I am currently eating cookies as I sit in my room preparing for another day at Le Cordon Bleu and writing to you. Later today I will walk 15 minutes down the street to LCB to watch the chef demonstrate how to make a tarte au pommes, but for now let me tell you a little bit about my adventure so far…
I arrived in Paris on November 4 and was greeted by my host family, a woman and her son (Murielle and Armand) who I will be living with for the next few months. They live in an apartment in the 15th arrondissement. Murielle speaks some English, but Armand speaks hardly any. Although we have trouble communicating I don’t mind because I hope to learn French during my time here. Murielle doesn’t work, but she does go to singing classes, meet up with friends, and have people over for lunch throughout the days. I’m assuming that she hit the age of 60 before Sarkozy upped the retirement age to 62, sending the younger French into an uproar. Armand is 23 and spends most of his days in the apartment. From what I gather he is preparing for an exam and will start school at the end of November. I have also learned that he does not like frommage (cheese) or vin (wine); needless to say I do not think we will become best friends. That being said, living with Murielle and Armand has been great, they are very kind and accommodating.
I did not start school until November 15 so I had 10 days to explore Paris. I walked to the Eiffel Tower, explored the Louvre and the Dali museum in Montmartre, did a little shopping, and had fun getting lost. Most days I would set out with the addresses of a few patisseries and boutiques that I wanted to see. I would then take the Metro to a stop near the place I was intending to go to and wander around window shopping, or as the French say lèche-vitrines (literally translated: “window licking”), until I found my destination. On one particularly cold, drizzly, windy day I found a little café near the Louvre. It was set back in a corner and had large windows, perfect for people watching. I sat at a small table next to the window and ordered a café and croque madame (a warm ham and cheese sandwich with an over-easy egg on top). As I sat at the table warming up and admiring the French’s ability to stay fashionable in such awful weather I started to smile, as I often find myself doing here even when engaging in mundane tasks. I’m here. In Paris. To do something I love!
While I did enjoy my free time, I was ready to start school on the 15th and have a purpose for my days. When I arrived at LCB I was greeted at the door and ushered into a room with a vaulted glass ceiling and small café tables set around the perimeter. This is the Jardin d’Hiver, or “Winter Garden,” which is the main gathering place for students. Here I received my uniform which consists of a chef’s coat, pants, an apron, a hat, and hand towel. Luckily we were given multiples of each item so we don’t have to wash them every night. As for the hat, before you can ask…No, they are not the tall chef’s toques that you see on TV. Only the chefs wear those, students receive toques when they graduate. I also received a set of Wusthof knives (a German brand, tres bien!), a small scale (if the cooking thing doesn’t work out I can always sell drugs), various cooking utensils, and a set of Tupperware (to bring home all of my pastries of course!). The last thing I received was a binder of “recipes” which are actually just lists of ingredients. It is the student’s job to take detailed notes during demonstrations so that we can recreate the pastry during our practical class.
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| Cookies demonstrated on the first day of class |
In my patisserie class there are approximately 40 students, divided into 3 groups. For the demonstration classes we all meet in one room for 2 ½ hours to watch the chef make the designated pastries for that day. On the first day the chef made 4 different kinds of shortbread. While this may seem like a long time to sit and watch someone cook, things are really fast paced and the chef is surprisingly funny and charming, so time flies by. After we watch the demonstration we have a practical class where we are required to make one of the recipes that were demonstrated. We know before class which recipe we will be required to make, and all students make the same one. It is for the practical class that we divide into our separate groups. The kitchens hold about 14 people each, hence the 3 groups.
Once in the kitchen, we get right to work. The chef oversees us while we cook. He corrects students when he sees them doing things incorrectly, he answers questions, and sometimes he makes everyone stop what they are doing so he can demonstrate a technique. All of the ingredients are gathered before class so students don’t need to go searching for anything. Grandma, don’t worry I was totally kidding about the drug dealing--the scales are actually for measuring ingredients. Weighing ingredients yields a much more precise measurement than using cups. After we have completed our recipe the chef will come around and tell each student what they did well and what they did incorrectly. He will then write down a grade for us between 1 and 5. We were not graded on our first day in the kitchen, but today we will be. Wish me luck on my apple tart!
Bisou, bisou! (kiss, kiss)
Maggie
"Life is uncertain. Eat dessert first." -Ernestine Ulmer
