Afternoon Tea 1

Spot The Difference

Towards the end of each term Superior students (I say this without a hint of arrogance, just quiet pride) slog through 10-hour workdays over 2 weeks to put up indulgent Afternoon Teas for the paying public. A great chance for us to recreate products learnt over the entire course and a little more, the good people of the community also get to enjoy the fruits of our labor for the low low price of $20 a pop!

Here's a glimpse of what we've been busy preparing this week, mostly for practice; all products are made fresh on service day itself. See what I mean by value-for-money?

SANDWICHES & CREPES

 Wholemeal Pagnotta With Ham, Cheddar Cheese & Dijon Mustard

Mini Baguette With Grilled Chicken, Lettuce, Tomato & Mayonnaise Dressing

Olive Focaccia With Goats Cheese & Roasted Capsicum (Vegetarian)

Crepes

PASTRIES & TEACAKES

Vacherin Meringue Served With Chantilly Cream & Fresh Fruits (Gluten Free)

Almond Shortcake With Crème Diplomat & Pistachio Croquant

Choux Pastries With Chocolate Mousseline & Chocolate Fondant Garnish

Scones With Cream & Raspberry Jam

MOUSSES, CUSTARDS & MINI GATEAUX

Tiramisu With Sponge Fingers, Mango Jelly With Fresh Berries & Cointreau Sabayon Cream

Opera Gateau

PETIT FOURS

White Chocolate Fudge

Moulded Chocolates With Honey Ganache

SERVICE DAY

Crepes & Drinks Station, Coffee!

Sunny Flambeing Crepes

Crepe Suzette For Service 

Crepes With Chantilly Cream & Raspberry Jam For Lunch :p

Piccolo. MY Piccolo. :)

I have a confession to make: I am a Hopeless. Degenerate. Coffee Junkie. Case in point:

1. I am particularly, painfully fussy about my morning joe: I gotta have it on time (within 30 minutes of waking up), steaming hot (how do you wake up with cold coffee??) and strong, real strong ("triple shot cappuccino with ground cinnamon, no sugar please" is how I roll). 

2. If I go cold turkey for just one morning, I get grumpy - granny-pushing, puppy-kicking grumpy. I walk around with a black cloud hanging over my head, furious at the world, punching everything and everyone in sight as I sink dangerously deeper into dark despair and depression, all while managing the worst pounding migraine ever. 

So you see, not only do I love my coffee, I need it. In fact I'm sipping a double shot long black as I write this. Now you know. Don't judge me.

P.s. I'm kidding about the granny and puppy abuse, really! I love 'em! So please, hold off the hate mail. :p

Original Gateau, Chocolate-less Chocolate Mousse & Glaze

Chef Karen's Chocolate-less "Chocolate" Mousse Gateau With "Chocolate" Glaze

This is the day of reckoning where we put the blueprints of our Original Gateau to the test, 2 weeks before the final assessment. But first, a short demo on making chocolate mousse and glaze with cocoa powder instead of chocolate. A chef must always be prepared for pantry emergencies and substitute under pressure.

A personal take on cocoa powder: it's underrated. I always add a tablespoon or two of it to my chocolate desserts as I find it brings a richer and more concentrated flavor without the unnecessary sweetness.

Cocoa "Cream Patisserie" Made Into Glaze

The methods are pretty unorthodox here. For the glaze we boil water, sugar, flan gel, glucose, cream and cocoa powder, remove from heat, whisk in softened gelatine and set aside to cool. If you can cook soup from a box, you can certainly make this "instant" glaze.

Once cooled the glaze will solidify and resemble cream patisserie. This is warmed over a bain marie just till it melts (28°C to 30°C is the ideal temperature for use here) and strained through a fine sieve (a chinoise or coffee filter works a treat) to remove the bubbles and attain a smooth shine, the way glazes should be.

Boiled Cocoa Slurry Lightened With Whipped Cream, Made Into Mousse

For the mousse, make a slurry with cocoa powder, cornflour and a little water (to dissolve and disperse the cocoa powder, making it easier to incorporate into the other ingredients). Boil the slurry with more water, egg yolks and sugar, remove from heat, add a knob of butter and softened gelatine, finally fold in semi-whipped cream and you have your mousse! 

The verdict? The glaze was beautiful but the mousse was more creamy than chocolaty and way too sweet. I would reduce the sugar by a third and double up on the cocoa powder if I am to make this recipe, to bring it as close as possible to real MaCoy.

Pistachio Jaconde Base With Brandy Syrup, Bottom Layer Of Kirsch Mousse

Strawberry Jelly In The Middle, Top Layer Of Kirsch Mousse

My Original Gateau consists of brandy-soaked pistachio jaconde, kirsch mousse and a kirsch-seeped strawberry jelly. I call it The Hangover©. The jaconde turned out well: cheery green with the fragrance of pistachio, but the jelly was rubbery from too much gelatine (the one in my strawberry cheesecake was runny so I decided to err on the side of caution today).

The Archilles' heel was my mousse: To ensure it set well I added extra gelatine which probably wasn't mixed thoroughly enough into the mousse: instead of setting, it sank and seeped out when the gateau was sliced, and with it sank my heart.

From Promising Top To Melting Flop

Chefs Karen and Luigi were disappointed but not as much as I was. Saving grace were the flavors which they agreed worked beautifully together. That said, I binned my creation and come home empty handed for the first time. Back to the drawing board with this one. Dang!