It was a real downer today when one of the students showed up around lunch and told us that he wouldn't be doing the last few lessons and won't be doing the final, and therefore won't be graduating with us. He was the oldest guy in the group and we went out for drinks after class a couple of times. Really nice guy, but he said that he got what he wanted out of the course, so I'm happy for him. Just kind of hard to say good bye like this. I told him I really respect him for trying this at his age (my guess is he's in his mid 60s) and I hope I have his energy when I'm older.
The day started with Practical #028, and Chef Christopher from the Production Kitchen. Chef Benoit showed up about half way through the lesson and took over. Chef Christopher kept on trying to get me to move faster, but I knew I had plenty of time so I was trying to make everything perfect in terms of my vegetable cuts, and making sure my bird was tied properly, etc. The dish came out okay.. I kinda burnt one side of the canape and my meat filing was way too dry, but my poultry was perfectly cooked and sauce was a bit thick (since it should have been a jus) but the taste was good, ... and my potatoes were soggy because i didn't cook them long enough, but my julienne were perfect. It was passable and since it wasn't an exam dish, I don't really care.
Lesson #029 was Fritots de ris de veau, sauce tartare, persil frit (sweetbreads deep fried, tartar sauce and fried parsley), Cotes de veau a la creme, petits pois a la Francaise (Veal chops with peas French style) and Pets de nonne (deep fried pastry). The pastry is funny because it translates to "nun's farts" and that's the sound they make as they are cooked and deflate. I have no idea why you would fry parsley. Sweetbreads breaded are still gross.
Practical #029 was the Veal chops and went very well. My only major problem was with the sauce, which I didn't thicken enough but taste was good. My meat was cooked well, my peas were perfect and so I was happy with the dish. Another 15 minutes and my sauce would have been reduced to the proper consistency, but Chef Benoit made us serve after 2 hours instead of 2:30 so it was okay.
Tomorrow is the very last day of classes, and lesson 30, which is not an exam dish but I'll go anyway. Probably be a better idea to stay home and study all day, but I'd probably just end up playing with my new iPod touch which has been severely underutilized.
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