It's already been 3 weeks?!?

I cannot believe how quickly this week has flown by! I meant to post at least once more this week, however, somehow time (and exhaustion) got the better of me. In our catering class, we made so many things that I never would've tried by myself. All things savory, below is a dégustation of our creations this week:

Bouchée à la Reine (puff pastry pots filled with a creamy sauce sprinkled with cubes of ham, chicken, mushrooms, and chicken quenelles)

Coulibiac de Saumon (layers of brioche dough and crèpes enveloping layers of spinach, mushrooms, hardboiled egg, rice pilaf, salmon filet, more rice, egg, mushrooms, and topped off with spinach)


Pain Surprise (hollowed out bread made into little sandwiches of different flavors and stuffed back in, in no particular order... guests grab a mini sandwich and are surprised as to what flavor they get. We made one with crab & smoked salmon and another with ham, prosciutto, pâté, salami, & other meats)


Sole Meunière (cooked in butter with more butter drizzled on top... I also filleted it by myself!)

Saucisson Pistaché en Brioche
(Sauce Charcuterie had pickles, mushrooms, and mustard... mmm!)

Soufflé au Fromage (in my excitement to have as much cheesy goodness as possible, I think I might have weighed down the soufflé... still delicious though)

Pot au Feu, Cassoulet, and 2 types of Croque Monsieur (1 with cream, 1 with Mornay sauce)








Our buffet at the end of the week! The trays of savory petits fours include allumettes (cheese sticks), mini quiches and pizzas, aumônière de saumon (crèpe "beggar's purses" with a smoked salmon filling), friands (mini sausages wrapped in puff pastry... ones with prunes as well), gougères (cream puffs, but filled with sauce mornay), et canapés (mini open-faced sandwiches). We also presented small cups of bouillabaisse that we'd made and a cake basilic avec feta, tomate séchée (savory loaf bread with feta cheese, sundried tomatoes, and fresh basil).

Throughout the week, I brought home whatever we had made that day, and by the end of those 5 days, my fridge was ready to burst. While I came here to learn French pastry, I am thrilled that the program includes a week of savory cuisine. I learned so much and feel more comfortable working with things not sucré. The art of catering really encompasses all dimensions of food: pastry, cuisine, charcuterie, boulangerie, etc. Our chef was amazing as well... he is striving to obtain the esteemed title of MOF (Meilleur Ouvrier de France), which includes long hours of competition (2 17-hour days, back-to-back)!

Since we started at 8am everyday, the latest we got out was 6pm, leaving me with enough time during the evenings to get together with some friends, which was a nice break. I have to admit, however, I was very tired and have never looked forward to my bed so much each night!

Speaking of sleep, I should get some rest before next week really begins... it's all about puff pastry!