AMERICAN & EUROPEAN PASTRY

August 22, 2013

We completed make up and baking of all the puff pastries.

We started with the Fruit Strip. 

After baked and cooled, we pressed the center down and added pastry cream we had made.

The fruit was cut and arrange on top of the cream.

The fruit and the top of the tart was then covered with a glaze. 

Fruit Strip

After the apple turnovers were egg washed and scored with a design on top, they were baked. After baking was complete a pastry fondant was brush on top. 

Apple Turnovers

Chantilly cream was whipped up and the cream horns that were baked were filled.

We had made up some puff pastry with sugar rolled in and specially folded.  After baking, they were dipped in chocolate. 

Palmier

  
We also made an Apple Tartin. We first cut up apples into equal sized pieces. We rolled out and cut the dough to the size of a saute pan.

Next we made a caramel sauce with cream, brown sugar and cinnamon and saute the apples in it on the stove.

The apples were then arrange neatly in the pan. 

The puff pastry dough was placed over the apples and tucked in and then the saute pan was placed in the oven to bake. 

After baking, a plate was placed on top of the saute pan and turned over on to the plate.

The Apple Tartin was by far my favorite puff pastry dish made in class. It tasted like an apple pie with a beautiful crust underneath.

The puff pastry products were put on display in the window.

AMERICAN & EUROPEAN PASTRY

August 21, 2013

We started make up of the Classic Pastry Puff.  We were provide some basic information on seven different items for make up. Three were demonstrated today, the classic turnover, the fruit strip and the cream horns.  Once demonstration was complete, we made up the three items with our classic puff pastry dough.

The classic turnover was made by cutting large circles from the rolled out dough.

The circles were then rolled into an oval shape.

Almond filling was placed to one side of the center.

Sliced apples were fanned on top of the almond filling.

Cinnamon and sugar was sprinkled on top of the apples. 

An egg wash was brushed on the bottom edge to seal the dough.

The dough was folded in half and pressed down slightly on the egg wash.

The dough was then "turned over."

It was then placed on a sheet pan and given an egg wash. 

These were placed in the freezer (so the apple does not seep out) for final egg wash and bake tomorrow.

The next item made was the Fruit Strip.  The dough was cut into two large strips.

One strip was egg washed. 

The second strip was cut into six smaller strips.

Three of the strips were braided at a time.

The two braids were then placed on top of the larger egg washed strip.

The center was docked (holes placed in it) so it will not rise too much through the center when baked.

The edges were cut and the braids egg washed.

 The fruit strip was place in the refrigerator for final make up tomorrow.

The final item made up today was the cream horn. A strip of dough was egg washed

It was then cut into strips.

The strips were then wrapped around a horn, egg washed, and sprinkled with sugar.

The cream horns were placed in the refrigerator with the fruit strip for final make up tomorrow.

AMERICAN & EUROPEAN PASTRY

August 20, 2013

We are starting American & European Pastry this week with a focus on Puff Pastry.  We scaled and made the dough for the classic, blitz and reverse puff pastry that we will be making this week.

The classic puff pastry dough has 1280 layers of dough and butter and is required to be refrigerated for 24 hours before you can do the final make up of the dough. This allows time for the dough to relax so it will not tear and the butter to cool down so it does not melt in to the dough. Today we locked in the butter and made two book folds with the dough before placing in the refrigerator overnight.

Classic Puff Pastry Dough

The Blitz Puff Pastry is a faster method for making puff pastry dough.  This dough will only require 2 hours of refrigeration before completing the folds and makeup.  This dough is considered a brother to pie dough as it is made much the same way as pie dough.  We made this dough by cutting the butter into the flour and water and mixing by hand.  

Blitz Puff Pastry Dough

It looks like a rough dough at first but after rolling out and folding it looked much the same as the other puff pastry dough.

The final dough made for the day was the Reverse Puff Pastry. This dough is made the same as the Classic but has the butter folded on the outside and the dough in the center.  The butter has 2 oz of flour added to it to dry it up a bit so that it can be worked with on the outside. 

Reverse Puff Pastry Dough

In the end, after rolled out and folding twice it looked very similar to the Classic Puff Pastry dough.  The difference will be that it will be a darker color and will be crispier than Classic when baked. This dough is also required to be refrigerated for 24 hours.

Reverse Puff Pastry Dough

ARTISAN BREADS AND VIENNOISERIE

August 13, 2013

Today was the final day of the practical exam.  We were required to make a Challah bread and a Ciabata bread.  My team scored 10 for 10 on the Ciabata Bread. We baked it longer for a darker color and extra flour for a rustic look the way the Chef likes it.  I would normally have taken it out a bit earlier with a little lighter color on it, less crust, and a little less flour.

Ciabata Bread

We were graded separated only the Challah Bread. I scored 9 out of 10 on the Challah Bread.

Challah Bread

My final score between the two days on the practical was 97.25.  Written final on Thursday and next up is American and European Pastry and Baked Goods.  Yum!

ARTISAN BREADS AND VIENNOISERIE

August 12, 2013

This week is our final week of artisan breads.  We have our practical exam today and tomorrow. Today we were required to make a French Baguette, a decorative bread, and bagels. We were scored as a whole on our bagels and decorative bread and some individual points on the French Baguettes.  

The French Baguettes were scored first. Mine is the one on the very left below. I lost several points on the shaping of my baguette.  I knew that I had not done the shaping exactly right and my cuts needs to be longer across the bread.  I told the Chef what I knew was wrong with the bread so I think knowing my errors was taken into consideration.

Next was the decorative bread.  We were scored on factors such as appearance, color, taste, texture, and crumb on all three items.  We scored all points available for this item.

We also scored all points available on the bagels as well. 

A combination of the scores from today and tomorrow will determine my final practical exam score. I received a ninety-one out of one hundred on today's portion of the exam.

ARTISAN BREADS AND VIENNOISERIE

August 8, 2013

Today was completion and assembly of the decorative wheelbarrow.  We started by painting the parts baked yesterday with a caramel coloring and then baking them until dry. 

We then completed the miniature breads and other decorative pieces and baked them.

Miniature Breads

Decorative Wheat

After the parts were completed, we assembled the wheel barrow and other decorative pieces for inside using a hot glue gun. Again the piece is for decoration not eating.

Once assembly was complete, the decorative pieces were placed in the display window.