Mission: Precision

Hi!
Exams are over (for now) and I am a quarter done with my course! Last night went as follows: When we walked in, Chef gave us our schedule. No one wants anyone opening their oven while their soufflé is baking, so we were each given a window of time to use an oven. My soufflé had to be in Chef’s hand at exactly 8:07. The last person to go had to have hers in Chef’s hand at 9:45. I’ll describe this in more detail in a moment.
The first forty minutes of class were devoted to our written exam. It wasn’t too difficult, only one or two tricky questions. After the first ten minutes, though, my hand started to cramp (I was over enthusiastic and wrote very quickly) which worried me, as my hands were going to be invaluable to the practical portion of our exam. Don’t Panic! Perhaps a lesser being would allow this to get to her and ruin the rest of her life, but not me. Like a pro, I shook it off and continued, catastrophe avoided. I finished the exam a little bit early and began to prep for my crème anglaise.
There are not enough induction burners for all sixteen of us (remember, we usually work in groups of two), so we were grouped into Group A and B (Group A people presented their products to Chef first). As the Group A person (me) was prepping for her crème anglaise, the group B person would use the burner to melt the chocolate for her soufflé. Once A finished her crème anglaise (which can sit out for a bit and needs to chill anyway), she would melt her chocolate and prep for her soufflé. Once her B partner was done with her crème anglaise and chocolate melting for soufflé, the A would swap out the burner for a stand mixer and continue on with making her soufflé. All the while, Chef was circling and taking notes on technique and cleanliness. It sounds complicated and seemed like it would never work, but class actually flowed like clockwork. We were courteous to our partners and there was no complaining about anyone hogging burners or outlets. There were seven minutes allotted between every person’s soufflés, and so every seven minutes from 8 until 9:45 Chef was sampling another chocolate soufflé. I was impressed with his eating abilities.
Back to my own harrowing experience. Like I said, my soufflé had to be in front of chef at 8:07. Every part of the process had to be timed precisely, and I made myself a schedule. It had to be pulled out of the oven at 8:06 to be transferred to a plate a dusted with powdered sugar. It had to go into the oven at 7:53, so I had to start beating the egg whites at 7:37…I am not a precise person. I don’t like having to time things to a T. If, for some reason, the egg whites take longer to beat than the five minutes I have allotted, then I am going to beat them until they are just right (ironically, I under-beat them. Nerves.) Anyway, I manage to get my Soufflé and Crème Anglaise to Chef sometime between 8:07 and 8:08. We each made three soufflés and chose the best one to give to Chef (just like they do in cook offs). Chef critiques your product right then and there. My crème anglaise was very nice and smooth (“just like your Chef”) but my soufflé could have benefited from a grain or two more salt. The flavors weren’t “punchy” enough. All in all, not terrible. I also got a point or two deducted from my presentation due to the sides of the ramekin having some shmutz on it (I used dirty tongs when transferring the piping hot ramekin to the plate. Oh well). Once Chef pointed this out, everyone in the class who went after me (nearly everyone) made sure to use clean tongs. You're Welcome Class!
By 8:11 I was done. In the end, the exam was actually a lot of fun. Inst culinary school great? Even the tests are a treat. Module two begins on Monday.
-Sarah Baer, for all your Creme Anglaise needs