Tutti Frutti

Hallo bloggers

So the past week we made a lot of yummy treats with fruit. The main concept we learned about was baking, roasting and grilling. And in practical class we had to incorporate these methods of cooking and bring a creative side to our plating. After a lot of thinking I realised that minimalism is the most important key to any plating. Although I struggled a bit with my plating I believe that practice makes perfect and this was a great starting point for me.

              Grilled fruit kebabs with chocolate ganache, vanilla ice cream and chocolate flakes.

                                              *Dust with caster sugar before grilling*

Roast peaches with lemon thyme and ginger sause.

*Roasted walnuts for garnishing*

Baked Apple dumplings with Apple crisps, mixed spice syrup, glazed sultanas and Crème Chantilly.

*Bake Apple crisps for 3-4 hours @ 110'C*

                         

Poaching Perfection

Dear bloggers 

Sorry that I've been so quiet the past week. Life is a bit crazy over at Capsicum with worksheets, assignments, tests and more assignments.

Last week in practical class we learned about poaching. I always thought that only eggs can be poached but I was wrong, there are many different types of food that can be poached. Here is some of the food we prepared.

* Poached pears in a red wine reduction with chocolate ganache and walnut brittle

*Floating Islands in Crème Anglaise

Have a lovely week xx

Weekend Bliss

Dear bloggers

I hope each of you had a wonderful weekend.

This past weekend my family had a reunion with lots of cousins, nieces and nephews of all ages. So I decided to make yummy dessert. I made white chocolate cheesecake and some red velvet cupcakes. Everyone enjoyed it very much and even took some of it home for a midnight snack.

I leave you with this quote...

"Cake is happiness! If you know the way to the cake, you know the way to happiness! If you have cake in front of you, you should not look any further for joy.!" -C. JoyBell-

Introduction to knife skills...

Today was the first time we went into a practical class. Up until now we only did theory and covered all the basic things like health and safety, first aid and food preparation. And finally today we went into the kitchen. 

We started out by learning how to hold a knife correctly... We then cut air for a few minutes as chef Jovan explained that you need to master the rolling technique before you can start cutting. We learned the following cuts: Julienne, Chiffonade,  Jardiniere, Burnoise, Macédoine, and Paysanne. After we practiced for a while we could create art out of potatoes and carrots. I created a little hobbit house with flowerpots on each side and some steppingstones leading into the house.

A very exciting day, what a great way to start the weekend....

My First Post

Hallo bloggers…

Firstly I would like to welcome each and every one of you to my first blog. My name is Hilmari van Staden my friends just call me Hilly. I have a passion for baking and creating something spectacular.  To bake is just like being an artist, you start with a blank canvas and through lots of practise and trying new things you create a masterpiece. A masterpiece that makes all 5 senses tingle for more. 

I am currently a student at Capsicum Culinary Studio training to become a pastry chef.  I always enjoyed baking but never in my wildest dreams thought that I would make a career out of it. I have been baking from a young age and always loved to help my mom in the kitchen when she baked her famous “Kinderkoek”, which is basically a white sponge with butter cream and lots of hundreds and thousands.  But the best part of this adventure in the kitchen was eating the dough. I believe that some of you know exactly what I am talking about…..

Throughout the year I will be posting pictures and recipes of new things that I have created, and will keep you up to date on the yummiest sweet treats out there.