Chocolates and Confections Class Comes to an End…

My final in this class was to make a hexagon chocolate box using various methods.  Perfectly tempered chocolate, which I managed to do.  Use texture sheets like the little rounds decors, piping chocolate, the white on the top, a way to open the box, and glue these components together using chocolate.  All chocolate, edible box.  It was to have a top and bottom, and fill with confections of specific types.  Twelve of each to be turned in and judged.  Raspberry truffles, Fleur de Sel caramels dipped in chocolate, and butternut toffee crunch with toasted almonds.

I must admit this has been a whirlwind of a month.  Did this all just happen?  My only saving grace is that with each passing moment and event, I made sure to relish it, sit for a moment, take it all in, say thank you, and not forget.  I am that way.  I don’t want my plate so full I miss these cherished moments of life changing experiences that I forget.  But my plate is that full.  I even had to say no to things recently.  Things that I would love to take part in, but just can’t.  It is the end of the quarter, my final projects,  papers, and such were due this week.  My written final is next week, and then a bit of a break.

This Chocolates and Confections class is another thing to add to my list of amazing experiences.  Chef Mortensen is seriously bad ass.  She has worked all over the world in many different aspects of the kitchen.  She brought so much to the table, with hands on experience and knowledge that I soaked up like a sponge on crack.  I know, weird but true.  If she speaks, I listen.  Her experience is something most people would long for in this industry   She has countless stories she shared, and to be honest, I would love to pick her brain a million more times.  She is rad.  She made this class rad.

Here are a few things I made over the last three months.  I take my photos in class with my Iphone.  Then Instagram them, so bare with me if yo have seen them or they have a silly filter.  It’s silly fun…

My mid term consisted of developing a truffle and packaging it.  I made a chipotle, lime, honey truffle.  I am still working on this recipe.  It was good, just not perfect.  Work in progress.

The outside of this box (forgot to take photo) has a sticker with my logo on it, and the ingredients and such.

We catered an event that Brian was hosting with his class up at our main campus.  We decided to be super creative with it.  It all started when I finished a recipe of rasberry marshmallows.  I said it looked like bologna, and the ideas kept rolling into making a dessert “sandwich” for this event.  That is exactly what we did…

The final product

The components

It went over very well, actually.  People were a bit weirded out at first, but once they realized it was cake, gummies, marshmallows, and pretty much all sugar, they went for it.  And came back for seconds.  So that is a success in my book.

Fleur de Sel caramels

Christmas scene made entirely from chocolate and pulled sugar

It was a unique experience, and a wonderful one at that.  I learned so much, again about myself, and chocolate, sugar, with the science behind it all.  One more quarter to go where I am taking an Asian Cuisine class, and a Business Management class.  After that, next March, I will graduate a happy full woman!