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Lesson 2: Mille Feuille

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Hi everyone~

So class started this week on Tuesday, meaning that I had a long weekend to run more errands (lots and lots of grocery shopping) and settle in. It was really chilly the whole weekend + week thanks to the drizzling and wind 🙁

For the second demonstration, the chef showed us the mille feuille & the tarte aux fruit rouges. I really liked this demo cause of the lovely colours of the desserts (lots of red!). In our first practical (and in chef’s first demo), we had to save about 250g of inverted puff pastry to be used for our mille feuille in the second practical. I like how there was this nice transition from the first to the second class.

For every class, we have 4 people that are assigned to be team leaders. This was my week to be assigned & I was kinda nervous about it cos being a team leader means getting stuff for people (and I felt like I was going to be a burden since I’m still not the most familiar with the kitchen). Thankfully, the other 3 were super efficient & could guide me on what to do.

We got Chef Soyoun for this practical. She’s super impressive, speaking Korean, French & English all fluently (she might speak even more but these are the 3 she uses in class). This was my first time in a practical with her given that she wasn’t in the Paris campus back in 2013, but I must say that I really liked the practical with her 🙂

Overall, I was extremely pleased with how my Mille Feuille turned out – dry butter & good weather works wonders! The lighting on the day of practical was also favourable for me to take some good pictures heh. Had dinner with Julie & Isabelle (exchange friends) that night and brought Mille Feuille along. Glad that the cake didn’t go to waste & that I got a stamp of approval from two Parisians 😀

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Really enjoying the Intermediate syllabus so far & very happy bout meeting new people.

Till the next post!

xx,
Eugenia

P.S. Pardon the slightly weird focus of my photos – still getting used to my new camera (Fujifilm XT-10, with 27mm pancake lens)

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Lesson 1: Inverted Puff Pastry

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Bonjour everyone!

So school started on Friday, with what was the only day of the whole term with a demonstration & practical class on the same day. Unlike the rigour that I’d been exposed to in the intensive set for Basic Patisserie, the normal set has a pretty spread out schedule, with approximately one class a day, four times a week. We’ll see in due time whether I think the intensive course/normal one is more suitable for me haha.

It was really awesome to be back in the demo room (albeit a totally different school) and to be a pastry student again. Apart from the fact that I’d barely slept the night before, the 3 hours of class was super enjoyable and passed by pretty quickly. We were introduced to the chefs I/C of the IP group and briefed on the rules etc. that we were expected to follow in the weeks to come. In terms of strictness, I’d say that the school has definitely stepped up its game from the time I was here.

Prior to knowing the syllabus, Tenille (my friend from Trinidad & Tobago who is also not from the most recent BP batch) and I were discussing how we hoped the first class would be basic enough to handle. I’m not too sure how she felt, but when I saw that it was a class on inverted puff pastry, I started getting quite worried (my experience in basic with Pithiviers in the sweltering summer heat was horrible). The chef made it look really simple but at the same time, you could tell that the room was slightly too warm for laminating, resulting in the chef himself having a difficult time handling the deterempe.

Immediately after demo (which ended around 630pm), everyone from groups E & F rushed to the locker rooms to get changed for our practical class which was at 7pm. I was super nervous at this point, knowing that the unfamiliarity of the kitchen would be a potential hurdle in my class. Right from the beginning, I got it wrong. Unlike 4 years ago where we’d just stand wherever we pleased, my classmates were all standing at benches corresponding to their index number (I didn’t even know what mine was LOL). One of my classmates had to come up to me to tell me I was standing in her spot *oops*.

To my delight, our chef for the prac was Chef Jean-Jacques, one of my fave chefs from Basic. He kept his usual cool demeanour & I felt that familiarity from Basic once again. Everyone paired up to make different components of the puff pastry & I was lucky to have Jianhua (from China) pair up with me. She was super helpful in telling me where to get all the items & I must say we worked pretty well together 🙂

Once everything was out of the oven and we’d cleaned up, Chef went around to assess our work. Another new thing that was introduced was an evaluation journal that each of us had to bring in for the class, for Chef to give a grade based on our work. Again, I must say that the new system put in place really seems much more school-like than it was. Kudos to the academic team for that!

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Going to my second practical tomorrow – we’re using leftover puff pastry from this first one to make a mille feuille 😉 Stay tuned!

xx
Eugenia

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Back in Paris for Intermediate Patisserie at LCB

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Hi everyone!

I’ve got some awesome news to share after not posting for a year – I’m back in Paris to complete the Intermediate Patisserie at the new Le Cordon Bleu campus, bringing me one step closer to my little pastry dream (huge huge thanks to my family for supporting this dream of mine!)

Sincere apologies for not maintaining this blog over the past year. It was a hectic 2016, being the last year of school at NUS, but I promise to try my best to update this space this year. I’m sure there will be many exciting moments that I’ll want to share about, so stay tuned!

This trip back to Paris and to LCB is different from my previous one in 2013 on many levels. Firstly, I am alone – staying on my own and totally responsible for myself. Secondly, the school has moved from the original campus to a revamped bigger one *cue unfamiliarity within practical rooms*. Finally, unlike the sweltering summer that I faced in 2013, the weather at this time of the year is chilly and icy. Overall, it’s a ton of differences but an adventure nonetheless!

I arrived two days before the orientation to get settled in to the apartment and orientate myself + try to get over jet-lag. Prior to the trip, I thought I’d settle in pretty quickly, especially given that I’d lived in Paris before. Boy was I in for a huge surprise! While I did go about doing my chores and getting all the necessities for living, I was overcome with a wave of loneliness and homesickness each time I returned to my apartment. It was completely different from my previous stay in 2013, where I had Jancy to go through all of it with me. Super grateful that we’re living in an age where technology is so advanced, allowing me to FaceTime, message & call loved ones back home 🙂

Thankfully for those I’d been bothering with my incessant calls and messages, my mood improved tremendously on orientation day. I made some new friends and the warmth and familiarity of the LCB that I love and hold dear from 2013 came flooding back.

Well, here’s the end of my long-winded post about how baby-ish and emotional I got upon arriving in Paris. The future posts will definitely be much more positive & happy! (+ filled with caloric heavy pictures)

Till the next time!

Bisous,
Eugenia

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