Pastry Tech

This past week I started the course Pastry Techniques. It is a bit different than Baking Techniques (the class I finished prior to this one). While Baking Tech taught all the basics of mixing methods and a variety of main products, Pastry Tech focuses on practicing important skills needed in the industry. The class goes at a much slower pace than previous courses, which has driven me a little crazy. I'm used to a much busier day, and producing a lot more items. But in all, I'm still learning a lot, and improving my skills every day.



Typical piping homework

A huge thing we focus on in the class is piping. Every day I have piping homework, and my chef will critique me and tell me what to work on. To practice, everyone uses a piping gel, which can be a bit annoying and harder than buttercream or chocolate. Right now, I've just had to practice basic loops and writing "Happy Birthday." We also pipe borders with a practice buttercream.



My attempt of a marzipan rose



Another thing I've been learning is how to make roses out of marzipan (it has a dough-like consistency, and is primarily made out of sugar and almond flour). Part of my homework every day is to bring a rose that I have made This is probably the hardest for me, because i feel that I can never make my roses look life-like. I need a lot more practice!

We've also been practicing tempering chocolate and making apple strips. The apple strip is one of the items I will have to make on my 2nd Term Practical (a test I must pass before my externship in December). So it is extremely important I master the apple strip. I think I did okay for my first time, but I really hope I get plenty more practice at it!

Apple Strip