Culinary School Week 21

Twenty one weeks seems like hardly anything, but I feel like I've been doing this forever. This week was a pretty laid back week, I didn't have class Monday or Tuesday, so it felt like a little break. We covered some strange and new things in Garde Manger this week, for example a timbale, a little purred vegetable, baked, mousse-esq type thing. They were surprisingly delicious, however I couldn't get over the fact that essentially they're baked baby food. Vegetables are cooked till mushy and then pured and pressed through a sieve to remove big chunks, cream and eggs are added and then they're spooned into molds and baked. They can be served hot or cold and usually have a sauce to accompany them on a plate. Baby food I'm telling you, baby food with sauce. I made a carrot timbale with a basil cream sauce, pictured below. The things we're going over in that class right now are so "old school" very European, very um...interesting. I'm glad I get to experience it, but at the same time I'm quite certain that there will never come a time in my life when I'll need to know how to make a Gallentine again, am I right? Or am I right. Last night we had a catering event, my participation amounted to the 4 sheet pans of chocolate chip cookies I baked for the choir that came to sing to our guests. And then of course there was the eating of said cookies, I lost count after 4, it's a delicious dangerous path I've chosen, but someone has to do it. I think I've finally gotten to a place where I can say goodbye to those size 4 citizen jeans, I'll never fit into again. In other news next week I have a two day Garde Manger practical, something I'm not looking forward to.