I barely slept I wink before starting the day. I decided that I wanted to help Tim with making the school's sourdough, so I woke up at 5:45! The stars were still shining bright, with no hint of morning. I really enjoyed working with him! We carried out the whole sourdough process - we cooked 14 loaves in dutch ovens, shaped 16 loaves from a mass of dough, fed the starters, and mixed up a new dough. What fun! It makes me think about working in a bread bakery at some point. It would be a lot of work, but I find that I really enjoy the process of bread making because it is so scientific I think. :)
The day's cooking went okay! I managed to finish pretty close to 12 again, so that was good! :). Here's what I made:
Overall, again today was pretty good! I was running on adrenaline the whole time, so I didn't really feel the effects of getting just 6 hours of sleep. I also really enjoyed my time in the kitchen (which is RUNNING OUT! :O), so I guess that's what's most important.
- Chargrilled squid salad with chili and parsley oil: I had a chance to fillet a squid and grill it for a salad. I thought the flavor was lovely, though I still can't really get past the texture :\. It's a surprisingly simple dish, and once you have all your bits together it only takes a couple of minutes to cook the squid!
- Meringues: I made these for the first time. What a simple recipe, which is a ratio of 1:2 of egg white to sugar in ounces I think. they look like mini Hershey's kisses :). I had my oven set too hot, so the outer edges browned a bit and the inside collapsed and was a bit mushy. Apparently my instructor likes it that way, but I don't really. It didn't stop me from having a couple though!
- Puff pastry: I made the pastry today, which I'll use on Monday. I made a dough of water and flour, rolled it out flat, then put an entire pound of butter into it and folded over the edges. Puff pastry requires patience and cold hands, so I had to hold my nerve a bit and keep a bowl of cold water next to me :). I think the end result is worth it because of how light and airy the pastry can be!
- Almond and orange water fingers: these were such a pain to make! Ugh! I mixed almond flour with orange water and egg and sugar for a filling, then had to use filo pastry (which is essentially paper-thin pastry). It's such a nightmare to use the pastry because if it dries out too much it just crumbles to pieces. I made a really cute one though that is about the size of 1/3 of my pinky. It was so cute! :D.
Overall, again today was pretty good! I was running on adrenaline the whole time, so I didn't really feel the effects of getting just 6 hours of sleep. I also really enjoyed my time in the kitchen (which is RUNNING OUT! :O), so I guess that's what's most important.
Demo was great! We'll be making a lot of fried seafood on Monday. We also learned how to use up the puff pastry we made! Rachel made a classic French dessert called Gateau Pithivier, which looks like a monster! I get to make it on Monday!
After demo, I went on a run!!! WOOHOO!!! It was so nice to get out and about!! I absolutely love the feeling of a fresh wind hitting my face as the sun goes down. It makes me feel so alive :).
The rest of my evening was uneventful. I watched a bit of a fluffy movie called "Just My Luck," with young Lindsay Lohan and Chris Pine. Not the most efficient use of my time, but I guess it's nice to have a chance to destress after this past week. I'm exhausted!! Happy Friday!
Love,
Livvy
The rest of my evening was uneventful. I watched a bit of a fluffy movie called "Just My Luck," with young Lindsay Lohan and Chris Pine. Not the most efficient use of my time, but I guess it's nice to have a chance to destress after this past week. I'm exhausted!! Happy Friday!
Love,
Livvy