Super Super Secrets of Bread Making

Our week of bread has arrived, finally! I can't share all the secrets I've learned this week, but I can share pics! It's been a few days of quick breads, focaccias and yummy crusty artisan breads....and most special of all, we got to take some bread home! I could never in a million years eat all the loaves I brought back with me (imagine a car ride home full of the smell of warm bread!) So I gladly shared with Emily - thank you for taking it off my hands! Here is a look at some that I kept...
From upper left to right, clockwise: Multigrain, Olive Thyme, French Bread, Rosemary-Basil Goat Cheese Focaccia

My "birthday cake"

What do you do when you are the one who usually brings dessert to various parties, dinners, etc...but this time, it's your birthday party?? Simple - you make what you want to eat! This picture quality is not so fabulous - I'm working on getting my new camera which will be wonderful when that happens....
but here is my French Apple Tart, and yes I threw in some caramels for good luck. A nice fall dish if you ask me....

Apples and more Apples!

Sorry it's been awhile! I've been working a lot and my camera has decided to break - ick! So I'll have to use a backup in the meantime....
Anyway, tomorrow I turn 27 and having dinner with some friends...I think I will make some cheese straws to go with dinner and for dessert, a French apple tart with homemade french vanilla ice cream...
I will be using these apples that I picked last weekend!

Wedding Cake Day!

We had our test this week for our wedding/celebration cake....unlike last week where we played with fondant over styrafoam, this time we actually made everything...the cake, the buttercream, creating the layers of cake....it took a loooong time! I wound up not using the roses I had worked on earlier this week - and just had fun with the marzipan fruit and pulled sugar!

Up close and personal....










With some of the classmate's cakes....


I'm glad it's done!

A new kind of bouquet

Working on my sugar roses this weekend for my wedding cake test later this week....getting a little nervous thinking about it!













So I decide to relax on Monday,a gorgeous October day, boating with some friends...here is Brent in all his glory

Cakes with Colette!

My finished cake!










We were lucky to have Colette Peters in with us the last two days, teaching us about gum paste, cakes, etc. I won't bore you with the gum paste flowers, I seem to be completely inept at making those anyway...they are better served as a tasty snack (seriously!)

But it was really fun building our fondant cakes! The class was very creative...I seemed to go with a pastel theme, everyone was calling it a "baby shower" or "bridal shower" cake...I still have some finishing to do on it, but here is the final result up front! The blue and white one in the background is a fellow student's...

Me with Colette Peters....

Salty Caramels, part 2

Ooooooooooh, my digital thermometer is in, it's in! (thanks Adam!)
So now I've coated my caramels in chocolate and some fleur de sel...wow they are awesome. I think next time I will double-coat them in chocolate though, equal amounts of caramel=equal amounts of chocolate...

In case anyone is wondering....

what a typical day in pastry school is like. This picture pretty much says it all - thankfully there are 18 of us!

Salty Caramels

Inspiration...if you happen to have some leftover cream (and lots of sea salt and vanilla beans!) - salty caramels will be your reward! I need to share these before I eat them all...these might pose a problem for me...
Actually I'm going to coat them in chocolate shortly - even better!

The Perfect Sticky Bun

Every Christmas I make these - and something just doesn't work. Too dry, too overcooked/undercooked, didn't rise well enough - blah blah blah...what was I doing wrong? Anyway, these ones we made in school are fabulous - all you need is a bunch of brioche! The finicky bread...but if it works well, well - um...mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm...