Time crunch!

So today was kind of crazy.  Since we missed class (again) yesterday, we were now short another day and still trying to play catch up from the first one we missed!  So we had a lecture, then a demo, and then were left to start our work.  On today's list of things to do was help with the class baklava, make in teams of 2 a quiche custard, and make on my own 2 types of pie dough, an apple pie, a berry pie, and a quiche, while also making a strudel and churning an ice cream with my group for the restaurant.  

Today I got the ice cream and the strudel done (since they were for the restaurant, we get them done first) and my 2 pie doughs made, annnnnd... that is it.  Aaaagh!  It is so hard to be trying to get so much done but knowing we are short on time and still need to get it all done!  But looking back on it now, I do feel pretty good about getting as much done as we did, because yesterday we were missing Natalie from our group and today we were missing both Natalie and Hannah, so I feel like Michelle and I did pretty good doing our group things with only two of us.  

So class started off with us starting the strudel fixin's that have to rest before it can be completely made up, so instead Michelle and I took the time to fight with the ice cream machine.  The ice cream base was already made, so we just added the coffee extract to it and went to churn it in the service kitchen, trying not to get in the culinary student's ways while they start to prepare for dinner.  Well, we got it all churned just fine and were in the process of cleaning it (which is more of a chore than the actual mixing of it) and one of the seals wouldn't seal right, then the front door wouldn't close right, but a culinary student who made a lot of ice cream last term was nice and helped us out!  

When we got back to our kitchen, Chef Hall helped us stretch the strudel dough though, because you really do need at least 3 people to help stretch it, so that was nice to have an extra set of hands helping.  I did get my pie doughs all mixed up and in the fridge though, so tomorrow (if it doesn't snow) hopefully I will get my pies done.  Michelle and I scaled out our quiche custard for tomorrow, so we can get started on that quickly we hope.  

So all I got checked off tonight were the oatmeal cookies I had baked off after class on Tuesday, but Tessa and I's cannoli's are still waiting to be filled - hopefully tomorrow.  Chef did say that tomorrow will mostly be a catch up day, so hopefully I can get a lot done before I have to go to service.  Hopefully the other two girls in our group will be back, or else Michelle and I will be on our own plating all four desserts, which is definitely doable, but I was hoping to work on my chocolate filigree and whipped cream rosettes during that time as well since it is the only thing we can really work on during service.  We'll see what I get to though.  As of tonight, we will not be shortening our break to try to make up the lost days, but we will be coming in early and staying a little late the week we come back to school, which will be helpful since we still have a bunch of things to get checked off before the end of term on January 12th.  It sounds so far off, but it will be here before we know it!