POUR AMOUR (FOR LOVE)

Can you imagine a dessert so decadent and so filled with love for the person you are making it for? Well that is Pour Amour. FOR LOVE! You take 20 layers of French Crepes and fill each layer with a pastry cream that is like no other pastry cream you have had before, a little vanilla, some orange zest, sweetness and lots of love.

Crepes

I had the greatest honor last night to make this dessert in a commercial kitchen for the first time on all levels for me. I was not only taught an art and craft. But learned that I think I could make it in a commercial kitchen. There were a few failed attempts at the crepes, but all in all for my first time it was not so bad. Minus a few singed finger tips. I do know I want to get back in the kitchen and try it again.

The layering

When I was building this dessert last night I was thinking how each layer was representing people in my life. My three kids; Kaitlin, Kiara, and Charles were the first layer, Reynold was next layer, my Mom, My godmother Marie, My brothers and their families were another layer, all of my friends, Joni, Julia, Annette, all the Ashley’s, Dina, Annie, Dana, Susan, Millie, Kim and the list continues with good people in my life. Another layer of for the WHRO IT guys and gals and their families. One more layer of my fellow culinary students. The layers kept building higher and higher.   Swirl the cream, then top with a crepe, swirl the cream. The second to last layer was for SAVOR Virginia, the employees, their families my new work family. Then the top crepe, Mi Amour, my love to top it all off. I know it sounds silly and whimsical, but that was what was going through my mind as I was building and being creative. A strong foundation of love and throughout with lots of building blocks, stumbles, falls, and learning experiences.

Ready for the fridge

As most of you know I have zero confidence and self esteem for myself. I do know I love food and the culinary world and have been struggling this past summer on what direction to channel this love. Last night helped me realize, I still want to learn, I still love the craft, but can I be good enough in this atmosphere? I know I am good with computers, and can organize someone’s dream into reality.

Today Chef Ellerbe’s dream has become a reality with SAVOR Virginia’s Low Country Cuisine opening for dinner. I was a part of the dream. I will miss the reality since I will be in Garde Manger class making Orange Marmalade or Tomato Jam.

I wish Walter, Drew, Michael, Sean, and Jacqui the greatest success today and always.  I know Kathleen, Anissa, Danielle, Bridgette and Jamie will rock it and sell the food. Without the wonderful support, creativity, and talents of Cirilo, Travis, and Scott the look and feel of the restaurant would not be as awesome as it is. I also need to say thanks to my children and my family and friends who were so patient with my times on the phones, and long hours of learning the basis of getting a business started. Thank you all for letting me share the ride this journey has brought us together. POUR AMOUR!!

PAGE 222. NOT ROOM 222

"Page 222 in your Garde Manger has the recipe on making your own bacon."
When Chef Emi said we are making our own bacon in this class my ears perked up. BACON!?! If you only knew the stories of bacon I have from the guys in my IT department of WHRO your ears would perk up to. So I volunteered to make the bacon in prep for our class five. Not that hard, or time consuming. I did want to play with the flavors a little of what I was adding but stuck to the core recipe given on page 222.
Class last night was a little tough for me. One because I was excited to get back into the kitchen but at the same time so nervous, that my creativity level went out the window. It was so bad with my designs of the salt dough forms. My cucumber cups were supposed to look like bluebells, instead looked like bluebells on drugs. The cucumber rose was also on drugs. My parmesan cheese cups were cute and I had an idea it would be nice to have two or three on a plate with different dips in it, or even have one filled with salad dressing and then place the cup in the middle of salad and then just break the cup open to dress the salad and then also have that extra texture crunch.
One really great thing that did happen yesterday was the SAVOR website finally went live! Please visit it when you have a chance at www.savorva.com . We also had to change around the facebook page as well so if you were friends or followers in the past please go onto facebook and friend us again, I know I will be happy to see your name as well as Chef Ellerbe will to.
Stay tuned for the International Cuisine disaster story. Classic French, knife cuts oh and let’s work on that nine course menu from a country of my choosing. OY!

Back in the Saddle... Umm Kitchen

It’s been a pretty busy summer between the day job, night and online classes, a daughter graduating from High School, the kid’s schedules and taking on a new job. Just when you think things have calmed down, Virtual Virginia starts up with their students in courses, and I think my desk phone and email have just broken with so many issues and problems to snaggle through.

I feel like I did not get much kitchen time this summer either. I did finally get my produce basket that I won for the strawberry contest, and used the peaches in a cheesecake, which was tasty, I was told. But that is going to change soon, since I start Garde Manger “guard maze” French for "to keep to eat". I am looking forward to this class and being in the kitchen with Chef Emi again. She has already given us the syllabus and a challenge to find our signature dish. I am clueless and where to even start; so any suggestions will be welcome.

My next enrolled class starts Monday and it will be in International Cuisine. I can’t wait, but still not sure who the instructor will be. We were all looking forward to Chef Ellerbe teaching us, and he has chosen not to return to teaching this semester. That’s ok since I know he is pretty busy with the restaurant opening Tuesday the 24^th of August.

So that leads me to SAVOR Virginia’s Low Country Cuisine. (The New Job) Some of you know I am Chef Ellerbe’s personal assistant as well as the office manager for the restaurant. So it has kept me busy and out of trouble (not) this summer. One thing that I was ok with in Chef Ellerbe not coming back to learn from, was that I had one heck of a teaching in how to open a restaurant. ABC licenses, health inspections, fire inspections, kitchen equipment ordered, phone set-up’s, accounts for food inventory set-up, employee hiring’s, wine tastings, POS systems installed…You name it it’s been done! It was fun, and sometime s frustrating that you feel you have taken one step forward and ten steps back; but in the end so worth the experience and knowledge we are this close to opening. Maybe Chef Ellerbe will let me in the kitchen once in a while to cook and not wash the dishes. He keeps saying “there is no crying in cooking” and just as well I am not in the kitchen. “HUMPH” He has no clue!!! Short red-headed lady with a big knife.

Well I will be better now in keeping the blog up to date with new pictures of my adventures in class.