Kicking the Tart Ring Ass Tonight!

Oh yeah, not be a braggart, but I am getting good at filling the tart ring with the sweet pastry dough. My new acacia rolling pin is Magical! The process seems very simple, but it is deceptively so. The dough must not be overworked, it must be the right temperature and it must be caressed into the mold with gentleness and love.

Seriously. Those are almost quotes from Chef C.

I practiced three times tonight, and the third one looked almost perfect. The first time I did this in class was the disastrous day of Tarte Aux Pommes (apple tart) when I burned the apples and my plastic spatula, the chef called my dough a mess and I ran out of apples to cover the top - even the dishwasher laughed. So getting this practice was time well-spent. Things are really starting to come together, I understand the recipes and the procedures.

On a funny note, my neighbors are starting to wait by the front door at 7:30 to see what they will be having for dessert each night. Tonight, they feasted on "buche de chocolat-pistache." And they are great critics, I am happy to have 'taste' feedback, since the chef's only critique the dessert's appearance. I could bake a fish head inside, and as long as the ganache was smooth and the piping straight, I would pass with flying colors. Really, there are some serious pastry catastrophes that the chefs never see, and since they don't taste, they will never know.

Also, Le Cordon Bleu knows I have a blog now, I don't think I really care, but the head of admissions asked me if I was Sarah Dwyer, and when I said yes, she said something about reading my blog that day. Perhaps anonymity would have been a better choice? I think half the people in my class have a blog though.