Afternoon at the school

I have two tests this evening, a quiz on some chapters and my manager's level sanitation certification, so I got here early today.  Some studying, but then I got sidetracked, reading about consommes.  I've never made consomme, never seen it made, so finally reading about the clearmeat process was fascinating, and honestly put it into practical terms.  I hear our next class is basics, knife cuts and sauces, beginning with the five mother sauces, so hopefully we'll do consomme in there too. 

 

I took a break, left the library and went outside to eat some chicken leftovers.  (School has me on an odd schedule where I eat my dinner by about five in the afternoon.  The alternative is to hold a nightly tailgate in the classroom, and I don't like that alternative -- particularly because we won't be able to eat in labs.)  I sat in the shade by the herb garden.  The school grows a great herb garden; sitting there, I could see chervil, fennel, mustard greens, baby greens, parsley, and more herbs down to the right.  These plots of individual herbs are huge -- giant greens, large bushes. 

 

Back inside I return to the library and pass the bake shop, where the students have put their nightly up-for-grabs extras in the hall.  No exaggeration, I walked past six whole cheesecakes and two whole carrot cakes.  Each cheesecake sat on a stool, and the carrot cakes had their own small table.  Sugared, glazed fruits garnished each cheesecake.  Last night I had a piece of sacher torte (with 'Sacher' in cursive frosting on each piece), so I have to pass on the cheesecake today. 

 

After our two tests, we're having a wine tasting.  The campus wine expert is hosting a tasting, and Chef Porter has already cracked the whip to make sure no one thinks they are getting loaded  I've seen the sommelier leving other classes after tastings, and she pushes a cart filled with empty wine bottles and one giant sloshing spittoon.

 

Off to take my quiz.  I hope the cheesecakes are gone.