Practical Exam (Grade Grub)

The test, above. My food, below.


Today was the practical exam for the end of the first module: 2.5 hours to present a bowl of cream of broccoli soup, twelve pieces of evenly diced potatoes, and a small cup of mayonnaise. No talking, no help from the chef, all work done solo, people starting in staggered, 5-minute increments. It was pretty peaceful and low stress (for me, anyway).

We had to present within an assigned 2-minute window, or it was points off. I hit my mark, but failed to reheat my soup all the way -- the first time my team made this soup, it wasn't green enough because of over-cooking. This time I spent extra time simmering at a lower temp to preserve the green color, and let it cool because, well, cream of broc only takes 90 minutes.

I got a 97 out of 100: 1 point off for the lower temp of the soup, 1 point off for a slightly nutty overtone (see below) from cooking my roux a little beyond blond, and a point off because my dice wasn't all perfect 90-degree angles. (Personally, I liked the slightly nutty over-tone, but my honor would have been questioned if I tried to grade-grub that point back.)

Testing behind us, tomorrow we'll be introduced to the dark art of sauté...

ADDENDA:
This evening, I went to an orientation at God's Love We Deliver. There were about 15 others, everyone seemed a bit timid, and I was the only culinary student in the bunch. After some words and a video, we took a tour of the kitchen, which was pretty well appointed, and staffed almost completely by volunteers. Indeed, there will be opportunities to really sharpen my knife skills (no pun! no pun!). Now, I must wait for someone there to call to set up a time for a shift.

BREAKFAST: 6am, good yogurt with vanilla, nuts, honey, banana, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5

LUNCH: 12:30pm, 4 mixed boiled perogies, link of kielbasa, stuffed cabbage, bigos, 3 bowls, hunger 4/5
Felt a bit down after the exam, kicking myself for missing those details. I took myself to Little Poland and ordered a big combo. The perogies (spinach, potato, kasha, kraut) were 2x larger than I remember, the stuffed cabbage (full of rice and meat) and something they called bigos, clearly a dish made from scraps: sauer kraut, chunks of tough brisket, sauted slices of kielbasa and soft veg, all vinegary. Felt full and tired after, so went home to nap with B, who is home sick from work.

DINNER: 8:30pm, school-made gazpacho, small amount of tomatillo salsa and 5 salt-free saltines, 1 bowl, hunger 3/5

EVENING SNACK: 9pm, boca burger on whole wheat with homemade organic mayo, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5
Still hungry, used the mayo I made last night as practice. Funny, never liked mayo, and I still don't, but I sort of understand why people like it now.