Kali is Graduating!!

Yay!!!!!!!

Kali is graduating this week from 

L'Academie de Cuisine's Pastry Arts Program!

Eighteen months of study which included an internship at an authentic

French Bistro and Cafe.

And for those of you who may think she looks a mess in this photo - they put chocolate below their lip to test the temperature.

A good pastry chef can tell when the chocolate is at the right temperature by the way it feels on their chin. 

Hmmmm. So, Kali looks just right :).

In this post I am doing something I have only ever done 

once or twice before - posting without edits.

For a couple reasons:

I am leaving soon to start driving to Maryland.

(Graduation is on Friday.)

And, last night I managed to rupture a blood

vessel in one eye. I am having massive problems

keeping that eye open and it hurts like crazy.

Doc called it a subconjunctival hemorrhage and

says it will clear up in a couple weeks,

but for now the white of my right eye is entirely red and 

my eye is watering like crazy. 

Light hurts, so my computer screen is turned almost all the way down.

I can't see to edit, but I wanted to post about Kali's graduation 

before I leave town.

 This was the first really cool project Kali made in class.

The blue is cooked sugar - basically a lollipop.

The rose is . . . . chocolate!

(What is that wonderful smell?

Sorry Frozen fans!)

 Kali studied cake decoration with a couple of the

hands-down best women in the industry.

This entire rose (except for the tin foil it's resting on)

is made of gum paste. Kali is super good at flowers!

 Sorry, but I don't really know the names of any of these cakes.

Just that they are really yummy!

Kali is now living in Colorado.

She is living her dream of being a pastry chef -

an assistant pastry chef for now -

in the pastry kitchens of Kneaders Bakery and Cafe.

I am so proud of my Kali-girl!

She knew what she wanted to do, we made a way for it to happen, 

and she worked super hard!

My understanding is that Kali finished 

with a 96.48 GPA

and will be graduating with honors!

Whoot! Whoot! Way to go, Kali!

(And if you think about it, please say a prayer that my eye will heal quickly. Hurts like the dickens right now and I'll be making that 800 mile drive alone.)

Hors d'Oeuvres Buffet at LAC

Most of you know that Kali is attending culinary school to become a professional pastry chef. She is almost done with phase one, which culminates in an hors d'oeuvres buffet and another eight hour exam. The buffet was yesterday and the three students remaining in the evening program did a fantastic job. They each had four items to make, and Chef Claude prepared a couple other items to round out the buffet.

It was a pretty impressive spread of hors d'oeuvres shared with family and a few friends. Everything was amazing! And everything you see was made from scratch, including all the breads and even the mayonnaise in the egg salad. 

Unofficially dubbed the Three Mousseketeers, these three students prepared some fantastic foods! Terry, Andy, and Kali. Evening Pastry Arts Program at L'Academie de Cuisine. 

And here you have the whole team - Andy, Terry, Kali, Instructor Chef Claude, and Teaching Assistant Karen. Chef Claude studied the art of pastries in France, and has worked in the most prestigious kitchens in the D.C. area for the past 30 years, including contract work for the White House. Kali is so blessed to have him as her instructor!

L'Academie de Cuisine was founded in 1976 by Chef Francois Dionot, culminating a culinary career from Switzerland, to France, to the United States. Here he is with Kali and Chef Claude.

An awesome spread.

These wonderful things are Cheese Lollipops. Kali made them with cheese and cayenne pepper. Some were filled with roasted red peppers, some with tapenade (olives and anchovies). They were crunchy and surprising. I liked them a lot!

On the bottom, those are Asparagus Vol-au-vant with Beurre Blanc. Kali made these with puff dough, asparagus, and beurre blanc. (She said that with a straight face, like I knew what beurre blanc is.)

Egg Salad Salambo: eggs, pickles, olives, capers, and homemade mayonnaise. Kali's dish. And don't you love her red bird she made to go with the egg salad?

Gougere, made with two types of cheese, cayenne pepper, thyme, salt, pepper, and dijon mustard. This was Kali's fourth item. Delicious!

This is the only shot I got of Kali with the spread of hors d-oeuvres. I wish I had noticed her eyes were closed. Sorry. This is normal attire for class.

Chef Claude made the Cheese Shortbread with cheese and worcestershire sauce. They had a real kick to them, I ate several.

Foie de Volaille en Brioche, made of brioche stuffed with chopped chicken livers. Really very tasty and good.

Another shot of Kali's Cheese Lollipops.

I'm not sure what this one was called, nor what was in it. Sorry.

This looked pretty incredible, almost too pretty to eat. Pissaladiere made with sweated onions, anchovies, and olives. 

Salmon Tartar on french bread.

Savory Palmiers.

I think Chef Claude made the Cheese Straws:  puff dough, cheese, and cayenne pepper. Everyone had one of these! (Or two, or three.)

Quail Egg Bouchee with Beurre Blanc.

Spanakopita, a Greek style hors d'oeuvres made with phyllo dough, spinach, and feta.

Terry made these Ham and Cheese Quiche. They were excellent!

Oh my word! These Blue Cheese Tarts were something to behold! When I ate the first one, I ate the candied walnut first only to discover that it had been candied with cayenne pepper. Quite spicy! The blue cheese/cream cheese mix was a good balance for the spiciness of the walnut. Great job, Terry!

This was not part of the buffet per se, but was on display in that area. Earlier in the phase, each student made a pastillage. Made of all edible materials, but they are not recommended for eating. The students' pieces are on display in the classroom. The tall one on the left was Andy's. It is the coat of arms from his hometown in Albania. Top right was Terry's, based on a photograph from Jamaica, her home. Bottom left is Kali's piece, inspired by conversations she and I had about her dream of studying at L'Academie de Cuisine. 
Wonderful job, students! I can't wait to see what you learn in phase two. Thanks to Chef Claude and Karen for sharing their knowledge and experience every day! You are amazing!