tea chalet is just under the Hungerford Bridge and the teas served are simply delicious. goodandpropertea.com

Looking ahead at my diary, I was elated to see that I had not one, not two but three scheduled visits from friends and lots of baking practise to do around them! This post is therefore as much dedicated to these wonderful friends as it is my baking, each friend mentioned has inspired me in one way or another over the years due to their incredible talents. Friends visiting is great as it means new people to explore the city with and there’s nothing more comforting than seeing old and familiar faces when you've been away from home for a long time. My first visit was from Lil, a very close friend whom I've shared countless, amazingly happy times with. In London only for the night, we made the most of the time we had catching up over a glass or two of wine. In the morning I sent her off to her meeting with a huge slice of Black Forest Gateau. The review of which was rather positive! 

Next up was Thom. Thom and I met whilst studying at the University of Plymouth, after which we stayed in touch. When I moved to Bristol, Thom moved further down south to Cornwall where he filmed a couple of TV series in association with River Cottage, both series relating to fishing, foraging, hunting and food before setting up his own business, 7th Rise which focuses upon much the same: wild living and learning the skills required. I've spent many happy weekends down at his cottage in the woods. I find it to be a very inspiring place so highly recommend those needing time out and wanting an adventure to take a look at his website: www.7thrise.co.uk

That's Thom and I skinning a roe deer last summer, the meat of which was used to make a delicious stew, slow cooked in a pot under the ground, amongst other things. It was deerlicious ;o) 

Thom was in London for several very important meetings (mine being one of them of course) so I met him on the go for a good old chin wag and a walk. Little did he know that due to my 'no underground unless its a special occasion' policy, that we had quite a long walk ahead of us to get him to where he needed to be. I made up for the 4 mile hike along London's very busy Oxford Street to Hoxton, by bringing refreshments in the form of Crosstown chocolate truffle doughnuts and none other than some elusive Belle Epoch coffee éclairs. Thom inhaled the chocolate filled and covered doughnut whilst making sounds of contentment and pleasure. Having not come across the brand, I Googled them wanting to find out more and it seems that Crosstown are leading quite the sugar-coated renaissance. 

Tired of the humble doughnut being held responsible for the condition of the US Police Forces' hearts, and being made from cheap, nasty, fatty ingredients, Crosstown have made it their mission to inject a little gourmet and glamor into this simple baked treat. There ethos is simple - they make their doughnuts by hand, daily, they use high quality ingredients which are sourced locally where possible, they finish each one by hand and ensure no trans fats pass our lips. Now selling their products in Selfridges, as well as many of London's hottest markets, Crosstown are expanding quickly and its clear to see why. Yes, their products aren't cheap but quality patisserie isn't and neither should it be. Low costing baked goods, to me, indicate corners cut and these corners usually come in the form of the quality of the ingredients. I say, if you're going to indulge, do it properly and purchase a product made with you, the end consumer, in mind and not the pockets and bank balance of a major corporation. 

Just look at it. How could you possibly resist? If you're in London and you like doughnuts, be sure to treat yourself. But be warned - no other doughnut will ever live up to a Crosstown doughnut which may lead to a depletion in your overall doughnut consumption. Sorry. www.crosstowndoughnuts.com

Whilst Thom performed some sort of culinary magic trick, making his doughnut disappear in well under 30 seconds, I indulged in a long anticipated Belle Epoch coffee éclair. If you've read my previous posts you may remember me trying to hunt one down a couple of weeks ago from their Stoke Newington patisserie without much luck, but whilst in Selfridges, I managed to track down a flock of them! With only a week and a half left until my basic patisserie exams I thought it best to taste London's best coffee éclair so I knew what I was up against and I was happy to discover that the éclairs we'd slaved over at school didn't taste too dissimilar. I think a little more fondant and piping practice and I'll be there - taste wise, I think I've nailed it! 

After a couple of days spent with friends, indulging in patisserie it was time to return to school and to once again face the piping technique which has been keeping me awake at night. St Honore. Named after the Patron Saint of baking, week 8 would not only see us practice the piping technique named after him, but also make the gateau created in his honour - the Gateau St Honore. Made using short crust pastry (pate brisee) AND choux pastry (pate a choux), the gateau, to me, resembles an up turned Australian cork hat, filled with creme diplomat and whipped cream and topped off with profiteroles! Not only is it a strange looking 'cake', but considering it was named after the Patron Saint, I found it to be a little 'vanilla' in terms of taste and therefore felt rather underwhelmed by it. If I were the Patron Saint of baking, I'd like to think my disciples would have put a little more effort in, perhaps adding a little more colour and some fun ingredients. Gold wouldn't have gone amiss either. But then I reminded myself that this is my basic patisserie term and before I can experiment with flavours and appearance, I must learn the classics. 

Made in honour of St Honore, the patron saint of baking, this gateau has an interesting background. Described as a show stopping bake, the St. Honore cake was developed at the legendary Chiboust pastry shop on Paris' Saint Honore Street, which, alas, no longer exists. It started out as a ring-shapes brioche filled with pastry cream, which Chiboust lightened with an airy Italian meringue to create a new king of filling. That fussy filling became known as Creme Chiboust which is still used by French bakers. 

According to the book, Desserts, by Parisian pastry chef Pierre Herme, it was one of the Chiboust bakers, August Jullien who came up with his own version and homage to St Honore, replacing the ring of dough with a ring of cream puffs. By the late 19th centre, the St. Honore cake had taken its present form, incorporating a pastry disk filled with Chiboust cream, topped with a crown of cream puffs dressed further with a crunchy cap of caramelised sugar and draped with lashings of whipped cream... Which makes it all sound rather fancy and I'm sure in the patisseries it in. However, I still felt less than blown away by it.  

Regardless of both the uninspiring look and taste of the dish, I felt confident following chefs demonstration that I could re create the this famous gateau but at the same time understood the importance of getting this one right. Involving both pate brisee and pate a choux, this was exam practice in disguise. Pate brisee of course used as the base for our tarte au citron, and pate a choux used to create our coffee éclairs. Into the kitchen I went, a little distracted by my post practical plans but I was able to push these distractions to one side and focus. The results both chef and myself were happy with. All that's required is a little more practice of the St Honore piping and perfection won't be far behind.

Following practical I jumped in a taxi to meet my third visitor of the week, a friend who I met whilst at Thom's cottage in Cornwall (7th Rise), Suzie. Suzie was accompanying me to see a band play and of course to have a good catch up. The band, and this is in keeping with my culinary related blog, are called The Milk. Having met The Milk in Bristol after one of their shows, I stayed in touch with lead singer Rick, and have followed the bands progress with interest. 

Now mid way through writing and recording their second album under a new record label and new management the band have really come into their own and judging by the Guardian reviews (below), they are destine for big things in 2015. Their performance was incredible - soulful, heartfelt, funk injected and original. Originality being something that many bands these days omit in favour of appealing to the masses. This band have moved away from their first albums mainstream sound and are now focusing upon making real music, music influenced by artists that they love and enjoy and this really showed in their performance. If you're looking for some new music to indulge in, I highly recommend you find them on Spotify and or Soundcloud. Your ears really will thank you. Take a look at their website as well, they are giving away free downloads of their latest single, Deliver Me: www.thisisthemilk.com/ 

"Amy Winehouse, as a dude, fronting a soul band" The Guardian UK

"A frisky cocktail of subversive soul-pop" The Guardian UK

Music is incredibly important to me, which is why I've given it a mention this week. It really has taken me some adjusting to, not being able to bake and listen to music whilst in the kitchens at Le Cordon Bleu, as I'm so very used to doing at home. Of course it would be almost impossible to as we have to vocalise our movements and stay alert so as not to cause any accidents or injury to those around us, but still, theres nothing quite like listening to some good beats to keep you motivated. I can almost guarantee that my hand whipped genoise sponge cakes would rise that little bit higher if I could listen to Beyonce whilst whisking. 

Following the excitement of a wonderful evening spent listening to some incredibly talented artists with friends, it was back to school I went to learn all about the delights of petit fours. Also known as mignardises, petit fours are small indulgent confectionary treats, often no more than two bites in size, that take their name from the French translation "small oven". We started the class learning the difference between the various types of petit fours, from dry petit fours (sec) such as biscuits and macarons, to salted (sale) which includes savour appetisers and glazed (glace) such as mini eclairs and tarts. 

We were to begin our introduction to petit fours with sec, dry biscuits, each of which had a very fancy title. First up was sables hollandais. I immediately thought of hollandaise sauce but thankfully the biscuit were entirely unrelated. The name refers first to the technique used to make the biscuit - sables meaning to rub together to make the mixture sand like. Using very cold butter, so as not to burn it, it is rubbed into the flour until a sand like texture is achieved. Eggs are then added and used as a binding agent along with sugar, salt and vanilla for flavour. Unfortunately, after much digging around, I found very little information regarding their history and appearance on the petit four menu. Known best for their chequer board finish, these biscuits not only required cold hands to make them, but a great deal of concentration to get them right! 

Next was the baton de marechal, which translates to 'field marshall baton'. Now this was a biscuit with some history. The baton de marechal was not only named after, but also made to resemble the famous baton presented to the marshall of the French army during the first French empire. The marshal would be presented with a blue cylinder, covered in stars, formally fleurs-de-lis which was inscribed with the following in Latin: terror belli, decus pacis which means "terror in war, ornament in peace" 

These biscuits, made with a stable French meringue base, gently folded with ground almond, icing sugar and flour, with a painted chocolate bottom are a firm favourite - often served at high tea in both the UK and France. I had a wonderfully relaxing Saturday morning in the kitchen at school making these. Sadly, I should imagine due to the lack of music, my baton de marechal didn't rise quite as much as I had hoped but none the less both my sable hollandais and batons were complimented by chef. When I make them next I need to ensure that my chequer board cookies are a little more square around the edges, and a few seconds more whisking would have resulted in slightly fluffier batons. Still, don't they look enticing on my favourite party mouse saucer?? 

Next week on my path to patissiere we continue learning all there is to know about dry petit fours and I can hardly contain my excitement as WE ARE MAKING MACARONS!!! Macarons are my absolute favourite...really I don't need to taste any in order to know what the best of the best taste like. I have a pile of empty Laduree macaron boxes on my desk, evidence of research past, but still, I think I might require a little indulgent reminder. Just one...or two perhaps :o) 

*Please note that the views I express are mine alone and do not reflect the views of my place of study*

Le Cordon Bleu Week 3 - I heart lemon tart.

If there's one thing I believe in when it comes to approaching a new project or task, it's full project engrossment. A term I may have made up, but essentially it means living and breathing the challenge as much as possible, in every way possible in order for the result to be a success. 

A little daunted by the week ahead of me (following Chef Nicholas's less than inspiring pep talk), I thought it best to leap into tarte week with both feet, first by sampling the tarte causing so much concern - the tarte au citron (perk of the job ;o). And who better to accompany me in my quest to learn more about this delectable patisserie treat than my Dad. Who just to happened to be in London! 

I met with Dad at a patisserie just off Covent Garden. It's been our meeting point for many years now and a number of years ago it was 'the' patisserie to be seen in. Now part of a much larger chain the standards are beginning to waver but the tarte au citron was delicious. It was sharp and tart in all the right places, there was no soggy bottom and the pastry was crisp to perfection and not crumby as often pate brisee (short crust pastry) can be (apologies, I have to refer to everything in French now because we have to learn everything in French. I learn, you learn). Now in my third week training to become a patissiere, I did however feel that it was lacking a little in decoration and skilful presentation. Although it could be argued that simplicity is best due to the tarte's gorgeous yellow tones.  

Regardless, after sampling the tarte au citron, next I wanted to find out more about it. It's origins, who had 'invented' the recipe that we, as a nation have come to love and where the popularity stemmed from. I did my research and was delighted to discover that the tartes popularity is largely thanks to the Roux brothers, who, in the 1980s, served up what Lindsey Bareham, well renowned British food writer, described as a "lemon tart like no other" at The Waterside Inn and Le Gavroche. "It was shockingly good," she remembered in an interview with the Guardian, "a dish to linger over, the pale yellow cream set to just within a wobble of collapse...beautifully complemented by a thin sweet pastry case."

The reason for my delight and excitement is that I've had the pleasure of eating at The Waterside Inn, and not only that, I was lucky enough to spend the day with man responsible for the tarte au citron's superior status himself, Michel Roux senior...albeit some 14 years ago! I remember the experience as though it were yesterday and feel that my memory of the day contributed towards my desire to train as a patissiere. 

The opportunity came about whilst I was studying for my A-Levels at The Princess Helena Collage. Michel Roux was, at the time, on the schools board of governors (I believe) and so invited students with an interest in the catering and hospitality industry to spend a day with him. I'll admit that at the time I hadn't heard of The Waterside Inn but I did love my Saturday cookery classes so I jumped at the chance of a day out of school spent at a fine dining restaurant. Who wouldn't!?? 

We knew we were somewhere special when we were shown to a private dining room situated at the back of the restaurant. The room featured an incredibly large, highly polished, mahogany dining table which we took a seat around. Sitting elegantly in the centre of the table was a rather large pair of Lalique swans. Yes, at 16 I knew Lalique. Growing up with a father who's passion is antiques you pick up a thing or two. (I've just googled the swans - a steal at €4,950. Each! And that's new - these fellas are at least 15 years old, if not older. Goodness only knows how expensive they were or their value today!) 

First we were treated to the ultimate continental French breakfast - tea, coffee, juice, fruit salad, croissant and a selection of French butters and jams, pain au chocolat, pain au raisin, brioche and many more fine breakfast pastries. With our bellies full, to our delight we were then joined by Chef Michel who welcomed us and took us on a tour of the kitchens and the boutique hotel. The pastry kitchen was buzzing - the staff were happy, smiling, chattering away in soft French tones. Some were deep in concentration piping elegant swirls of creme, others were tempering chocolate and adding the finishing touches to petit fours and the like. The fragrances surrounding us were incredible. 

Tour complete, we were then invited to sit in the main dining room, right next to the window overlooking the Thames, to enjoy a four course lunch and I still have the menu! 

We talked at length about Chef Michel's life and his experiences within the kitchen - I remember feeling energised and motivated by his passion and enthusiasm to find something that I could talk about with the same amount of love. He spoke of his dishes as though they were works of art and when lunch was served, it was easy to see why. Each dish was a piece of art! Chef Michel told us of his love for desserts and patisserie and although I don't remember all that he said, I have his autobiography and in this he refers to both as "an affair of the heart". He goes on to say that "they should be the apotheosis of the meal, the last, lingering taste that defines the final impression." WOW patissieres' hold a heavy burden on their shoulders! What an incredibly lucky girl I am to be learning this fine art. 

My research into the tarte au citron didn't end there. I wanted to know where the tarte came from, and after a bit of digging I found out that like many of our patisserie favourites, we have the French to thank for this beauty. And to be more specific, the residence of a small town called Menton (which rhymes with Fenton and Denton so I'm never going to forget it) which is situated in the picturesque French Rivera. 

As you'll have probably guessed, Menton is famous for growing the best tasting lemons and citrus fruit. Although during the reign of Queen Victoria, Menton was known as the only town in France able to grow lemons! I suppose they had to find something to do with their tasty crop and once you've made lemon curd and decided it's not great on toast - the natural progression is to stick the curd in a tarte! The town of Menton is still well know for its lemon trees and successful crops, but now the focus of the residents excitement leans towards the fetes du citron. Which you simply must Google. The town holds a carnival each year to celebrate the crop and they make floats entirely out of oranges and lemons! Honestly, the things that they have achieved with only citrus fruits is incredible. 

Following my extensive lemon tarte research I felt ready to take it on, Le Cordon Bleu style. But not before my first cheese lecture! Yes, a cheese lecture. What a pleasant surprise. Now, I enjoyed this lecture so much that I dedicated a special mid week blog post to it. If you love cheese then I suggest that you hop over here and have a read but make sure to come back! We have tarte practicals to discuss! http://www.pathtopatissiere.co.uk/2014/10/le-cordon-bleu-week-3-je-taime-fromage.html 

And so it was time, after the cheese, to take on the tartes. The first being tarte au citron and the second, tarte aux pommes. In our first demo the news was broken to us that the tarte au citron had been selected as one of our three exam dishes. The recipe was selected by the school as the tarte in question requires a multitude of skills in order to come to life, skills such as: pastry making, lemon curd creation, the whipping up of an Italian meringue (the one made with soft ball sugar), even and delicate use of a blow torch, cutting lemon peel Julienne style (even strips approx 2mm x 50mm) and fancy piping. St Honore piping to be exact. And yes, I did say meringue and yes, this is actually a lemon meringue pie we were making NOT a lemon tarte as I'd been lead to believe. I felt that all my tarte au citron research had gone to waste but chef reassured me that it was all still worth while and good knowledge to have. 

Now about St Honore. He's a pretty important fella in the baking and patisserie world as he holds the title of Patron Saint of Bakers and Pastry Chefs. He's so well regarded by the patisserie world that he has a piping nozzle and a dessert named after him. Fancy hey! The piping nozzle and technique used to achieve his name sake style is actually incredibly hard. This is Chef Ian's example...

Sadly, this week, the spirit of Saint Honore was not with me. Both demo chefs made the making of the tartes look incredibly easy, giving me false hope. I'm not sure if it was the fancy V shaped piping that terrified me or the fact that I have freshers flu (that right, I'm 31 and I have freshers flu - it's ridiculous and I feel horrible), but I couldn't sleep a wink before my first practical. My only saving grace was that our tarte au citron practical session was being overseen by Chef Javier, who I find to be calming and the added bonus is that he doesn't hate me. 

On the whole, the creation of my tarte went well. My pastry was good, although a little overworked and a tad undercooked (I was 1 minute away from perfection), my curd was sharp and the perfect consistency and my Italian meringue was slightly on the stiff side but still manageable. All perfectly normal imperfections for a pastry chef three weeks into training. My biggest issue was the Saint Honore piping...Sadly, practical sessions are not seen as an opportunity to practice so you have two options, the first is to freak out and refuse point blank to pipe or you have a go, commit, roll with it and do your very best. One or two of my fellow students went for option 1, sneakily asking those more skilful than themselves to help them out, I on the other hand went for option 2 and the results wasn't fantastic. 

As required at each session, I presented my tarte to Chef Javier and he marked me fairly. He told me to rest assured that although my piping on this occasion wasn't the greatest (due to my slightly stiff meringue which I should have beaten back), I had a great deal of time to practise and as it was, my tarte would have passed in my final exam. Fantastic news! I left practical happy with a handbag bag full of lemon tarte. 

The second and last practical of the week was yesterday, at 8am. Yes, 8am on a Saturday morning which meant getting up at 5:45am in order to be at school by 7:15am to get changed and prepare. Changing and preparing for class takes longer than you'd expected. We, as chefs, have a lot of layers to put on including baggy trousers, neck ties, aprons, jacket, hair nets and air hostess style hats and theres always the issue of space in the ladies locker room. Not to mention the temperature - it's like trying to put on a ski suit in the desert with people standing inches away from you attempting to do the same. It's a hoot.

Once in my whites, I made my way to the boulangerie where I was greeted by Chef Rosette. That's not his real name but that's what we like to call him. The reason being the last time we worked with him was during the last practical of our first week. He hated our group, and me in particular. We named him Chef Rosette, because that's the word he kept shouting at us - we didn't understand what he meant until he spelt it out for us. He meant re set but said in a French accent it sounded like rosette! And by re set he meant for us to prepare the room for the next class. We just stood their looking at him blankly. And so the nickname Chef Rosette was born. Simply really. 

Joy! I thought to myself. It's 8am on a Saturday morning, I have freshers flu and Chef Rosette is at the helm. What could possibly go right?! Well, it turns out that not much could go right. I wouldn't go as far as saying that I lived down to his expectation but the first thing I did when making the pastry for my tarte aux pomme was to forget to add the sugar, leaving only the taste of salt to sing through my incredibly dry dough. Urgh. What a numpty. Thankfully Chef Rosette took pity and allowed me to re make my dough on the premiss that I was quick about it. And quick I was.

I remade the pastry and left it to chill in the fridge whilst I tackled the compote filling. A delicious concoction of caramelised apple, vanilla and cinnamon - which thankfully didn't burn this time. With the filling made, it was time to roll out the pastry and line the tarte tin. I did this well and without issue. The pastry was then blind baked for twenty minutes and baked without beans for 7. The filling went in and then came the decoration. 

Trying to be cleaver, I decided to follow the pattern requested by chef (two layers of thinly sliced apple laid in a circular pattern) but instead of just finishing it with an apple ring, to finish it off with an apple peel rose. Something which I've made in the past. I thought I could win him over with a little creativity and originality - no. No I could not. When I presented my tarte to Chef Rosette the first thing he said was "your rose. It's dying". He was referring to it's slightly charred appearance...if I'd only gotten my tarte out of the oven 30 seconds before! 

He commented that my tarte wasn't bad but never to leave out or mix up the salt and sugar again. I mean, it had to happen once didn't it! And someone had to do it. It just so happens that it was me and better it happened in week 3 than at the end of the term. It's a lesson learnt for my entire group. Chef also mentioned that my compote should have been a little drier but on the whole, it wasn't bad. Which is pretty positive from Chef Rosette! 

Given that I felt horribly full of cold I'm not going to be too hard on myself. I am however going to re do my lemon tarte tomorrow, just so that I could give the piping another whirl and try to save the recipe to memory. Being one of our three exam dishes I need to memorise the entire recipe word for word and gram for gram - we have 15 minutes at the beginning of the exam to write out the ingredients list and method, this is then taken away for marking and we're given a very basic version to follow in order to make the selected dish. Very GBBO tech challenge esq! Oh and did I mention we have to draw a top down and cross section picture of our exam dish as well! I just about have the ingredients list memorised already - only the method to go and I'll be ready to start learning the next - coffee eclairs! 

So here they are, my rather sad and disappointing looking tartes...

Chef Rosette loved my tarte aux pomme so much that he suggested I gave it to the homeless on my walk home. Charming (I think it was banter...although I can't be sure). Instead I gave some to my former housemate Mike, he'll eat anything and I divided the rest between myself and the ducks. Thankfully I have the next two days to practise, practise and practise some more! I'm even hosting a piping practise party for some of my patisserie buddies! Just part of my being a total nerd. We shall pipe until my local shop runs out of whipping cream and we shall nail the rosette, the shell and the Saint Horone techniques learnt over the past three weeks. I will report back our progress next Sunday. We'll show Chef Rosette!  

As for this weeks homework, tuiles and I have become friends after our little falling out last week. Should they come up again, I'll be ready for 'em!  

Next week on my path to patissiere it's all about pate feuilletee (puff pastry). We'll be making puff pastry slices smothered in creme patissiere and topped with delicately chopped fruits, palmiers (dainty puff pastry biscuits with some connection to palm trees it would appear - I shall investigate) and pear and almond puff pastry slices with a lattice top! It is going to be a much better week than this as I'm not going to have a cold and I'm going to make the lightest, most delicate puff pastry the patisserie world has even seen. Ever.

I hope. 

*Please note that the views I express are mine alone and do not reflect the views of my place of study*

Le Cordon Bleu Week 1 - Plop!

Plop! That is the sound of me being thrown in at the deep end (or the sound of me falling into the canal on my walk to school under the weight of my new course books - either one!)

What a roller coster of a week its been, beginning with the suspense and anticipation of my first technical class, followed by the excitement of receiving my class literature. This excitement was soon replaced with dread when I felt the weight of the collective group of books and saw how thick they are / how many pages there are to read! 

Our first technical class went over the basics such as the names of the Patisserie Chefs who'd be teaching us over the course of our time at Le Cordon Bleu, their backgrounds, what we will be learning over next 3 months (which in true GBBO style, I'm not going to be telling you until the week before - to build suspense obviously), how to read and navigate our student course manuals and basic kitchen rules. 

Our chefs, Chef Ian and Chef Mathew were a hoot - and there was me thinking that I'd left an office of 'lads' full to the brim with banter for a refined establishment. Simple kitchen rules such as making it known vocally if you are moving from your work station to the sink with sharp knifes or hot pans by calling out as such, were quickly altered to shouting out "hot pants" and various other whitty adaptions. 

The weeks excitement then continued into my first demo class on Thursday morning with the very entertaining duo Chef Ian and Chef Mathew. Lesson 1 - the humble fruit salad. 

"Fruit salad?!" I hear you scoff, but yes you read correctly. When learning the basics of French cooking, you really must 'master' the basics. This wasn't just any fruit salad, this was a fruit salad worthy of a place at a royals dining table. I watched Chef Mathew's every move intently, noting down both his actions and words. At the end of the demo session I had my 50 step plan to creating the worlds most delightful and delicious fruit salad. 50 STEPS!!! A week ago my fruit salad consisted of three simple steps: 

Step 1: collect or purchase fruit 
Step 2: wash fruit 
Step 3: cut up fruit 

Oh and then the all important step 4 - eat the fruit! 

Worried about the extensive nature of my notes (those who know me well won't be surprised to hear that my notes were extensive), I spent the three hour break before our first practical class buying hair nets and cutting back my 50 step plan to a more digestible 10. And then it was time to enter the kitchen - or in this case, the boulangerie. This was our first chance to shine at Le Cordon Bleu, to prove our capabilities to the chefs and to put all that we'd learnt during the day to practice, and I was pretty happy with my results! 

Chef Nicholas oversaw the practical, helping us to navigate the kitchen and our new knife set which in demo had been likened to Harry Potters wand due to its power for both good and bad. We were then asked to recreate the fruit salad we'd seen come to life before our eyes in demo, and prepare a tray showing the 5 stages of sugar cooking: 

Stage 1 - thread (105 degrees - 110)
Stage 2 - soft ball (116 degrees - 122)
Stage 3 - hard ball (126 degrees - 130)
Stage 4 - crack  (144 degrees - 150)
Stage 5 - caramel (150 degrees - 190)

It was requested that in order to demonstrate and present the results of these stages, that we boil our sugar and hold an ice cube at the same time. Then, when we thought the sugar was at the correct temperature and consistency, put our fingers into the hot pan (and when I say hot, boiling sugar can reach up to 190 degrees, water boils at 100), pinch the sugar and return it swiftly to the ice water to form a tread, hard or soft ball, cracked sugar or caramel. Don't even think about trying this at home. Luckily no burns for me.

Following this rather exciting and daredevil task, it was back to prepping the fruit salad and accompanying spiced sugar syrup. Working in pairs, we decided upon winter classic for our spice combination - cinnamon, cloves and vanilla. We could have added cardamon and star anise also as all 5 were available to us but we thought best to keep it simple and instead opted for adding orange and lemon peel. The room soon smelt like Christmas. 

An hour or so later and it was time to 'plate up'. Chef Mathew had done so in his own style during demo but had encouraged us to find our own creative style. Music to my ears!

I spent minutes polishing my bowl with white wine vinegar, ensuring not a finger or thumb print could be found. Then using my solid silver spoon, I carefully placed some of the fruit into the bowl, topping it with boiled and infused orange and lemon peel which I'd delicately sliced and curled, a fan of orange segments and a 1/4 vanilla pod, which was there to both add a polar opposite colour to the stark white bowl and show the decadence of the dish. Vanilla is up there amongst the most expensive of kitchen commodities so best to show the 'customer' it's been used so that they can associate the value of the dish with the ingredients used to create it. 

One by one, we were then asked to present our dish to Chef Nicholas. I went first as I was stationed at the front of the class. I'm a geek and I don't care who knows it. Chef turned my bowl this way, and then that making remarks such as "fantastic attention to detail", "wonderful fruit uniformity", "great cutting and lines", "excellent taste", and the remark most important to me as a wanna be food stylist..."fantastic presentation"! Yay! First practical and top marks for me. 

Thursday saw a repeat of Wednesdays schedule, a demo in the morning and practical in the evening. Demo 2 - meringues. Italian, French and Swiss OH MY! And more types of creme patisserie than I even knew existed! 

The demo was confusing to say the least. Chef talked us through each of the steps for the three different types of meringue and the cremes:

Creme patissiere (a starch thicken vanilla custard)
Creme Diplomat (a creme patissiere base with the addition of an orange liqueur)
Creme Mousseline (a creme patissiere base with the addition of butter. And lots of it)
Creme Chibouste (a creme patissiere base with the addition of Italian meringue)
Creme Chantilly (a creme patissiere base with the addition of whipped creme)

Yup - bet you didn't know you could have your creme 5 ways! My group spent a couple of hours following the demo re writing our jumbled methods and then came the practical. This session was very very different to the first. Firstly the Chef took an instant dislike to me. I'm not sure why - I was wearing my uniform correctly, I was on time, I had my knife set, I had my equipment out and ready to go...perhaps it was because I was being annoyingly keen, who knows, all I know is that every question I asked seemed to be wrong and every attempt I made to stand out for the right reasons ended in disaster. 

The pace of this demo was different also. More frantic and chaotic. I could see that this was the main source of Chefs frustration so Natalie and I did our best to stay ahead of our work plan in order to create our practical plate on time. The plate needed to consist of mini meringues piped 4 ways (a shell and rosette being compulsory), Chantilly cream piped two ways (shell and rosette) and a bowl of Creme Diplomat. This is where, in Chefs eyes, I made my biggest error. When it came to plating up for presentation, which if you imagine, is just like the bit on GBBO where each baker has to take their bakes to be judged by Paul and Mary at the front of the tent. It's just like that except Chef was much taller than Mary, French and angry. 

Unlike Chef Nicholas, this Chef, who's name escapes me, took one look at my plate and asked (yelled in a Gordon Ramsey style) "what have you done to the creme!???" Now, I don't have a picture of my Creme Diplomat, but what I'd done was to polish a serving bowl and pipe the creme neatly in waved lines, it basically looked like the top of a fancy fish or cottage pie. Not wanting to sound rude, I asked Chef if there was problem. He yelled that I'd wasted precious time piping when all he asked was that the creme was served in a bowl. BUT the saving grace here was that my Creme Diplomat was bloody perfect. He couldn't fault it, not even a little bit. It was the right consistency, it held its shape and it tasted fantastic. Top marks for the Diplomat, not top marks for my meringue piping. This he referred to as hideous and inconsistent. So I have piping homework to do over the course of the next few days so as not to disappoint when our paths next cross. 

My first week at school ended with a 6 hour lecture starting at 8am on Saturday morning, followed by an exam. The exam was to assess my knowledge of health and hygiene in the kitchen in order to be issued with a health and hygiene certificate. The exam lasted about 15 minutes and was quite possibly the most common sense filled exam I've ever sat. I won't get my results back for 2 weeks but I'll be very surprised if I've failed. 

Finally, my homework has been an adventure in itself. An adventure deep into the history of the subject that is so close to my heart and it would seem that we have an Italian lady to thank for the patisserie we know and love today. 

When Catherine De Medici of Italy married Henri II of France in 1533, she brought with her her cooks, patissiers and ice cream makers... not to mention forks and high heels! And there was me thinking that it was the French we had to thank for such things. Catherine De Medici, not willing to leave her sweet treats behind her in Italy, introduced her staff and cane sugar (which wasn't cultivated in France at the time) to the French court and as a result, the food in France fell under the influence of the Italians. 

This Italian / French patisserie battle is still present on the streets of Paris today. Now half way through Patisseries of Paris by Jamie Cahill, a book gifted to me a few weeks ago by a friend, I've read extensively of the glace vs. gelato battles and the delicacies on sale in the French capital heavily influenced by the Italians. My advise to both nations is battle on - this is a war that can only end in sweet success and culinary delights for all! 

Next week on my Path to Patissiere: baked and stirred custards 1 (there can't possibly be any more cremes in my life) and what's that??? Baked and stirred custards lesson 2. I really must introduce them to Bird's ;o)

*Please note that the views I express are mine alone and do not reflect the views of my place of study*