@Shelovescake

Having settled into something of a rhythm, I was struck by a deep sense of gratitude this week. How changed my life is now from my Bank of England days. At lunchtime on Wednesday, having cooked and eaten a delicious sirloin steak with parsley butter, I went for a walk in the sunshine. The contrast from a rushed box of Itsu at my desk whilst responding to emails and preparing for my next several meetings, couldn’t be more striking. The chance to pause, to learn and grow; and have the time and space to do so is a gift.

On Monday, we channeled our inner Jenny Chandler having been inspired by her energy and drive at the end of week 4. Paired with the lovely Kate Madden, we smashed the Greek butter bean with feta recipe, creating a sweet yet deeply umami sauce to ooze into the velvety plump beans. We also each produced a lacy, crispy-edged Farinata, which made a delicious light lunch dressed with rocket, parmesan, black pepper and a good dousing of extra virgin.

Tuesday brought the drama of our second formal assessment. The drama coming mostly from the requirement to make mayonnaise by hand. That is, not in a machine, but by hand with a sauce whisk. NEVER AGAIN! After a successful and swift plaice filleting and skinning, the mayonnaise took me a good 40 minutes. So determined was I that it wouldn’t split, I took it painstakingly slowly. I knew that if it did split there was a high probability I would walk out and not come back. Thankfully my patience paid off. I managed to serve my crisp and golden plaice goujons with a piquant tartare sauce (daughter sauce of the mayonnaise) with a neatly prepped lemon wedge with just 2 minutes to spare of the allotted 20 minute service window.

The afternoon was considerably less pressured. Ryan showed us how to cook tender cuts of meat: steak, pork chops and lamb rump. We really do get fed very well in these dems! The steak came with a chimichurri sauce and a side of fries; the pork with a cider, tarragon and cream sauce; and the lamb with a sharp and salty salsa verde.

Wednesday was a glorious day. In the morning we tackled steak. First taking a piece through the gradations of cooking from blue to medium. And then preparing a piece of sirloin, rendering the fat, cooking to medium rare and finishing with slices of parsley butter. What a fabulous lunch (for me and my youngest daughter who had it the following day at school)! Pudding was even better. The afternoon dem took us through each of the components for chocolate choux buns. The finale of which was a production line for our own delectable consumption: filling a crisp choux bun with creme diplomat, icing with molten chocolate and sprinkling with glistening almond praline. Most of us couldn’t resist a second!

The sense of gratitude continued on Thursday. We filled a previously prepared shortcrust pastry case with a rich and unctuous leek and gruyere egg custard. The dressing for our accompanying salad was chef’s choice for which I created a lemon, honey and mustard mix to cut through the creaminess of the tart (forgot to take photos before it went into tuppaware). Having enjoyed a considerable wedge of that tart for lunch, the afternoon dem negated all requirement for dinner. We were cooked for by Marvin Jones, Executive Chef of El Pastor restaurants. He demonstrated his legendary raw tuna tostados, serving one each with an enormous mountain of the chilli-sesame-soy dressed tuna.

The final flourish of the week was making our own chocolate choux buns and almond praline. Apparently onlookers said I stopped breathing at the crucial moment for the praline. But this is clearly the key to success as I achieved what Leith’s call an ‘adult’ caramel i.e. one that is bold enough to have some bitter notes alongside the sweet ones. The final construction of the masterpiece was a fitting end to a wonderful week; and a massive crowd pleaser when I returned home to a hungry audience of cleaner, nanny, children and husband. The right question, of course, is who on earth came up with the method for creating choux pastry? Why would you melt butter in water, boil, add flour and egg with the intention of creating a light, crispy vector of deliciousness? One to ponder. In the mean time, and looking ahead to week 6, things are stepping up again with a practice theory paper and our first all day cook. Come back next week to find out how it all went 🙂