Friday, December 14, 2007

Movin on up....

Yes that's right! Not very far though :) I wrote a letter (actually a friend who speaks french did- thanx!) to my chef and asked him if i could come in 30 min later! He agreed and said it was no problem at all! So my new schedule, which I don't mind at all, is 6:30 (so i can take the metro!!!) to 3:30 with an hr lunch break (which I take maybe 15 min of!) 5 days a week (wed I always have off...the other day floats) This upcoming week my other day off is tue! The other thing I asked him was to go to different areas of the pastry shop. He said that it's only possible if you've been working there for a year, 2 years etc...but the woman incharge of me (who was helping me translate) understood what I wanted to do...so she has decided that after lunch, she is going to let me go to other stations! So that's about 2 hrs a day where I get to explore! I am totally fine with that :) So i made progress and i feel great!

As far as todays pictures...
One of the things I do often is make apples. I think I mentioned this before. I peel them, remove the tops and bottoms, cut them in half, remove the insides, and then cut them in half again. From there I put them on a baking sheet and drizzle them with melted butter, sprinkle them withh sugar and vanilla sugar. Today I did 3 plaques. Here is what they look like when they are finished :)


Another thing I got to do was make breadcrumbs. I took a picture of this. I don't know why though. But enjoy.


I also got to peel grapfruits (in which i cut myself and did NOT take photos of this torture! haha). Then, like i said, I got to move to a different station! This was fun...but required a lot more of my attention and artistic ability! In the pictures you will see what I did. But here is my description. I cleaned the cream off the base, put them on the gold cardboard, put cream on the white choc and then put them on the logs, then had to draw a perfect line from the left upper corner to the bottom right corner in lime green choc, then i made a lime green leave in the center, added a red ball (which I mentioned i made a few blogs ago), then added a meringue mushroom and an orange peel...and voila! finished product! It sounds easy...but it wasn't. I got to put some gold leaf on stuff and bring them upstairs to the store as well! Pretty cool! Overall it was a fun day. People are starting to like me more because i am the coffee girl as well. Whoever provides the coffee...they like ;)


I came home and Asima (my new roomie-check out her blog posted on the right), came over for dessert tonite (from GM) and we chatted. I am getting ready for bed (and my extra 30 min of sleeping! Toodles!

Thursday, December 13, 2007

Seriously...

Did that just happen!? So today was one of those days! Little things. Like 1) you know when you realize you are someones (excuse the expression) "bitch" because they call you by the wrong name. I see it in movies all of the time! But today...the girl who is incharge of me...called me Peggy...and you know...I think she does it often! So...then because the next job I was doing I kept thinking of that...i proceeded to gauge my finger with a knife! Good going Peggy :) 2) The inspector came today. Who knew! He asked me to take my earrings off. No one else seemed to mind...so I took them off for the day. Then the funny thing about it...was as i was working...a spider came and walked across my counter. I just started laughing and cleaned it up! Let's see...other things happened too...but the days are so long I can't remember everything! Anyway...I took more pictures!


As you can see...this is how I roll out the dough (part of the machine is in the picture) and then I have to cut it out using different mold depending on the side of the tart!



Then I lined these molds with the dough. If you can't see specific enough...i have to try and keep the flowered edges still in tact when I mold it...which is pretty hard!!! The last picture you can see the line of plaques that I have to do. But you can't tell that well!


I also have to do a few differnt types of square molds...which are very hard. The corners especially.


Here again I have to keep those edges...and this mold is harder to do it also!!


Then I have to do chocolate ones which aren't that hard.

Then, you know those tiny tarlet molds I clean...well this is what they look like when they are lined :)
At work I also got to do some new things. In the entrements section (where they decorate the cakes) i got to cut biscuit and then line the ring mold and then later I filled them with wild strawberries. Sounds boring...but it was a lot more fun than what I normally do! Here are some pictures step by step of the first part I did! (there was a whole procedure to it...but I won't bore you with it!) I think i lined maybe 50 of them ;) it was actually a lot of fun! hahaha.





After work I came home...did the usual. dinner and soon to bed ;) I got my new shoes in the mail today. Professional Birkenstocks...so hopefully my feet won't hurt anymore :( Btw- today was the coldest day so far in paris...about 39 degrees! and i had to walk to work at 5 am :( boo me! toodles

Wednesday, December 12, 2007

PICTURES!

I know finally! My friend Shu Pin (hi shoop!) said I haven't put up pictures in a while....so i have decided to put some up from work.



These are pictures of the dressing room where I change. Nothing special...but I thought i would take a picture of it ;) haha. Thats my coat and blue LCB bag!



The first two pictures are of the Kugelhoff that I made and then the finished product that was in the store. The third picture are the mini brioche and kuglehoff that I roll into mini balls :)


These are the lime almond tuiles that I made. I then spent forever baking them. The guy who was incharge of me asked how I know how to bake them so perfectly and put them into the mold so well. I told him I went to school for this AND i make tuiles at home (plus...it's really not that hard!) However...as you can see...I made a hell of a lot!!!

This picture is of all the mini tartlet molds that I have been telling you about that I've been cleaning. That right there is about 400. (plus i did some that are in another bin)
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Then I made a batch of financiers. Easy.
So...I did a few other things as well...like line some tart molds (which I forgot to take pictures of...I will in the next few days) but that was a bulk of my work on tues! FUN!!!!

And then I had a day off on mon and wed. Monday was a bit boring. I went to the dr. I have plantar faciitis. It has something to do with why my feet have been hurting! And then wed I had my trainer as usual...and the hot guy at the gym FINALLY said hi to me....only because he was talking to my trainer seb :( Oh well..one step closer! hahaha. And then I met up with Maria and her daughter!! WONDERFUL DAY! I love her to death...and her daughter was just as wonderful!!!! We ate lunch, walked the champs a bit and then had starbucks! Lovely afternoon with lovely people! I'm so glad we became friends during the HEG program. I am a better person because she is in my life. truely! and i thank her for being in my life!




Anyway...there is a picture of Maria and her daughter, Maria. And then me and Maria and then two pics of the lights on the Champs-Elysees! GORGEOUS! Once again...home and to bed early! Back to early hours this week!