We have officially started the block with the longest name in recent memory. This is ironic, b/c the focus of this block is on the petit. For the individual pastry component, our desserts are meant for 1 portion, and generally weigh about 2.5 oz. For the mignardise, the portions are even smaller: slightly less than an ounce, or bite-size.

I am in the Mignardise section first, so for the next 1.5 weeks, we will be making such things as French Macarons, Linzer Cookies, Harlequin Cookies, Tuiles, Florentines, Petit Fours, and Chocolates. We will finally learn how to temper chocolate so that we can officially snub the Semper chocolate that has oil shortening instead of cocoa butter (and so doesn’t need tempering). We’ll make rochers, honey ganache, cointreau ganache, banana, and Muscadine truffles.

Then for Individual Pastries, we’ll make such things as Cashew Dacquoise, Chocolate Meringues, White Chocolate Mousse Barquettes, Apple Calvados Napoleon, Othellos, Roulades, and Chocolate Coconut Tortes.

There will be a lot of emphasis on detail and efficiency in this block… which is great by me.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, May 3rd, 2006 at 10:50 pm and is filed under Culinary School. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.