I didn’t remember what time I slept, it was a deep sleep. I must be recovering from some slept debt the week earlier. I woke up this morning, my head on 2 cushions over an open book. The book which I purchased over Amazon.com had arrived in a box at my doorstep the previous evening – Grand Livre de Cuisine Alain Ducasse’s Desserts and Pastries by Frederic Robert, I managed to read only the preface.
I found the book title a couple of weeks ago while looking at the Sur La Table website. It was an autographed copy and would cost US$195. I had read that Alain Ducasse had previously worked for Mr Gaston Lenôtre during the summer months in 70s during his apprenticeship, and Frederick Robert spent “a season with the great Gaston Lenôtre in Paris, for intense study in basic and classic pastry”. He wrote the original French version of “Grand Livre,” named Best Dessert Book in the World by The Gourmand World Cookbook Awards in 2002. This English version won the James Beard Foundation Award in 2007. ”He’s more about ingredients, flavors, using the best product. He’s of the Ducasse school- product freshness, texture, flavors. And a mix of flavors inside the dessert.” Couldn’t find it in Barnes & Nobles, I found the book on Amazon.com later.
I stared at the clock and it was 5.29, at that point I couldn’t decide if it is evening or morning. Then I recalled arriving back at my apartment from school at 7pm the night before, so it was time to get up for school. It was so amazing, I did not set the alarm and I actually woke up at the right time. Usually I would need some help – a wake up call from BK, yes, a wake-up call from overseas everyday. Usually it is from Singapore, but now it could be from Hong Kong, Korea, or Australia or US in the next 4 months. He couldn’t call me today as my mobile phone ran out of pre-paid value the previous day. I decided today was going to be a great day!
As I left my apartment at 6.45am, the sky was dark and gloomy, which was unusual. I stood at the bus stop, half the sky above me was covered in dark clouds, and the other half in the direction of school was gray. It was windy and comfortably cool. It was 7.02am. I saw the familiar Mexican man dropping off at the bus stop at the cross junction, we had both waited for the bus in vain the previous day and aborted the wait at 7.15am, he walked to work a couple of stops away while I hopped into April’s car. I will see him at the bus stop almost every morning if he manages to catch the bus connections, he needs 4 bus connections from his home near Galleria to work at Memorial area. I have no complaints - I only need 2.
It started pouring heavily the moment we got on bus 40. I was really thankful. I was also thankful I was in a passenger seat and not the driver’s seat. A couple of stops later, I got off at Ella @ 34th Street. Still pouring. While waiting for the pedestrian signal to turn green in my favour, I saw my next connection 23 arriving at the bus stop. I got on the bus on time.
“Today will be a good day!”, the man in gray beard exclaimed to me. I see this elderly man everyday, even when I missed the bus and took the next, he would be there too. He wears a uniform with Cornerstone logo. The last time he spoke to me was many weeks ago, I was reading a book on Julia Child. He knew about her too. Curious, I asked him why he thought so. He starting sprouting “wizard” and “witches”. With the downpour, I could barely hear him. ”It is pouring, the witch will stay home, so today will be a good day”, I heard him this time. Obviously noticing my ignorance, he further explained. So he was referring to the Wizard of Oz and the Wicked Witch of the West. I had no idea about the wizard or the witch. But I believed that today will be a great day! “Ding Dong! The Witch is dead. Which old Witch? The Wicked Witch! Ding Dong!…” He broke into a tune. Ha! The impatient bus driver nearly drove off when he didn’t get up to get off at the requested stop. What a perspective! I cherished this positive insight from a stranger early in the morning.
I did a google search and realised that “…Dorothy confronts the Wicked Witch of the West, throws a bucket of water on her, and the Witch melts into a puddle of scum…”. So the elderly man was right! Today indeed was a great day!
In the pastry lab, we would make Baba dough and Frozen Bombe today. First recipe - with Jennifer as my partner, we did our Baba dough differently from the other 3 groups, we decided to mix the dough in the mixer, and leave the melted butter out, only to pour it over the dough in a metal container, cover and proof. The other groups had mixed the butter into the dough before proofing. Chef assured us both ways would work. An hour later, we got a little worried when we saw the dough had not risen much. Have we put in the yeast? Yes, we did! And he said expectantly, we shall see later. Then when the rest of the class started to roll the dough, we still got to mix the butter into the slightly-risen dough in the mixer. We were once again iffy… As it turned out, our dough was easily rolled into smooth ball without flour, as Chef had said about the Baba dough. The mix from the other teams were stickier and required flour. We learnt our first lesson – explore and believe. Cool!
Next we started on Vanilla Ice Cream, which was to go into making Frozen Bombe. I had scrambled my vanilla sauce before on medium heat so I was careful. Instead of low heat I did the last time, I tried medium low instead, things went smoothly… the bubbles started to disappear, indicating the sauce was about to be ready. It happened again, this time was better but just as bad? - no scrambled egg chunks but many tiny egg crumbs formed and they just wouldn’t go through the sieve. Robert came over and exclaimed wow, scrambled eggs! Chef came over with his brows frowned, and he asked me to get him some bacon from cuisine lab. That time, I was not sure if I should be amused or to feel guilty as I was the stirrer who made the sauce. We skipped our 10am break to redo the sauce. Things went smoothly this time. Another lesson learnt - stir vanilla sauce on Low heat till nape. We were the last to use the ice cream machine, and got to learn from Chef how to clean the parts. Nice!
~Strawberry Sorbet Prep~
We managed to catch up with the rest of the class. While doing the strawberry sorbet which would also go into making the bombe, I decided to level the entire small container into a HUGE basin so we could get the temperature lowered to about 10 deg C quickly. Jennifer agreed and it worked, though it sure looked exaggerated. We managed to whip up the sorbet, freeze it and mold the metal container with an outer layer of vanilla ice cream and an inner layer of strawberry sorbet. We would complete it tomorrow with the vanilla parfait and joconde biscuit. Jennifer said to me, sometimes we thought things got messed up, but they still turned out the way we wanted. It surely did!
The lunch was hearty today, we were really hungry. The Thursday Chef’s session today was conducted by Mr LeNotre. Every great musician, poets and chefs need more than great skills, … what is more important is to inspire, he shared. It is like part of a chain, every great chef is inspired by people who are inspired by people who are inspired by people who are… the chain continues. He recommended 2 readings – Becoming a Chef by Andrew Dornenburg and Karen Page, Chef’s Story, edited by Dorothy Hamilton and Patric Kuh. I had read the first book and a few chapters of the second a while back before I decided to make a career switch. I was then reading the books as a book junkie, now I decided it should make more sense. I carried these 2 books as part of 2 luggage loads of books to Houston. I was to re-read the books and complete the rest during my 6 month stay in Houston.
~ Hearty Lunch ~
It was 3pm. Sarah offered to make a detour on her way back home to drop me off at Colquitt @ S Shepherd. It was drizzling. I was to meet up with Chef Dominique at 3.45pm at his restaurant Au Petit Paris. Chef Dominique was a Chef-Instructor with CIAML till a year back. I was meeting him regarding a voluntary internship in 3 week’s time. A day earlier, Mr LeNotre had advised me when I informed him about the meeting, Be impeccable. “If students think Chef Philippe is strict, then Chef Dominique is many times more”, said Mr LeNotre. I was actually quite excited, my friends had pointed out the “sadist” in me – I am not sure if I agree with the word, but once again I felt a familiar nudge within me. I had enjoyed and thrived in rigorous training sessions and hours in my teen years… For a long time, I have been drifting, I think. That feeling was lost for far too long. I had consulted Chef Philippe a day earlier. Chef Philippe would be my Chef-Instructor when I start my level 2 Pastry in 3 week’s time, about the same week I was to intern at the restaurant. He gave me the Okay to do a 4 sessions per week internship after class so long as “you come to class by 8…”, “… don’t complain” etc. I promised him I won’t, I asked for it, I guess.
I met Chef Dominique in the kitchen as I entered from the back door. He led me to the dining area. After a brief exchange of Am I okay working the hours? How long I can work? What makes me come from Singapore to Houston and attend this particular school? etc. He said my main role as an intern is to garnir (sounds like, I think. I wasn’t sure if he spoke in French or English. If the word is French, then according to Oxford French-English dictionary, it means fill, decorate, cover, line, garnish) and take notes as most of the work will be done by him and his assitant Derrick from 9am. I am happy to be of extra help and learn as much as possible. He told me that after I learn sugarcraft and other advanced techniques in level 2 & 3 from Chef Philippe, I would be pretty good in artistic construction - he likened design, woodcraft, tiling etc in building his restaurant to techniques similar in pastry!!?? As it is, he and his partner bought the restaurant 2 years ago, and did everything from scratch to what I saw today except the electricity and sewage. Wow! I saw an exquisitely crafted wooden floor-to-ceiling wine bottle rack behind me. Yes, it was built by them because ”we couldn’t find one we like… custom-made would be too expensive”. The arch at the front was erected by 6 men, he added Chef Philippe was there to help too. I was both amazed and inspired – I still can’t saw a piece of wood, the closest I have done was to use a bread knife to cut meringue with praline cream and “don’t crack it” for the morning break today. I am still hopeful.
When I stepped out of the restaurant, it started pouring. I had forgotten to check the bus route. A familiar bus number I found at the bus stop, I took bus 27 before which will connect me to bus 40 at 11th Street. When I finally got off the bus, the rain stopped. I got back, managed to refill my mobile phone value, flipped opened the book once again, and … zonked out.
It was 9pm when I woke up. Today was kind to me, and it was Definitely a Great Day indeed! I Believe Tomorrow will be Another Great Day for me.
