Turkey Day

Today marks the first time I have cooked a Thanksgiving Turkey by myself. Now of course I had to call home to consult the turkey master in my family, my mom. I do not think I will be able to make one as good as my mom but with her assistance with the recipe over the phone, I sure came close to the desired results. Either way, everyone loved it which was a sigh of relief after 3 & 1/2 hours of cooking the bird without knowing how I would do. Even my 3yr.old son liked it and he is the pickiest eater I know!So I want to say Thank You Mom for havin' my back and teaching me how to properly cook Thanksgiving Turkey, I Love You.

I will post pictures of the festivities later. I did not take them and to top it off I forgot to take a picture of the bird before I carved it.LOL!!! So Hopefully someone remembered. Oh, I also forgot to mention, along with my roasted turkey there was also a fried turkey that was served. My girl's stepdad cooked it up...it only took 45 minutes! Ok, I'm out for now. I hope you guys enjoyed your TurkeyDay too.

Crossroads

It seems I have come to that almighty fork in the road. I am pondering whether or not to continue with the culinary profession or choose another occupation in order to spend more time with my son and the baby we are expecting in April. I mean don't get me wrong the culinary industry has put me through the ringer as well as made me a pretty happy man. The thing that bothers me is that in this profession(Im sure in others as well)you have to constantly sacrafice your time with loved ones including holidays and weekends. I must say that it sucks when the whole reason you work is to support your family. I'm sure people will say that it's for the love or whatever but if you're a family man such as myself, then family plays the most important role(at least to me).

I do understand that money plays a MAJOR role in our current society, but I was raised to put family before the almighty dollar. Because when money disappears, family is usually what is there after it happens. The next thing i'm sure I'll hear is, well you will still have days off. I am aware of this fact but it still isn't enough time to share with your kids. Because if you have worked in the culinary field or anything similar(ex: construction)you know those days off are needed to re-group which will take away from your kids yet again.I for one am tired of living in this manor!

Here let me beat you to the punch(haha)Poor Jevon *sob,sob*

The(Pastry)Bible

The Patisserie of Pierre Herme has to be the best book on the subject that I have ever laid eyes upon! This book was recommended by a homie of mine in the industry. And I must say, he was on the money with his reccomendation. Now, mind you this is not a cheap purchase but it is worth EVERY penny. My next purchases are- Paco Torreblanca: The Book, Dessert Cuisine by Oriol Balaguer & Au Coeur Des Saveurs by Frederic Bau. Til then...take care.

Some pics from class.

White Peach with Saffron Pate De Fruit
The Columbian
Earl Grey Tea Ganache
Pear Caramel
Raspberry Ganache
Lime Ganache

Back @ it again.

So here we go, I just completed the Introduction to Chocolate course at The French Pastry School. As usual Chef Bob put it down like a professional, open to our input and very knowledgeable. I feel I walked away with far more knowledge in the aspect of chocolate work than prior to attending the class. We covered a broad spectrum of chocolate and non chocolate confections. These confections included: Pate de Fruit, Nougat, 2 types of caramel and a nice amount of chocolates!!! I have to put this out there again, if you have not attended a class with French Pastry School and love pastry, I suggest you look into attending. I just want to say thanks to Chef Bob and the French Pastry School for making these opportunites available to us. It is truly appreciated.I will be back and trying to recruit(wink,wink) Until next entry, I'm in the wind.

Success: "Apple Caviar"

I have been on a mission of sorts these days and today, I finally accomplished phase one. I tried my hand at Ferran Adria's "Apple Caviar" recipe and was successful on my first try!!! Basically "Apple Caviar" is actual beads of apple juice suspended in a sphere. There is a little science involved. Now mind you, mine are not as pretty as his but I am confident that they will be with enough practice under my belt. Now my next goal is completion of my upcoming chocolate class at French Pastry School.

I am hoping to walk away with some great knowledge on the art of chocolate. I guess all i can say to sum up my experience tonight is ACCOMPLISHED! Goodnight...

Jevon

Coming to grips...

Hello world,here I am with yet another update for ya a**. Alright, so since my previous disaster occured, I have looked into attending the chocolate class offered at French Pastry School in june...hahaha. I guess you have to admit defeat sometimes. And the world of chocolate is a very difficult one if not properly trained in it's numerous variables. So I have officially decided to change to that class in place of the plated desserts class I previously signed up for. I figure, I will get alot more out of chocolate than plated desserts at this time because my current job doesn't focus on it.

Besides, even though money is not a huge factor it does play a role all it's own. This class will save me around $300 bucks, so that is a major plus. I figure I can apply this new skill to work related functions as well as look to profit on the side, if all goes well. My ultimate goal is to one day be well versed in the pastry world, so I can one day pass on this knowledge to my family and to assist in the possible family owned restaurant(in the planning stages). But before that can become reality, I must acquire the appropriate knowledge needed in order to achieve my goals. Wish me luck people, until next time.....

Jevon

90% Disaster

Well, my first try at chocolate bon bons was not a huge success to say the least. It was a pain trying to get the chocolates out of the mold. This tells me that they were not tempered properly and/or did not set up long enough before I filled them in. I am truly bummed with the results, I keep trying to remind myself that it's "my first time." Here are the results: out of a 40 cavity capacity mold I was only able to retrieve 3 completed bon bons....LOL!!! The thing is, I am bummed about this but it also leaves room for hope(after all 3 did make it out alive).

It was a pricey experiment so, it probably will not happen again for a bit. But I do want to put in more work with my newly acquired mold. The process is not that hard: Temper chocolate, Line the molds with "shell" as thin as possible, Fill molds with filling of choice, then close the bottom of the "shell." BUT the key to all of this is the initial TEMPERING of the chocolate!!! That is one of the variables to attaining a good "shell." Enough of that, I'm off to drown myself in chocolate!

*Side note: the flavor was good and the fillings did set up appropriately, so along with my 3 recovered chocolates it was not a total failure.

Jevon

Explorations in chocolate.

So here we are, face to face with my newly acquired polycarbonate chocolate mold and an impending chocolate experiment. What is a guy to do you might ask...well, I guess a man's gotta do what a man's gotta do. And what this man plans on doing is learning the art of chocolate tempering and how to mold chocolates. The thing that leaves room for concern is the delicateness of chocolate and all it's variables!!! But hey, you only live once right?!? I guess it's off to get down and dirty with some chocolate(mind outta the gutter people....hehehe). I will update you with pictures, good or bad, so wish me luck.

Jevon

The Storm Has Subsided...

The Above Entremet is by Olivier Vidal

Ok, since we last spoke I have broken the news to Circo. All parties involved were hella cool about it and still left the door open(so to speak). So things are back to normal at the moment. Now onto the next page, I recieved a call today from a woman representing The World Pastry Championship!!! She was calling me about volunteering at the championships in July. All I can say is that I am extremely hyped about this opportunity.

I will get to see some of the world's best pastry chefs competing for the title of world champion and $50,000 dollars! I will be a server for the event, basically, delivering their pastry entries to the judges!! This will be a HUGE opportunity to network with some great chefs. I will keep ya posted.

Jevon

Conclusion

Greetings,
I have been wrestling with this decision for days but have come to the conclusion that at this time it's best to decline the offer. I won't go into the fine print, but I do not feel that the timing is right to make that type of jump once again. I haven't been in a pastry kitchen since the winter of 2004! Another thing is I got this on the hook up tip, which was dope and appreciated but I want to try to get to that level again on my own this go 'round. So it is back to my original plan of some more classes and then steppin back to Sin City to have a go at my luck.....roll the dice I guess you could say. 'Til then, Im in the wind.... Jevon

Torn(right down the middle)

Looking at this picture of my son Julian reminds me just how much I miss my childhood, no worries larger than which toy will be my companion today.Well let's see, since my last post I have basically been offered my old position back at The Bellagio(Restaurant name withheld for now). The thing is, when I first landed the job, I had absolutely no pastry experience and that seemed to hurt me. I mean, I was able to plate up every plated dessert but i guess lack of experience and organization skills needed for the job caused my premature demize. Now this was in the winter of 2004. Let us fast-forward to the spring of 2006, I have not produced any pastry between then and now besides my most recent cakes & tart class.

So, I guess what concerns me is falling back into that dilemma one 'mo gain.

I have alot riding on this if I decide to accept the job offer. I have a girlfriend and a son to worry about for starters. But at the same time, I do want to excel in this profession and the current job I hold will not allow for that type of "growth." Finances play a major factor as well, I would have to find room and board A.S.A.P. if I accept the job. I did not see this happening at all, so it has been interesting tryin' to soak all of it in at once. I wish I had some serious cash packed away, so I could leave if I wanted without a second guess....but I suspect that's what we all want.

Jevon

Some more pics from class...

Here are some extra misc. pictures. The pics of the nice looking designer cakes where housed in a display case at FPS. I am in a bit of a hurry today so this will be kept short and sweet. The French Pastry School, In my opinion is the best school of it's caliber currently running in the U.S. Enjoy the pics.

Jevon

Damn, this cake is the bomb!!!(Chi-Town pt.3)

Alright people, Today marks the completion of my Cakes & Tarts class @ FPS. I do have to say I feel content and have gained some extra confidence in the world of french pastry. Today we completed: Lemon Tart, Chocolate Tart, Chocolate Hazelnut Torte, Framboise Torte(Raspberry Mousse Cake), Apple Almond Tart & Mille Feuille. Man, talk about a dieter's nightmare but a pastry lover's dream...haha. I tried EVERYTHING except the chocolate stuff. i was all about the fruit stuff today.

At lunch we had some bomb ass petit fours!!! The macaroons where off the hook(soft as a cloud). Man, I think I will be doin the ice cream class at the end of the year. I was very impressed with the staff, really warm and inviting. Carrie, the assistant was top notch! She was always 2 steps ahead of the game which kept things flowing smoothly.

I recommend if you are looking to take some pastry classes of any kind, look no further than French Pastry
School in Chicago!!! Tucson, ready or not...Senor Churro is on his way back!!!!!

Jevon

"Hello Chicago, the name's Jevon & I'll be conquering you today."(Chi-Town pt. 2)

Greetings, Today was officially my first day in class at French Pastry School for French Cakes & Tarts course. Chef Bob was hella cool and pretty knowledgeable. I learned some tips, tricks,etc...We started off the day by producing majority of the components for the cakes & Tarts. Today we learned: Vanilla Cremeux, Pastry Cream, Flourless Chocolate Cake, Chocolate Biscuit, Pate A Bomb, Pain de Genes, Semi-Candied Raspberries, Lemon Curd, Hazelnut Dacquoise & Meringue. Speaking of Meringue, Chef Bob(Hartwig) gave us a tip that helped us recognize if we reached the correct peak(soft peaks) for our meringue, he said it should look like a bird's beak. Funny, but it works! Anyways, I will be takin plenty of shots of the finished products, so stay tuned tomorrow. I'm off to sleep cuz I got to catch the "L" to downtown pretty early. Goodnight all...

Jevon

What A Day(Chi-Town pt.1)

Ok, so here's the breakdown. I got on the plane at 6am departing Tucson then connected in Dallas Fort Worth, finally touching down in Chicago at 2pm. This is where the fun starts, I touch down at O'Hare International and proceed to contact my hotel about the complimentary shuttle...this "complimentary" shuttle of theirs had me waitin' for a complimentary minute! Between them and the airport attendant I was sent in circles. I mean I didn't get to the damn hotel and into my room until 4:39pm. WTF?!? you might ask, I was askin' the same thing.

I guess the important thing is that I made it here in one piece. Tomorrow is the big day, I don't know how exactly to express my take on it. All I know is that I am excited and nervous all in one! I'll be back with an update tomorrow...

Jevon

Hmmm....

So it's friday, which means thursday is departure day. Still hasn't hit me fully but I know once that plane starts it's ascent into the air it will all fall into place. I just recently picked up the current issue of Chile Pepper magazine(the one with the hot wings on the cover) .The magazine features a 6-page layout starting on page 48, about Trinidadian cuisine!!! It covers alot of things from pepper sauce to doubles to Buss Upshut, fried bake, curry chicken and finally tamarind chutney. I have to plan a trip to Trinidad next year cuz I am intent on learning how to make roti from scratch(paratha that is).

I can make sada roti & a pretty mean choka. But I won't be content until I can make a fierce paratha roti. I for one want to do my part to help preserve and/or elevate trinidad's cuisine to contend with the big boys. Now, don't get me wrong, Trini food is by far the best the caribbean has to offer, but, alot of people outside of the caribbean are unaware of this fact. I for one want to bring our cuisine to the forefront and hopefully with the right knowledge and training it will be possible. Just a few thoughts...'til chicago, I'm in the wind.

Jevon

Growing Anxiousness.

So, let's see, 15 days and counting...Chicago "The Windy City" awaits one such as myself, is it as anxious as I am?!? I hope so, cuz I would love to be greeted with open arms and not with a "cold" shoulder. In other words people, I hope Chi-town is warmed up by the time I touch down....haha, cuz as you might suspect Chicago can get cold as hell! I am ready to get the show on the road pertaining to this trip. It's right around the corner but seems like it's an eternity. I'm sure once I'm there, it will fly by entirely too quickly and I'll be complaining about that, LOL...oh well, enough of my babbling for the moment.

Jevon

A new lifeform discovered?!?

I bet you are wondering if this is the first images of a new life form. Well, in a sense it is, my son Julian made this for me yesterday(he presented it to me with PRIDE). Hahaha, anyways, now that we have cleared that up, it's update time. Today makes it 18 days until my 1st of 2 trips this year. As you know I will be hittin' up Chi-town on the 30th for my intensive course in French Pastry: Cakes & Tarts. Honestly, it hasn't hit me yet but I am sure it will hit me like a ton of bricks when I walk through those glass doors at The French Pastry School!!!

I will be takin' plenty of flicks during my travels, so be on the lookout. The one downside to my travels this year is I will be missing out on yet another family reunion(I can't wait 'til my family meets my son in person). Besides that, things are looking promising this year. I am amped to be takin' a plating class with John Kraus, he is the man!!!! I know I am going to learn ALOT. Well, Ladies & Gents, I'm "In The Wind" until my next update...Take Care.

Jevon

Movement(New Hope)

Well, first off sorry these entries have been far & few apart. I have been focusing all my energy on work, family & planning for upcoming pastry courses. Speaking of which, I will be flying to Chicago's French Pastry School to attend their Cakes & Tarts course on March 31st! Also, I have recently signed up for a Seasonal Plated Desserts class with Chef John Kraus(French Pastry School). So my plans of Ascension seem to FINALLY be taking shape. The pieces to the puzzle that began in November of 2004, are beginning to fall in their respective places.

Phase II is up next...Progression!!!!

Preparing for March

I will be attending a Guest/Master Chef class @ French Pastry School in Chicago, IL. I am going there to learn how to craft French cakes & tarts. I will be updating this page shortly, just been real busy planning for this trip.

Jevon