Day 23 Le Cordon Bleu Paris

20%. That's the percentage of class that didn't make it in this morning. Really only 5 or 6 people. The partying last night took its toll because even those of us who did make it in this morning were drrrraaaaggggiinnnng. The good news is that none of the last 3 demos are final exam material. They are essentially for personal growth. The demo today was crazy Chef Lesourd's last demo with us. His HUGE personality is always fun and we really needed entertainment this morning to stay focussed.

The demo's main dish was "escalloped veal á la viennoise, fresh pasta and tomato sauce". It was veal cut in escalopes then flattened, floured, egged, breaded and sautéed in olive oil. Fresh pasta dough was made, rolled out, and cut into tagliatelle, tomato sauce made, and all were combined along with a garnish á la viennoise. The garnish was composed of hard boiled eggs (yolk and whites separately run through a vegetable sieve), chopped capers, chopped parsley, and a combined garnish of lemon slice, olive and anchovy. Interestingly, the Chef pointed out that by replacing the eggs with chopped red onions and toast, we would have garnish "á la russe" which is the caviar garnish.

Escaloped veal A la Viennese

Next the Chef went through an elaborate procedure for making "mousse au chocolat á l'orange". Here he is demonstrating the use of one of his favorite props to the class. Lots of techniques involved in this recipe with making the chocolate, whipping the cream, whipping the eggs whites, and whipping the egg yolks all separately, and finally combining them all. The Chef used a technique of creating a "sugar bombe" to add to the egg yolk during mixing to give the mousse added structure and texture. The "bombe" was made by melting sugar in an equal portion of water until reaching a "soft ball stage" which occurs at 235 F (111 C). These are all pastry techniques that the Chef just threw as an extra for us.

The Chef showing Tatiana (Tanya) how to check

for "soft ball stage" using fingers

Chocolate and Orange Mousse

The demo came to an end, and Groups A and C were lucky enough to follow with their practical for cooking the veal dish. Unfortunately, my group B had a 4 hour break before we could come back to make our dish. So, I made the command decision to skip the practical and go home. Truthfully, I can make this simple dish and have made variations of it at home. So, other than getting some free veal, I would not have learned anything from the practical. The most important thing for me was to see the demo. I went home for a badly needed nap and a start to a welcomed final weekend before the last 2 days of school.