Adventures of Pastry Boy
"In the Sweet Kitchen"
April 2005: After an outstanding semester at Northwest Culinary last year and an equally fabulous time in Vancouver BC, I'm back at Northwest for their Baking and Pastry Curriculum.
It's quite a different experience from the culinary curriculum... read on if you're interested. [If there are no hyperlinks in the link column -- it isn't finished]
Title/Link
Topic
Date
Introduction
Starting new... again
~4/13/05
Meet the Class
A less diverse group than culinary, but a very good one
4/20/05
Dough Boy
Puff pastry, croissants, small pastries, Danish, doughnuts, brioche, scones! Breads. Breads. Breads. Photos
4/25-5/6
Bouncing Muffins
Quick breads, cakes & cheesecakes
Cookies
I started out not especially liking cookies. Now I believe I despise them.
Entremet cakes
Five days, up to 6 products/day. Cakes 'R Us. Food photos here.
Midterm Jitters
2 1/2 days of testing
6/3/05-6/6/05
Chocolate
Sensual. Caloric. Frustrating
6/7/05-6/15/05
Sugar
It's hot! At least, the blisters on my fingers would suggest that. The end of it? Now that's sweet.
6/16-6/20/05
In the Weeds
A colleague is left to fend for himself
Plated Desserts
Putting some of the components together, with a dash of classmate intrigue thrown in for extra flavour
6/24-
Dessert "Exam"
Two days to produce two desserts. Seems like a piece o'cake. no?
~7/5/05
Showpiece
Two more days of testing; we put together a dozen chocolates and a "showpiece" of our choice -- chocolate, sugar, marzipan...
7/22-7/23
Final Week
Three, or is it four, more days of tests. Getting to be a bit much, methinks. Then we get to cater our own graduation sweets
7/25-7/28
Moving on
Relief and sorrow set in as the course -- and our time in Vancouver, come to an end
