becky
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Week two of pastry school at Le Cordon Bleu is officially in the books!
This week we kicked things up a notch, especially from the fruit salad and other basics we made during week one of the course. We spent the week learning all about cremes and custards. These included crème brûlée, crème caramel, and crème anglaise. We also made mango and raspberry fruit coulis, tuile cookies, and a decorative sugar cage.
Créme Brûlée
First up was créme brûlée. I was excited to learn this one, since it’s one of my favorite desserts. We started with a demo class where the chef showed us the proper techniques:
For a decorative element, we learned to make delicate chocolate and vanilla tuiles:
Finally the chef plated the dish, He added piped chocolate and fruit puree as a finishing touch:
Next we were off to the kitchen! I actually found the crème brûlée easier than I expected. And, I got positive remarks from the chef instructor about my finished plate. My brûléed sugar was a bit dark in a few spots, and he said the chocolate piping was a tiny bit too thick. But I won praise for overall presentation, was very nice.
So far, I’m really loving the decorative aspects, such as piping and plating, because I get the chance to use my artistic skills. I’m really excited for whenever we get the chance to decorate a cake! I’m also looking into some additional cake decorating classes that I can take here in London, or when I’m back in NYC.
Here is my finished crème brûlée:
Crème Caramel
From here, it wasn’t long before we jumped into our next practical. This one was the crème caramel and crème anglaise. Once again, we began with a demo class:
One thing I’m learning as we go along is how to get the most out of the demonstrations. It’s taken a few demo classes to figure out how to balance notetaking with watching the demonstration. And, I’m also learning what kind of notes to take, so that when I get into the kitchen for the practical I can refer back to the notes and actually have them make sense!
In the practical, we worked in pairs for the crème caramel. We cooked it in a water bath (as opposed to the créme brûlée, which was done in a dry oven–it was interesting to learn both techniques). Then, we each made our own crème anglaise, as well as a decorative sugar cage.
The crème anglaise was by far the most difficult part of this practical for me. It was also the least successful! Mine ended up being overcooked and very eggy; practice is most certainly needed here. There were only a few students who were completely successful with their anglaise, so at least I wasn’t alone on this one!
I loved making the sugar cage, which we did by drizzling melted isomalt over a round ladle. This reminded me of the sugar techniques course that I took at the Institute of Culinary Education in NYC a few months ago. I really love the creativity of sugar work, and am starting to think of ways that I could incorporate it into a potential future business!
I thought this practical was less successful, and that my overall plate was a bit sloppy (the chef agreed with my assessment) but at least it wasn’t a total disaster!
Here is my finished crème caramel plate:
A Pastry-Free Weekend at the Beach
Outside of class, I’m taking every chance I can to go exploring. After school on Friday I jumped on a train to West Wittering, Chichester. It’s hard to believe that such a peaceful beach exists just an hour and a half outside of London:
We had a lovely weekend walking on the beach (it wasn’t quite warm enough to venture into the water, or even take our coats off!) and eating delicious food. Three of the restaurants we tried were The Lamb Inn, Drifters, and The Old House at Home. The best dish I ate was the butternut squash, pea, and mushroom risotto at The Old House at Home, followed closely by the sticky toffee pudding at The Lamb Inn. My only regret is that I forgot to take a picture of the latter!
And now, on to week three!
Missed last week’s recap? Read about week one here.
About Rebecca:
Rebecca earned the Diplôme de Pâtisserie from Le Cordon Bleu London in 2020. She kept this detailed diary as a record of her journey, and as a way to help others decide if pastry school might be the right choice for them. Rebecca also holds an MSc in Culinary Innovation from Le Cordon Bleu and Birkbeck, University of London, and a Professional Chocolatier’s Certificate from Ecole Chocolate. She currently works as a recipe developer, food stylist, food photographer, writer, and pastry chef. Feel free to make one of her original recipes, or to follow her on Instagram @bastecutfold for more baking and pastry inspiration!
