MUSHROOM CHAUSSONETTES

Chaussons mean 'slippers' ... do not ask me why a puff pastry loaded with minced shallot, finely chopped mushrooms, finely diced ham, cayenne pepper & parsley then cooked in foie gras puree & cream is called 'slippers'! The filling is nothing compared to making the Pate Feuilletee ie 3/4 puff pastry which completely confused me with the half turns & full turns in order to get the lamination, or layers of fluffiness. Enjoying the small luxury of a savoury has taken on new meaning. How would you grade my products? Uneven shapes, pastry undercooked, taste & seasoning good, filling nicely cooked, could be better ..... the last 3 words pretty much sums up my existence here. Today we finished Week 2 in Cuisine ie we had 6 Lessons or 3 per week already. Tomorrow Week 2 Patisserie starts at 7am. It will be another sleepless night for me, no joke. I worry about Patisserie even though I did all the homework, the psychological hurdle just does not go away. Andrea, how did you manage in a live-kitchen like the Derby?

POACHED PEAR

I am not sure how many of you have poached, or at least tried to poach a fruit. It may not sound like anything but we spent almost one morning on this technique alone. The stock syrup, the ratio, the coring, the lemon rub, the chill, the glaze etc it is an 18 step procedure, and we have not even begun to discuss poaching in wine. There is simply so such thing as 'simple' in this world I recently adopted, or should it be the other way around, it adopted me. We exchanged email addresses today and was I embarrassed to show mine ..... 'TangCanCook'? Now who are we kidding, he certainly does not look or act like he can in the kitchen. That said, my pear scored today. 'Beautifully poached, well done!' daman said.

CHEF / LECTURER STEVE BELCHER

Here is 'Daman' tickling a giant Aussie lobster with a price tag of A$200 .... not that we are cooking it anytime soon. It is more an incentive, 'see what you can do down the road if you put your hearts to it?' Chef Steve is a LCB veteran, joined the school when it opened in 1995. He has a fascinating, global, culinary background and he truly loves food, eating it & cooking it. Above all, he is any student's dream. I just love the way he teaches ... best described as hands-on, empathetic, connected and zest! I cannot get enough of this guy. To quote Dora's favorite line with her youngest students, I am 'like an absorbing paper in class' and the only difference is I do not have that 'reflexive response' when I cook. His job is to build us to think & work professionally in a commercial kitchen. Clearly this single-minded objective has already wiped the grins off a few faces, notably mine, after my first taste of reality. I now feel embarrassed about 'Chez Tang' as it is totally inappropriate a name for our kitchen, and my so-called 'tasting menu'. This view is shared by my older (less young) classmates who all come around to more or less the same sentiment. Yes, it is very humbling. I am more respectful to my Chef Mentors now than ever before .... Donovan, Chris, Cham, Bryan, Satoru, Dan, Bobby, Alban .... and your fraternity, Hats Off!

PISSALADIERE ......

This 'pissa' from Provence is seriously good, and not too difficult to make. The challenge is getting the Pate Levee Salee (Leven Salty Dough) right as that little ball has a life of its own, literally, due to active yeast ingredients. This is the Chef's presentation in lattice pattern cris-crossed with fine anchovy fillets, pitted olives & chopped capers. We sprinkled Semolino at the sides to make it pizza-house crispy, delish! Luckily my taste buds are working in my favor as my plates always score well in the 'seasoning' area. 'It tastes really good, well seasoned' music to my ears. What I need to focus is work flow during mise en place, and watch my cooking time. The Chef began to mark everyone this week, 1-on-1 critique daily, on a white table-clothed corner of the kitchen. Forget to warm or clean them white plates, the axe falls.

2ND WEEK CUISINE

My Quiche Lorraine presentation, next to a herb salad of parsley, chervil, dill and mint .... it looks OK in the picture, when in fact the crust is undercooked. I did not quite understand a key steps ie Blind Bake or precook the crust before we put in the fillings of grated Gruyere cheese, streaky bacon and custard cream. Some classmates have prior kitchen experience, to them this is truly 'basic'. One young chef, a German, works with Cirque de Solil in Montreal and he wants to de-learn what he has been practising in industry and re-learn the LCB way. Let me tell you, if I find it hard, it is even harder for him. I admire this guy ....

SUNDAY DINNER

I splurged today, because it is Sunday, my first full day off. Terri & Fergus kindly gave me a 'Fu Soup' package, for emergencies or moments of desperation. Another Nippon creation, it is a miso flavor clear soup disguised in a 'rice paper square'. One just adds boiling water, voila, that distinct taste will surface. I took one sip, sat back, closed my eyes, and visually devoured the other 17 courses Satoru-san would normally serve us, with this soup, in 'omakasei' @ Sushi Kuu. No such luck today, I am in Ryde, and I am dieting. To accompany my soup-of-the-day, I opened a mini can of white tuna - about 4 bites - served with a stick of crispy cucumber, really light but good. Without carbo for 2 weeks now, I like to think my biggest nemesis ie my waist is retreating. Alright ... time for the NatGeo 2-hour special on 'Waking the Baby Mammouth', I cannot wait. Ciao!

KIM FAMILY

Meet Mrs Kim & her son Tony, my new pals, and my saviour. Yes, they are Koreans and a truly wonderful family that one can only find in small towns. As you know my biggest concern, apart from not following recipes, is managing my laundry. I have not washed anything since college and I am not about to do anything different, if I can help it. Everyone thought it is funny but it is not, especially if one has to contend with 6 full days a week. By sheer luck, the Kims appear! They run an immaculate small shop in the village, I found them and struck up a quick friendship. Her products, especially my kitchen whites, are immaculate ... them Chinese & their laundries can step aside. Mom & Dad are middle age (clearly younger than me) who only have a splattering of English while their teenage kids are as Aussie as they come, totally acculturated after emigrating here just 5 years ago. Another example of parents doing whatever it takes so their children can be 'better off', whatever that means. There must be so many similar stories across so many cultures around Sydney ... around the world for that matter ... the sacrifice one generation makes, for the sake of the next, is awe inspiring. Dora and I faced that but did not have the final courage to do it, back in 1997. I admire the Kims and their warm story, but the key is, even the blind can see they are 'happy together'. Our budding relationship will grow in the next 10-weeks, and beyond, I hope.

MEADOWBANK WATER FOUNTAIN

This little village community I live in has interesting and lovely history. Being the new boy on the block I readily notice them. I am sure there are thousands of similar items in HK that we do not know, or want to know, let alone discover. This is another of my retirement mission, 'To Rediscover My Home, Hong Kong'. This special monument is at the half way mark between my motel and the village of Meadowbank/Shephard's Bay, a 20 minute walk. It was set up in memory of one Thomas White, Works Manager @ Meadowbank Manufacturing Works who retired in 1909 but died in 1910. Imagine that, one year after working all his life, poor chap! People worked for him obviously loved him enough to set up the memorial at an idyllic junction. The Meadowbank Technical TAFE students revived the fountain in 1988 when Australia celebrated its Bicentennial, all very meaningful. I take 20 gulps from it every time I pass it. The water is always cool, refreshing, & tasty. Thank you Mr White, you must be such a leader of men, and you would not imagine an old guy from HK would spread your gospel, would you? Good-on-You Mate!

GENOISE SPONGE

We had 2 assignments yesterday : a Genoise Sponge & a Gateau Weekend, commonly known as 'Pound or Butter Cake' ie kindergarten stuff. My lecturer said, 'I have the highest respect for my colleagues in Cuisine but in Patisserie you cannot make mistakes in the process and exepect to save them, as in Cuisine, so watch your work carefully'. C'est moi! I now know why I prefer to cook, than bake, as I can be the cowboy in the kitchen under the guise of creativity. My first 'Waterloo' was the Gateau .... egges not properly warmed, butter too cold, not creamy enough, and too hasty in the mix. My cake was like a brick and I had to drown it in citrus glaze in the presentation, hoping for amnesty . Well, no mercy @ LCB, failed! The Genoise was OK, because freshly whipped cream and strawberry jam (same for scones) are very forgiving.

Andrea and I had a wonderful chat late last night on the satisfaction she gets from working in pastries and desserts, to her 'knowing how customers appreciate the effort and creativity means a lot'. Of course she has the artistic instincts and nimble fingers which I lack. She and I should find a way to develop ourselves together, like evening pastry classes. The worst thing is I also do not have the scientific mind to understand chemical aeration between flour, gluten, CO2, sugar and liquid. Man, it is only Day 3!

SPEAKING OF MIRACLES .....

For a long time I have this psychological hurdle with pastries and desserts, in part due to (1) reluctance to deal with recipes because every gram must be measured to get the simpliest product right; but more importantly (2) fear that I might screw up. This is why I consciously enroled in Patisserie as well, to rid myself from all excuses so I can address my 'issues' head on. I am happy to report LCB managed to change me within 48 hours.

We have the fortune of 3 wonderful Chefs/Lecturers/Mentors ie an Aussie Michael Jamison from Sydney, a Belgian Didier Lonnade from Brussels, and of course, a Frenchman Olivier Levanti from the South of France .... where else! All of them have industry know-how internationally before coming to teach here, and they are all 'much younger' than me. They put me through the paces and quickly secured the safety net so I can walk from one side of the tightrope to the other, just like the circus. It is magic. Patisserie is, without any question, a tough discipline. It requires immense doses of discipline and alertness as we prepare the goodies. Do not get me wrong, I know I am very, very far from being competent but one thing I know, the initial fear has been tempered somewhat. I feel slightly less uncomfortable now (which does not mean I am comfortable) thanks to the wonderful faculty. I like to think I am ready to meet the challenges.

In addition to Plain Creamed Scones using the Creaming Method yesterday, I learned today the recipes for Fruit Scones (raisins & sultanas) with the Rub-In Method; Madeleines ie small moist sponge cakes; and lastly Financiers or Friands, shown in the picture from the bottom up. I passed, again. My products 'are presentable, taste good, even though the Madeleines are a bit dry in the center' ie probably not enough liquid. Imagine these words from a rated chef to a 'chicken' like me?

NOW .... for the real miracle, which has nothing to do with me .... my 88 year old Mother, affectionately known simply as GM or Grandma to us all, made a comment on my blog today. It is her first ever attempt to use the computer, courtesy of coaching from Lilian & Joe at their home. I am speechless. All I can say is, if GM can use the internet at 88, why can't I bake at 60!