Day 60 - Finals Day 5

Today is the last day of finals. First up was Pork Schnitzel. You basically pound the pork tenderloin flat, bread it and then pan fry in a little bit of oil. I added anchovies, lemons and capers to the top. Both chefs liked the dish.

Next came Bouillabaisse with Rouille.

This came out great as well. I could have simmered for another 5 hours but I thought it came out pretty tasty. The last dish I present in PCA2 would be Lamb Shank Provencal.

This dish is pretty simple to prepare as well. It just takes a lot of time to braise. Lamb is another meat that people find gamey and unappetizing but it is really fun to take a tough or cheap cut of meat and turn it into something delicious. Both chefs thought my lamb came out great.

So at the end of the day we got our grades and an exit interview. Chef Reyes showed me my report card and I ended up with a 92.23 which is a solid A. He said that I was only 1 of 4 students in the class to get an A. He said Chef Brown grades really tough and I should take it to heart that I'm doing very well. Chef Reyes' only concern for me is that I need to get my head out of the recipe book and cook with my heart and my passion. Recipes are simply guidelines and do not have to be followed to the letter. I think the reason I do that is because I'm not familiar with a lot of these dishes and really want to use the book as a safety net but knowing that these incredible chefs have put this much faith in me, it'll be easier for me to take some risks and cook with my heart instead of my head.

I can't believe how far I've come in just 60 days of school. It's been an incredible journey and one I should have taken long ago. Next week is spring break and then we start day 61 in the baking lab. Our first day will be Pretzels and Whole-Grain Bread.