Tortilla Thursday

Whew.
Today was a whirlwind. We made dinner rolls, tortillas, pita bread, baguettes and pizza - in 4 hours. Yeah. Try that at home without chef supervision why don't ya? Although I have to say this. You could make all these things, you just need to know the technique.
Dinner rolls.
Made with pain au lait dough. A slightly sweet milk bread. If it isn't fabulous enough on its own we stuffed them with goodies like brie, sharp cheddar, chives, walnuts and dried cherries ... some sweet, some savory.
Pita bread.
If you have never made pita bread this is so fun. You put them in the oven and they puff up, I mean completely puff up. Neat.
Tortillas.
I may never purchase a tortilla again. Flour, water, fat and salt. Mix. Knead. Rest. Roll out. Cook in dry pan over low heat. Seriously, don't buy them. Make them.
Pizza.
Fresh pesto, cheese, olive oil, red pepper. Lunch.
So much food. So little time.

Loaves of fluff

White Pan Bread.
Maybe a future pastry chef and baker should not admit this but ... I LOVE this bread. White fluffy goodness. Oh well, everyone else in class was chowing down on the stuff too! I smeared mine with pb & j.

The dough knows

Bread. Baguette. Focaccia.
We will make Pain Ordinaire (baguettes) everyday this week. Normally you make something once and move on. But baguettes are hard. They might look like a simple long loaf of bread but to get that beautiful interior texture takes technique. Even the slashes on the outside take a careful hand.
Focaccia is an easier bread to make. Not an easier dough to handle. It is nearly 75% liquid and that makes for a really wet sticky dough. Kneading a dough that wet takes patience and this bread tested all of us. We put fresh herbs in the dough but only salt on top. The traditional way. It was just as delicious as it looks. Sandwiches all around!

Hot out the oven!

Hello to friends, family, co-workers, customers and just those dropping in to see what's cooking. Come with me on my new journey, my dream come true. 

I'm about to start my sixth week at Western Culinary Institute, the Le Cordon Bleu culinary school in Portland, Oregon. It has been a wild couple of weeks so far and the veteran students say it only gets harder. 

By seven a.m. we are lined up for inspection. Chef's coat, check pants, apron, side towel, commis cap, cravat, nametag, student id badge, sharpie, pen, thermometer, no jewelry, no nails, hair tucked under cap. We start our day in demo, chef describes each step while showing you what to do. After demo its our turn to make what the chef has demoed. We get out of class at noon but most of us stay for lab to work on our projects usually not leaving until 2 or if we can get away with it 3 p.m. 

I've burned myself twice, only one of which did I have to go to the doctor for. I've gained about five pounds. (Taste, taste, taste...) I've made dozens of cookies, cakes, muffins, pies, custards and tarts and that's just the intro class. 

Each day is new chaos and discovery. Who knew I could make a cake like the one in the bakery display case or that I'd even think of whipping batter by hand for thirty minutes so that my cake would be the desired texture. 

Monday we start a week of breads (real food opposed to the sugar we've been eating every morning!) This is our final week of Intro to Baking then we go into specialized classes for different subjects. 

I'll post photos along the way of the best work (and maybe a few of the worst!) If you are wondering about the missing piece of each item ... that's how the chef grades you!

Until next time ... sweet dreams.