#ciaculinary

[mauromason]

Lunch at Bocuse #bocuserestaurant #ciaculinary #chefmauromason #ny #beneditocampinas (at The Bocuse Restaurant)

[rachtakesnewyork]

Chocolates and Confections

I LOVED Chocolates and Confections class. I learned a ton of information that I will definitely use in the future. It was the closest thing to a science class that I have had so far. It just fascinates me how much information you have to know to make the perfect confection. Throughout the class I made

Cream Ganache

Butter Ganache

Hollow Shelled Truffles

Marshmallows

Gelees

Nougat

Soft Caramels

Toffee

Assorted chocolates

Shell molded chocolates

Fondant

Fudge

and the list goes on! It was the first time making some of those items from scratch and it was so cool to finally learn how to do it. 

I wish I could make this post longer, but I have been so busy lately. I started Contemporary Cakes today and start a costing class on Thursday. I also am the new Vice President of Student Programming at my school! Here are some pictures of the delicious candies I made this past block

[rachtakesnewyork]

Cake week!

I am sad to say that my specialty cakes class has come to an end. I loved everything about this class. The chef, Chef Cavotti, is a Certified Master Baker and had tons of experience in the industry. She is the most down to earth chef that I have had in this program. 

The last 4 days of this class we focused on two cake projects. For the team cake project we were given a piece of paper that told us the details of what kind of cake we had to make. Our requirements were a 3 tiered tear drop shape with cascading gumpaste lilies, leaves, and band borders. I find the tear drop shape really unattractive so I was kind of disappointed when we ended up with it. It was good practice though and in real life you have to make whatever the customer wants! I was really happy with the way it turned out (other than the leaves). 

The individual cake project was much different than the team cake. We had to make a 3 tiered 10 in, 8 in, 6 in buttercream cake. Our only limit was that it could not be covered in fondant. It had to be iced in buttercream and then fondant/gumpaste decorations could be added. I decided to make a Sheriff themed cake to give to the Dutchess County Sheriff's Office. Last year I dropped off baked goods every week to the Sheriff's office next to my apartment and thought they would enjoy a cake too! 

I used many different mediums for decorations on the cake. The sheriffs badge is made from tempered chocolate painted with cocoa butter. The flag is rolled out gumpaste and the hand cuffs are made of fondant! 

Tomorrow I start Chocolates and Confections! I am not really sure what to expect from this class but I do know that it is more complex than my last class. I think most people just assume that I bake cookies all day, but there are tons of formulas, techniques, and temperatures that I have to learn. I do have written homework and exams, and lots of readings, just like a normal school! Making chocolates and other confections involves knowing exact temperatures and ratios to create the perfect candy. The textbook for this class is like a science textbook. It is also written by the same Chef, Peter Greweling CMB, that will be teaching my class! I hope to update more sometime this week.

[rachtakesnewyork]

Confectionary Art and Special Occasion Cakes: Chocolate, Pastillage, Royal Icing, and Fondant

I am heading into my third and final week of Confectionary Art and Special Occasion cakes class! We have worked with sugar, chocolate, modeling chocolate, pastillage, gum paste, fondant, and royal icing. 

On Chocolate day, we each had to construct a chocolate piece using tempered dark and milk chocolate. Chocolate is my least favorite medium to work with for a couple reasons... I have extremely hot hands and the slight touch melted my pieces. It is also really hard to keep clean when tempering and working with chocolate! 

After building the base of my chocolate wheelbarrow, I added some fall leaves and a couple pumpkins that I sculpted out of modeling chocolate (melted chocolate mixed with cornsyrup).  

We did a very small project with pastillage. Our chef really just wanted us to know the different ways to make pastillage and to get familiar with the texture and qualities of dry and wet pastiallage. Pastiallage is generally made with powdered sugar and gelatin and has the consistency of play dough but dries rock hard. 

The latest project I have worked on is the 4 sided square technique "cake". I had to cover an 8 inch styrofoam square in fondant and decorate with many different fondant and royal icing techniques. Royal Icing is a very simple white icing made with powdered sugar and eggwhites. It's most commonly used for decorating cookies and gingerbread houses. It dries hard and smooth and the consistency can be adjusted depending on the use. A thicker royal icing can make beautiful drop lines and a thinner royal icing can make run out designs.

The other medium on this cake, fondant, is extremely popular in the cake decorating industry right now. Most people are requesting fondant cakes over traditional buttercream. Rolled fondant is usually made with powdered sugar, gelatin, and food grade glycerin. With the fondant, I made drapes, swags, ropes, cut outs, and more. It is not as easy as it may seem to cover a cake in fondant!

and last but not least..... Gum paste!! Gumpaste is similar to fondant but usually contains gum tragacanth or tylose powder. Both are considered edible but I wouldn't suggest you eat gumpaste. Gumpaste can be rolled out much thinner than fondant, but the main difference between the two is in the way they dry. Gumpaste can dry rock hard and if dropped would shatter. Fondant is used to cover cakes and is still somewhat pliable when dry.

I made a small flower bouquet with gumpaste. Every petal and leaf was hand sculpted and then painted with powdered color. It is very time consuming but if you own your own specialty wedding cake business this is something you have to know how to do. 

I have two projects left to go! This week I will be working on a fondant wedding cake with my partner, Haley, and an individual small three layer buttercream cake. 

[rachtakesnewyork]

Goodbye West Virginia

I finished my internship at The Greenbrier Resort! (Forgive me for my lack of blogging over the past four months) I worked a very exciting 900 hours this summer in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia.

My internship was amazing and I'm so glad I chose The Greenbrier as my externship site, and I suggest it to anyone looking for a place to do their externship. I learned so much and worked with some really amazing chefs. 

I will be returning to NY in two weeks to continue my schooling at The Culinary Institute of America. I have 7 months left and graduate in May with my Baking and Pastry degree. I will get back into my normal blogging routine soon!

[rachtakesnewyork]

PGA- The Greenbrier Classic

The Greenbrier Classic was this past week and I have never worked so many hours in my life. The pastry crew has spent the last month prepping for this event and its hard to believe its all over. I somehow managed to get the job of working in the PGA player's and family clubhouse. I worked the dessert station there everyday, which included setting up all the desserts and refilling when needed, flambéing peaches, and making milkshakes. Professional golfers love milkshakes. I don't even know how many gallons of icecream I went through. I lost count after the first day. Overall, I had a lot of fun!  Not too many people can say they have made dessert for Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson.

I also got free tickets to all of the events throughout the week, which included concerts with Bon Jovi, Toby Keith, Lionel Ritchie, The Fray, and Rod Stewart. Sadly I couldn't attend any of them because I was working all day..

[rachtakesnewyork]

The Greenbrier Resort: Pictures!

Here are a few pictures of some of the items I get to make on a daily basis at my internship at The Greenbrier Resort. I barely ever have time to take pictures but I try to when I get a chance. It's hard to believe I have been working there for a month already. I am really glad I chose The Greenbrier to do my externship, loving every minute!

[rachtakesnewyork]

The Greenbrier Resort: The Beginning!

I started my externship two weeks ago at the beautiful Greenbrier Resort in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia. The Greenbrier is unlike any hotel I have ever been to. There is so much history behind it, and it looks like it did 100 years ago. It has nine different restaurants, a casino club, three 18 hole golf courses, and a five star spa. 

Here is an excerpt from my externship manual about my first two weeks

During weeks one and two I produced several items. I made multiple large batches of cookies every day, usually around 600. Most of the cookies were scooped and then frozen for the 8,000 needed for the PGA tournament being held in July. I produced and assembled items including: Chocolate Fudge Cakes, Raspberry Bars, Cannolis; Apple Pies, Apricot Tarts, Chocolate Chip Cookies, Oatmeal Cookies, Peanut Butter Cookies, Scones, Berry Compote, Whipped Cream, Tea Cream, Bread Pudding Base, Macarons, Brownies, Pastillage, Tiramisu,  and many other items. I practiced my knife skills making apple fans for apple pies and cutting different berries for topping desserts. I also practiced quenelles because they are used on many of the plated desserts that the resort offers. I worked with the night banquet team to help plate 250 tiramisu plates, with a quenelle of whipped cream, anglaise sauce, and a chocolate décor piece. I worked with the tea crew to provide the resort's afternoon tea at 4:15 daily, which included hundreds of assorted cookies, scones, and chocolate tarts.