After the first 5 lessons of chopping, turning, stock, doughs – we finally moved on to cooking something bloodi(-ly good)!

“Braised Lamb Shanks with Red Wine Jus served with Risotto, French Beans & Turned Glazed Carrots” was the menu of the day –

[LEFT] Chef Darren’s demo specimen
[RIGHT] My creation – except for my risotto portion which was slightly too big, everything was fine. Chef Darren commented that my sauce was the best one around 🙂

And yes – did I mention I have excessive amounts of Quiche Lorraine and Pissaladiere in my freezer right now?! They are ‘ta-paoed’ (take homes) from Lesson 4 & 5 and I certainly do not want them all in my tummy…I have resolved NOT to be a fat chef! Will freeze them and share them with my friends in the city when I attend Sunday Service @ Hillsongs City Campus.

[LEFT] Quiche Lorraine From Chef John’s demo
[RIGHT] My not-so-pretty tart 😦 – I did not do a neat job in rolling out my pastry and laying it on the flan. Nevertheless, it turned out short (which is good) and flavors were tasty enough for Chef John to ask for a piece of mine for specimen…yayy!

[LEFT] This is Chef Mark’s presentation of Pissaladiere which is a traditional french pizza with anchovies, capers and olives topping – a combination of my least least least favourite toppings (Eeks! And no cheese too!). Surprisingly, it turned out not only edible…but pretty damn good for an appetizer (this nice salty stuff really whets one’s appetite)! Mine turned out well but I was in too much of a hurry to snap a shot.
[RIGHT] Rice Pudding French Style made by me – I managed to emulate Chef Mark’s creation successfully. However, it is defo not my cup of tea – so sweet & starchy I am certainly not going to waste my calories on it, hoho!

Yet another exciting week in school awaits – I am all packed, ironed and ready to go!

Meanwhile, I am also working hard on my back-log of wonderful places that I visited in the past months (mostly in Singapore before I left):
– Pique Nique
– The Adventures of Tiong Bahru with K
– L’atelier Robuchon
– Joel Robuchon
– Tippling Club
– Tetsuya’s

…Stay tuned.

Thought of the Week: Happiness is a choice…so why not choose it?