Moving up & End of a cycle..

Things have gotten interesting on the competition team front. Our salad guy damn near cut a finger off. You want to know how? Doing a chiffonade with a Shun Cleaver, in BAKING CLASS of all things (I contend that he was just showing off). Anyways, with that I move up from understudy alternate to the alternate spot as Tyler (the alt)moves into the salad spot. He vows that he'll be ready to go by the 22nd of next month, but right now we've got to move forward with the thinking that he's not going to be ready and healed by that time.

We did a run through the menu on Thursday, with time constraints and everything. Lets just say we've got a lot of 'kinks' to work out before Feb 22nd. Our Pomegranate Molasses/Balsamic gastrique was reduced to much and resembled taffy. The salad was a bit flat, but that will be corrected by salting the greens before dressing the salad with the vinaigrette. This had to have been the longest four day week on record, as we were doing "two a days" Tues, Wed, Thurs - thank god we took Friday off.

In other news we wrapped up the third week of the cycle yesterday, taking a final and making breakfast in Charcuterie. Passed the class with a "A", even though I didn't do all that spectacular on the final. I can study all I want, and retain all that info but as soon as that piece of paper is put down in front of me, I'm screwed. Though the last two says I've probably brought home 2 or so pounds of various sausages, not to mention a quarter of a ham, pastrami and corned beef.

Starting Monday it's on to Intro to Baking.

Yes, I am a slacker...

Sorry for the long time in between posts, getting back into the swing of things was my main focus the last couple of weeks and it's paid off. Tomorrow starts the last week of the 3rd cycle for Charcuterie, and then it's on to baking. Not my favorite endevor in the world, but something I need to learn.

As I think I've mentioned before I'm now a member of "Team WCI" it's a culinary competition team. I'm a 2nd alternate but my main reason for joining was for the learning experience - and I've learned a lot so far and we haven't even scratched the surface. And it's been taking up a lot of my time, it's not unusual now not to get home from school until 4 or 5p (school gets out at 12n).

I also decided to forgo joining the Sauce Club, they meet on weekends and I can't afford the extra gas and parking money. If they met on the weekdays after school that would be one thing, I just don't have the budget to afford the extra gas and parking. Remember I live about 45 minutes from school.

I've got more pictures to process and post in the coming days.