Plated Dessert Tasting, last full day of prep.
Sunday.
Ooof, I'm tired. Tired of baking. But mostly tired of baking alone. Sometimes the vacuum quality of dessert tasting baking gets to me. Last night I got to share a leetle something with friends. It's good to get feedback, albeit singular. Meaning that these folks tasted one component from a plate of many other flavors and textures.
Today I will go into a restaurant kitchen {at 7 am} in SF and be:
baking butterscotch pot de creme, testing veloute baking atop dacquoise, changing a garnish/pitting cherries (could not find the strawberries I'm in love with at the market today), testing doughnuts, making vanilla syrup for an egg cream, prep and churn lemon sherbet, churn brown butter ice cream, molding ice creams for a Baked Alaska, cutting-docking-forming tiny graham crackers, prep rhubarb, chop candied citrus zests, and drying vanilla bean pods for a garnish.
Saturday, at home, I made carnaroli rice "pudding" [sans eggs or yolks] lightly infused with California Bay Laurel, cocoa nib dacquoise, test baked 2 milk chocolate veloute, and produced a 1/2 sheet of devil's food cake.
It's been really good to organize my list over a period of a week, because it means there's been plenty of time to test and taste, bake and re-bake, arrange and re-arrange, discuss and email, question and ponder, and sleep on it all.
Monday, at noon, is the moment of truth.
I'm dying! Your inciting a hunger that can't be satiated. I can't get those desserts anywhere. Well, I suppose that's why you need to get this job. :)
Posted by: Aaron | 13 May 2007 at 04:51 PM
Hang in there, my friend! Sending you good thoughts--and hope you get some sleep in the midst of it all.
Posted by: Tea | 13 May 2007 at 04:55 PM
Good luck Shuna! The sweets sound amazing. I am sorry I could not find a better baking space for you in NYC. I really only know places in BKLYN, but will continue to hunt. Keep up the great blogging!
Posted by: Star | 13 May 2007 at 08:26 PM
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX!
MMMMMMMMMMMM!
GGGGGGGGGGGGGG!
(that latter being a sort of gargle sound, but of an encouraging type.)
Have fun.
Posted by: cookiecrumb | 13 May 2007 at 10:24 PM
Good luck!
Posted by: maggie | 14 May 2007 at 01:47 AM
good luck! can't wait to hear how the tasting goes.
Posted by: lindsey | 14 May 2007 at 02:55 AM
best of luck to you! let your self shine!
Posted by: catherine | 14 May 2007 at 04:31 AM
Good luck tomorrow. We will be thinking good thoughts.
Posted by: MEJ | 14 May 2007 at 05:17 AM
I'm excited for you! Good luck!
Posted by: Melissa | 14 May 2007 at 12:19 PM
good luck. i'll be thinking of you at 3pm. i'm going to get a haircut this afternoon, maybe i'll go eat some borscht at veselka in your honor.
melissa xo
Posted by: melissa | 14 May 2007 at 01:15 PM
Fingers and toes crossed for you, Shuna!
Posted by: Anita | 14 May 2007 at 03:03 PM
Best of luck to you!
Posted by: Garrett | 14 May 2007 at 07:15 PM
Wow, when I read the last line of your post, it was 2 minutes before noon on Monday. I'm sending you po-si-tive vibrations at this very moment in time. I'm sure you'll be great! Can't wait to hear more about it.
Posted by: Joanna | 14 May 2007 at 07:57 PM
dude...yer lemons are showing
Posted by: Kung Foodie Kat | 15 May 2007 at 02:19 AM