During the first demo on Monday, the chef lectured a bit about how serious we need to be, etc. I understood very little and panicked that I was making a huge mistake taking classes I would never be able to understand. After I calmed down and the chef began the lesson, I realized I understood a lot more than I thought I would. The demos also run a lot faster and more seamlessly when there isn't a translator slowing down the chef.
I was amazed at the differences is the dishes we are making. Goodbye rustic stews and meat stuffed with more meat, hello fusion cuisine. On Monday we experimented with Indian-French fusion and made John Dory fillets with tandoori , wild rice and a tropical fruit salsa. In our next cuisine class, we made lamb chops with a truffled bechamel coating and we used purple potatoes to make crisps. For pastry classes, we have made the more traditional Baba Rhum. It is a simple cake soaked for a long time in rum syrup, then garnished with a rum-flavored custard. The assemble is tricky since the soaking cake is heavy and can crumble easily.
In our practicals, we are getting a lot more freedom to be creative with our plating and presentation. I have been loving it and trying a lot of new things. I make an effort to present at least one extra sauce or garnish with every dish. Chef was very pleased when I made a mango-papaya-cilantro smoothie to accompany the tandoori fish. Unfortunately, I have forgotten my camera for the past few days, but I am trying to remember tomorrow, and for my class Saturday morning.
Sweet Dreams!
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