Stocks and Sauces

Today I went to school the same early time I usually go. And it's totally empty, made me feel lazy today. But I realised that there was only 2 classes that day. Le Grand Diplome Professional (3pax), Superieur Patisserie (10pax the most?) So quiet. So took the opportunity to snap some photos where I usually hang out in between my classes.

On good days, there's food on the table made by production kitchen. But today's a quiet day.

Too quiet in fact. Carlos, one of the three who's in LGD Professional, didn't turn up today. Ironically, I hope he's sick or had a really really good reason not to be there, if not, it's bye bye ot him and we're down to 60% of the cohort for the rest of the year. Not a very nice statistic on LCB...

Today Chef Gilles (yay! back to cuisine!) was giving a lecture on stocks. I was so excited! I was on the edge of my seat. I hope I didn't appear rude when I was shaking my legs sometimes. I was shaking of excitement, not restlessness.

You know the smell of some kitchens when you walk past them, the first thing that hits you. The smell of the stock. The smell of the fat of the meat, bubbling to the surface, the aromatics dancing in the liquid while the chef écumer or depouiller the pot that's triple the size of his head. Yes, that smell, try to remember when you smelled that in Singapore. Almost never right? Singaporean 'restaurants' that we frequent never make their own stock... It's always powder from Knorr or Maggi. But I'm lucky to get to smell this every time the production kitchen makes stock.

So what am I making tomorrow? It's Filet de sole de Douvres Dieppoise. Dover sole with a mussels in creamy white wine sauce. Chef also made a basic white stock, fond blanc de volaille. And fond brun clair de veau, basic brown stock (veal). Tomato sauce, and Fumt de Poisson, fish stock.

Today I let myself go. I don't know how and why, but I managed to get a stain on my chef's jacket in demo. The tomato sauce was too good? I managed to stay clean and white in my chocolate practical yet I got a spot in friggin' demo. I'm hopeless... Hopelessly in love with sauces. It's the deprivation that Asian cuisine denied me. Especially the cream sauces.

It was also looking and eating dover sole for the first time. When they said that it was a flat fish, I didn't think it was literal. It's flat! Like a slab of flattened out dough. And it swims like a sting ray. It's kinda warped, but cool! Call me sadistic, but when Chef pulled the skin off the fish, I smiled inside. It looked terribly fun. I can't wait to rip off the skin of dover sole tomorrow in practical.

So tomorrow, 8.15 in practical kitchen 3A, with a clean chef's jacket on...

On the way out, I saw Chef Armando, Master Sculptor, carving some ice carvings in the cold. He seemed quite pissed off when I was there, but after walking out with Christian, he told me on of his sculptures shattered. Ouch. Major ouch. I saw a picture of LCB's staircase lined with ice carvings, now I get to see them in person. How awesome is that!

So came home without my knife kit, thought I'd leave it in school for tomorrow. But I couldn't stand not doing anything. So I ran back and grabbed my kit and started to tourne mushrooms and carrots. I'm getting better with mushrooms. But carrots. ARGH, I JUST CAN'T GET IT PERFECT!

I took 3 hours to tourne 2 boxes of mushrooms and 3kg of carrots. Along the way, I finished my Palets that I made yesterday. In the afternoon I ate all my Cigarrettes up. And now, I've got 4 madeleines left. I'm going to save them for tomorrow afternoon, after practical. They're so good! Couldn't help but having a couple when it was already 10pm...

My hands are cramped up, and I haven't done my mental prep for tomorrow's practical. So much to do, and so much time wasted resting after school... Time to pick up the pace, it's cuisine week. Get it done fast, and get it done perfect.

I hope God's favour to continue to be with me. If I'm not mistaken, I think Chef Gilles told me he saw my pastry marks, so far it's good. I couldn't believe what I just thought I heard! I hope I didn't hear wrong though... Thank God! I hope I can do excellent for cuisine as well. It's stocks, sauces and potage week. I just can't afford to screw up the foundations. Now, off to prep! Good night Canada, and have a good day Singapore.