tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32198478414753893922024-03-05T15:39:24.483+00:00Whisk it for a biscuitOne girls journey through the world of Patisserie. From college to beyond.Claire Haddadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09028872212263702968noreply@blogger.comBlogger57125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3219847841475389392.post-73799489131345693982013-04-03T18:00:00.001+01:002013-04-03T18:00:50.495+01:00Eggs, Tea, ChocolateContrary to what the light speckling of snow in my garden might suggest, Easter has come, layed its annual batch of chocolate eggs, and gone. This, to me, marks the end of my first 'chocolate season'. Starting in Summer '12 and going through Chocolate Week, Halloween, Christmas, Valentines and finally Easter where chocolate consumption rockets to its final peak before the summer lull. It has been a great season, full of challenges and I genuinely feel like I have learned a lot about working in a production kitchen, the industry and of course, chocolate. Always chocolate.<br />
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So much chocolate</div>
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Just before Easter weekend, the winners of the Acadamy of Chocolate awards were announced and amongst the gold medal winners were three of our newly developed ganaches from the season: salted chocolate toffee and crunchy praline, kalamansi lime caramel and passion fruit and rosemary caramel. It's been great seeing these chocolates right the way through from development to chocolate counter to awards! They are all tasty deserving medal winners. Other Rococo winners can be seen <a href="http://blog.rococochocolates.com/2013/great-news-from-the-academy-of-chocolate-awards/">here</a> and a full list of acadamy winners <a href="http://www.academyofchocolate.org.uk/awards-2013/">here</a>. </div>
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Away from chocolate, my mind has been rather preoccupied with tea recently. Drinking tea, trying new tea, using tea infusions. My go-to tea day to day tea is black Earl Grey with a slice of lemon if I'm feeling fancy. I've been trying to work these flavours into an edible treat, resulting in a lemon and Earl Grey s'more which I have to say is pretty yummy. I've also been making sweet, smoky lapsang souchong caramel sauce and I'm keen to get started on a popcorn green tea ganache. I had spent a fair amount of time day dreaming about a proper builders tea chocolate truffle until I went into Paul A Young and found that, not only had he pipped me to it, but he has cleverly rolled the truffle in buttery biscuits. Tea and biscuits all in one chocolate, heaven. There are so many teas and ways to use their flavours to enhance or reinvent dishes that I have a feeling this infusing obsession could continue for a while.<br />
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I want s'more.</div>
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Tea, biscuits, chocolate.</div>
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In other imporant tea based news, kickstarter <a href="http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/emilieholmes/good-and-proper-tea-london-based-loose-leaf-brew-b">Good and Proper Tea</a> are now out and about in London town. I'm yet to try it but the brew bar combines a perfect cuppa with another of lifes pleasures: great street food. I've got a few days off work to go and hunt the van down and get myself a proper brew. Hope you're all as excited as I am. </div>
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The end of the season means the start of a summer of planning and developing new ranges and seasonal specials which I am really looking forward to. I also have a few personal projects in the pipeline giving me plenty of blog based ammo. In the mean time, hope you all had a wonderful Easter and found eggs hiding around every corner. </div>
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Claire Haddadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09028872212263702968noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3219847841475389392.post-70839093809509835202013-01-18T17:51:00.000+00:002013-01-18T18:00:27.985+00:00Resolutions<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969);">On New Years Eve, I was (I hope) jokingly told that my resolution should be to be nicer to my boyfriend. I looked across the room at him, on all fours, dressed as a donkey, with a mexican on his back and thought; naaah. I've got bigger issues at hand. Namely this slowly sinking ship of a blog. </span></div>
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Resolutions:<br />
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1. Bake more. I'm worried my kitchen aid might divorce me if it has to put up with coming second to chocolate any longer<br />
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2. Blog more. Hardly a challenge since I think my last entry is dated May.<br />
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My first resolution is going well. I have been baking every weekend of the new year, even whipping out my all time favourite recipe from college last week - Chef Julie's sticky toffee pudding. Something I should probably share at some point.<br />
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However, <span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875);">somehow, it's half way through January and I am yet to blog. But I am making amends right now! I'll keep it brief with a quick summary of a few Rococo highlights and a promise to write again soon(er)</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875);"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875);"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969);">The most common question I get asked is some variation of : ''how much chocolate do you eat'. So, let's clear the air and get it out of the way. I pretty much eat chocolate everyday, who wouldn't when your literally </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969);"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969);">surrounded by the stuff? Enough so that on my days off I get definitely mid afternoon </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969);">chocolate cravings, n</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969);">ot enough that I need to go out and buy new jeans. Having said that, I don't think I ate any chocolate during our Christmas break. Sometimes we all need a break from even the closest of friends.</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875);"><br /></span>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969);">So life as a chocolatier is just as full of chocolate as you would hope it to be. I can't lie, there have been days when its late and I am on the tube home being given slightly odd looks for the overwhelming smell of cocoa powder I am emitting, which away from a kitchen is a surprisingly hard smell to place. </span><br />
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Christmas trees</div>
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In other non sweet related news, I have aslo been working my way through Yotam Ottolenghi's latest book Jerusalem which is not only a taste sensation but is also providing perfect repayment for the donkey incident. </div>
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Claire Haddadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09028872212263702968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3219847841475389392.post-54211349691943948052012-05-31T12:40:00.000+01:002012-05-31T12:40:22.482+01:00Claire and the Chocolate FactoryMove over Charlie, there's a new kid in town. Me. That is to say, I have a new job working as the assistant chocolatier for the wonderful <a href="http://www.rococochocolates.com/">Rococo Chocolates</a>. For anyone who hasn't heard of the company, its a London based chocolatiers that has been running a staggering 29 years. It has a distinct slightly quirky style and, most importantly, makes really tasty chocolates. Basically, despite only having done one full days work for the company, I am very excited about working for them. Its great to be part of a small, passionate team working on many exciting projects whilst being completely surrounded by sweets treats at every corner.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiukSXuwBhbdCP_n3pFI8rgi_TZfZkNiqCkyXDn-HX_waYgiiU8MPrp8pZb8OuelUglps4vLKK-fFllIwGeKsteulXvZYNqVvawiH_-sNhVRdGmuM9DIw9Gp30-gRhWH-sw-TM-lUK8b34/s1600/rococo_ganache.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="357" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiukSXuwBhbdCP_n3pFI8rgi_TZfZkNiqCkyXDn-HX_waYgiiU8MPrp8pZb8OuelUglps4vLKK-fFllIwGeKsteulXvZYNqVvawiH_-sNhVRdGmuM9DIw9Gp30-gRhWH-sw-TM-lUK8b34/s400/rococo_ganache.gif" width="400" /></a></div>
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Throughout college I was always excited about the chocolate modules, despite the inevitable blur of cocoa covered mess I produced. Now, after a bit of professional grooming, my whites are definitely a lot more white when they leave the kitchen than ever before and my new chef promises to iron out the last few stubborn messy wrinkles that remain. I'm sure in no time my whites will remain at a level that even Daz couldn't beat. <br />
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For now, rest assured that my days will be filled with ganache, marshmallow, caramalised nuts, chocolate cats and the biggest tubs of edible shimmer I have ever seen. Its a tough life..Claire Haddadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09028872212263702968noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3219847841475389392.post-12661364568944766422012-01-12T11:53:00.001+00:002012-01-13T00:17:43.359+00:00New Year, New PostIts been a long time since I even logged on to my blog, let alone posted. But its a new year, and probably time for a brief update. At the end of this month I will of been working at the Mandarin for 8 months as a real adult person, with a real job, cooking food that people are willing to part with money for. I've worked on breakfast, room service, afternoon tea and banqueting. Had a promotion from a commis to a demi, started work at 4am, baked cookies for celebrity rappers, burnt myself a horrific amount, learnt about how to work in a professional kitchen: writing lists, delegating jobs and being organised. Somewhere along the lines, I have started working in a way that doesn't leave a trail of destruction behind me. Although my chef is probably still dreaming of the day he arrives to find me with a clean apron. Basically, amongst all the hard work, I've had a ball. Made friends, learnt new skills and worked on some exciting events. At the risk of sounding smug, its exactly what I hoped it would be. Thats not to say there haven't been days when I've thrown a hissy fit because somebodies accidentally burnt my scones, or talked my boyfriends ear off about some mislabeled creme brulees. And there was a time, when there were only 3 of us running the Pastry kitchen where I basically lived there. But overall, I am one happy girl. <br />
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I have to head to work in an hour, so its probably about time I got up and showered. But in the mean time, here are a few snaps I've sneaked on my phone.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;">My First afternoon tea function</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm6HFwE2wUAUqFmNUqa3va5avi8UEwG0seQpChfH3BN-ULh6B8KPhkHruYaWDArLedSaGZAlzpSgy4PYjnKmUTwNgFRaAyuZiDvFzwjVNolaYXHiFI2QyR8_pqSr0OTwXf54U9u8ziZDU/s1600/IMG_0830.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm6HFwE2wUAUqFmNUqa3va5avi8UEwG0seQpChfH3BN-ULh6B8KPhkHruYaWDArLedSaGZAlzpSgy4PYjnKmUTwNgFRaAyuZiDvFzwjVNolaYXHiFI2QyR8_pqSr0OTwXf54U9u8ziZDU/s320/IMG_0830.jpg" width="239" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">All the burns </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpdNeNaQfolChhzAiL7ZITtfM87XdXiUFYTm_0Mw4w3kzURlUmBZGUvJgX8Uzx7RzFzps3WWfubvrPHIDkvjs0gJcBZ6SaDj46GAtOwYLuao5ri7Hvi-vezzt6X8v1BA8lhWYoKGl4Fro/s1600/IMG_0841.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpdNeNaQfolChhzAiL7ZITtfM87XdXiUFYTm_0Mw4w3kzURlUmBZGUvJgX8Uzx7RzFzps3WWfubvrPHIDkvjs0gJcBZ6SaDj46GAtOwYLuao5ri7Hvi-vezzt6X8v1BA8lhWYoKGl4Fro/s320/IMG_0841.jpg" width="239" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Carved watermelon </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5dk6LEITEAd8Jw0VojUkB1b4A-EzuF09a-1844_Yv4n5MZl1DamLRWmpdmk6J6I_8c0EW2k7XJl4sK-aqabVRHGD12W8RLoIzi15JRm8dqCCL34an7vY0I0y54blopVZJXCmsVyEZbcY/s1600/IMG_1095.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5dk6LEITEAd8Jw0VojUkB1b4A-EzuF09a-1844_Yv4n5MZl1DamLRWmpdmk6J6I_8c0EW2k7XJl4sK-aqabVRHGD12W8RLoIzi15JRm8dqCCL34an7vY0I0y54blopVZJXCmsVyEZbcY/s320/IMG_1095.jpg" width="239" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Current afternoon tea pastries </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeHgOEVuQM4zQZQ7IN656ARJXi49eOEw6S7vkqM7AKfYyXES9bobVaRxmBzyPaRyOSpecQjojbq-1es3cDmQerOiKJqQVxrzvdbLnkSELii6kzLSo38LY4z8Za_JgDJOQZqOWkRXUHia4/s1600/IMG_1148.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeHgOEVuQM4zQZQ7IN656ARJXi49eOEw6S7vkqM7AKfYyXES9bobVaRxmBzyPaRyOSpecQjojbq-1es3cDmQerOiKJqQVxrzvdbLnkSELii6kzLSo38LY4z8Za_JgDJOQZqOWkRXUHia4/s320/IMG_1148.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Evening Ameneties </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;">Dessert Canapes </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgns3euvayit39u438qiz0b1yf4YjDtmxlVjrJOlIyIe0pxf90GmELisI-d-B53QVoTnwZQireZnE2wPJAdoPzhMjNRDAJmHakOP9QrM-NqFpJXOUU1BYE62M_mogtVAo4t7c9qPs8iRs/s1600/IMG_1212.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgns3euvayit39u438qiz0b1yf4YjDtmxlVjrJOlIyIe0pxf90GmELisI-d-B53QVoTnwZQireZnE2wPJAdoPzhMjNRDAJmHakOP9QrM-NqFpJXOUU1BYE62M_mogtVAo4t7c9qPs8iRs/s320/IMG_1212.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">Table of treats </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMA3as96x0e1V_oPQMqgTE6J9AHJuOv53F61I-l95F3_-_B7Mn8Db5waMGYc9CBntFDON6j-mG2iPOoYgScg4dL0QMHT5pz-W6lCrmC71JCZqSegVKLkfHYw7yVdFvfXb1F8ndDOCPobg/s1600/IMG_1219.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMA3as96x0e1V_oPQMqgTE6J9AHJuOv53F61I-l95F3_-_B7Mn8Db5waMGYc9CBntFDON6j-mG2iPOoYgScg4dL0QMHT5pz-W6lCrmC71JCZqSegVKLkfHYw7yVdFvfXb1F8ndDOCPobg/s320/IMG_1219.jpg" width="239" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqRT3nnEqE2mQk3GIldhfTlu1i1jPmlw86dkBhGAjW-Vs0urnKOQ5yXzZZzNow9CXLHEVPACpAxV1GQjaCIfgO_U1d5AugDDvy6y7CID_X25VTH1giGKy26xCicwB7e2rtELuW3ZD0KVY/s1600/IMG_1220.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqRT3nnEqE2mQk3GIldhfTlu1i1jPmlw86dkBhGAjW-Vs0urnKOQ5yXzZZzNow9CXLHEVPACpAxV1GQjaCIfgO_U1d5AugDDvy6y7CID_X25VTH1giGKy26xCicwB7e2rtELuW3ZD0KVY/s320/IMG_1220.jpg" width="239" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;">I'll try not to leave it so long next time. </div>Claire Haddadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09028872212263702968noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3219847841475389392.post-75647185666537889032011-06-07T13:33:00.000+01:002011-06-07T13:33:59.081+01:00Pastry ChefI've been neglecting my blog a bit lately, trying to get myself ready for the big end of school exam. I handed my portfolio in the other day and have been practising in odds and ends trying to perfect my sable/ brioche/mousse/ganache/etc. The exam is just over a week away and I've started having those classic panic dreams about turning up late/ burning my macarons/ general disasters but hopefully it will be okay on the day. Fingers crossed all round. In light of the end of school rapidly approaching I thought I better start hunting for a job in order that my perfect pastry bubble didnt suddenly burst, leaving me no chioce but to turn to serving up soggy sausage rolls in Greggs. Fortunately, and wonderfully, I have actually managed to land myself a great job! So ladies and gentlemen, I am officially (well soon to start) a Commis Pastry Chef!<br />
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Its very surreal that this time last year I was finishing up a degree in social sciences and now my career dreams seem to be unfolding right before my eyes. I'm going to be working at an amazing 5 star luxury hotel in London, <a href="http://www.mandarinoriental.com/london/">The Mandarin Oriental</a>, in the pastry kitchen. The pastry kitchen covers everything from breakfast to room service, afternoon tea to one off trial menus so its an amazing opportunity to keep on training and learning with some fantastic chefs. I had a trail shift last week, had a really great day and managed to keep my mess levels low enough and my enthusiam high enough to land a job! The hotel has two amazing restaurants in it, one is Heston Blumenthals latest venture - Dinner and the other is by Daniel Boulud. Basically the place is crawling with amazing food and chefs.<br />
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I'm starting on the 27th June giving me 20 days to finish school, find myself somewhere to live and move! Reminds me a bit of when I started school, at least I already have my knives and shoes this time round..Claire Haddadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09028872212263702968noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3219847841475389392.post-74151985326512954262011-05-23T12:33:00.000+01:002011-05-23T12:33:23.939+01:00Afternoon TeaLast week it was time to host our superior patisserie afternoon tea. Its strange to think it was only a few months ago, back in september, that the prospect of producing it seemed <a href="http://whiskitforabiscuit.blogspot.com/2010/09/final-product.html">mind-boggling</a> and now its been prepped, baked and eaten! Here are the vital stats. We made everything over 2 days, 14 hours of kitchen time. There were 16 of us in total, working in two teams. We made 21 different types of cakes as well as 3 types of scones and preserves. There was at least 30 tea sized versions of every cake as well as their larger counterparts. The scones numbered in the 200+. We hosted the event for about 70 people. Okay, so thats the fact and figures out the way, here's a picture before the wordy bit.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuPjdTu7LF9cuQjONhlrgzJ5PdqP-sTMmhjWRVwz9scBTE01taDJ7CFnH7J5Q9YuYUtBuhIFmvYbPlG6w0ucnf6d23yAlPiBN9tMEcTTWYbbm4i1YRs6a8cmCr6r4TEgw17efQnA3wbuI/s1600/DSC01168.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuPjdTu7LF9cuQjONhlrgzJ5PdqP-sTMmhjWRVwz9scBTE01taDJ7CFnH7J5Q9YuYUtBuhIFmvYbPlG6w0ucnf6d23yAlPiBN9tMEcTTWYbbm4i1YRs6a8cmCr6r4TEgw17efQnA3wbuI/s320/DSC01168.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br />
Although we did have to work quite hard to get everything ready in time, doing solid seven hour stints in the kitchen was quite enjoyable. Sometimes I think its better to work right through because its not until you have a break that you realise you are tired. Its also much more realistic as to what will be expected of us in the real big bad world once we finish. On the first day we had a briefing, split into groups, allocated jobs and then set about doing all our mis-en-place. By the end of the first day we had pretty much everthing made up ready to be put together and be pretty-fied the next day. I also had a raging appetite for something savory and ate perhaps the largest bowl of pasta that I have ever laid my eyes on. Thanks very much to bonne bouche and their abmormally large portions, a carb overload was definately required. On the second day we finished everthing off by glazing, piping and decorating with various fruit, chocolate and sugar charms. In our team we also had to make up all the scones so that they were still hot for service. We had a nice little system going and, before we knew it, a kitchen overrun by scones!<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq1A6w8Obht0MgEFN8jI_q8yZI-ufvG_LXzPzBxeTqs-w0XS7u64xAk-kmymywKgtIyLv6YTy9VVBSrge-BvRSeYxoUGrDGcWsn9Lqim_UmBGxWRaVZiiUreuKnmoFZVh2WoqMUa2KuBc/s1600/DSC01159.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq1A6w8Obht0MgEFN8jI_q8yZI-ufvG_LXzPzBxeTqs-w0XS7u64xAk-kmymywKgtIyLv6YTy9VVBSrge-BvRSeYxoUGrDGcWsn9Lqim_UmBGxWRaVZiiUreuKnmoFZVh2WoqMUa2KuBc/s320/DSC01159.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHqnFGe2zA-HzFvzzoA4MZQA9uaQPZIJayPQGzYDnO0i5lJJ-ZNbOxd-UNhwcaX18HZ8vo1SaInzFwiCqWPImOgyqL1orWr_EsMI6wNWhlndhEiPpDw7sbgcw6w116PFgntkQatazJWDo/s1600/DSC01158.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHqnFGe2zA-HzFvzzoA4MZQA9uaQPZIJayPQGzYDnO0i5lJJ-ZNbOxd-UNhwcaX18HZ8vo1SaInzFwiCqWPImOgyqL1orWr_EsMI6wNWhlndhEiPpDw7sbgcw6w116PFgntkQatazJWDo/s320/DSC01158.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Scones as big as your head!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Normally the tea party is done in bigger groups (the last one had 30) and although we got everything done in time, the main rush was getting it all across to the hotel. In the end we had to recruit stray students to grab trays and run them across. Dispite the last minute panic we got everthing set up in time, ready to host. Through the event we served the various tables, explaining what was what and topping up the supplies. My mum, dad and aunt all came so I enjoyed playing the role of chef, hairnet and all.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqXFZ6tdJLQ3ZpqHR6Clb6poQN7BlvkjbyZlQxmo3vvPGwvDqhy-KBDiieKOq0qOzJbcYuZjXFsZ-cNA3xKvMdnfs6zEhmzhp62UqunVufxqCnbw-jtSAvxVCrCq5MGZDvvmQRyshKrj0/s1600/DSC01184.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqXFZ6tdJLQ3ZpqHR6Clb6poQN7BlvkjbyZlQxmo3vvPGwvDqhy-KBDiieKOq0qOzJbcYuZjXFsZ-cNA3xKvMdnfs6zEhmzhp62UqunVufxqCnbw-jtSAvxVCrCq5MGZDvvmQRyshKrj0/s320/DSC01184.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Overall it was really enjoyable, its nice getting into bed at night feeling both exhausted and excited. I'll try and scan the menu in at some point but here are the last of the few pictures I managed to take. There were also some press about so I might try and scout down some reviews too. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Under a month left now! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div>Claire Haddadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09028872212263702968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3219847841475389392.post-22481962908327119082011-05-16T21:06:00.001+01:002011-05-18T10:41:58.740+01:00Bake dreams<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Plated desserts are quite literally taking over my life. Not only do I now have to carry around an emergency note pad incase of exam inspiration/desperation, but we have spent the last week in school having demos and practicals entirely based on plated desserts. It all came to a head the other night when I had a very long, rather distressing dream, entirely based on plating up desserts. Thats what 8 months in culinary school will do to a girl. Anyway, I thought I'd share the burden a bit and post some pictures of the plates I made last week. Included is an apple parfait, a bijoux box filled with chocolate </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 15px;"><em style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">brûlée and a lemon ricotta mousse. </span></em></span><br />
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</span> </em></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuDNRwBs-jw-1LvNhlJHzKG8Cutq38KNoZbcTYjJed8JKqL9mDzAZThU8Q-fax7Cz1I56jmY68jwGm9VMBKUdIfNoHjvnaAbcEqdOHELrMRnkCk-2Q8Tw1u441ya79EFowRIo-rNqzKSE/s1600/DSC01136.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="229" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuDNRwBs-jw-1LvNhlJHzKG8Cutq38KNoZbcTYjJed8JKqL9mDzAZThU8Q-fax7Cz1I56jmY68jwGm9VMBKUdIfNoHjvnaAbcEqdOHELrMRnkCk-2Q8Tw1u441ya79EFowRIo-rNqzKSE/s320/DSC01136.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPtW6myfYNbSsDw7qHbveLfwRVx2OyT_usb1HmD3QuuJNoL4uS_u4EVAqQcaeQM3ehmtiXtiOdBiWp3gJDJ9IK5o9ree5YJK-0ns6clu4FyB5upeMa1c66rdeN-Vgk5j8-v0wg6CdSMlQ/s1600/DSC01139.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPtW6myfYNbSsDw7qHbveLfwRVx2OyT_usb1HmD3QuuJNoL4uS_u4EVAqQcaeQM3ehmtiXtiOdBiWp3gJDJ9IK5o9ree5YJK-0ns6clu4FyB5upeMa1c66rdeN-Vgk5j8-v0wg6CdSMlQ/s320/DSC01139.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdulAlc7GKjVF1Qar6SQ4vf6IDRSxJS9KUIaFxfJHNfYdIdvrrjmGFJmqQoCLu8-j-YnlRGU4GI0ru9l8ZXQ5rKNHXms7YGcZ_uQWPvmBtQFXbMw0szPRJCnoIpT4K6_RbCz4TOW2nsys/s1600/DSC01142.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdulAlc7GKjVF1Qar6SQ4vf6IDRSxJS9KUIaFxfJHNfYdIdvrrjmGFJmqQoCLu8-j-YnlRGU4GI0ru9l8ZXQ5rKNHXms7YGcZ_uQWPvmBtQFXbMw0szPRJCnoIpT4K6_RbCz4TOW2nsys/s320/DSC01142.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhXxObn6kfcJLQjYHg2VWpBTkIavjgEu71hKhSEXaf57I_lxuagsPEt0fbBez0H0S1ZXugVpGgspbw0ZjQGG5JQEKvYErH4tvwqOaxclSL_5nUiyp7hag7ChMoVvRvoqdu3UBWxjfC4LY/s1600/DSC01148.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhXxObn6kfcJLQjYHg2VWpBTkIavjgEu71hKhSEXaf57I_lxuagsPEt0fbBez0H0S1ZXugVpGgspbw0ZjQGG5JQEKvYErH4tvwqOaxclSL_5nUiyp7hag7ChMoVvRvoqdu3UBWxjfC4LY/s320/DSC01148.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Courier New', Courier, monospace;">Today, after seven solid hours of prepping for our afternoon tea tomorrow, I felt like I had somewhat neglected my dessert daydreams. I managed to resolve this by buying some shiny new plates ready for my exam and writing this. Heading to bed soon so who knows what recipes may await me.</span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="-webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 2px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 2px; border-collapse: collapse; line-height: 15px;"><em style="font-style: normal;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><br />
</span></em></span>Claire Haddadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09028872212263702968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3219847841475389392.post-16187997950294598172011-05-08T17:33:00.000+01:002011-05-08T17:33:39.676+01:00School DinnersThe time in the term has come again when the superior students are hosting their dinners, and I, in return, am scoffing it down. Its nice to see how some of the cuisine kids in my year are getting on and try out some of their food for once, instead of being taunted by the aromas wafting into the boulangerie whilst in the middle of a seemingly endless 8pm piping session. This time the theme was 'Le Printemps' (Spring), calling for a good dose of baby animals and sprouting veg. Yum yum.<br />
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After an Aperitif of Melon Bellini and a foie gras canape or two the menu was as follows<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1ZuHa-jdP-272agd8zOjLATdUbmt2pUvk7RzVXNrfBOzg5hy0tYpShayxqgw0vbo3n4eL2q15Blo2OzDKFEd4OaQVQ8U3ypUa0K3po8PW_cvcKzj2AlEzLEiYKwV2eHHK7WqrJsbDBl0/s1600/DSC01121.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1ZuHa-jdP-272agd8zOjLATdUbmt2pUvk7RzVXNrfBOzg5hy0tYpShayxqgw0vbo3n4eL2q15Blo2OzDKFEd4OaQVQ8U3ypUa0K3po8PW_cvcKzj2AlEzLEiYKwV2eHHK7WqrJsbDBl0/s320/DSC01121.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">Rock Oyster ceviche with chilli, lime and cold gin</div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This was my first ever Oyster and, after a slight panic that a may have an anaphylactic shock, I slurped the slimy creature right up. Not only did I manage to keep it down, but it was also pretty delicious all round.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div>To follow we had asparagus, poached quail eggs & pancetta with a tarragon vinaigrette. Nice, light dish with eggs poached to perfection.<br />
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Main was a stuffed lion of lamb with yuca frites, shredded lamb shank on a sweet plantain puree. The shredded lamb was a real winner, I think it was my favourite dish of the night. Infact, just the memory of it is making me salvate.<br />
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The cheese course included a bosworth ash goats cheese and bleu d'Auvergne. It was probably best that it was all nicely plated up, avoiding the normally inevitable calorie splurge brought on by cheese.<br />
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For dessert we had a vanilla cheesecake on a chocolate sable base with a rhubarb glaze, served with a rhubarb and raspberry sorbet, tuille and rhubarb crisp. The cheesecake suffered slightly from excess time in the blast chiller but overall it worked well. My favourite bit was the unassuming rhubarb crisp which was surprisingly tasty.<br />
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We finished off the evening with some petit fours and a good ol' brew. The pastry chefs did a really good job of the petit fours making chocolate coffee cups, lavander macarons and chocolate praline. After just finishing my chocolate module I was pretty staggered by how seemless the cute chocolate cups were. Triumph indeed.<br />
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Overall the evening was really good, not only was I fed with all sorts of treats that would never be lurking in my fridge, but the wine was good and I managed to keep my conversation to the head of school suitably polite.<br />
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Photos are slightly hit and miss, but the best my poor camera could do.Claire Haddadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09028872212263702968noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3219847841475389392.post-51945665226560231462011-05-05T15:01:00.000+01:002011-05-05T15:01:02.150+01:00Chocolate Picket FenceAs promised, here are the last of my chocolate creations. Ladies and gentlemen I give to you a chocolate windmill and a choo choo chocolate train.<br />
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For the windmill I chose to finish my decoration with a piped chocolate picket fence which opens up to the garden path of my happy chocolate couple. Awwh.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkJbKnvD79tRUKBqsVHlcOxpaGMSW4HWKfuSBrnKxMbuCcXskfqA9YJeAouW3FF91r5N7OIMyQ5K3FaV4LHLdHn1jkNXgXFt4wuY6cDt0RbK9-J5EpV6D6e8KIP_cxAj51z2xurt-lox4/s1600/DSC01086.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkJbKnvD79tRUKBqsVHlcOxpaGMSW4HWKfuSBrnKxMbuCcXskfqA9YJeAouW3FF91r5N7OIMyQ5K3FaV4LHLdHn1jkNXgXFt4wuY6cDt0RbK9-J5EpV6D6e8KIP_cxAj51z2xurt-lox4/s320/DSC01086.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIRvX0xHH5YPRJ2LfH54kfUmjIRTOzJjE2JdazwPlDjSOfIns1CfTbgTO1p4HDaAQcA_d9iSzeX4TGdZvlAI8HiNtoAyhCxjYjhHPtD9rvNjb5zcU2JefhcDvO0oocgg3WCxa9i8hMWfA/s1600/DSC01089.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="186" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIRvX0xHH5YPRJ2LfH54kfUmjIRTOzJjE2JdazwPlDjSOfIns1CfTbgTO1p4HDaAQcA_d9iSzeX4TGdZvlAI8HiNtoAyhCxjYjhHPtD9rvNjb5zcU2JefhcDvO0oocgg3WCxa9i8hMWfA/s320/DSC01089.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">My train is sporting a personalised LLG 24 number plate in light of it becoming a rather handy birthday present for my housemate. It was a little worse for wear after my cycle home but what boy doesn't want a chocolate train wreck for his birthday?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW57K7KG3EMeLFOWOKjYtEW7cdHIxfjbmqJh_tjNEtcVjhVvjm_-MtCwN124X-UomdkAqBkWnsDuX5v20B6k2CN4QSWhF_CcbiZKuD1WV4S-ls4R1fD1NkTiG9VTNlCdRWji2Q2sy38GE/s1600/DSC01119.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW57K7KG3EMeLFOWOKjYtEW7cdHIxfjbmqJh_tjNEtcVjhVvjm_-MtCwN124X-UomdkAqBkWnsDuX5v20B6k2CN4QSWhF_CcbiZKuD1WV4S-ls4R1fD1NkTiG9VTNlCdRWji2Q2sy38GE/s320/DSC01119.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZc-bonTBa7CmpC4PsyTUz-zHqxA0Tq3XekBuOs2-rl6YgC2suv1-YnwZ1B0gXu0fGyKZT9lU2J-TCm-tQu0wM38ERNhH2549FNxNJQ2aCR-z8j_go34VEGzkkIFHg7S4tTsMTpfLxXZU/s1600/DSC01117.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZc-bonTBa7CmpC4PsyTUz-zHqxA0Tq3XekBuOs2-rl6YgC2suv1-YnwZ1B0gXu0fGyKZT9lU2J-TCm-tQu0wM38ERNhH2549FNxNJQ2aCR-z8j_go34VEGzkkIFHg7S4tTsMTpfLxXZU/s320/DSC01117.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">In other pastry news, I am starting to get somewhere with my plans for my plated dessert final and have done a few home trials. Still many, many tweeks and changes to be done. I'm also starting to get quite excited about our impending tea party on the 17th May. Its being held at the <a href="http://www.mandeville.co.uk/">Mandeville</a> hotel and should be rather good. A few of the other groups held theirs last week and everything they made looked wonderful. Here is the lovely Sarju on his way down with a tray of tasty treats to wet your appetite! Very nice indeed.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGxrdjuSX1OYTfHT4-MrhEYC2jm_-u1UdApr2sqZ68bhYUrCdMTDkoVwoddPtEC-ViyTxu6p3RhD761MdjnWdjRbSz5rDq9ZaNAgoaf-4NVljBKSYy8Q2njJi2RuZwUPMFPuqjA5ejQko/s1600/DSC01115.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGxrdjuSX1OYTfHT4-MrhEYC2jm_-u1UdApr2sqZ68bhYUrCdMTDkoVwoddPtEC-ViyTxu6p3RhD761MdjnWdjRbSz5rDq9ZaNAgoaf-4NVljBKSYy8Q2njJi2RuZwUPMFPuqjA5ejQko/s320/DSC01115.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div>Claire Haddadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09028872212263702968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3219847841475389392.post-41023666028519421012011-04-18T15:38:00.000+01:002011-04-18T15:38:18.274+01:00Temper temperWe are well on our way in our second module of the term: Chocolate. This means that I am both as happy and as dirty as a pig in mud. The exam dish from this module is the moulded chocolates so we have been making those in the bulk load in order to perfect our moulding skills and try out potential ganache flavours. As well as these we have been making lots of other ganache filled treats and trying out some tasty confectionary recipes. I got to make these adorable rose flavoured marshmallows that were pretty delightful and surprisingly easy to make. Just to top it off, when you piped the marshmallows out, the still unset sticky mixture did a little bunny hop as it released from the bag.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">Bunny hop</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLgytVm8AgG-bth789QsEM4YjLT5a5CL8T_svniXTHZZns4zaWiN2Th7A0KaOLNgBsonGuWyYOEHVE3jLkC7pp1QbU4KY-0syk1jl72fNeBNIEbNGc8l_F5_OvpOHtLK1P7XKgNHzFPbY/s1600/DSC01052.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLgytVm8AgG-bth789QsEM4YjLT5a5CL8T_svniXTHZZns4zaWiN2Th7A0KaOLNgBsonGuWyYOEHVE3jLkC7pp1QbU4KY-0syk1jl72fNeBNIEbNGc8l_F5_OvpOHtLK1P7XKgNHzFPbY/s320/DSC01052.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5WBBlHIdXZIESwrkhlAdPXEGKoPOUxUuBv7z-c0BXTg_yEGYqHGPCUn6z2IHQzk2ORUHY6FIS801G4a_fWWPZNGiCpsApLxV133-6QNyLpsIZpFgPrKc-pKcTQmW_f4pkQeW60sT856E/s1600/DSC01055.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="173" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5WBBlHIdXZIESwrkhlAdPXEGKoPOUxUuBv7z-c0BXTg_yEGYqHGPCUn6z2IHQzk2ORUHY6FIS801G4a_fWWPZNGiCpsApLxV133-6QNyLpsIZpFgPrKc-pKcTQmW_f4pkQeW60sT856E/s320/DSC01055.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Sweet treats</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNk_IAsyFIQMNnlhYoWOWnmj_YtJ_7oAVXoAyKGlni2soMHdv9OR_xGRQ3L80ZumNWVKWWYDTVkyz0hc2WQo4aSDoHPekF-y8WPq6_O6cnurTj7yzSldPqhjqzfYVW7GN2iM8Ym11V-ig/s1600/DSC01042.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNk_IAsyFIQMNnlhYoWOWnmj_YtJ_7oAVXoAyKGlni2soMHdv9OR_xGRQ3L80ZumNWVKWWYDTVkyz0hc2WQo4aSDoHPekF-y8WPq6_O6cnurTj7yzSldPqhjqzfYVW7GN2iM8Ym11V-ig/s320/DSC01042.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfMz8vOK2vKFOHtotAL3cI4E3J-ywf5ukbSxnhYPyrqAHwm93NEN3htyLAeqm7UyX5NRl6zVzZbleXVyyU9cTw8Dn9vz9hwPokuZV4VLFwpqbstlUGU-iiK8RVbX4GmFZFZNFndQxfbBI/s1600/DSC01043.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfMz8vOK2vKFOHtotAL3cI4E3J-ywf5ukbSxnhYPyrqAHwm93NEN3htyLAeqm7UyX5NRl6zVzZbleXVyyU9cTw8Dn9vz9hwPokuZV4VLFwpqbstlUGU-iiK8RVbX4GmFZFZNFndQxfbBI/s320/DSC01043.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-xaTS3Gqa9RKkDudYdvJiKgi-ZJqsQ4WOrKRFMzmQrFfi0u74Jhp1GsAfPzvufQhCEwoj9UUHfO-zi-g3fMs-C6FuIa9YNmUdFU8pk8NVHRsbuFpEw6QLgId5186lXa7WOE1T1mlC95c/s1600/DSC01056.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="204" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-xaTS3Gqa9RKkDudYdvJiKgi-ZJqsQ4WOrKRFMzmQrFfi0u74Jhp1GsAfPzvufQhCEwoj9UUHfO-zi-g3fMs-C6FuIa9YNmUdFU8pk8NVHRsbuFpEw6QLgId5186lXa7WOE1T1mlC95c/s320/DSC01056.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Moulded </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtrsuaeaBRIYTBBEZJ8vfqFO8GH6xgkHfjaGRl-SOI5FTw_arnfs3luGEqX2f4VUf2AqmCTOXSWm-cVedDsN85mZEsYXQ7CzXCgnClWs0i_4pqOD5n-bilw8YJAw0pqx1kbWgH3UMMQy4/s1600/DSC01057.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtrsuaeaBRIYTBBEZJ8vfqFO8GH6xgkHfjaGRl-SOI5FTw_arnfs3luGEqX2f4VUf2AqmCTOXSWm-cVedDsN85mZEsYXQ7CzXCgnClWs0i_4pqOD5n-bilw8YJAw0pqx1kbWgH3UMMQy4/s320/DSC01057.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0GTCo2LkteAdtNUWX5mJczO8kEeFLSWTH6weI-AwhyHLME8zcwQcpXA-gV1TKrdtHJ2vcQS4iRnbmlMdo4R7RQTA_LWR5DpARMPCDibUgFtnTdqi-cGk9i28FSYMjt8RWbJfvByLajAQ/s1600/DSC01041.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="173" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0GTCo2LkteAdtNUWX5mJczO8kEeFLSWTH6weI-AwhyHLME8zcwQcpXA-gV1TKrdtHJ2vcQS4iRnbmlMdo4R7RQTA_LWR5DpARMPCDibUgFtnTdqi-cGk9i28FSYMjt8RWbJfvByLajAQ/s320/DSC01041.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">After a few lessons making normal bite sized chocolates we moved onto slightly more elaborate chocolate work. We have a few more pieces to go to complete the set but here is a preview of some of the chocolate show pieces that have graced us so far.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Firstly, the chocolate box. This is a tear drop shapes box, made 100% of chocolate, that can be used for decoration or to house some smaller treats. Once all the individual pieces are made, you have to put them all together and decorate with some piping and some more chocolate work in order to create a chocolate box, slighlty more eleaborate that the normal milk tray. Mine took about 5 hours to make all in all and lasted all of 2 minutes before it was a pile of broken chocolate. Oh dear.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd41ITcCf74JaAHDH536zRW4ly9fFrosxu700irH0ZJLEAJQMAqVdMejjskQkSWy0PwvN1wSvlj-2DPrBsjGQ4bHacI2UFrV36Q8Xtr7VvWKhXaV7IOgSQ5qKLWR7dG0EaJrVnN4ZZulo/s1600/DSC01061.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="307" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd41ITcCf74JaAHDH536zRW4ly9fFrosxu700irH0ZJLEAJQMAqVdMejjskQkSWy0PwvN1wSvlj-2DPrBsjGQ4bHacI2UFrV36Q8Xtr7VvWKhXaV7IOgSQ5qKLWR7dG0EaJrVnN4ZZulo/s320/DSC01061.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2rvIVY23DTy3KxZJVmOqtMV3bksFp2IatSKHhSh8dz248RhHQ7zu-9zMc6_Vz4qXFGMKKe7rVl7nY2Shralqnd9T-JSAtIrUR8H43E7ejD09HWdUpE6yTkOiwdPljxQt4vOSSzz1QsZE/s1600/DSC01069.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2rvIVY23DTy3KxZJVmOqtMV3bksFp2IatSKHhSh8dz248RhHQ7zu-9zMc6_Vz4qXFGMKKe7rVl7nY2Shralqnd9T-JSAtIrUR8H43E7ejD09HWdUpE6yTkOiwdPljxQt4vOSSzz1QsZE/s320/DSC01069.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Now for those of you who think that the chocolate box is a bit over the top, prepare yourself for the butterfly show piece. This is that can only be described as a solid chocolate totem pole covered, in a rather surrealist way, with butterflies, leaves and slightly more abstract orbs, eggs and a bar of chocolate. Again, we made all the pieces first and then constructed it. Although perhaps a bit strange, the finished piece was pretty impressive, and certainly attracted alot of attention on the tube.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Pre-construction</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_G6dVSmcykrSdLq19zJrbHLkJEOHmHfMLOQP6_DCW3FkDkS6xP3DYDNY4K87h-PYi6jPzP_hjJd-xH0l21aaLa_tmbEQ4CY7Y9GYYEiWIXcrJl6n8zqU3xmIx0acbFFL_W46CAET2bI4/s1600/DSC01074.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_G6dVSmcykrSdLq19zJrbHLkJEOHmHfMLOQP6_DCW3FkDkS6xP3DYDNY4K87h-PYi6jPzP_hjJd-xH0l21aaLa_tmbEQ4CY7Y9GYYEiWIXcrJl6n8zqU3xmIx0acbFFL_W46CAET2bI4/s320/DSC01074.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxYAHqsjWhxIzc1Cy7JTVU9KS2YUW7Xyvug0q0Fme7HmFljHsikbN_bephUD2kduowdki0bGTeduYnKVMjlJzTg3OnorIysLxa3EzUFG_3-dcC7Lx9QkUCZOs9aCmwNp_uHuAZ_5ES9CQ/s1600/DSC01079.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxYAHqsjWhxIzc1Cy7JTVU9KS2YUW7Xyvug0q0Fme7HmFljHsikbN_bephUD2kduowdki0bGTeduYnKVMjlJzTg3OnorIysLxa3EzUFG_3-dcC7Lx9QkUCZOs9aCmwNp_uHuAZ_5ES9CQ/s400/DSC01079.jpg" width="201" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We still have a chocolate train and a windmill to make so watch this space. </div>Claire Haddadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09028872212263702968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3219847841475389392.post-80668703278338342232011-04-13T11:30:00.000+01:002011-04-13T11:30:21.790+01:00The Rules of the GameSomehow, we have reached our final term at school and are now the big kids on Superior that put fear in my heart on day one. The thought of this is both very exciting and terrifying, but there is still a way to go.<br />
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This term is a totally different ball game from the last two. We no longer have demonstrations and spend 90% of our time in the kitchen. If we are learning any new techniques the Chef shows us them in class just before we copy. Its good to see things so close up and is much more one-on-one learning than before. Another diffence is that we are now learning in modules, meaning that everyone in the year isnt doing the same thing at the same time. For example, I am now on my chocolate module whilst others are doing sugar work. This means we get a good few solid weeks focused on one thing, trying to perfect specific skills, before moving on.<br />
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The other big difference is the exam. The final, final exam. Scary. The exam this term has gone from 2 and a half hours to 6. Although, in light of what we have to produce, six hours seems like a minascule time slot. During the term we have to build up a portfolio of specific dishes which we have to make in our exam. For our portfolio we have been given a list of what we need to make and a list of ingredients. Writing the recipes, methods and time plans is down to us. So from out list we have to make:<br />
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1. Two identical plated desserts.<br />
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These must include a filled and encased mousse, a glaze, two sauces, chocolate and tuille decoration.<br />
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2. Six idential moulded chocolates<br />
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These must contain a ganache, but the flaouring is left to us. They must also be decorated in both white and dark chocolate.<br />
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3. Six idential sable biscuits<br />
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These must have an identical pattern made up of two flavours<br />
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4. A sugar sculpture<br />
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This is to present the chocolate and sable. It has to have at least 5 different techniques on it.<br />
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5. A brioche<br />
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Fortunately this has a standard recipe.<br />
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We get marked on all of the dishes individially in different criteria (taste, texture, apperance, method etc) as well as being marked on our portfolio and, importantly, our time plan.<br />
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As we go through our modules we get a chance to focus on individual elements of the portfolio so hopefully it will become less scary as time goes on.Claire Haddadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09028872212263702968noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3219847841475389392.post-4185550533081629602011-04-13T11:11:00.000+01:002011-04-13T11:11:43.825+01:00Live, Eat, Sleep: BreadThe first week back at school we were in the boulangerie making bread like it was going out of fashion. We made bagettes, ciabattas, sour doughs, brioche, rye doughs and many many more. My kitchen at home looked like the beginings of a small bakery and I have to hand it to my housemates who managed to work their way through a respectable quantity of bread, whilst successfully avoiding a carb induced coma. Kudos indeed.<br />
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Bread making is really wonderful. As the Chef highlighted, even if homemade bread isnt quite as perfect or pristine as shop bought, nothing quite beats making it yourself. Not only is it satisfying, but it can be quite theraputic too. Anyone who hasnt tried making bread at home should really give it a go, even if its using one of those handy ready to go bread mixes. Just make sure you knead it well.<br />
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The first time we made bread in school the recipes were quite simple, and we did all the work by hand. This time, the recipes are more professional and its been great to learn a bit about some of the science behind them. Bread making really is a precise art and the recipes and methods need to be altered depending on the conditions of the flour, the humidity and temperature. Basically to be a great baker you really need to know your stuff and have years of practise under your belt in order to gain the type of instinct and knowledge you can't teach. For now, we are just honing our shaping techniques and learning as we go.<br />
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Here's a few snaps to break up the waffle<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja6n3CKqYG9zI0tw-bwCFFUQJgqckhX1wsbIzcATIEecI0BIWyZD1QWjao6Fj62dzvItCxjZQiDRr6uG5EgIYVJX6OAVX-ruEGFTVgWuJY2765VQyC2jo9oSXrZJuxlfd9i3NT4ltgqzA/s1600/DSC01037.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="167" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja6n3CKqYG9zI0tw-bwCFFUQJgqckhX1wsbIzcATIEecI0BIWyZD1QWjao6Fj62dzvItCxjZQiDRr6uG5EgIYVJX6OAVX-ruEGFTVgWuJY2765VQyC2jo9oSXrZJuxlfd9i3NT4ltgqzA/s400/DSC01037.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghyphenhyphenVTzgFewg5MHvbg7iTOvGdTTUZc83szcPkU1EQDRsD1SqVgx4m7iepn2NYt2jZv0U9p8sGGe_tXXWQBaSBl1qfAUKMWe6av4KdhCvAyb5Aw9cTTlxG-vLttfwtCxhiN-5yy65LI4omY/s1600/DSC01015.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghyphenhyphenVTzgFewg5MHvbg7iTOvGdTTUZc83szcPkU1EQDRsD1SqVgx4m7iepn2NYt2jZv0U9p8sGGe_tXXWQBaSBl1qfAUKMWe6av4KdhCvAyb5Aw9cTTlxG-vLttfwtCxhiN-5yy65LI4omY/s320/DSC01015.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqJcOUIkKBoHziew_O_ol9cadhBcxkzheXQwW1oHBax-grXpkEfMAHxrCiCWi87QjF2WRSo0XGO7tAMVpThghk9W4jcl9yKpWio5-GVcYe8FBUUD7k8VZw5upi09wi9IYNql56i8tYpd0/s1600/DSC01020.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqJcOUIkKBoHziew_O_ol9cadhBcxkzheXQwW1oHBax-grXpkEfMAHxrCiCWi87QjF2WRSo0XGO7tAMVpThghk9W4jcl9yKpWio5-GVcYe8FBUUD7k8VZw5upi09wi9IYNql56i8tYpd0/s320/DSC01020.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEJ-L76R9CbayB1dpHjT-VNug4ZKrSgzWrN5PrcO1LVWCWXf_VL86HPrtBrZQf4tJ6XXeabJtqI8aCsSQCSzLqVdDHU1ldlwVpXm3KvDMsPC15MnHZFpQx65fzhRMy9MZ6r-2UTG8dRGE/s1600/DSC01009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEJ-L76R9CbayB1dpHjT-VNug4ZKrSgzWrN5PrcO1LVWCWXf_VL86HPrtBrZQf4tJ6XXeabJtqI8aCsSQCSzLqVdDHU1ldlwVpXm3KvDMsPC15MnHZFpQx65fzhRMy9MZ6r-2UTG8dRGE/s320/DSC01009.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrZwM71jU7qERALtbsURGSwQdJMmvm_D1d8GgcLuD8L_DNiXM00_buSUYIhD_pezYseR4dC_x8Db6ywU3Od0lIPor5yBtQRkpQKhV_ZUCQlen-kIlwCi_nToJFjsUEttOL1ff09mTQHoM/s1600/DSC01018.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrZwM71jU7qERALtbsURGSwQdJMmvm_D1d8GgcLuD8L_DNiXM00_buSUYIhD_pezYseR4dC_x8Db6ywU3Od0lIPor5yBtQRkpQKhV_ZUCQlen-kIlwCi_nToJFjsUEttOL1ff09mTQHoM/s320/DSC01018.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8HyAN7p4OLAjCbLyZmPu1iJzfwBkrJeVYbDBHMG85pLTKQxuFPz-GjMw4fKhN12I7g9o1M2s9B0TMjHNMcBxA61BM6_7glOJPySoLxm4REy71BewnxeaB_PurVogvA3GaHc6CM59Muu8/s1600/DSC01006.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8HyAN7p4OLAjCbLyZmPu1iJzfwBkrJeVYbDBHMG85pLTKQxuFPz-GjMw4fKhN12I7g9o1M2s9B0TMjHNMcBxA61BM6_7glOJPySoLxm4REy71BewnxeaB_PurVogvA3GaHc6CM59Muu8/s320/DSC01006.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The other thing we practised a fair amount last week was brioche. Brioche is one of our portfolio dishes that, ultimately, we have to make in our final exam. I will explain the portfolio in a different post but basically, perfecting the brioche is pretty important. The feedback so far this term has been so much more detailed than before and it is really useful to hear. We have a group feedback session so the Chef can show us the higher scoring products, as well as those that show classic mistakes. I am fairly pleased with my brioche overall, the main thing I need to work on is careful handling post prooving/ during egg wash. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9FRLCEQMrYIgHkWMgdWRGEKIK2_ydqx_btX5sQc3-ia6-IY4blPYMNotCw99luFgkKQ05C95wcC1dGw_Wjm0dU7z_yKbSsYGpWwNHQC8TzpM45_6tC61NRD0uaUT4guf_E2vaZ_SKrPs/s1600/DSC01040.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9FRLCEQMrYIgHkWMgdWRGEKIK2_ydqx_btX5sQc3-ia6-IY4blPYMNotCw99luFgkKQ05C95wcC1dGw_Wjm0dU7z_yKbSsYGpWwNHQC8TzpM45_6tC61NRD0uaUT4guf_E2vaZ_SKrPs/s320/DSC01040.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">One of the more exciting loaves we worked on this week is the pain surprise. The basic concept is to take a loaf, remove the middle dough in one piece, cut it into sandwiches and put it back, hidden, inside the crust - hense the surprise. To make ours, we started by shaping our dough into what the chef claimed was a hedgehog. However, when you see the critter I'm sure you will probably take the more popular view that it looks more like turtle. When we had made and baked our doughy monster, we removed the top 'shell', made an incision between his legs, removed the middle (not an easy task), sliced it up, made layers of sandwiches, popped them back in, put the lid on top and viola - pain surprise!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin-B8zwJSsG49-AvRb5LkWYej_jVDxb71YBkAWOJ09zI4FHbjBM0WLg2lwQElDMfa4fa84JI2rd_-JK-MQ8gogI_QTbN5sGSjU6OVXeLz2vXWsoJYGq2z63cDUjSdieBi_8eVK2nrly1g/s1600/DSC01017.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin-B8zwJSsG49-AvRb5LkWYej_jVDxb71YBkAWOJ09zI4FHbjBM0WLg2lwQElDMfa4fa84JI2rd_-JK-MQ8gogI_QTbN5sGSjU6OVXeLz2vXWsoJYGq2z63cDUjSdieBi_8eVK2nrly1g/s320/DSC01017.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy7_rNf9Mxf3hXke-uNgJWWf3fzK5Pw4GyDrv4VzPkd7I5he7kcH_7ZZgIFxFVmLCnXxj_6zG_M5cOV_KDVD9znw3iL5pn5Tv0F66WYpZWqp8d_3YFZ1ZA3ef1i4BMR-2R6qZJ9yDJfrg/s1600/DSC01034.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy7_rNf9Mxf3hXke-uNgJWWf3fzK5Pw4GyDrv4VzPkd7I5he7kcH_7ZZgIFxFVmLCnXxj_6zG_M5cOV_KDVD9znw3iL5pn5Tv0F66WYpZWqp8d_3YFZ1ZA3ef1i4BMR-2R6qZJ9yDJfrg/s320/DSC01034.JPG" width="246" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUXexUiTCcyuhx2i5jhcRSl7HGkg30L2LqyfejBffzc1AIS7YLUeEH07a6f6VAmFoNAH4DmYP3gz2L_W9dwWzx1hVHQv_K6AZs-bbX4glQakWLrxZkSqtH0nv82Gf6GGPWa-Id9M4XOdw/s1600/DSC01035.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="172" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUXexUiTCcyuhx2i5jhcRSl7HGkg30L2LqyfejBffzc1AIS7YLUeEH07a6f6VAmFoNAH4DmYP3gz2L_W9dwWzx1hVHQv_K6AZs-bbX4glQakWLrxZkSqtH0nv82Gf6GGPWa-Id9M4XOdw/s320/DSC01035.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">So far, as you can probably tell, superior is great. Its satisfying to see the skills we have learnt over the past 6 months coming together and I'm really enjoying the new schedule. We finished off our bread module by polishing off the chefs sandwiches along with a class of Kir. So dispite our new busy schedules, there is always time for a cheeky 11am cocktail to kickstart the day.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Claire Haddadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09028872212263702968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3219847841475389392.post-81947590788312227822011-04-12T14:10:00.000+01:002011-04-12T14:10:12.669+01:00ObsessedSince working at Artisan my brain has been more than a little pre occupied with chocolate. I have been day dreaming about making chocolate, travelling the cocoa growing regions of the world and (mostly) moving to France to keep on training.<br />
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Watch this video of chocolatier Patick Rogers at work and I'm sure you will be left with a glimpse of the excitement chocolate can bring. Who knows, maybe there will be a whole hoard of us uprooting to Paris.<br />
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<a href="http://vimeo.com/20937172">Magical chocolate factory video</a> .Click away.Claire Haddadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09028872212263702968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3219847841475389392.post-83136499755401141792011-04-05T20:08:00.000+01:002011-04-05T20:08:28.323+01:00Une semaine à Artisan du ChocolatMy brief spell at Artisan du Chocolat has come to an end so I thought I'd write a brief post. To be honest the only negative point I can raise is that I had to get up super early every morning (5am) to get there in time, alas, such is the life of pastry chef, so I guess I had better get used to it. And it did mean I saw some rather lovely sunrises on the M25 along the way. Apart from that I had a truly wonderful time. Firstly, all the staff were so nice to work with and tried to show me as much as possible. Secondly, I got to see basically every stage of the process from chocolate making right the way to packaging, and thirdly, I was quite literally surrounded by incredible chocolate all day long.<br />
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Although I was aware of a lot of the products Artisan make before arriving, I was shocked to see quite how much variety they were producing and also didn't realise that <a href="http://www.fortnumandmason.com/Chocolate-Bars,1162.aspx">Fortnum and Mason</a> chocolate was also made there. It was nice to be in the factory during the Easter buzz and see all the <a href="http://www.artisanduchocolat.com/easter-collection.html">easter collection</a> getting made, the place was rife with eggs and bunnies. It also made me think more about the importance of packaging. Although the chocolate made there is really very delicious, all the packaging itself is so nice and well considered that it truly is the cherry on top.<br />
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Here are some of my Easter picks:<br />
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1. Creme de la Creme Eggs<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU_WzT0Jzi8WXSs7D3ur2nj1cytS4s60DBoelsP-C9U1W47OQ8whxL8EuOABAxkAj5zF5Qb5s1tPa4QpEdwLcrb0j0jPivj1f34-4h-uA3Rm2FdZYoJQm36tsUICIzMRU0rfWqLlzbv5g/s1600/creme.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU_WzT0Jzi8WXSs7D3ur2nj1cytS4s60DBoelsP-C9U1W47OQ8whxL8EuOABAxkAj5zF5Qb5s1tPa4QpEdwLcrb0j0jPivj1f34-4h-uA3Rm2FdZYoJQm36tsUICIzMRU0rfWqLlzbv5g/s320/creme.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> These bite sized treats are a bit of a take on the classic cream egg. My favourite is the milk chocolate shell filled with a white chocolate ganache and passion fruit filling. Absolutely brilliant. Having said that, these may be a bit more that marmite than your classic Easter treat. Whilst two of my housemates gobbled these down with glee, the third handed it back after one bite. I, however, would strongly recommend them and at £1.50 its definatley worth the gamble. The other flavour is dark chocolate apricot and mandarin. yum yum.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">2. Pastel Plush Bunny</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdQToM-5b8FOgjETgPYT4nhrX4V64JaVlm9mkJS5zvZ_QdSZOgCKesuZ8nL0T8UQdazN6aMc1BeNeXanCAq1S7mdTSZtnuQFu4u0lRqN3KtJVr636XAEQezj1mZPlPeAB1KoaIi7ZsLxw/s1600/fluffy_pastel_bunnies.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdQToM-5b8FOgjETgPYT4nhrX4V64JaVlm9mkJS5zvZ_QdSZOgCKesuZ8nL0T8UQdazN6aMc1BeNeXanCAq1S7mdTSZtnuQFu4u0lRqN3KtJVr636XAEQezj1mZPlPeAB1KoaIi7ZsLxw/s320/fluffy_pastel_bunnies.jpg" width="320" /></a> </div>These are milk chocolate, sprayed with cocoa butter and incredibly cute. What more could girl want at Easter?<br />
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3. The Artichoke Egg<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6EsPIjIhXD9glYLjJPNwCqL7R9CkbZhgR23FCpVwPr_JnPSt1dauXc6bo74R8sCddXVla34Vppu8osgBgZ4jE2XQDZE60qKZsBYJC8CYz3nxWGYpcgXdld-n2haFtbmFaza_QfcqeyhM/s1600/188524_10150132303727618_62768212617_6558023_1177789_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6EsPIjIhXD9glYLjJPNwCqL7R9CkbZhgR23FCpVwPr_JnPSt1dauXc6bo74R8sCddXVla34Vppu8osgBgZ4jE2XQDZE60qKZsBYJC8CYz3nxWGYpcgXdld-n2haFtbmFaza_QfcqeyhM/s320/188524_10150132303727618_62768212617_6558023_1177789_n.jpg" width="319" /></a></div>I spent a day and a half making these and, even though a bit pricier than the rest, they really are a labour of love. So much so that I didn't even make half a dozen on day one. I managed to speed up significantly on day two, but even so one of these bad boys needs a good 40 minutes of TLC before it is ready to be sprayed. This egg really packs in the chocolate with a dark chocolate shell and base, covered in chocolate squares and filled with chocolate pearls. Its just a bit special.<br />
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Anyway, that's enough Artisan love. As you can probably tell, I had a rather nice time and my fascination with chocolate seems to be growing by the day.<br />
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Back to school tomorrow and I really can't wait. <span class="short_text" id="result_box" lang="fr"><span class="hps" title="Click for alternate translations">La vie est belle.</span></span>Claire Haddadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09028872212263702968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3219847841475389392.post-54664123722368433152011-03-26T15:10:00.000+00:002011-03-26T15:10:20.299+00:00Choc-a-bloc chocalate.We start back for the grand final of our course in April and so have a short holiday break inbetween before the maddness begins. I've managaed to get myself a bit of work experience with the wonderful <a href="http://www.artisanduchocolat.com/">Artisan du Chocolat</a> to learn a bit more about chocolates from a slightly more industrial point of view. The company makes luxury and innovative chocolates with lots of exciting flavours and textures ranging from basil and lime to liquid salted caramels. I've only been there a few days but so far its been great to see a whole new world, literally full of chocolates. I've been making lots of moulded eggs and rabbits in the build up for Easter as well as seeing some of the exciting industry equipment. The rabbits are sprayed with coloured cocoa butter to give them an adorable furry effect. Being shown the in's and out's of a steam pressured heater might not be everyones cup of tea but watching that cream cook away truly makes my day. Another week to go so hopefully I'll get to see (and eat) lots more.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVuitIyJyH4Xr_bD0xOTJe-MWhtfLQsKW8-8UbVWKhuzBOXh4Q6tu08ujb4GbIgGIM2X0cWXAhpmAP22jUjP23259ObdytVhwhNA8wpxUac8TRhjm9Aa0Dxnz51XwBDw-QkIus2sGzvtQ/s1600/fluffy_pastel_bunnies.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVuitIyJyH4Xr_bD0xOTJe-MWhtfLQsKW8-8UbVWKhuzBOXh4Q6tu08ujb4GbIgGIM2X0cWXAhpmAP22jUjP23259ObdytVhwhNA8wpxUac8TRhjm9Aa0Dxnz51XwBDw-QkIus2sGzvtQ/s320/fluffy_pastel_bunnies.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpY390FZX-RztoWnX0xqAKYoivfUyVAPfVpN_zsV_97FtXP5ayToK7Sv_WHfG9uZbZF1vEMQT3dPG4aPW0s1XvN3iCNLH-3nkUTc36mqODDm88Qlbhilcnz2CcH9v3M1nHi7XggrwmPvc/s1600/lsc_truffle_25.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpY390FZX-RztoWnX0xqAKYoivfUyVAPfVpN_zsV_97FtXP5ayToK7Sv_WHfG9uZbZF1vEMQT3dPG4aPW0s1XvN3iCNLH-3nkUTc36mqODDm88Qlbhilcnz2CcH9v3M1nHi7XggrwmPvc/s320/lsc_truffle_25.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAjHruPM9MeK5nhdx84h_UTcmwFhXXdGylpvvdmDcgpwzRAD_Hdm5U6DhkJsyVpTxp3PdSiYBLN8l8BkmrBoFdG-14RqmLHimI0SMVIXYY3Ro8nXl8qFRE9rmKAy5Taug71bZemoj446Y/s1600/cout99_1_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAjHruPM9MeK5nhdx84h_UTcmwFhXXdGylpvvdmDcgpwzRAD_Hdm5U6DhkJsyVpTxp3PdSiYBLN8l8BkmrBoFdG-14RqmLHimI0SMVIXYY3Ro8nXl8qFRE9rmKAy5Taug71bZemoj446Y/s320/cout99_1_.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Claire Haddadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09028872212263702968noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3219847841475389392.post-61372069409138175312011-03-26T14:46:00.000+00:002011-03-26T14:46:18.647+00:00A bear and a beeAs Spring and Easter rapidly approached, my second term at school can to an end. We finished off Intermediate with a few classes on cake decorating, finishing off our fruit cakes that we made at the begining of term to create some glorious celebration cakes. There is big business in cake decorating and if your good at it, it can be quite a lucrative skill. However, although my training has helped iron out alot of my previously cack-handed ways, I don't think I'll be called upon for any wedding cakes anytime in the near future. Fortunately for me, I'm not too fussed with cake decorating, its all a bit too fiddly for my liking.<br />
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In light of it being Spring, and needing quite a simple design, I opted for a teddy bear's picnic theme. Grass green cake, gingham rug and a pot of honey to enjoy in the sunshine.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOl45HEmKcKe6Z476MVKCOX-UQ7etOxXcsGWb4pO5gwHDy_nCXSFNc8dPCFabDcGXH9nzQfGIi_08LMFbdDa36p1Ko-GKA1QAirY1H6rrNqeOpY98GCf6o8JdeFhtq9DkBUp_jCN2um_4/s1600/DSC00996.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="253" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOl45HEmKcKe6Z476MVKCOX-UQ7etOxXcsGWb4pO5gwHDy_nCXSFNc8dPCFabDcGXH9nzQfGIi_08LMFbdDa36p1Ko-GKA1QAirY1H6rrNqeOpY98GCf6o8JdeFhtq9DkBUp_jCN2um_4/s320/DSC00996.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
I think it worked out okay and was quite fitting to my personality next to some of the beautiful flowers created by my peers. The teddy did look particularly cute poking out of the box on the way home and made me feel like I was on the way to a childrens party. Shame the cake was heavily laced with rum.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf1_8nIWoS77445Xz5Lu9OmaM5YUBH4KIZ_C918-sFrejwFUSKK__6fJ0lkRQHyKCLekAi39a3H9vmzmNC5makypf2aZ02P9doBj-yR_QiTJvkoMTX-bchWswnoMfb5AmOTSytZN2w1Xk/s1600/DSC00999.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf1_8nIWoS77445Xz5Lu9OmaM5YUBH4KIZ_C918-sFrejwFUSKK__6fJ0lkRQHyKCLekAi39a3H9vmzmNC5makypf2aZ02P9doBj-yR_QiTJvkoMTX-bchWswnoMfb5AmOTSytZN2w1Xk/s320/DSC00999.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Claire Haddadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09028872212263702968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3219847841475389392.post-68126668130580875582011-03-16T17:11:00.000+00:002011-03-16T17:11:05.025+00:00Mixed BagThis post is going to be a bit of a mixed bag of various subjects to swiftly get us all back up to date. Since last posting there has been souffles, sugar, exams and a bit of light craft on the side.<br />
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Firstly: Souffles.<br />
In order to sum up our plated dessert module for the term we took on the ultimate sink or swim pud - the souffle. The challenge is to create a light fluffy souffle that is plated up and won't collapse before reaching its eater. We made two souffles: one that i<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">s served in the ramekin (hot souffle) and another which is turned out onto a beautifully designed plate (pudding souffle). Despite having distant fears of a collapsed heap of lemony scrambled eggs, all our souffles turned out <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">a real treat. The chef even finished off the class by showing us an exciting way of serving the hot souffle, f</span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">lambé includ</span>ed. Here is a photo of my plated pudding souffle courtesy of Iphone.</span></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZJBFIMNIa7AWh0TQVczw9WeBwSLTjgBBCDW56LwedaZhvgW0eV6n0SVZB-DEjcGKq649Dje-rSN-0DT-6SyOI9CSPl_vTcYtIOZUDU4ui9-t9VaqBMFxLOEBwXKQntITBCeZca5QtCRA/s1600/IMG_0499.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZJBFIMNIa7AWh0TQVczw9WeBwSLTjgBBCDW56LwedaZhvgW0eV6n0SVZB-DEjcGKq649Dje-rSN-0DT-6SyOI9CSPl_vTcYtIOZUDU4ui9-t9VaqBMFxLOEBwXKQntITBCeZca5QtCRA/s320/IMG_0499.jpg" width="239" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Next is a brief word on sugar because we have been dedicating a fair amount of time towards it the last week or so. Firstly we had a techinchal class showing us some of the sugar skills we will be utilising next term making sculptures and what not. Secondly we have been learning how to make sugar paste cake decorations. We are in the midst of making a decorated celebration cake so watch this space. I'm thinking ladybirds and bees. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Thirdly: EXAMS!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I have had both of my Intermediate exams, written and practical. The written one was harder than last term and asked a few questions that I found a bit dubious so we will see how I get on. For the practical I got the Opera cake which I think went alright. I was quite pleased to of got the Opera because it has buttercream in it. Those of you who can remember the last exam will recall that I made a fatal buttercream related error so I was pleased to have the chance to make it again and show it who was boss. (Me). Overall I left the exam feeling a lot more elated than last time so lets hope thats a good sign. Results to come next week.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Finally, some of the more mouthwatering pictures I have posted on here have earned me the nickname "Cake tease" from a friend (<i>"Oh Claire, your such a cake tease"). </i>In light of this, I took to a bit of light craftsmenship and made myself a little slogan jumper to wear with pride:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_UN4-B5aXcvEbSEJYWgzwvgzzBwHM-LjUKJYg8Bk-ezDkFNeIcgEt0hZ6mb_YdrR1qUt3g9goFAfnow8HKiZUarj4AqVkqEXRgwD-uNV4jTChGk6ALcARXPr3OASibQ9wTsuIDBZ0-iw/s1600/IMG_0510.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_UN4-B5aXcvEbSEJYWgzwvgzzBwHM-LjUKJYg8Bk-ezDkFNeIcgEt0hZ6mb_YdrR1qUt3g9goFAfnow8HKiZUarj4AqVkqEXRgwD-uNV4jTChGk6ALcARXPr3OASibQ9wTsuIDBZ0-iw/s320/IMG_0510.jpg" width="312" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Thats all for now, fingers crossed for results!</div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></span>Claire Haddadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09028872212263702968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3219847841475389392.post-81780780984171123202011-03-04T12:06:00.000+00:002011-03-04T12:06:55.830+00:00Rate my plateThis week we had the chance to plate and present some of our efforts in our hot dessert module. Its really nice to have the chance finish off and present a dessert in its true glory because ninety percent of the time my cakes have to suffer a traumatic tube ride home before I get to slice into them, by which point they look a little less polished. It also means we can add our own touch to the plates.<br />
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The desserts on menu were: a hot chocolate fondant, an individual tarte tatin and an exotic mousse cake. The chefs showed us a few plating ideas, of which I think the mousse plates are just lovely. I think I would struggle to destroy them in a restaurant. The mousse itself has a patterned sponge and is packed with girly pastel shades; I really can't get enough of the mousses these days.<br />
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</div><div style="text-align: center;">Fancy Fondant</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl15jK-xJlei9hgxNnbPdwuViUJlD56WejC9tz_KieJ-6YS4N7R1jJy1g0SFFcb_C4Oi8uh4Zt2vT9N-9JcoCR3jTFoNxha1_XWTUf2r1Q4tRJK7mu_YtaLNrmGcuGC-u_HQ8whkZY16w/s1600/DSC00643.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl15jK-xJlei9hgxNnbPdwuViUJlD56WejC9tz_KieJ-6YS4N7R1jJy1g0SFFcb_C4Oi8uh4Zt2vT9N-9JcoCR3jTFoNxha1_XWTUf2r1Q4tRJK7mu_YtaLNrmGcuGC-u_HQ8whkZY16w/s320/DSC00643.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAf4TcF6jXO2Ik9dgCDLOun3LVnaF4FW848Z9_S2hiAx_a-3Yhai1NId__ikOgzPFZsh6b0wklwtisx6tKncgwQ9bt5zmxI_nOBSFOCLRmi8GUfZBfZbIexXt84H1f1NVda0OIn8vXXxM/s1600/DSC00645.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAf4TcF6jXO2Ik9dgCDLOun3LVnaF4FW848Z9_S2hiAx_a-3Yhai1NId__ikOgzPFZsh6b0wklwtisx6tKncgwQ9bt5zmxI_nOBSFOCLRmi8GUfZBfZbIexXt84H1f1NVda0OIn8vXXxM/s320/DSC00645.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">What a mousse</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUrpmBn32ORoLDgsF1bveNIjJsFPc8b4jszTwkvUAtzQ5aRdPML-NH-UBOceD9zGR9uAhE9nUu829N9Tc3PjX_GVaF5yw7Vf57kCBvoUXzpPhXnX3RfXf2i3kmtEIj8QXeJpW8lqqBYD0/s1600/DSC00652.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUrpmBn32ORoLDgsF1bveNIjJsFPc8b4jszTwkvUAtzQ5aRdPML-NH-UBOceD9zGR9uAhE9nUu829N9Tc3PjX_GVaF5yw7Vf57kCBvoUXzpPhXnX3RfXf2i3kmtEIj8QXeJpW8lqqBYD0/s320/DSC00652.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYa2ZqBE2TfEjcQoD8S7Np_bDCi_V9TMlPb8D8OdrlBwrEN49ZH_WXWTkS9fs_MukNGnh0ihRKh2JYEVfeZnCgHduNnvpFO9TOld9Yn4fq1UEOFMCetvRpV1oHGA8a3PviIsoCMMinv8c/s1600/DSC00658.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYa2ZqBE2TfEjcQoD8S7Np_bDCi_V9TMlPb8D8OdrlBwrEN49ZH_WXWTkS9fs_MukNGnh0ihRKh2JYEVfeZnCgHduNnvpFO9TOld9Yn4fq1UEOFMCetvRpV1oHGA8a3PviIsoCMMinv8c/s320/DSC00658.jpg" width="278" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEirjzYHIidOiEccMzv9gOKyfCkxpgyWB7C2Vb8QPWFUsq18CZnJUqKCzWefmbOLYYMC-zLoiEubVyTVfh21ToQZhzuZKulvq37gEYNnkY5yfDtiUbnpCuxInkeGlcrtJ97UB_oPOGyBg/s1600/DSC00659.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEirjzYHIidOiEccMzv9gOKyfCkxpgyWB7C2Vb8QPWFUsq18CZnJUqKCzWefmbOLYYMC-zLoiEubVyTVfh21ToQZhzuZKulvq37gEYNnkY5yfDtiUbnpCuxInkeGlcrtJ97UB_oPOGyBg/s320/DSC00659.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">In class we made not only the desserts but the sauces, tuilles, chocolate and sugar work to decorate. We worked nicely as a team again for the desserts and then made our decorations and plated up individually. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">First to plate was the tarte tatin, followed by the fondant. Whilst marking our plates, the chef cut into the fondant to ensure it had the required oozy, gooey chocolate middle. Unfortunately, this tantalised my taste buds so much I ate the whole plate right there and then and by the time it came to take a picture, this was all that was left..</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKKgVLAPsT_69w9YTnwO59_bC6ag712mO59j7kaUAY8j71tpUvLEp1hTcmIqWPRRPveBuTLLD1-B9-c0MKz0bcmcMVY15xAXgN-mGey1KcfU8FtEdM0JE3eY-qAs1Ajic3keoD2PwVsbE/s1600/DSC00660.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="177" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKKgVLAPsT_69w9YTnwO59_bC6ag712mO59j7kaUAY8j71tpUvLEp1hTcmIqWPRRPveBuTLLD1-B9-c0MKz0bcmcMVY15xAXgN-mGey1KcfU8FtEdM0JE3eY-qAs1Ajic3keoD2PwVsbE/s320/DSC00660.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The tarte had only made a short journey into my cake tin, so I quickly re-plated for the snap. I kept the plate simple with a piped sugar apple decoration and sauces sat in chocolate swirls. A bit too much sauce in some cases.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy596rrtPJQPNdUzvoUIT7931-isi8XMek3yCMxzTVlnYO92wAWE9OpE4EZnSUbNU72LccezNy3QVWZYH3P20v_FLHg8j4RDAii-2fo18zYh6QKBQgJDKY9oevOeIBiUX_aP9kH4BfZ38/s1600/DSC00662.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy596rrtPJQPNdUzvoUIT7931-isi8XMek3yCMxzTVlnYO92wAWE9OpE4EZnSUbNU72LccezNy3QVWZYH3P20v_FLHg8j4RDAii-2fo18zYh6QKBQgJDKY9oevOeIBiUX_aP9kH4BfZ38/s320/DSC00662.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The missing fondant was a plate a really liked so I am quite annoyed to have let my stomach do the thinking. It was sat on a sugar lattice,poured with custard and had fresh sliced raspberrys and sugar spirals sat on top. Alas, you will just have to use your imagination.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The final dessert we made was the mousse. I decorated with an abstract tuille basket and a chocolate crown. The picture doesnt show it up that well but the sponge had an "XOXO" hugs&kisses pattern on which looked particularly cute.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5CQ-o6yfiiJ-3NnmczKQL1o-3v3-TTKZJcfKteZPbPxgceBlUA6CplCnNS5xMegdmth7zOq898kjF8243jIWnEvktKh0fN5z9Q1UMVLOceatVmKw_juWZcdN-T4JsZYmXM11c3xNuolw/s1600/DSC00669.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5CQ-o6yfiiJ-3NnmczKQL1o-3v3-TTKZJcfKteZPbPxgceBlUA6CplCnNS5xMegdmth7zOq898kjF8243jIWnEvktKh0fN5z9Q1UMVLOceatVmKw_juWZcdN-T4JsZYmXM11c3xNuolw/s320/DSC00669.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Plating up is a tad nerve racking for fear of ruining your dessert in the blink of a misplaced sauce. However, I feel like I must actually be starting to overpower my messy ways because my plates were smudge free and relatively neat! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div>Claire Haddadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09028872212263702968noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3219847841475389392.post-10359049305596816062011-03-04T01:38:00.001+00:002011-03-04T01:41:10.593+00:00Long time no seeI better start this blog of with an apology to my number one reader. Sorry Mum. It has indeed been a while since I last posted and there is much to catch up on, pictures to see etc, but I promise, I'm on it. So far in the story, we had reached the part where the mousse-y module came to an end and the chocolate work was about to begin, so lets start from there.<br />
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Two weeks ago, my week began and ended with these little delights:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-_tQ4ZlTeCz_DjdSRnypOyHQUH6Sk3H0ZELYdxkTk1xegl9rBZhapT7DlW44UzUqYdthZr_mrrhhWDjGIlaEJmlFQWn6I1KWecf5ftW0if4pfywdNjJx3QB72LLiovuRGs8eaWhVD7lU/s1600/DSC00616.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-_tQ4ZlTeCz_DjdSRnypOyHQUH6Sk3H0ZELYdxkTk1xegl9rBZhapT7DlW44UzUqYdthZr_mrrhhWDjGIlaEJmlFQWn6I1KWecf5ftW0if4pfywdNjJx3QB72LLiovuRGs8eaWhVD7lU/s320/DSC00616.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Our lessons were spent making a variety of chocolates that could be used as nice petit fours, or scoffed in greedy handfuls, whichever tickles your fancy. We made: white chocolate truffles, filled with raspberry and Malibu ganache, dark chocolate truffles filled with milk chocolate and cointreau, caramel cups loaded with Baileys and, my favourite, the heavenly Malakoff. Although all the chocolates were delicious, the Malakoff stands out as a bit special, filled with sliced almonds, praline and pistachios. We worked as a team again to ensure we had bundles of chocolates to take home.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj2-Fazbo7bWYNPyLohP4rskZzNgQbM8a5LRZgTEVXODHO3J0BxMzyHf_5RFYqZYRwjbhDp8m7GUDdXs02qT-hr2ZImRXNFe4dypm7V_2UHTiuU2nxuW0NblM6YyUZQEv_003KpegVDwA/s1600/DSC00620.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhj2-Fazbo7bWYNPyLohP4rskZzNgQbM8a5LRZgTEVXODHO3J0BxMzyHf_5RFYqZYRwjbhDp8m7GUDdXs02qT-hr2ZImRXNFe4dypm7V_2UHTiuU2nxuW0NblM6YyUZQEv_003KpegVDwA/s320/DSC00620.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQpq8YUM4d_9soU66Rx8OwQnGlT-xvAQlKAY4u5f8MxYTwcERiMNj8_3wSMmIPj0xbd_WhjaBdwK-ta8tLFPu2hhqbdCubGekAs1fmPVb0CxohT_CAtErTlO1j6cNRgWyQHRTzUBnh-Jk/s1600/DSC00622.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQpq8YUM4d_9soU66Rx8OwQnGlT-xvAQlKAY4u5f8MxYTwcERiMNj8_3wSMmIPj0xbd_WhjaBdwK-ta8tLFPu2hhqbdCubGekAs1fmPVb0CxohT_CAtErTlO1j6cNRgWyQHRTzUBnh-Jk/s320/DSC00622.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The only chocolates we had to make individually were these hand moulded gems which may just pop up in our superior exam next term.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvYvmZog0vtht4ydNPW7-RqLYUS0XpAD39KAPcmjHPsN9q_NSTLgAuP0h3q4wpSh8iuBmEKY1g2nwuY4OI8RKUo9p3Shq8enrJUkEAEU7uQ4-1EyisQAHqRjXLFu9DHMdnNCuSfpTBIrk/s1600/DSC00624.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvYvmZog0vtht4ydNPW7-RqLYUS0XpAD39KAPcmjHPsN9q_NSTLgAuP0h3q4wpSh8iuBmEKY1g2nwuY4OI8RKUo9p3Shq8enrJUkEAEU7uQ4-1EyisQAHqRjXLFu9DHMdnNCuSfpTBIrk/s320/DSC00624.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The main challenge faced is making sure the chocolate is well tempered but also warm enough so that it doesn't set the instant you use it. One more tap and a bit less chocolate dripping off my fingers and I'd score myself well on these.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The next task of the lesson was to make a chocolate centre piece. School gave us some templates to choose from, or the option of bringing in out own. I opted for the latter, choosing to make a chocolate Totoro. For those of you unlucky enough not to have come across this guy, he is a cartoon character from a Studio Ghibli film. He is also very popular in the novelty baking world. A quick google image search for "totoro cake" will prove this. I've been quite keen to get on the totoro patisserie ladder for a while now, so this was the perfect opportunity. I was quite pleased with the way his cute chocolatey expression turned out. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdgYwQNLV_Ue5GlqXNMmS-rZn_rMiTKIPRVTx8GAREwiOJpktxLpsMM2eaZDwpj_nph_HLQjh4iTEzjXUZrYM08c5A84cnMgqH8wc-A8FKwkmeVddjhKd-Yu-iu7_fUlFkrxs73Pz7ksI/s1600/DSC00627.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdgYwQNLV_Ue5GlqXNMmS-rZn_rMiTKIPRVTx8GAREwiOJpktxLpsMM2eaZDwpj_nph_HLQjh4iTEzjXUZrYM08c5A84cnMgqH8wc-A8FKwkmeVddjhKd-Yu-iu7_fUlFkrxs73Pz7ksI/s320/DSC00627.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP5bhSokq5TkDdPE86jPM7yBOKp4UQd0BWmSUPoXiXKSRir1aIZP-I2A8bPUPiQ1-AvD4Or4rlpMaA-TG8q7RXzA0LMeoWgF8Rnbfql1XKF5RtcsMSKZk27MUBO94oNEgN9tBdy7PMiZ8/s1600/DSC00628.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP5bhSokq5TkDdPE86jPM7yBOKp4UQd0BWmSUPoXiXKSRir1aIZP-I2A8bPUPiQ1-AvD4Or4rlpMaA-TG8q7RXzA0LMeoWgF8Rnbfql1XKF5RtcsMSKZk27MUBO94oNEgN9tBdy7PMiZ8/s320/DSC00628.jpg" width="226" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">All in all, despite having thoroughly stained aprons, this was a brilliant week resulting in enough goodies to share about with the masses. I even had excess chocolate left over to try take on the big boys at Lindt and make a chocolate Bunny, after all, Easters on its way</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div>Claire Haddadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09028872212263702968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3219847841475389392.post-88211892848777363502011-02-17T12:01:00.002+00:002011-03-04T01:45:23.789+00:00Last of the MoussesIm not sure whether or not it was due to the particularly high sugar content of our cakes this week, but the spirits in the kitchen were high. These are the last two mousse-y cakes we are making before moving on to chocolate next week. Not only are they full of cream and chocolate, but fun to make and provide the best guilty pleasure when eaten. That licking-out-the mixing-bowl type guilt. I'm sure when you hear about them you'll understand why.<br />
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Cake number on<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">e is the poires au caramel religieuses. It consists of: a chocolate sponge that is sprinkled with nuts before baking, caramel poached pears, a rich chocolate mousse, a chocolate glaze and, lovingly piped, chocolate pear decoration. The mousse and pears are layered inside the nutty sponge case and the combination is a real winner. It looks a little something like this:</span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjool7cmltcGrrkrnlEWyCoIsFiWElZ1yV-7fJymmn9KmbstL0DFIlK9cJJcEri0GrlALwhdlIaba8dkXyfg1WApIEKzMuVxPFUhv3tdG0eHWjkVe5Z3NjQeRthuvlQtf_q_fSFDEUeU_o/s1600/DSC00532.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="245" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjool7cmltcGrrkrnlEWyCoIsFiWElZ1yV-7fJymmn9KmbstL0DFIlK9cJJcEri0GrlALwhdlIaba8dkXyfg1WApIEKzMuVxPFUhv3tdG0eHWjkVe5Z3NjQeRthuvlQtf_q_fSFDEUeU_o/s320/DSC00532.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">In order to make the chocolate pears for the top we had to temper not only dark, but white chocolate too. White chocolate is the hardest to temper because it is the lease pure chocolate and thus can be a bit tempremental. Having said that, I followed the chefs advice, showing my chocolate a bit of TLC and even whispering it a few sweet nothings, until it set with the required snap and shine. Generally I'm quite pleased with how the cake turned out. I kept my piping simple again: a tactic that seems to be working a bit better for me. The only qualm I have is that I forgot to give my chocolate pears a good taps before they set so they are mottled with pesky air pockets. Nevermind, another lesson to learnt. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8jeh8xpUwvBM-icxfE2TO2JNT7AOt6B-s5t02rTwwnB8qFrgOlqLUrz7Fnj9rA-kzAkgMOSB01trLxr__fWjW8b-XDiXTRmvhNpr76T_Zx9CsTl9Ks2go2gu6a2NloNXBI7vUE0ir73s/s1600/DSC00559.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8jeh8xpUwvBM-icxfE2TO2JNT7AOt6B-s5t02rTwwnB8qFrgOlqLUrz7Fnj9rA-kzAkgMOSB01trLxr__fWjW8b-XDiXTRmvhNpr76T_Zx9CsTl9Ks2go2gu6a2NloNXBI7vUE0ir73s/s320/DSC00559.jpg" width="247" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIT7E1slcSft1rraKWNqOWFCTrlq6eZUXu2T00cBpopJ6exNsf2fsGrRKofufiOvtZQTTM2EoQuJGrqySXIHbMOZLBe6vs5Dpi9hHWhMcvYIhVSNvmTMQW-MNTN-_hXgjWMhCrg43_Azg/s1600/DSC00560.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIT7E1slcSft1rraKWNqOWFCTrlq6eZUXu2T00cBpopJ6exNsf2fsGrRKofufiOvtZQTTM2EoQuJGrqySXIHbMOZLBe6vs5Dpi9hHWhMcvYIhVSNvmTMQW-MNTN-_hXgjWMhCrg43_Azg/s320/DSC00560.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: inherit;">The second cake of the week, white chocolate and pistachio entrement, is the real sugar kick. Although I think the cake is reminiscent of a childrens p</span>arty, it would probably be a nightmare to have at one, unless your preared for some seriously hyper kiddies. Not only is this cake made with a wonderful white chocolate mousse, but it has a hidden layer of red berry jelly waiting inside. The posh twist that moves this away from the toddlers menu is the pistachio sponge and the tempered dark chocolate decoration. The cake is finished with a white chocolate glaze with dark chocolate marbling.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNnkNO8zSWtA_Y24ZJMwMZtjsiD5jXD-rW8FhsbAGyMG3elIKKnPcJseawD5JmUWroJz6uLMIxCJIuN_tbXpcPDCL4eqq_6j57sUUbd7bgJVhs6xu_xhfqmh2M58iGAG-41xBFq7bDn2I/s1600/DSC00549.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNnkNO8zSWtA_Y24ZJMwMZtjsiD5jXD-rW8FhsbAGyMG3elIKKnPcJseawD5JmUWroJz6uLMIxCJIuN_tbXpcPDCL4eqq_6j57sUUbd7bgJVhs6xu_xhfqmh2M58iGAG-41xBFq7bDn2I/s320/DSC00549.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP8nWP85sXiDJpf-nioCFL3We8Vx06vil5EKp_8Myo9U96qh53bCE2t2un1kDaqvd0T8-mdd2vcOa-_oHk0_nXfYXPpe9f7KOW2w3RGg22luMnIKujnY-dvv1PIgbJMvNudZT141Upu7E/s1600/DSC00548.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="209" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP8nWP85sXiDJpf-nioCFL3We8Vx06vil5EKp_8Myo9U96qh53bCE2t2un1kDaqvd0T8-mdd2vcOa-_oHk0_nXfYXPpe9f7KOW2w3RGg22luMnIKujnY-dvv1PIgbJMvNudZT141Upu7E/s320/DSC00548.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3rD78KmMGjJPWIAoI30gLeCGQqlzon-YsuIC8-8df66PrAopRp7aqZjj_4elEGsffBCsUZxXkSeFwB6bZ6BioDM1REyhI8M53Co6VipNj8fKZGfzAmuN14Q9w-uv3Ju73livqAVATXcM/s1600/DSC00554.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3rD78KmMGjJPWIAoI30gLeCGQqlzon-YsuIC8-8df66PrAopRp7aqZjj_4elEGsffBCsUZxXkSeFwB6bZ6BioDM1REyhI8M53Co6VipNj8fKZGfzAmuN14Q9w-uv3Ju73livqAVATXcM/s320/DSC00554.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTzFebkSC8XF4wQyJ53-i2FjeTIh65HfYMWp0O1iQLYmV-eUkI3mrnwrVE01QJ7vxyxNIzyh61_MqNlY2wv3RAmZHlAw5UBLDVBACOD767b8Ijeh0WcLegoOHl8kiU8kKkbjAqEgqTEtA/s1600/DSC00555.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTzFebkSC8XF4wQyJ53-i2FjeTIh65HfYMWp0O1iQLYmV-eUkI3mrnwrVE01QJ7vxyxNIzyh61_MqNlY2wv3RAmZHlAw5UBLDVBACOD767b8Ijeh0WcLegoOHl8kiU8kKkbjAqEgqTEtA/s320/DSC00555.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">As you can see from the rather galactic finish on the chocolate, we got to play with a little bit of shimmer this week. Having pots of gold and silver glitter in the kitchen was a bit like being allowed to play with your Mum's make up when you were younger. Should I go for silver-violet or silver-pink? Decisions, decisions. Once the big choice was made, we brushed this onto an embrossed acetate sheet, poured over some tempered chocolate, and scored in the shapes we wanted. I had a slightly scary moment when I was removing my cake ring which caused the mousse to drag a bit but other than that it was smiles all round.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxMAjumrTVAx_fmEra8ATZyBOtuG_xlAumC1gjPrx4c9CYlFha8DLnLUWtr0llkxAqY-cNNPYvC5g8x9iKCl-Vn5iU_cvc4we7P3V8kRPwx_2WB_Qw_3g1nlHRX0ItG3ElfTHI3SGFy04/s1600/DSC00563.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxMAjumrTVAx_fmEra8ATZyBOtuG_xlAumC1gjPrx4c9CYlFha8DLnLUWtr0llkxAqY-cNNPYvC5g8x9iKCl-Vn5iU_cvc4we7P3V8kRPwx_2WB_Qw_3g1nlHRX0ItG3ElfTHI3SGFy04/s320/DSC00563.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw5Of9YDDXarkC0JhsxySyFehPWzQDVImD7PfDOHrpjMHaIwXKeOyGlBrmM71fEaeLS6mhT2NBV1sCperdKtyV2Xfi8rVJlcJzXf29F1BjNsKCloSs-ltXMwVdp9ctvnILL6YrBB8zXYQ/s1600/DSC00564.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="311" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw5Of9YDDXarkC0JhsxySyFehPWzQDVImD7PfDOHrpjMHaIwXKeOyGlBrmM71fEaeLS6mhT2NBV1sCperdKtyV2Xfi8rVJlcJzXf29F1BjNsKCloSs-ltXMwVdp9ctvnILL6YrBB8zXYQ/s320/DSC00564.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">What I like best about this cake, apart from the taste, is that from the ouside it looks quite grown up and posh, but when it is sliced the inside has fun layers of green, white and red hiding under the surface. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl8M4tS4_ObsNYjNNiVzcQyB_nZOm4IUNjoNxmY96eUyUP__yzg5XC_pldi5Dkce5lv5dPidwRMcR79G7s-1HmDoGzwCLCtKHHMgS12owByh8pi_Jac2EYZ9SddnQi0Zr0wyureoKiNmE/s1600/DSC00574.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl8M4tS4_ObsNYjNNiVzcQyB_nZOm4IUNjoNxmY96eUyUP__yzg5XC_pldi5Dkce5lv5dPidwRMcR79G7s-1HmDoGzwCLCtKHHMgS12owByh8pi_Jac2EYZ9SddnQi0Zr0wyureoKiNmE/s320/DSC00574.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Now who wouldn't want to dip their fingers in those mixing bowls?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</span>Claire Haddadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09028872212263702968noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3219847841475389392.post-18532919273769880292011-02-11T14:48:00.001+00:002011-03-04T01:44:32.899+00:00Whats a-kir-ring?For the first time since being at school we swayed away from the sweet side of life with a technichal class about savory petit fours (or canapes).<br />
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The chef slaved away producing hundred of minature treats for us to enjoy and to top it off at the end of class produced several bottles of wine, a bottle is cassis, and proceeded to make us all a class or Kir to enjoy them with. After our miniture drinks party we were giggling and ready for our practical class.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Ive said it once and I'll say it again; best school ever. </div>Claire Haddadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09028872212263702968noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3219847841475389392.post-40610985525352250352011-02-11T14:37:00.001+00:002011-03-04T01:43:56.815+00:00Trouble with Sabrina & CharlotteLast week I promised to be better with my camera. The week before I swore to practise and improve my piping. Have I dont either of these things? Seemingly not. This weeks class followed the same pattern as the last two, learning one of our potential exam dishes and one other cake.<br />
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The exam dish this week was the Sabrina cake. This cake is taken from 1954 film, Sabrina, whereby a girl heads of to learn to bake in Paris, falling in love in the process. She also, apparently, has a particular penchant for strawberries. The cake therefore is a rolled sponge, filled with a strawberry mousse. It is topped with chocolate covered marzipan, piping, pistachios etc etc. This cake is apparently the one students dread the most for the exam, but strangely score highest on. Because the base of the cake is a spiral of sponge and mousse, when it is cut into it has lovely, (hopefully) even stripes running through it. Although I had, again, forgotten my camera in class, fortunately I had my phone to snap the chefs offering<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR6YueuZhBFBtiVy2im5f3rx8I6Rp6EZfK9rfvDenG1y7xFZKkoqOAggHeJh-xllOGziaHPK9whdSDRZnZiJXncpTogtwgJWz9jk8OmyH2uSDqttvqfinDhtnX4kB69tZkbh55r7ALvTU/s1600/IMG_0438.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR6YueuZhBFBtiVy2im5f3rx8I6Rp6EZfK9rfvDenG1y7xFZKkoqOAggHeJh-xllOGziaHPK9whdSDRZnZiJXncpTogtwgJWz9jk8OmyH2uSDqttvqfinDhtnX4kB69tZkbh55r7ALvTU/s320/IMG_0438.jpg" width="239" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcG6cMqHl_z_c1Ehck6Y18lY_A3bwmSvwjADGbljRYkQQbIMYZNSw6y5gClInuaWzD1xK7XafBSDRSrO8j-GKLpQiRVBQJWh5FxfRp3t_jGFXY5nkrt6eA4L2oJVV7Sd6QTTiwn_cDW48/s1600/IMG_0439.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcG6cMqHl_z_c1Ehck6Y18lY_A3bwmSvwjADGbljRYkQQbIMYZNSw6y5gClInuaWzD1xK7XafBSDRSrO8j-GKLpQiRVBQJWh5FxfRp3t_jGFXY5nkrt6eA4L2oJVV7Sd6QTTiwn_cDW48/s320/IMG_0439.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The demo of this was okay. I was pleased to of tempured my chocolate on my first attempt. Heat to 45˚C, cool to 27˚C, warm to 31˚C by touch and hope it sets with a shine. However, I was not pleased when I swiftly ruined my beautifully tempered chocolate by holding my knife at the wrong angle when marking it and leaving a bit of a mess behind. Alas, C'est la vie. Other than that I'd say my efforts were average, passable for the exam, but not high scoring.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCo2XCAMdEb13fLJVFBsPrI6zYoYRBjuUdXu7cPqzS2uJACfwG2yZQkGbiOqpI6TK_TGO4Jehea9qotlqpBAHJmZ4SxxebCLtBgK7ml5p9TMEE-OYtvmXV0ycvGxqf1RhlqN4DS02kGUc/s1600/DSC00506.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCo2XCAMdEb13fLJVFBsPrI6zYoYRBjuUdXu7cPqzS2uJACfwG2yZQkGbiOqpI6TK_TGO4Jehea9qotlqpBAHJmZ4SxxebCLtBgK7ml5p9TMEE-OYtvmXV0ycvGxqf1RhlqN4DS02kGUc/s320/DSC00506.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjfTGMf8L_fRG3B5cI9P-1jZ_QNmlLcYItIqFMp-KMo63GykE41U2_UxL6oy1XrOMz99OtAWw5ZzPJMdQ9m6kxypj7sQqoD-QEBJVWTFBV5lXY8tUmhpc0lOhhLrO3qhbQp1dww1SyKc0/s1600/DSC00507.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjfTGMf8L_fRG3B5cI9P-1jZ_QNmlLcYItIqFMp-KMo63GykE41U2_UxL6oy1XrOMz99OtAWw5ZzPJMdQ9m6kxypj7sQqoD-QEBJVWTFBV5lXY8tUmhpc0lOhhLrO3qhbQp1dww1SyKc0/s320/DSC00507.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Next up was the return of the Charlotte. Some of you may remember from last term that I kind of fell for Charlotte so I was pleased to have her back in my life. This time we were making a chestnut (Marron) mousse encased in a sweet ladyfinger sponge. The idea is to pipe the sponge so that it holds its shape and gives the outside of the cake a bit of class. The decoration for this cake is a marzipan scroll piped with "Marron" (not Moron/morron/momman). The cake is finished with a white chocolate border</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhThANS1axnQipiejHljle8n2sq2WoRNX-d0Wriq4t3y9nBN7QjZrFRjUtPeOcjPhvmUKzVs-ivY79-OgS6mcNSxyJK2Zh4OHLUgmtS0s7ZdzLyCzHKT4SKXYpZjX8DR9BLNhqyovTLqWg/s1600/DSC00493.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="292" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhThANS1axnQipiejHljle8n2sq2WoRNX-d0Wriq4t3y9nBN7QjZrFRjUtPeOcjPhvmUKzVs-ivY79-OgS6mcNSxyJK2Zh4OHLUgmtS0s7ZdzLyCzHKT4SKXYpZjX8DR9BLNhqyovTLqWg/s320/DSC00493.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoThamQw58pWyuNFP5_Gx54EP920FdSpUSyzbLMY7r4qxUbNKio2h5yg6p2vHefYm78YYrTy-0ysoZX1lwMIcltVr_S40B-b7kRyjH1ii2ZJ_FW_pOTkFG2RD6EYdBS_3QFlMhEhQg45g/s1600/DSC00499.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoThamQw58pWyuNFP5_Gx54EP920FdSpUSyzbLMY7r4qxUbNKio2h5yg6p2vHefYm78YYrTy-0ysoZX1lwMIcltVr_S40B-b7kRyjH1ii2ZJ_FW_pOTkFG2RD6EYdBS_3QFlMhEhQg45g/s320/DSC00499.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I'm sure you'll be surprised to hear that it was the piping that the main problem of this Charlotte. Shockingly piping on the wibbly wobbly scroll was pretty much impossible and at the end of class we had many interesting versions of "Marron" across the class. I swiftly avoided the moron trap, instead piping something that the chef interpretted as a cry for my mother "Maman". Seeing this, he advised me to keep my border as simple as possible, I did and it turned out better.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCpz-zHrD7d_cmB3nCRDPI-q7WDTt2lr4anil6_Oo-RxMO4H7iMXwvyZOMxNuB0LDsHDLGk8Zwj5XeHDRFoTj1o6KgNSeFFmXranYjnriKKR5ZCZ0-6JYjrJyYqbkWYKoRK48feeTeLIA/s1600/DSC00508.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCpz-zHrD7d_cmB3nCRDPI-q7WDTt2lr4anil6_Oo-RxMO4H7iMXwvyZOMxNuB0LDsHDLGk8Zwj5XeHDRFoTj1o6KgNSeFFmXranYjnriKKR5ZCZ0-6JYjrJyYqbkWYKoRK48feeTeLIA/s320/DSC00508.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Despite this, I do still have a soft spot for Charlotte, I might even ask her to spend Valentines with me.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div>Claire Haddadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09028872212263702968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3219847841475389392.post-28810938914867038352011-02-06T15:36:00.002+00:002011-03-04T01:42:39.060+00:00Hungarian HipposTechnology has not been on my side this week, or at least not on my mind. My week began with the disappearance of my beloved iPhone putting me out of communitcation, never on time and a bit lost. This set me up nicely for forgetting to charge my camera meaning, I'm afraid, this blog is a bit sparse. I managed to use the last second of power to quickly snap my three offerings but couldn't take any of the chefs, nor attempt to get a decent picture. Nonetheless, on we plough.<br />
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This week we made the second potential exam dish - the Opera cake. This is layers of sponge, ganache and coffee buttercream. My taste buds have only just matured towards coffee and can be a bit hit and miss, but this cake really is delicious. Its topped with a lovely shiny glaze and, of course, piped with chocolate. This week I was surprisingly pleased with my piping. It was perhaps a bit simplistic after seeing the chefs swirly border (which I'm sure you can imagine by now) but it was neat enough and my writing was at least legiable this time!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitSqAvNve1R561hgb6g7i3goW9n1huR-FFPvOFYBTL8al4-wzhWYbVDlVmVp8Rhj3suOrm52SheIKOgegaLE8IRQMowmtY5dOyLdnYNbeLd6ax7x-AuTMm6AuPP9SJom6zqpp4B_QveWI/s1600/DSC00486.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitSqAvNve1R561hgb6g7i3goW9n1huR-FFPvOFYBTL8al4-wzhWYbVDlVmVp8Rhj3suOrm52SheIKOgegaLE8IRQMowmtY5dOyLdnYNbeLd6ax7x-AuTMm6AuPP9SJom6zqpp4B_QveWI/s320/DSC00486.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The next cake of the week was a traditional Hungarian cake called the Dobos which is a thin biscuit-y sponge layered with mountains of ganache. The stacked cake is cut at an angle in half, shaped into a triangle and covered in more ganache and a glaze. The cutting is quite tricky because of the different textures of the cake and the unusual angle. In demo I thought the cake was a tad dry so I gave it a good rum syrup soak and it seemed to go down alright.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9UFZ9KPT20L8MDtQ2vTv7dD1Uc2zJxFrWkzT0QtF5EhPo32Sgq5bq861z2WXDBzm_8HegnF3naR7LYtR2ODKPjHFZzcLs6WIOgL0mtjbs7V0fk3uSoZbNq-fyoIB0CGOcNddwfp7USl4/s1600/DSC00492.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9UFZ9KPT20L8MDtQ2vTv7dD1Uc2zJxFrWkzT0QtF5EhPo32Sgq5bq861z2WXDBzm_8HegnF3naR7LYtR2ODKPjHFZzcLs6WIOgL0mtjbs7V0fk3uSoZbNq-fyoIB0CGOcNddwfp7USl4/s320/DSC00492.jpg" width="318" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The third cake of the week was a very pretty raspberry roulade that made me go over all girly and giggly whilst making it. It is what I think should be called hippopotamus pink and tastes light and fluffy like a raspberry cloud. What a delight!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">As pretty as a...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfiYtMqaWOG8ixBWwaLtmOrCQvvsWHTtDBegX861ns9uv4limBjeHSu7rcROcAi6tO5RCsClwk18TtsuwMJReiNtMhxfnKNOc9u9h2UxfvNAf2VS_yksYnwVTeL6IMy-gzwgqaq7vEn1Q/s1600/pink-hippo_1727190c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfiYtMqaWOG8ixBWwaLtmOrCQvvsWHTtDBegX861ns9uv4limBjeHSu7rcROcAi6tO5RCsClwk18TtsuwMJReiNtMhxfnKNOc9u9h2UxfvNAf2VS_yksYnwVTeL6IMy-gzwgqaq7vEn1Q/s320/pink-hippo_1727190c.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div>I've got my camera fully charged and ready to go along with a new phone so next week I will be more on the ball.Claire Haddadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09028872212263702968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3219847841475389392.post-36335428658621328962011-01-28T17:13:00.002+00:002011-01-28T17:13:41.073+00:00That's done the trick<div style="text-align: center;">Happiness restored</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLwpQSRsFPw_15XWWMCZ4EuDROoHX7qmwhbc2il5v1o6T5ZqT1Yrrwx9S1Pa93VxzvodaDS6IbutSQClWEifGYK7bHe1scKmC8hkYEajfTk2PoZdN1ntggzq9AZsZvkImW2XrkHSvMONg/s1600/DSC00467.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLwpQSRsFPw_15XWWMCZ4EuDROoHX7qmwhbc2il5v1o6T5ZqT1Yrrwx9S1Pa93VxzvodaDS6IbutSQClWEifGYK7bHe1scKmC8hkYEajfTk2PoZdN1ntggzq9AZsZvkImW2XrkHSvMONg/s320/DSC00467.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<span id="goog_520391145"></span><span id="goog_520391146"></span>Claire Haddadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09028872212263702968noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3219847841475389392.post-73872292794136150962011-01-28T16:51:00.000+00:002011-01-28T16:51:12.844+00:00Lost in the postIf "The Social Network" attempted to teach us one lesson it was "don't blog when angry". There is nothing quite like the Post Office to rile us Brits and so it goes without saying that after spending half the morning trying to track down a missing parcel I'm not in the best frame of mind. As a result, I'm going to keep this one as sweet and short as possible.<br />
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This weeks recipes were: a celebration cake (fruit cake), a Savarin and a Fraisier cake. The fruit cake we made was to be soaked in alcohol, wrapped up tight and left till the end of term to decorate. The Savarin is an another alcohol soaked cake which is a bit like a Rum baba - not really to my taste. The final cake is one of potential exam dishes and is a very girly layered strawberry cake, decorated with pink marzipan, roses and swirly piping. It also has a healthy dosing of alcohol thrown in the mix.<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;">Selection of Savarin</div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Pretty in pink</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI7m_VRDc2H4t2yeiJisRF3p7zOEmCn66KnXAxR-VZvoIQFqxP7QVKwYbMNIDtV4lVhb6FDsMl7EIDvj6bwj1pEz7wYrlOk7aaIujJG0mXPNGk9AUAHJiMFj7R3bfvrn_ML4aRUOSanf8/s1600/DSC00436.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="233" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI7m_VRDc2H4t2yeiJisRF3p7zOEmCn66KnXAxR-VZvoIQFqxP7QVKwYbMNIDtV4lVhb6FDsMl7EIDvj6bwj1pEz7wYrlOk7aaIujJG0mXPNGk9AUAHJiMFj7R3bfvrn_ML4aRUOSanf8/s320/DSC00436.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-fbhBGlqrDlN9STIjjZNOztxEbt0k1ZzuoZ0rMbJfm7dJDcVRuFYSeYoxbEVqvJXk40YCConRjiovjMF5IJaqF2jnLRSN44psDHkaoQpDqLsJmM7Ht_M8qL4tJyyGQnudTInXLD0GuQs/s1600/DSC00437.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-fbhBGlqrDlN9STIjjZNOztxEbt0k1ZzuoZ0rMbJfm7dJDcVRuFYSeYoxbEVqvJXk40YCConRjiovjMF5IJaqF2jnLRSN44psDHkaoQpDqLsJmM7Ht_M8qL4tJyyGQnudTInXLD0GuQs/s320/DSC00437.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgRGwPvT8nGWD_PRUoEYo4I1yoPgNCAM-IJQ0Vgcc0qt6zMEi7rdR4cPWNgBIJOj8qMJutx8wjnUTTuisjZe_-g_fV0MJ3FXcLm63JPADKBgJ1o4B3K-0z9Eg9K3WcG6uDc5w6d2bu5xg/s1600/DSC00439.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgRGwPvT8nGWD_PRUoEYo4I1yoPgNCAM-IJQ0Vgcc0qt6zMEi7rdR4cPWNgBIJOj8qMJutx8wjnUTTuisjZe_-g_fV0MJ3FXcLm63JPADKBgJ1o4B3K-0z9Eg9K3WcG6uDc5w6d2bu5xg/s320/DSC00439.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">This week our practicals were split into two 3 hour sessions again, with a technichal class inbetween. Finishing off the Fraisier I was again reminded that I really need to practise my piping and writing skills which currently more closely resemble a note scrawled by a 13-year old boy in a maths class than a cake topping. My marzipan rose was looking a lot healthier than back in <a href="http://whiskitforabiscuit.blogspot.com/2010/11/oh-crumbs.html">basic</a>, but still too much on the carnation side for my liking. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj8yIPXAi6D1X89an1-KrIcTulPr4LRYGFtUyPt4PqVdg-JuZLKRhxkH0Zy5pR06EFyqG9ILpvXTQWdWOKxtM_I1_MGlXkJ4UmbubFc2UtL6WuBqiswazAzwJt4h4TXya-TJ7zp2SNBdE/s1600/DSC00441.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj8yIPXAi6D1X89an1-KrIcTulPr4LRYGFtUyPt4PqVdg-JuZLKRhxkH0Zy5pR06EFyqG9ILpvXTQWdWOKxtM_I1_MGlXkJ4UmbubFc2UtL6WuBqiswazAzwJt4h4TXya-TJ7zp2SNBdE/s320/DSC00441.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyBf0FuqJQZnwbn13LXXCBxlZNaVlOuyFk9z-N4odrcMDdTihbpSoFSg1uv4NvJnXH6M-cwpKDHob3oyZaLHiVu-FMRzPBkjAGaYrRqZLTXIxRXP_j67bo7xd8zS4gfzOiJ2wK79evvHc/s1600/DSC00444.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="257" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyBf0FuqJQZnwbn13LXXCBxlZNaVlOuyFk9z-N4odrcMDdTihbpSoFSg1uv4NvJnXH6M-cwpKDHob3oyZaLHiVu-FMRzPBkjAGaYrRqZLTXIxRXP_j67bo7xd8zS4gfzOiJ2wK79evvHc/s320/DSC00444.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I'm off to get a brew, make a banoffee pie and, if that doesnt cheer me up, write a stern letter of complaint. I know, fiesty. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div>Claire Haddadhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09028872212263702968noreply@blogger.com0