The beginning of the beginning

And the grass really is greener on the other side! After almost two years of working in advertising, My husband convinced me to got o Pastry School and do what I loved.

I graduated from ICE two days ago and started my new life as a Pastry Chef!  The cake above was my last project. Only God knows where it will take me. I start an externship at Wd-50 with Chef Alex Stupak next wednesday, so I have some time to kill. I'm currently taking a culinary bootcamp to learn all the basics about cooking savoury. Trust me.. a pastry chef does not automatically know what to do in a culinary kitchen just because we have a title. There is a BIG difference with tecniques, ingredients... EVERYTHING.
Here are some of the things we've made...

Delicious Clams on top of a cheesy toasted bread slice.

Then we made these great moist salmon en papillote.. YUM. The vegetables were very tender and the wine  in there just added a lot fo flavor. The trick with papillote is to wait until the bag (which if it is properly sealed) puffs up and feels dry.

These Mussels with chili sauce had a bite to them and oh so good. Unlike Clams, these little guys should not be washed or they die! Pull their beards out slowly and give them a quick rinse JUST BEFORE USING... then cook them away!! The beauty about these is that you can flavor them with anything you like. And remember wether it's clams or mussels.. steam them so the liquid doesn't cover them entirely or you will boil them instead.

This next one is asian and amazing with a nice ginger flavor. Asian sea bass with steamed rice (yes you can steam rice... I had NO IDEA!!) and steamed veggies. You can barely see the fish in this picture but yes it's there.

A smorgasboard of sauteed items.. and roasted asparagus!

The lamb loin was so so so tender and the pan sauce really added to it. To make a pan sauce you must add liquid to the 'burnt bits' left from cooking the meat and then reduce the liquid in high heat till it thickens a little. The more reductions you do the tastier!

The chicken was good but it's chicken.. flavour doesn't come close to lamb. And then we have Salmon with salsa verde.. Everything was so easy and so tasty.. I can't believe I made it!! I'm a Pastry Chef!

Last but not Least.. Potato Nests. Potatoes cut into matchsticks and cooked with a little bit of clarified butter.