Tarts everywhere!

Happy wednesday!

 Today was our first day baking. It was very hot, very sweaty but so much fun!

 This morning we made short dough. It's a none stretchy no yeast dough. Sort of like shortbread. Chef does a demo up at the front of the class and we have the recipe and measurements in our hands, but Its our job to write down the procedure. We need to memorize it so when we go to make something all we need to have is our ingredient list and we should be able to push it out without looking at the procedure.
 As of right now I feel confident that I could remake everything we made today...But ask me again in the morning lol.
 Chef said "this is a dough you can not overwork and you can't screw it up...no one has screwed it up in 20 years." this is where i started to panic. If someone was going to screw it up, it was probably going to be me. Please god let it not be me.

 But we got our dough made, balled and wrapped up in the blast chiller. Normally this is a dough you would make the day before but we didn't have time yesterday.

 Then we made pastry cream! We measure everything out and Im attempting to read my chicken scratch notes about what steps I should do next...a little more difficult then it should of been. I got my milk and sugar in the pot. My sugar, cornstarch and egg yolks and milk mixed up in my bowl. Then comes the fun part...working.over.an.open.flame. Now for anyone who knows me knows how clumbsy I am. This is the first time I'm making pastry cream. This is the first time I'm working on spider burners with an open flame in my face. Disaster and death will be coming my way.

 I get my milk on and boiling then I need to temper some milk in to my egg mixture.. time to grab the pot of screaming hot milk! TIP: Metal pot that has a metal handle that has been sitting on an open flame GETS HOT! no shit eh? well its safe to say I burnt my poor fingers. But I have boiling milk no time to worry about a burn! So I wave the pain off and grab the damn thing again! I blame the people working beside me who were asking me questions - distraction. Take three...use apron to lift pot and try to not catch my apron on fire. SUCCESS! I get some hot cream in to my egg mixture..its been tempered. thank god. Now to add the whole egg mixture in to my hot pot of cream and whisk my life away. No lumps...no lumps...whisk!...frig that handle is still hot...whisk!whisk!..no lumps..I got this. Turned out pretty good :)

 So the whole class gets their creams in to the blast chiller to cool down and now its time to roll out the dough. yippie!

 We cut it in to four and start kneading it to soften it up. Mine keeps crumbling apart...i screwed it up! I knew it! "CHEF!!..help.me." So he came over and started kneading it and said "no, it's perfect just keep kneading it." I just chalk it up to having virgin pastry hands. He said because the dough has such a  high butter content when its cold it crumbles but if you overwork it it gets to soft. Practice. I need practice.

 I eventually get it rolled out in to my tart pan and my nice classmates help me when i forgot a step and chef was to busy helping others. I eventually got it all done and prayed to the pastry gods that mine wouldn't be the worst lol. I don't need to be the best right now, but i am NOT going to be the worst that's for damn sure.

 Then break finally came. Thank jesus. I have pit stains my hair is a mess and I discovered that my jacket is covered in my foundation. While i was sweating I was wiping my face on my arm and shoulders and didn't even think about my make up. Note to self: no more make up in the kitchen. I just cant make it work.

 We get back to class and it's time to bake. Chef took care of that - so that was easy. I didnt screw up that part! While they were baking he was showing us how to fill and dress a tart. I could watch him bake and decorate all day. He's really amazing. Now I didn't know if we would be eating these (I was praying we would be!) so I had to avoid the easier fruits to cut up like peaches and kiwi. I had to stick to raspberries, oranges and raspberries...actually I did put kiwi on mine now that I think back. It turns out they went to the cafeteria for sale so it didn't matter what I put on it.

 Everyone was chopping their fruits and I grab my first strawberry and chop...chop...slice my own finger..fuck. of course. They didn't sell us shit knives thats for damn sure these suckers are sharp as hell!

 So I run to the hand station and rinse my finger..yeah its been bleeding since this morning. lol. I cut it on my cuticle so it just wouldn't stop. Everyone seemed concerned and asked me If I was okay.That was nice. People even brought me bandaids :) I like my classmates!  Chef came over to check on me and said "jesus, mary and joseph what am i going to do with you ashley?..Do i need to stab you with your epi-pen?" "haha not right now, just a bandaid and a glove will be enough I think, but thanks."

 Two bandaids and a glove and I was still bleeding..You will all be happy to know I survived my injury. It was a close call though...phew.

 Now I'm super annoyed because everyone is almost done decorating their tarts and I haven't even started! Damn it! Clean and sanatize my knife, throw out my fruit ... get a new glove because I have some how ripped this one already! arg! My table finished way before me, they cleaned and the girl beside me even did my dishes for me. What a doll. I hate being the last one done. I don't think anyone wants to be the last, But chef says "don't rush, do it right!"

 It was really fun decorating it :) I used strawberries, oranges (only one in my class to do so!) raspberries and some kiwi because people had extra cut up that they gave me. Then we had to put a glaze on it and then sugar a piece of mint and add a cape gooseberry ( I HATE those little orange balls of sour grossness) . I'm so proud of it! I never thought I could pull something like this off and in the end when I think back it really wasn't all that difficult. I could totally do this again!

 Tomorrow is the winery tour and pot luck lunch! Im so exicited to do some taste testing...and possibly buying.

 Pastry school is such a dream come true. I love it. I'm wondering if any of the tarts actually got bought? Can't wait to check tomorrow morning!

My pastry cream after its been whipped "smooth like a monkeys ass"

My tarts top view.  

Tart side view. Beautiful! 

One of the fridges with everyones tart. Can you find mine?

A closer view.