Back to school

I was happy to go back to class after my three-week stint at the Sofitel’s restaurant. What made it even better was the fact that we were in the kitchen for the full day, instead of half-day as usual (the other half of the day is usually devoted to theory, eg. categories of sauces). Everyone was ebullient with questions and ready to share their experience of the past month. Our teacher expressed her disappointment at the number of absences; a portion of the interns happened to get sick between Christmas and New Year, at the dismay of their respective chefs.
Yesterday the class successfully prepared a hundred-guest new year luncheon for the staff of the school and the region’s administrative offices (whose funds we are enjoying). Having confirmed my preference for savory over sweet both at home and at work, I was able to do the stuffing for the cherry tomatoes (goat cheese, fresh cheese called faisselle, olives and chives), flip a couple dozen crepes, to be filled with caramelized pineapple and secured with orange zest ribbons en aumoniere, and finally, prepare and cook the guinea fowl in orange sauce. Being by the fire, facing the heat, is what I like best.
All the guests were extremely surprised and pleased by our performance. We had had puff pastry with different savory fillings for appetizers, then the stuffed cherry tomatoes, tuna-zuchini roll-ups and foie gras with onion chutney for first course. Next came the guinea fowl in orange glaze with orange supremes (everthing was bite-sized) and white fish with balsamic cream and alfalfa sprouts and spinach leaves. There were slates covered in a variety of fine cheeses… and to end, the Galette des Rois or Pithiviers (puff pastry filled with almond cream, typically served during Epiphany or Three Kings’ Day), chocolate cake with crème anglaise (vanilla cream), and the aumonieres with their caramel sauce. At the end of the day I felt a bit sick from all the food. I have never in my life had so much foie gras or galette. On the other hand, I was happy with our team work and felt ready to take on more!