I left work early, donned in my power suit and silk blouse with inexplicable lunch stains, to attend the FCI Spring career fair, anxious to meet some of the biggest names in culinary history. Although I’ve pretty much decided that I don’t want to work at a restaurant, it was exciting to be in the same room as representatives from the restaurants that have made NYC a culinary capital of the world: Momofuku, Resto, Oceana, Blue Hill and Nobu, to name only a few. My reason for attending, however, was to attempt to put myself in front of the few very reputable and respected culinary magazines in attendance. The career fair was overly saturated (I waited in line for 25 minutes to speak to one magazine for 2 minutes) yet it was still a good experience. It was valuable, and I learned that it’s perhaps a little too early to be seeking an internship at a job fair, competing with soon-to-be and recent graduates as well as alumni. I was told by one editor to email him a few months before I graduate…still, it was great to make those connections and get my feet wet. (I promise I’m not acting like I made the varsity cheerleading team when in reality I botched the try-outs and was asked to leave…really. It went well!)
After a short snack, it was on to class to learn the beauties of the French custard desserts. My favorite dessert ever, one that I will consistently and predictably order at restaurants over and over, is crème brulee. For whatever reason, this treat has its hold on me; it might be the creamy yet solid interior or the runny caramel underneath a hard crusty shell. I’ve tried many times to replicate it, but without a kitchen torch it’s just not right.
Unfortunately, we did not make crème brulee in class. We did experiment with all three types of custard: stirred (crème anglaise), starch-bound (crème patissiere – thick pudding) and baked (crème renversee – French flan). We also made a huge sheet of biscuit, or separated egg foam cake, and rolled it with preserves (I chose raspberry). We cut it into slices, placed it into a mold and filled the remaining space with Bavarian cream. The gelatin in the cream needs time to set, so we’ll cut it up and serve it in class on Friday. It was a little bizarre, and I almost felt like this “project” was made up 5 minutes before we arrived to keep us occupied until the end of class. “Ok, sure, um now take the cake slices, slather them with preserves, and mold them into the bottom of the bowl. Now….um….la la la…you’re going to, uh, pour the cream over the cake in the mold. Great job guys, we’ll finish this up on Friday.” In class on Friday…”Oh man guys, I’m so sorry. A freak thing happened: a wild bear got into the school and happened to raid the 4th floor refrigerator with only your desserts….I’m so sorry, they’re all gone, as is any evidence of the disaster. This sucks….maybe next time guys.”
With all these custards and egg-yolk whipping, my arm literally fell off. I’m not kidding: I heard a small pop, felt a tickle at my shoulder, looked down and there it was, wedding band and all. I’ve never had an appendage fall off of my body from fatigue before, but I’m hoping it’s just a small set-back in my quest for Kelly Ripa-esque biceps.
I am with you, creme brulee is my hands down, without a doubt, favorite dessert ever. Sometimes I have been known to order more than one :)
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