September 5, 2017- PSYCH! It's still hard!

September 5, 2017


Well, I actually thought that after last week I had finally gotten past the point where I wasn't 100% lost in baking class. Nope! Chef KJ switched things up and we made lemon cheesecake and French bread. Things did not go as planned, that's for sure!


Lemon Cheesecake




French Country Bread






So I feel like these recipes could have been much more successful if they had been executed correctly. The lemon cheesecake that McKenna and I made was a little thick and didn't have the correct consistency. We also didn't have as many molds so we were only able to make 9 complete cheesecakes. We then poured the rest of our thick batter into a different mold and it got both overcooked and sunken. It was hideous and disgusting. I feel like consistency and baking procedure are the most critical aspects of the lemon cheesecake. If the consistency is wrong, 9 times out of 10 the recipe won't come out perfectly. Because custard is such a delicate substance, it is imperative that it is properly assembled. So, our first batch of custard actually turned out perfectly despite the initial consistency issues.
Production methods that were especially important included softening the cream cheese, and adding the eggs to the batter in intervals. Without completing these two steps properly you are left with an entirely unenjoyable product. I learned from this experience that if you overcook your custard, it WILL taste like curdled milk. Which is nastiness. So definitely do not overcook it. The other pan of custard turned out perfectly in that it was creamy, tangy and rich. It was delightful. I would have loved to add a tiny puff of cream and some lemon zest curls to decorate it. I would have also plated it on a small. white, square plate and circular lemon slice. YUM!


French Country Bread-


This bread was not challenging to make, especially because it was made using the conversion system that I am familiar with. I feel like the challenge of this assignment came with our dough shaping. We were instructed to mold our dough to different styles and shapes of bread. According to Chef KJ, all of my bread was problematic with the exception of one baguette that I did. That review was fine with me because my baguette last class was HORREEYYBULL. So thankfully I was able to redeem myself a little bit. I felt like my bread designs were unique and clever but lacked the technique and refinement they probably should have been given.


One of the most important things I learned about production of this bread, or bread in general is that scaling the ingredients results in a more consistent product. My dough was very sticky but I don't know if that was the way the original recipe intended it to be, and that is the drawback with using measuring cups. It had a pleasant flavor and crumb despite the fact that all of us came up with different versions of the classic. For presentation I would have been more careful about evening out the egg-wash and made more professional looking bread designs. I also would have tried a wider variety of flavors or add-ins to incorporate into my bread.


WHAT I LEARNED TODAY:
Everyday is a new learning experience. Today I feel like I missed more than I scored but I am still gaining more experience. I learned several ways to fold and form bread, how to burn custard, and how to not burn it. I really liked learning how to do the custard because it was something new besides bread.  Practice is key and I'm going to need a lot of it.