Lessons Learned/Lessons Learning

A few entries ago, I posted a picture of a cake that my chef and I made... I explained how I would elaborate later on why it was a collaboration and not one that I did on my own. Well, the explanation is this: My chef asked me if I had a good German chocolate cake recipe, and I told him I did. (Truth be told... I did not. I just wanted the opportunity to make a cake at the Four Seasons) Well, he asked me if I would make a cake in the coming days for a special order involving German chocolate. I happily told him  that he would have nothing to worry about. Days passed, and in the midst of those days, I found recipes online that I thought would be perfect. I tested some, adjusted them where I felt necessary, and then I made my own recipe and used it for the final product. 

It was delicious.

And the cake itself was very gorgeous. Unfortunately, my phone was on the fritz at the time and the picture I took didn't turn out. So here, once again, was the final product. 

Originally, I didn't have the flower or the banner and the center wasn't filled with the German chocolate filling. The middle was left with the plain ganache and I wrote 'Happy Birthday Carole' in dark chocolate and garnished it with a couple candied pecans, toasted coconut and chocolate pieces. I loved it, was proud of it and I felt it was very "me", as far as my style goes. 

Well... my chef didn't like it as much as I did. I came in the next day and saw that my cake had been added to. I didn't really understand why until my chef pulled me into the walk-in cooler to see the cake and explain. First off, I had written the message in dark chocolate and it was on a chocolate ganache; While you could see the writing, he wanted it to stand out more. Secondly, the cake was clearly meant for a woman, so he wanted the cake to reflect a more feminine appearance. He added the flower and the banner with the birthday message to take care of both of those issues. Other than that, he enjoyed the cake and thanked me for making it. Unfortunately after that experience, my chef didn't ask me to make any more cakes. 

I suppose I shouldn't have been as offended as I was, but I suppose humility is a good thing. My co-worker, who usually does all of the cakes (which have included a birthday cake for President Obama), has a very gorgeous style, and I decided to pay attention to what he does when he creates cakes. He has created his own combing tools...

*Side note: a combing tool is a small metal or plastic tool that you scrape along the sides of a cake after you have iced it for a pattern effect - much like this: 

Also, my co-worker keeps those concepts in mind at all times (the gender and age of the recipient, color contrast, patterns, etc) and it has become natural for him to create edible masterpieces in a moments notice. Over the past few months, I have been digesting his tips and advice and it has been a great experience learning from someone who has as much experience as he does creating cakes in a luxury hotel setting.

Gratefully, my chef asked me again today if I would make two cakes tomorrow for an event on Monday. FINALLY, the opportunity has come again to prove myself and I am excited for the opportunity to test out the knowledge I've gained over the past few months. Pictures and a description will follow...

In other news, I am realizing more and more that there are concepts and terms in the world of baking and pastry that aren't as familiar to people who don't work in the industry. Hell, even I sometimes scratch my head at some things in spite of the fact that I've been in the culinary field for a while... but, that is how you learn, right? Well, with that in mind, I came across journal-type entries of yesteryear of these types of terms I came across and wanted to share some over the course of the next few blog entries. There is always so much to learn in any field of work and it's really exciting for me to be able to continue to learn new things in baking and pastry as time moves on.

With that all in mind, I came across an entry that was written after someone asked me to make Chantilly Cream. Well ,at the time, I didn't know what exactly that was... here is what I wrote: 

"What is Chantilly Cream? I had a pretty good idea of what it was (since it’s what I make practically every day), but I was never certain of a specific name. Alas, this is the name of a sweetened whipped cream with the addition of vanilla. Here is an official definition: “Chantilly cream takes its name from the chateau of Chantilly outside Paris, where the famous chef Vatel worked in the mid-1800s. The only difference between Chantilly cream and sweetened whipped cream is the addition of vanilla in the form of sugar, powder or extract. Chantilly cream should have a light and fluffy texture and therefore should be made with heavy whipping cream rather than manufacturing cream, which has a higher fat content.”

It is also interesting to note that Chantilly cream must be refrigerated. It will break if left at room temperature for more than a short period.

I should never, ever have to question again what exactly Chantilly cream is."

And truth be told, I never forgot it. Hopefully you won't either... Feel free to use that little nugget of information to impress guests at your next dinner party (perhaps while serving it on top of a delicious dessert!)

Until next time!