Day 8 at FCI - First Test and Soups

Here's a flashback to the 8th day of Level 1, May 19, 2011....

During my first week of school, I received a brilliant piece of advice....keep Tupperware in my locker.  We produce a lot of food during class.  Some nights we eat what we make, for dinner.  Some nights we're treated to an amazing buffet by the Level 4 students.  And there have been a couple nights that I've been too busy to eat anything.  More times than not I come home with a bounty of food.

We had our first written test last night.  It covered everything we learned during the first 7 lessons.  That may not sound like a lot to you, but take my word for it on this one, it's a lot of information.  In the days leading up to the test I spent my commutes flipping through flashcards, reading recipes & reviewing everything we learned in class. 

My biggest problem when it comes to taking tests is myself.  I psyche myself out time and time again.  And, lo and behold nothing seems to have changed on this front since high school.  It's over and done now, so we'll see how I did in a couple days.

Leftover Potage St. Germain with Whole Wheat Croutons

After the test, our mission for the evening was soups....Potage St. Germain (split pea soup), Beef Consomme, French Onion Soup & Potage Cultivateur.  Chef decided that each aisle (group of 4 people) would be responsible for producing a batch of each soup.  As it happens, my partner and I are the only ones on our aisle, so we were on our own; two people doing the work of four.  It was a busy night!  As Chef demoed the first 2 soups, I started making a mental list of all the materials we needed and the most efficient way to divide the work, knowing one of they keys to our success was staying absolutely organized. 

My partner and I got off to a good start.  We gathered the ingredients for the first 2 soups, our mis en place was good to go, we got the first soup on the stove & simmering and the second wasn't far behind, and our we were on to preparing our garnishes.  It felt like we were completely on target, and keeping pace with the rest of the class.  I was tempted to mention to my partner how great we were doing, and it almost felt like we were starting to get ahead of the game, but I knew better than to say anything. 

Before I knew it, we already onto the next demo's. What minute....how did that come happen so fast.  Little by little it felt like we went from being on track to slowly falling behind.  After a minute of panic, I managed to tune most everything out around me.  I prioritized a mental list of what had to be finished (with our now less than tidy station falling last on that list and not going unnoticed by Chef).  Finally, my partner & I were at the front of the kitchen presenting our final dish, and as it turned out, not too far behind the groups of 4.

I left class a half hour later than usual feeling exhausted, and at the same time buzzing with adrenaline, on a high that I haven't quite experienced before starting school.  This feeling is mildly reminiscent of how I feel during a triathlon, but it's an amazing feeling all its own.  It makes me anxious for the next class, to be challenged and to feel this high all over again.