November Is A Monster

It’s not often I get to paraphrase a Morrissey lyric, but I think the subject line sums up what my life will be for the next month. So, in addition to this being another lovefest post about LeChef, it’s a bit of a farewell. I am not shutting down the blog, but I don’t know when or if I’ll have time to post again, at least before graduation.

Let’s start with the positives... I continue to adore LeChef, who continues to boggle my mind with Stuff He Knows (and is willing to share). I wish I was more of a morning person, because sometimes I feel like I’m only getting 60% of his tips, ideas, insights and suggestions due to my zombie-like state at 0-dark-30 as we used to say in guv’mint. He also hasn’t lost his temper or patience yet, which, given some of the mistakes I and other classmates have made, is just as impressive as his mad pastry skillz.

Several of you have emailed requesting a shot of LeChef in action, so here he is, discussing the composition of a contemporary Bananas Foster:

I also adore my current teammate, whom I call Sunshine because of her unfailingly positive attitude. It’s so much easier to work hard beside someone who is upbeat, you know? And, aside from some really dumb mistakes (she covered apple chips with a Silpat so they never dried out, I opened the ice cream mixer while it was still running and got ice cream mix everywhere, and so on), Sunshine and I have generally had a lot to be upbeat about.

Here are a couple of the desserts we put out this past week (we do ten plates at a time, but I thought they looked better photographed singly):

It’s a modern tart tatin with vanilla ice cream, apple chip, and caramel and white sauces.

Here’s a key lime tart with tuille garnish and, you can’t quite see it, but a quenelle of creme chantilly. Quenelles are going to be the death of me. I practice and practice and practice them and they still look like dog poop (literally). LeChef tried to help me figure out what it is I’m doing wrong, but even he said, as he quenelled beside me, "it looks like you are doing the same movements I am doing, but..." His voice trailed off, leaving the obvious, that my quenelles look horrific, unsaid.

Sunshine and I had better success with our Molten Cake project. LeChef had us make molten chocolate cakes and then decide which components to add, keeping in mind seasonality and balance. We went with cardamom and brown butter ice cream with candied walnuts, spiced pear and cherry compote and cherry sauce, and a tuille half-dusted with cocoa. The basic flavors were our idea, but the recipes and tweaks came from LeChef (he was the one who suggested adding cherries to our compote and brown butter to our ice cream, for example, and both really made a fantastic difference.) He also did the first plating, apologizing in a way as he did for not allowing us to decide how to plate it. "People say I do not allow creativity. That is not true. But, you know, before you can be creative, you have to know something. So I will do and you will duplicate."

His design was, of course, way better than what we had in mind. I don’t mind duplicating at all when I’m learning from someone who’s gifted and a nice person, you know?

In the end, Sunshine and I were very happy with the dessert, and LeChef was very happy with it, which made us even more happy. Here’s a shot of some of our babies, lined up and ready to go:

And here’s a shot of Sunshine and I, proud parents (me in my geektastic Tina Fey glasses):

Now to the bad news.

On Friday, we start working in the bakery and cafe that’s open to the public. We met with our next chef yesterday and got our schedule. Because we have to hit the ground running on Friday, we have to train for our stations this week, even though we’re also still in LeChef’s class till Thursday.

So, beginning Monday morning and carrying on for the next four weeks, I have to be in class no later than 2:30 a.m. This week, I’m in the bakery training 2:30-6:45 a.m., and then run to LeChef’s bakeshop to work there from 7 a.m. until 1:30 p.m. After this week, I will be working from 2:30 a.m. "until we’re done," in the bakery, which for most people is 2 p.m.

As some of you know, aside from not being a morning person, I also have a problem with seasonal affective disorder or whatever it’s called. I never believed it was a "real" disease until five years ago when I woke up one morning in early November feeling like I’d been hit with a 2x4. Since then, like clockwork, right after Halloween it slams into me like a hurricane and lingers until early March. I don’t get depressed, I just get numb (literally) and stupid, especially in the morning. I generally deal with my zombietosis by trying to follow the natural day cycle to be out as much as possible in the sun, what there is of it, and by scaling back on activities that have me out past sunset. I’ve never had to deal with it while working with heavy machinery during the graveyard shift.

This is going to suck.

Even better, this Tuesday and Wednesday, just when I expect to be at my worst trying to adjust to my new schedule, is our career fair. Yeah. I’m sure I’ll make a great impression on potential employers when I drool on them and then slump to the ground, snoring.

I guess the good news is the little old lady who lived next to me moved just this week into an assisted living home, so for now at least the apartment next to me is empty (and mine is an end unit), which means both that I won’t be awakened by someone watching "Law and Order" and that no one will be awakened by Wiley’s mournful howls when I leave at one in the morning every day.

I’ll probably survive, hopefully with all my digits intact, but I anticipate being an utter zombie for the next month, so I doubt I’ll be posting much if anything. I also know I’ve been bad at replying to emails and comments... I’m sorry, but don’t expect a change on that front, either.

I just want to say thanks to everyone who’s read along and posted or emailed encouragement. I hope to be back to blogging soon, with lots of stories and photos to share. Till then...