Pastry Engineer?

I chucked it all to move to Chicago and become a Pastry Chef

[nicolette2413]

Good Bye!

The Official end to this blog. Thanks for following my journey from Nuclear Engineer to Pastry Chef. 

[nicolette2413]

The End of the Journey

As usual, I’m late getting the pictures up here. I finally got the official photos downloaded from my final graduation last month.

These are just a few of the awesome people I met while in the program.

Some of the wonderful chef instructors and support staff at the school

The parents, who drove all the way to Chicago AGAIN, even though my mom hates traffic. And my neighbor, who made living in Chicago tolerable and fun!!

Couple shots of the after Grad super snack session! The Pastry classes did all the hard work on the bottom two pix.

Here we are, the whole graduation group from the French Pastry School 2015.

[nicolette2413]

*Sigh* I finally caved and made an Instagram account

[nicolette2413]

Good Bye Chicago

I was laying in my sleeping bag on the crappy air mattress on the floor Friday night. My apartment was 80% packed and loaded into the U-haul. I had said good bye to my awesome pack of weirdos and classmates. The contents of my fridge had been donated to my neighbor. And I was worrying myself sick…

OMG… WHAT THE HELL HAVE I GOTTEN MYSELF INTO?!?!?!?

I have no job tomorrow. I have no more GI Bill. I have no income what so ever come tomorrow morning. What am I going to do? What did I do, quitting my job and going off to play with flour and sugar? Should I have just stayed in my safe life, where I knew all my bills would be paid? What if I fail at this? What if I can’t do it in the real world?

Then it comes. The phone call. And it made me believe in myself again. It made me push all the doubts that were eating away at me aside and realize that I have already succeeded. I have already left my comfort zone for the entire last year, and done something most people only dream of. I chased a dream. It help get me through the scary, jobless night and see that I can do anything I put my mind to. (and reinforced what my mom has told me all these years…come on, we know mom is always right, but we don’t always listen).

Thank you, for being proud of me and supporting me through all this. For listening to my constant self doubts, and pointing out why my logic wasn’t valid. Thank you for the things you said, they touched me deep in the heart and will stay with me as the journey continues. Thank you for supporting this insane idea from the beginning and always being sure this was the right plan, even when I wasn’t. Thank you for being proud of me and for calling to tell me, when I was in a very scary, dark moment of worry. Thank you for being my best friend, cheerleader, provider of logic, and general sounding board for all things great and mundane.

I hope that one day, I can repay the huge debt I owe you and make that perfectly timed phone call right when you need it most.

Tank and I say good bye to the empty apartment. Last time I ever have to switch from the Red Line to the Brown Line at Belmont. Fully loaded U-Haul!

[nicolette2413]

Part 3 - Successfully Ended

Well, it’s with excitement, trepidation and abject fear that I tell you my pastry journey has come to an end with the completion of the third section of my education at the French Pastry School. On Friday 18 December, I received my certificate for the L’Art du Gâteau program.

This time last year, I was just moving to Chicago, getting settled and getting ready to embark on a weird and crazy journey to change my career path mid-life. I left a successful and well paying job to go to school full time. And when exiting school there was no guarantee of a job making more than minimum wage waiting for me. (and I actually have no job right now. As my parents have came to call me - JBL - for JOBLESS…) 

It has been a wild ride with many up and many more downs. Over the course of the year I have learned more about bread that I ever thought I would know, I found that there was even more math in dessert than I suspected, and I realized that miscounting your sugar flowers leads to a gorgeous but HUGE poinsettia. 🌹

The biggest thing I learned in this portion, besides how to make sugar flowers and that real butter cream is slimy, is that I really like the detail and precision that is required to make a beautiful cake. I was concerned that my personality wouldn’t mesh well with the cake world. I move too much and have an urgency to myself that is very apparent. But I found it very easy to focus my energy to my hands for the fine detail work. And that every now and then I needed to go in the cooler and scream. 

I am continuing the job hunt in the field I love. Hopefully there is someone out there that needs me to shape and bake bread for them, or needs me to cover some cakes in fondant. Wish me luck!! 🍀And if it you that needs me…send me a message!! 📩

I don’t have the official pictures yet, but will post them once I get them next week. For now this will have to do! I finished with honors (again, see the second rolling pin!!) 🍾

This was the crazy group of misfits I spent the last 16 weeks with day in and day out for MANY hours a day!! They made it so much better. 💚

Selfie with my final project wedding cake!! (and part of Rhiannon’s cake) Woot!! 😃

[nicolette2413]

It All Came to an End With Wedding Cake

Final #2 is done. It took 19 hours and 3+ days thinking “I’m never gonna finish, I’m never gonna finish.” But I did, and with 15 minutes to spare!

This cake had requirements just like the other, and included things like must be winter themed, have to use piping, have to use certain techniques, have to have at least one sugar flower, and have to have a monogram.

I designed this cake from the ground up, picked all the elements and colors, and executed it. I’m kinda amazed that I actually did it. This project terrified me from the beginning. From Day One in this program, this project made me sweat. I’m not creative, OMG what am I going to do?! But I survived. And I think I did pretty decent. It’s not a pretty as some of the others. And it didn't quite come out as noticeable as presents. But overall I’m happy with it. I designed it with my own wedding cake in mind, but improving on the original. I wanted it to look like wedding presents, which it doesn't at first glance, but thats ok. I think adding some ribbon and bows to each layer would have taken care of that, but hind sight is always 20/20. 

Overall Cake. 

I made 3 fantasy poinsettias for this cake...and apparently miscounted the number of petals I needed. The flowers were HUGE when I finished. But looked amazing!!

I took pictures of everyones cakes and story boards, my class mates are AMAZING!!! Below you can see the concept boards and the final cakes. It’s really awesome to see how the ideas came to life.

It’s all over. 

[nicolette2413]

Sweet 16...And Chopsticks

Final #1 is completed. It is a Sweet 16 cake, made with real cake and a dummy cake. There were several requirements that had to be met for the cake, and included the following: had to use at least 2 10″ rounds of real cake, 1 6″ round dummy, had to include the #16, had to include an appropriate inscription, had to use at least 3 different mediums, and had to be completed in only 6 hours.

My partner Teresa and I did great, I think. Out of all 7 groups, only 2 of us had non-traditional shaped cakes. Chef Nick was amazing in his help and support for this project, as always!!

What do you all think... Ready for lunch?

Some close ups

One more to go!!!

[nicolette2413]

The End is Nigh

I have two final projects to complete between now and next Tuesday. The designs are finalized. The plans made. The stress is epic. 😖

The Sweet 16 Cake is going to be a Chinese food take out box and a bowl of egg drop soup.

The Wedding Cake is going to be a stack of three Christmas presents.

Here’s the plans!!

[nicolette2413]

Hey Mom...More Flowers for your Weird Bouquet!!

Chef Nick (Nicholas Lodge) is here for the last two weeks of class!! He will teach us a few more sugar flowers and he will facilitate our two final cake projects, a Sweet 16 Cake and a Wedding Cake.

It’s official, I have finished learning new things in my Pastry Education (for now). I have given most of my other sugar flowers to my mom, and she gets these too. It’s a hot mess of a bouquet!! Just the way I like life!

Starting from the top: Cymbidium Orchid, Sweet Peas, Stephanotis, Hydrangea 

[nicolette2413]

The first box is officially packed. 😎

[nicolette2413]

Sculpted Cakes Part Two - The step by step journey

We made a second sculpted cake, a VW bug. I documented this one step by step to show how cool it was. It took all week in class, but could have gone quicker.

three half sheet pans of white sponge cake, layered with butter cream

first mutation of the sheet cakes, kinda looks like a delorean...kinda...maybe...no?

Let the shape shine through!! You can totally see what it’s supposed to be (or so I keep telling myself)

Covered in three coats of butter cream

The cake board for the final assembly... its a beach bug!!

Covered in fondant...red over black

Cut out windows to show the black underneath

Figurines - surf board, tree trunk, tires, and fat mermaid (chef said she needs a diet)

Bug on the beach. The green lump is the support base for the palm tree.

Bug with accents! Go Buckeyes!!

Final Cake! Woot Woot!!

[nicolette2413]

Sculpted Cakes Part One

So, there is a funny story with my mom on this one... I’m trying to get the video from my sister to post it here. *fingers crossed* Will post it if it still exists.

We worked with sculpted cakes for two weeks. We learned how to sculpt real cake and how to modify shapes with rice krispy treats. 

The top guy is rice krispies, the bottom is white sponge cake.

Aren't they cute!!

[nicolette2413]

I look like I killed someone… Or like I have zombie hands!! 💀💀💀

This is what your hands look like after coloring fondant without gloves. It’s been a week and I still have red/black cuticles. 

Aaahhh…the life of a cake decorator. 🎂

[nicolette2413]

Yes, I have fridge artwork. We learned the basics of airbrushing and this was my practice piece. More to come with some sculptures in the next post!

[robbyd1991]

are those birds? Hahaha

[nicolette2413]

Hey...lay off my birds! They are just REALLY far away!!

[nicolette2413]

Mini-Pastries = Small Bites of Happiness

We learned some techniques for cupcakes and other small bites this week. These are great for sweets tables or individual place settings at functions… or for noshing on in front of the tv (just sayin’).

Filled cupcakes: chocolate filled with dark chocolate ganache, topped with green tea pastry cream, almonds and fresh fruit. Almond filled with lemon cream, topped with meringue

The Chocolate Ones…(top left and clockwise) Dark choice cups filled with choice streusel and topped with ganache and salted caramel balls (hehe). Bi-color macarons filled with white chocolate cassis ganache, brownie bar (heaven!!) with brownie bottom, chic mouse and chic glaze, chocolate diamonds with ganache drops, and chic brownie bites with ganache/coconut/salted caramel balls/almonds

The “Other” Ones… (top left and clockwise) Lime passion fruit muffins, mini-tarts with lemon or white chocolate cassis topped wit fruit and almonds, tuiles - one with orange and coco nibs and one with coconut and sesame, white chocolate cups with strawberry and banana topped with green tea pastry cream and a white chocolate wafer, bourbon vanilla shortbread cookies with almonds

The last ones, the bourbon vanilla cookies, were my favorites. I ate them all. Didn’t share. Not sorry! 😆

[nicolette2413]

Three Tier Buttercream Awesomeness

We don't work with butter cream and real cake as much as I expected. So this week of doing both was great. We made three sponge flavors - White, Yellow, and Chocolate. Not bad flavor. Much better than some of the biscuit or dacquoise cakes we have made thus far. Several piping techniques were used on the cake for proficiency. So it looks a bit busy, so just go with it!

Overall, I was happy with the results. But I did have a bit of crookedness with my top layer. I don’t think it shows in the pics, so...ta-da!!

white sponge with 3 bean vanilla buttercream, chocolate sponge with chocolate ganache buttercream, and yellow sponge with espresso buttercream...yummmm!

[nicolette2413]

F&*$ing Sugar Sculptures...Again. (Oh, and Pastillage and Chocolate Sculptures.)

Part of the cake ciriculum involves more showpieces, much to the dismay of my thumbs. 👍🏼👍🏼 It went much, much better this time. No major blisters!! However, it is amazing how much your muscle memory keeps and yet how vastly much it forgets! 

I had a rough patch getting my pulled sugar pulled to the right opacity and my petals pulled to the right thinness. But by the end of the week, I had the hang of it again!! 😎

We worked with pastille this time around. We didn’t really work with this medium in the first program, and I really enjoyed it! (*whispers* don’t tell pulled sugar, but I like this much better 🤔)

And, to cap off the two weeks, we made worked with chocolate again. This one was pretty fun! Super cute to cap off the end of the warm season here in Chicago.

Let me tell you all a secret… I broke a major curl, swoop, or flower off each sculpture about 10 seconds before each picture. Holy Frustrated! But they all still look great anyway.