I used to drink coffee with my dad when I was a kid, and I loved it. Over time however, I developed a preference for tea..ok milk tea to be exact. But both coffee and tea are good money spinners anyway if you're running your own business, so it was a good experience learning how to prepare various coffee types during our coffee lesson.
I made the flat white above for our mini test at the end of the lesson. Chef said it's good but me, not being a coffee conoisseur of any sort, I just took a sip and down into the sinkhole the rest went hahaha. Didn't feel like drinking coffee that day.
Anyways we worked hard on producing a range of high tea items for two tea sessions that were open to public and chargeable. We also had to do front of house during the session, which I didn't like too much..I prefer being in the kitchen.
Anyways we worked hard on producing a range of high tea items for two tea sessions that were open to public and chargeable. We also had to do front of house during the session, which I didn't like too much..I prefer being in the kitchen.
The three-tier tea stand - ready for service.
Clockwise from top left: Choux buns with crunchy cookie crumble topping, filled with chocolate mousse and fresh strawberry slices, date scones with double cream and raspberry jam, lemon tartlets with fresh fruit and caramelised Italian meringue, coffee eclairs.
Clockwise from top left: Dark chocolate mousse with white chocolate shavings and coconut-chocolate macarons, pistachio brulee with strawberry jelly, mini gateau concorde drizzled with dark chocolate sauce, breton with caramelised creme chibouste and fresh raspberry.
Clockwise from top left: Poppyseed soft rolls with cream cheese, cucumber and smoked salmon, linseed vienna with cranberry sauce, brie and pea sprouts (2 versions), baps with wild rocket and roast beef.
Clockwise from top left: Crepe suzette, fruit plate (2 versions), chocolates, fudge, and jellies. I did the fruit plate with the apple swan carving during the second week of tea service, because I did the fruit plate in the first week as well and thought it looked kind of boring. So I went onto YouTube to get some ideas and learnt how to do a simple swan using an apple..and off I went to buy a red delicious apple for my fruit plate (because the school did not provide apples in the mise en place lah..)
Another version of breton with caramelised creme choibouste, topped with blueberries and covered with chopped pistachios at the bottom left, and another version of mini gateau concorde at the top right. I made this version of concorde and I'm really excited and happy about it. Just looking at this picture makes me feel so happy because I learnt alot from making this mini cake. We first assemble the cake as you can see at the bottom right - with cocoa meringue discs and chocolate mousse. Then we cut out strips of untempered marbled chocolate (chilled to set and then brought back to working temperature) and wrap it tightly around the meringue and mousse, before garnishing it with little meringue batons and a dusting of cocoa powder and icing sugar. I also decided to put on a little handle on each gateau to make it look like a mini parcel that could be carried..Chef said it was very nice..and then he gave me some red chocolate pieces to complete my amateur masterpiece hahaha. Thanks Chef!
I thought high tea for two weeks would be a little boring at first, but I think it was a good experience because we got to re-enact hotel/catering production albeit on a smaller scale.
The weather wasn't too bad either..unusually "hot" for winter, hot enough that a group of us actually went for some gelato along the Dee Why beach, and watched a cat chase after a little bird that couldn't really fly. We were trying to distract the cat by making noises so that the poor bird could escape away from it. An old man sitting near by also helped to chase away the cat. Thank god the bird got away.
I thought high tea for two weeks would be a little boring at first, but I think it was a good experience because we got to re-enact hotel/catering production albeit on a smaller scale.
The weather wasn't too bad either..unusually "hot" for winter, hot enough that a group of us actually went for some gelato along the Dee Why beach, and watched a cat chase after a little bird that couldn't really fly. We were trying to distract the cat by making noises so that the poor bird could escape away from it. An old man sitting near by also helped to chase away the cat. Thank god the bird got away.
Next week: Final Practical Exam and the last week of school!