Cuisine last week for basic course at LCB

This week is the last for us newbies, we looked at an escargots tart with wild mushrooms, the famous canard a l'orange with waffle chips (which is what we did for our last practical), pan-fried fish steak with ratatouille, jambonette of chicken thighs (partially de-boned) with caramelised apples, and warm goat cheese salad for starters.

This will be the last of this course at LCB.  Thanks for your visits to this page, and look forward to more dishes from 19jan09.

Pastry, last for Basic Course

In the spirit of Christmas, this week, we made 2 logcakes, on which is the traditional  logcake in coffee buttercream, and another : layered pistachio in chocolate glaze.  Next, chocolate mousse with orange flavoring.  We made a 'bread pudding', called Diplomate for pratical, I remind you, this is not the basic bread pudding you see on the buffet spread in a hotel.  It's made from fresh lady finger's biscuits, aka savoyardi, and good vanilla pods.  The taste of course, is far better, light and delicious without being cloying like most bread puddings you might have tasted.

This ends the basic pastry course in LCB. 

Pastry week 13

We had an easy week - scones, muffins, brownies.  On the other hand, we made christmas logcakes with some fanciful deco.

Cuisine week 13

This week in Cuisine, we came back to fish:  pan-fried with fennel, fish terrine (inspired by Kenzo, lol) with beurre blanc sauce, and smoked salmon scrambled eggs.  We touched briefly on guinea fowl pot roasted with cabbages and morteau sausage. 

Cuisine this week...

Last week, pork chops in charcutiere sauce and potatoes dauphin, trout flan in truffle sauce, and as a treat, fruits in sabayon,  caramelised with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.  This week, we started with sauteed chicken in tarragon sauce with more turned veg (groan!), and gnocchi in basil/tomato sauce.  More to follow.

Pastry this week....

Some of these pics might look familiar to the guys who had them at Rumia over last weekend!

We started to work more on mousse cakes - sigh of relief, after all that butter creams and chocolate!!!  Finally something light!  Raspberry and vanilla bavarian cream mousse cake, casino - a bavarian mousse cake studded with mini swiss-rolls-ish pieces, poached apples with meringue, flaky pastries from last week, we touched on puff squares with raspberry jam and almond in caramel sauce, and a rather extra large portuguese egg custard tart.  

Tarts, Beef Stroganoff, Duck

In pastry this week, we went back to sweet short pastry - for tarts and such, with different fillings.  Earlier this week, we touched on flan caramel, and creme brulee, sorta desserts.  Tmw, we'll make some millefeuille - puff pastry! - groan!

For cuisine, we made a roast duck, however, I don't blame you if you mistook it for the Chinese soya braised duck.  It tastes quite similar too!  Actually, the color comes from caramelising, and thickened veal stock to make a sauce.  It did come out kinda crispy from the oven, but I guess you have to eat it right away.

Beef stroganoff - I always thought it to be a stew, well, apparently not, it's briefly sauteed tenderloin cubes with a savory spicy paprika cream sauce.  Delicious with pilaf rice.  The other is a picture of a warm souffle with cointreau flavoring.

Fondant, Veal, Onions

Gasp! The chocolate coating on top of eclairs are not ganache nor glaze, but chocolate fondant! More varieties of choux pastries, but emphasis on fondant work.

In cuisine, we made veal chops with 'grandmother-style' garnish - namely sauteed turned potatoes, mushrooms and brown glaced pearl onions.

A note on brown glaced pearl onions... they're caramelised baby red onions which are soft and sweet, it's increadibly tasty, and easy to do.  Peel some (baby shallots will do here too) pearl onions, put into a small saucepan, cover them halfway with water, a drop of butter, some salt and sugar, cook over small heat with a drop-lid until the onions are cooked through.  Remove drop lid and let the liquid evaporate.  Time to time, give it a good shake and the sugar will glaze them brown evenly all over.

Time to get messy.....

Chocolate, nothing but

 chocolate chocolate chocolate.

  Made a dense rich chocolate cake called Alhambra.  Chocolate glacing is not

 really easy either!!  You have to pour all the glace in one go and get an even shiny coating.  Tomorrow we'll be doing a charlotte aux poires (pear mousse cake).

In cuisine, we looked at a flemish leek and cheese savory tart, marinated salmon (raw), the classic blanquette de veau (veal stew in white).  I had that for my white exam this morning.  It turned out alright.  Tomorrow, for cuisine, we'll be grilling tournedos in bearnaise sauce with potatoes pont neuf (like chips, really).

More turned mushrooms..... groan!  Well, blame it on the PAD.  They blocked the airports, so we can't get our artichokes imported!