Introduction to Ice Cream (Hi, this is Ice Cream, and his friend Cream Puff!)

Though according to the notes, this class was an "Introduction to Ice Cream", the main focus was on making cream puffs and its oblong sibling, the eclair. Sure, we ran our ice cream custards through a $5,000 ice cream machine and assembled profiteroles (cream puffs minus cream plus ice cream), but the main focus was baking the cream puff shells, whipping up mousse, and making a chocolate sauce.

The pastry shell that is the main part of a cream puff, the definer of eclairs, and the clam shell of the profiterole is called paté à choux. It's made with melting butter in water and a pinch of salt, mixing in flour until it looks like roux (think mashed potatoes), then adding eggs until it has the stretchy consistency. There is no sugar in pate a choux, and more importantly there is no leavening agent -- steam from the eggs puff up the dough to create a hollow interior, perfect for filling with sweet goodness.

The dough is put into a pastry bag and piped like truffles, into short globes. They are run over with a wet fork to tamp down the pulled points and make everything a little bit more uniform. For an eclair, globular line. Into the convection oven and when they are brown and crisp, out they come to cool off to room temp.

Pastry cream involves dissolving cornstarch in milk, adding sugar then boiling. Whisk in some eggs and extra egg yolks and whisk like crazy over an ice bath. Add some butter and vanilla, and whisk some more. The cornstarch gives an interesting texture and flavor, and it stays thick and upright at room temperature.

Mousse is kind of like ice cream that requires no ice cream machine; all the air in it is from whipping. Norbert and I made a Grand Marnier mousse -- one part is simply whipped cream with a large shot of orange liquor, the other is meringue (eggs, yolks, sugar, and orange zest whisked over a hot water bath to thick, then whisked in a mixer until cooled). The two are folded in together, then put into molds and into the deep freeze.

Chocolate sauce: relatively easy to make, and tasted better than any jarred sauce from the supermarket. Heavy cream, sugar, and some light corn syrup brought to a boil, then bittersweet chocolate is added and steeped to melt, and all's then whisked to smooth. Throw in some salt and vanilla, and you're ready to rumble.

Assembling the puffs n' stuff was like doing arts and crafts, not much trickery to it. I must say, with the profiteroles, the cold silky ice cream, the dry crisp pastry, the warm chocolaty smooth sauce on top, it's a party in yo mouth.

Tomorrow, we kick the cream out of the ice and make some fruity sorbets.

On a side note, we get our eggs in a big box, and on the side of the box, a cartoon about 'Eggman'. It freaks me out every time. What designer/committee thought, "Yes, a cartoon about 'Eggman' will teach people how to handle eggs properly!"

ADDENDA:
A bit queasy when I got home, though today, I chose to combat it by hopping on the bike and doing a quick loop out to Coney Island. Felt a lot better, the weather could not be more perfect, and worked up a strong appetite by the time I got home.

There is a new kid in the class, he was in a different class but broke his ankle, so had to take some time off and start again with us, let's call him Limpy. I can't quite put my finger on what it is about him that seems a bit strange, but I did see him do something that could explain things. After spending 4 hours working with and eating ice cream, chocolate sauce, pastry cream and mousse, he cracked open a Red Bull and downed it. This kid must sprinkle meth on his cornflakes!

BREAKFAST: 6:30am, good granola with good milk, .5 bowl, hunger 4/5

AM TASTINGS: 9-11am, tastes of various ice creams including vanilla, ginger, strawberry, rum, coconut, sangria, caramel and almond, many cream puffs in various stages of completion, quart of water, 1.5 bowls, hunger 4/5
Went and drank a quart of water at the start of class to hopefully cut down on the sugar jumping down my throat. Once the cream puffs started coming, I was done for.

PM WATERING: 1-4pm, 64 oz water

LUNCH: 4pm, sauteed pork medallions, baked potatoes, baby carrots with ranch dressing, 2 bowls, hunger 4/5
Such an American meal! Left over supplies from last night, B at up all the salad.

DINNER: 8pm, shrimp pad thai, vegetable summer rolls, water, 2 bowl, hunger 4/5
My first order through seamless web, pretty amazing, 30 minutes from hitting 'enter' to a knock on the door.