Just Crumbs

So, this is my journey through culinary school…at the age of almost 50!!

As a friend said, it is a gift to go back to school as a mature student…how right she was!

Below is a sampling of the dishes we cooked over the course of 6 grueling months…it was hard work but I learned so much!!

Smoked mussel salad with crispy granny smith apple in a braided Chinese bean shell

Roasted red and golden beets with goat cheese, filo crisps, greens and home made bocconcini

Pasta day…open ravioli with grilled scallops; squid ink linguine with a quail egg; saffron tortellini; spinach tortellini, and a squid ink ravioli  

  … and a whole egg yolk ravioli…just warmed enough to “ooze” out after it is cooked and pan seared in brown butter and sage

Strawberry mousse with tuilles and chocolate truffles

Palette cleanser…strawberry basil granita with home made lemoncello, candied lemon and basil simple syrup

Getting ready for my “in-kitchen” exam…leading a team of 8 people to prepare and serve a meal I had perfected…on Valentines Day (hence, beet pink soft knotted rolls)

Herbed flat breads and soft knotted rolls

Sticky toffee pudding with toffee sauce accompanied by a bacon sugar lace cookie and date infused maple scented caramelized bacon ice cream

De-boned stuffed and rolled rabbit

Spring coloured macaroons!

Fish mousseline (like a cold gelatin terrine).

Berry shortcrust tart with pastry cream

Home made bocconcini

Smoked duck breast, duck confit in a crepe “purse”, savoury garlic timbale (custard) and a raspberry gastric sauce

Pear competition…poached pear in a shortcrust pastry and filled with a sweet ricotta filling

Beef wellington (with fois gras and mushrooms)

This is not an egg…molecular gastronomy (yogurt “egg white”, mango and coconut “yolk”, strawberry coulis “ketchup” and brownie “sausage”

and with the “yolk” running…

Liver…not my favourite!

Apple tatine with date caramel sauce and toasted almond brittle

Lobster thermador

Lobster souffle

Sorry if this offends anyone…stuffed porketta

Roman’s Trio of Panna Cotta

Mike’s deconstructed Peanut butter and Jelly sandwich (with brown bread ice cream, peanut butter powder and strawberry caviar)