Under my skin

Just to rub it in, since Baking Techniques began just over 2 weeks ago, I have made:
Pound Cake, Corn bread loaves, sponge cakes, angel food cakes, pate a choux, pastry cream and chocolate fondant for chocolate eclairs, creme caramels, Pepper and Brie Biscuits, cherry pie, apple craisin pie, coconut macadamia nut pineapple cream pie, blueberry almond/cherry/apple puff pastries, almond/nutella/blueberry cinnamon danishes, ladyfingers, pecan rolls, a chocolate peanut butter sweet bun that was definitely the worst thing I have made so far...I think that's it.

Today I bake off my croissants, both plain and chocolate and make doughnuts.

I call people as I leave the classroom to take the boxes out of my hands and keep me from eating them all...

I know a lot of fancy dancers

Just off the phone, I will be starting my internship at Chez Panisse on September 15th, so you can now do your searches for that instead of 'icon'. Ha

I hit cruise control and rubbed eyes

Received an email from the Icon Friday telling me an internship position for the Fall had opened up and they would like me to fill that position. Giddily called Lena who asked if I accepted right away to which I responded, "...I just sent out all these resumes to other places yesterday!"

"Jenna! It's the ICON!! Are you INSANE?!?"

I head to class, make up some dough for croissants to be baked Monday and am walking out at the end of the night carrying boxes filled with flaky pastries, turnovers and a pineapple, coconut, macadamia nut cream pie. Seeing I missed a call from Lena, call her back and plan to meet her outside of the main building at school. I walk out the front doors and am bombarded by the sound of noisemakers and people yelling, "Congratulations!" Out on the plaza there sit Lena, Danny, Lou and James, hanging out in the dark on a blanket surrounded by tea lights, waiting for me to get out of class. A plastic cup full of wine and plate of food from the mediterranean kitchen are pushed into my hands as we begin discussing my future internship in the Bay Area.

A night of drinking, dancing, lots of laughing and a bit of ridiculousness ensued, we woke up the next day to go to a wine tour and tasting hosted by our local Slow Food. Topped off by grabbing food, James whipping up some awesome chocolate macadamia nut ice cream (which Lena and I promptly devoured) and a drive-in movie including the hookah.

Over two months ago Danny mentioned the fact that I was lucky enough to surround myself with really fantastic people in Madison. I wonder if he realized that it seems to be a trend in my life.

You better free your mind instead

I am losing all concept of time. Thursday night I headed to 80's night with some friends because I don't have class until 4 in the afternoon. Woke up with an extremely hoarse voice which I blamed mainly on Pat Benatar.

Saturday I woke up incredibly early, still hoarse and thinking that Pat Benatar might have given me a little cold. I ignored this possibility and boarded my train for the city where I trailed at an innovative newer restaurant as a possibility for my internship site.

Sunday I woke up feeling like Pat Benatar hit me repeatedly with a baseball bat which I then attempted to eat but it got caught in my throat because I could barely talk. Talking came a bit easier as I headed out with other students to help a local farmer do some planting. Had to take a break from the leeks to have a phone interview with an iconic restaurant in California. It went amazingly except for the fact that they just hired an intern who would be there until November and they can only have one intern at a time (my internship will start latest mid-september). Interviewer seemed a little upset that they had just signed on someone and could not have me there, which was nice. Internship dreams squashed a little but still heartened by post-grad possibilities with said iconic restuarant, friends and I left the farm with beautiful, just harvested, gorgeous asparagus and landed at a cook-out with some other friends. Hung out the rest of the night just to show Pat Benatar what I thought of her 'illness.'

Monday, Pattie is pissed and taking it out on my throat and general head area but I trudge on, having a girl date with my friend Lena in Kingston, then joined some other friends at the campus pub. Coincidentally met the intern that previously mentioned iconic restaurant just signed on. He happened to be drunk off his ass and not much to my liking, BUT did mention that he got dates wrong and would only be interning at the icon until the end of September. Perfect for training a new intern, i.e. me. Also received an email from Saturday's restaurant offering me an internship.

Today, Benatar has hit me with her best shot and I'm down for the count. Currently researching restaurants to send my resume to since I have not done that yet. That's right, one definite internship offer and a possible other one at two phenomenal places without sending out a single resume. Friends are asking how old I was when I sold my soul to the devil.

That you nurture the urge

Petty suddenly blares from my roomie's speakers which she quickly turns to barely audible...
"If you want to turn that louder, feel free..." I say hopefully.
"Oh no, I have a headache so I don't want it too loud"

bummer.

This past weekend I road tripped it to Rhode Island in an old van with some of my friends from school. One of said friends is from Rhode Island where his family owns an Italian restaurant. His dad makes homemade limoncello and wine and sausage is hanging from the rafters in their basement. Serious Italian. Saturday night we went to a battle of the bands where his friends were playing, who did not win even though their set included a killer punk(ish) remake of "Kiss the girl"...yes from the Little Mermaid. Sunday was spent with all of us making a pretty intense early dinner which I capped with these cupcakes. Altogether a fantastic time.

Had my first class in Baking Techniques. This class begins at 4pm and ends at 9pm...if we're lucky. It's going to throw my whole schedule for a loop, I can tell already. Today we made corn muffins and pound cake. I have eaten 2 corn muffins so far...in the hour I have been out of class. I should confess that mine are also corn mini loafs because we ran out of muffin tins. So they're pretty good. Plus I haven't eaten since 3. That will be my excuse.

I could not be more excited for this class. Breads got me a little bummed out but this class has definitely put a smile back on my face.

and you got me wanting you

My feet are pulsing under my covers, aching and pleading to not be moved for a few more hours, maybe days. Actually my entire body is sore and requesting a break. This familiar feeling of working my body harder than it remembers working in the recent past never gets easier. Although I probably won't have it again for a while, as long as the steady stream of work continues with only a few long weekends here and there, the muscles tend to stop complaining after awhile. Breads class is over today. Monday begins Baking Techniques and this weekend I head to Rhode Island to hang out in a friend's hometown and help cook his family (who own an Italian restaurant) Sunday dinner. Can't wait...first I need to get out of bed though.

So you better treat her right

This past Saturday we put on a sustainable seafood event, beginning with a forum involving the producers and ending with a 4 course meal. Everybody pretty much loved it.

14 hour day. School has actually made me soft...based on the fact that I could barely move the next day. Great.

got a quarter tank gas in my new E-class

Apparently it's "Play crappy music loudly and leave your door wide open" Day in the dorm room across the hall. Fantastic.

I have gained 3 pounds (might be underestimating) since entering breads class--two weeks ago.

Just two reasons for me to head to the gym since I got out of class early.

--Got out of class early because my chef's wife gave birth this morning...and he was still at work because "it was a normal birth." ooooook.

breakin' me

In a his thick German accent, my chef asked the class today when talking about the origins of bread, "Has anyone ever been to Egypt or seen the pyramids?"
My hand raises on auto-pilot, I look around and feel shocked as I see I am the only one who has raised their hand, then get bright red and slowly lower my hand as I remember which group of people I am around...culinary school...not in Madison...not with AIESECers.

It's very strange to feel like you are a robot at times. When in the kitchen, you must respond to questions or do what is called a "call back," which means, yes I have heard you, I understand. In my class this generally means that when they chef says something, you automatically respond, "yes chef," "no chef" or "fill-in-the-blank chef." In culinary kitchens this changes a bit during dining service. For example:
You walk into the bustling yet somehow very quiet kitchen and ask the dude with the clipboard "trout please"
he yells "one trout!"
the team in charge of making trout yells, "trout heard!"
person behind you says "paella please"
clipboard guy "one paella!"
Paella posse "paella heard!"
person behind paella person "trout please"
clipboard guy "one trout!"
trout team "trout heard! two all day!"--the all day call is somewhat optional and is used most often when a lot is ordered at one time...
and once they put out your trouts they may yell "trout cleared!" to say that no one is waiting on any orders.

Anyway, my point in saying this is that at some point someone will ask me a question and I will automatically answer, "Yes chef!" just out of repetition. so if I say it to you...that's why.

had your fill with my kind of fun

Well, my month of visitors is officially over with my sister leaving on Sunday. I have to say, I'm exhausted. So much to do, so much to do.

And, yay Wisconsin