so i stepped in ketchup. well, sort of stepped. more like grazed through in a "oh-crap-i'm-about-to-step-in-ketchup-please-only-be-ketchup" sort of way while running to the R train the other night. i find myself perpetually amazed at the plethora of sights, sounds (and smells) that one encounters in the subway. from the looks of it, it appears someone came downstairs with a hotdog, generously bathed in ketchup and then promptly dropped it on the floor, and left it there, to be trampled and slipped on and squished and eventually eaten for dinner (by giant subway rats). one of the only ways i knew it WAS ketchup was because they left the more obvious clues next to the puddle - a bun and a squished hotdog. now i'm not a fan of hotdogs anyway, but nothing turns my stomach quicker than the thought of a hotdog, rolling about on the tiled floor of the subway, through puddles of things that are likely urine, and grime, and... rat droppings, and oddly, dog poo. i mean, it's a dirty place. i have a pair of kicks devoted entirely to the subway. they don't even come in the house, even to the mud rug. they stay outside, on the porch landing, because that would be gross otherwise. and so, no, i will not be eating a hotdog this memorial day. or ketchup. because now, all i smell is warm ketchup... and subway pee. and that saddens me, because i only recently discovered that i liked ketchup. and now... well, i won't eating it anytime soon.
suffice to say, given the stress of my new life, the hot ketchup smell, the late nights and the city heat, i'm never hungry these days. this was my dinner the other night... i've lost 5 pounds since class started...(i DID have a protein bar too though.) i just didn't photograph it because ...well, that's almost as boring as this picture:
anyway, the point of this story is that i almost stepped in it, BECAUSE i was running to catch my train so i wouldn't miss the other train leaving for home. so if you're ever up late...say around 10:45 pm, please think of me. running through the streets of the city, with my backpack and plasti-dome, dodging puddles of sludge and ketchup, metrocard in hand, racing down, down, down to my train. and please send good vibes that i don't miss my train home. because that would suck. pull your covers up, close your eyes and go to sleep, but first send me good vibes. i need them.
cake school is intense. but intensely fun too! when last i posted, i was describing my cake exam and practical. i haven't yet received my grade, but my Chef said i did very well. so that's a relief. although, i don't know what 'very well' means... see, i'm a straight-A kinda girl. so i'm very hard on myself when i make stupid mistakes. i know a made stupid mistakes. 'very well' is okay, but awesome is better. so, i'll take 'very well' but i'll always want more!
next up on the syllabus was to finally work with that white cake we baked. i LOVE white cake. it was lightly flavored with vanilla and almond (LOVE!) and our plan was to carve, fill, stack and ice a mini-tiered cake.
sweet! which reminds me: the filling and the frosting.
the fillings were amazing. i chose to fill mine with a combination of peach mousseline and a hazelnut mousseline. LOVELY, delicious combination that was paired with the almond white cake. below is the peach mousseline. it's just light, luscious and amazing. and yup, there are vanilla beans in there! (LOVE!)
the frosting or icing was a swiss meringue butter cream. now, this is my favorite butter cream, because it's sweet, light and perfectly delicious, without being overly sweet. so i was happy to make it. and, i found that throughout the formula, it is basically exactly like i have been making it, so that made me feel pretty proud. something i do, is actually the exact, proper way to do it! i'm here to learn, but once in a while, it's nice to feel like you know something already! (especially for someone who loves to learn, but loves to know everything too!) it's a conundrum, but a duality that i think i handle quite nicely most of the time! and anyway, it came out amazing and it's very easy to work with! how do you make it? you take a lovely meringue and add butter. butter, butter and more butter.
and eventually, through whipping, you emulsify the mixture and get your fat suspended in your liquid and behold: fluffy, light, heavenly perfection. behold, my swiss meringue butter cream!
part of the work we did was to square off the cake. this is a skill that i've been working on. and i have to say, i'm getting better and better. i've learned some new techniques that help me to get my butter cream incredibly square and smooth and i'm very proud of that! i don't want to ever be the type of cake designer that relies on genius cover jobs so that a client can't see mistakes and flaws. i'd much prefer to just... be THAT good. and i think that i did a nice job.
and then once that was finished, we watched Chef Cynthia demo how to pipe vines and use various tips to make little blossoms and leaves.
getting to just clear my mind and try to pipe and play with design is one of my favorite parts of cake. now of course, this cake is an assignment, right down to the color pallet and the overall floral design that we are tasked to replicate in taste to our own cakes, so that always adds an element of challenge because of course, you must copy a cake from someone else. granted, we all know that's hard for an artist, but a good cake designer can do that. and do it well. we are given a little creative license so I was able to make my vine a little more wild, free-flowing and larger than the Chef's version, but it worked, because i had created my cake to have a large, tall bottom tier, and a shorter top tier. i think it was a sweet, whimsical little cake.
the ride home, was challenging. but we made it! but that brings me to my cab ride back to penn station...
typically i take the subway, but i had a tiered cake, wrapped it little more than plastic wrap and a couple of cardboard rounds. i didn't feel like running like a lunatic and then sliding all over the place, whilst holding a cake and having the whole underworld watch. i just didn't feel like it. so i went outside and almost as if on cue, a cab pulled up to let a woman out. i walked up to him and said, "hi. umm, are you taking anyone? i need to go uptown, to penn??" and he said, "sure thing pretty girl. hop in." ... now normally, i'd be annoyed by that. i mean, common! is it the 80's? am i THAT pretty? pretty enough to be cajoled from the sidewalk into a ride by a cabbie? wasn't it HIS job to shut up and drive? (does that make me sound like a b*tch??) but honestly, oddly...i felt very happy this evening. very...calm. very 'viva la vida!' so i just said, "thanks guy! will do!" and hopped in the back of the car. and immediately, he starting talking. "so you make cakes?"
"yup. well, i'm in school to be a chef that makes cakes..."
"so you are learning?"
"yup."
the cool, humid breeze was gently blowing in the window, which felt lovely, because i was sweating and pretty tired. i closed my eyes for a second, and just took a breath and smiled. these are the moments that make a life. aren't they? quiet yet oddly chaotic moments that build your character, make your story. but i was jolted out of my reverie by the cabbie again.
"is this your hobbies?" he had a tough accent, but i could make it out pretty well.
"umm, well, sort of i guess. i want to be a cake designer. so it's hobby turned passion...turned maybe career someday?" i smiled. i wondered why i was so chatty to this complete stranger.
"you have other hobbies?" (oh god, please don't be hitting on me or anything. eww.)
"umm, yeah. photography and travel."
" i have hobbies of that too! i love to travel and i love art. but also like learning languages."
"that's cool. those are good hobbies."
"i also am very good with astrology and palm reading. i can see auras."
"oh yeah? that's pretty cool." i waited, because i knew what was coming next.
"here, show me your left palm." we were stopped at a light; he turned the interior light on. he turned my hand quickly so he could get a better look.
"strong life line. you are powerful. strong life. lots of love. double line. [he made gestures with his hands to indicate straight, parallel lines up] very connected with nature too."
i didn't say anything; i just listened as he continued.
"you have boyfriend or ..too young for husband no?"
"no, i have a husband."
"OH! well, you spend more time love, with love. and nothing else. just do more loving things. have happy fun. only spend time loving each other and have fun."
"well, that's pretty easy to do! i can definitely manage that."
"and you never hurt by nature -no flood, or tsunamis or earthquake. all good. nature protects you." i was intrigued by this, given that i've always felt very connected to nature. mother earth and her nature always seem to put on a show for me...but i always attributed that to my ego-mania.
"and you have exciting, happy things coming. you have a baby soon. and you have exciting things coming." (oh great, just what i need. more chaos, i thought.)
"let me see your other hand. [another stop light; interior light on] but money, you don't have a lot of money. [he laughed. i raised an eyebrow in a 'that's not THAT funny is it' kinda way.] but money will always be there when you need it. you are not a big saver!" [that's for SURE! haha!]
i interrupted him, "well, no i don't save money. i'd rather travel. pay for my hobbies. pay for life experiences."
"yes, and that is why money comes and goes for you! [more laughter.]"
"eh, that's okay by me. as long as it's there when i need it."
"yes, rich when you need it. not rich when you don't. [hmm, i thought. i guess that's good.] you are adventurer. that's good. very interesting. people attracted to you like butterfly."
like butterflies... hmm. i do love butterflies.
finally he said, "you are so young, but soul is wise. you have baby cheeks. happy cheeks. you will be young forever. always young. stay happy pretty girl."
and he pulled over. i tipped him and said, "stay good there palm reader. thanks for all that!"
"stay good!" i hear as i shut the door. and i hop on the escalator, back down to the underground. back to another train.
more to come!
xo
m
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