PÂTISSIÈRE | PÂH-tees-syehr |

This past week we did pastry, and sadly it's already over.  I must admit, I'm jealous of those in the pastry program.  They spend a whole 6 months, while we spend just 6 days:
Day 1: Custards/Creams
Day 2: Ices/Frozen Desserts
Day 3: Mouses & Soufflés
Day 4: Doughs & Tarts
Day 5: La Génoise & Pâte Feuilletée
Day 6: Batters

So, I guess it's pretty standard that if you're in culinary, you either don't like or really suck at pastry. Not too many of my classmates shared my enthusiasm for pastry, which I struggle to understand.

Item A:  The pastry girls get to consume copious amounts of sugar all in the name of "honing their skills".  Meanwhile, I'm over here eating liver...

One day our chef asked us if we wanted to see the correct stance for baking.  Always eager to learn, we replied that we did.  He then leaned against the table, propped up an elbow, and rested his chin in his hand.  "What?" He interjected over our snickers, "Bakers are always waiting around. You wait for egg whites to whip, dough to rise, cakes to bake."  It seems it's an ongoing inside joke among our chefs. It's true.  The week certainly felt much slower pace.  Which brings me to...

Item B:  It's sometimes nice being able to wait around for stuff.  When cooking, you don't have that luxury.

So again, I ask, what's not to love?

I didn't take many pictures as our new chef really hates phones in the kitchen, but here's some of the things we made.

Our "create-your-own" Branzino.  (Bonus.  Not Pastry.)

Partially eaten ham and cheese crêpe and mostly eaten crêpe suzette

La Génoise  

Don't be fooled, it doesn't taste good.  Also, French buttercream is mostly just butter.  

Ginormous Puff Pastry.  

We folded our dough six times, which results in a pastry with 729 layers.

 We later slathered it with pastry cream and decorated with fruit.

Pâte à choux

What's unique about this dough, is it's cooked twice. First over the stove, then baked in an oven (or less commonly poached or fried).

(My partner was enjoying making ours into tiny turds.)

(Hideous.  I know.  I was not responsible for plating these.)

Chocolate soufflée.

We forgot to take a pic fresh out of the oven.  These sat for awhile and deflated before I remembered.

Frozen Soufflée

Pear tart with almond crème

(Alas, the edge was too tall and flopped over!)

Apple Tart