Missing My Silver Steed

I think I officially woke up today after breakfast. The rye bread was exceptionally good.

I was decorating a slice of roulade dipped in chocolate with fruit. I made a somewhat artsy design and was really proud of it. Midway through the tray, chef walked over and told me next time to make it thicker but not make it so high. Sigh. It was really pretty and I was trying to figure out what he meant. As I was glazing it with their gelatin mixture I realized how awkward my design was to get at with the brush.. Ahhh… then I got it. Later on in the day I was given the job of filling small glasses with chocolate mousse. Chef piped three in a row quickly and perfectly. My first two… hehe.. not so pretty… the next two… mousse on the edge. The mousse was really soft and when I finished the twist at the top I kept having one smaller blob flow out of the bag finishing what should have been lovely star tip dollops into something looking more like glasses of turds. Chef saw my apologetic face when he approached and encouraged me by saying how it wasn’t his first time and I’d get it too with time…. He then brought over brown and white chocolate covered crispies to decorate AKA hide the top :)

One thing I am actually really good at is hand dipping pralines. I am able to swoosh the candies through the tempter chocolate and cleanly set it on a piece of parchment without my praline fork messing up the soft center or denting the edge. It sounds like a simple process but tray after tray my work is consistent, my bowl is never heaping with a hard chocolate rim, and my clothes are in a decent non-chocolated state. Although repetitive and sometimes a never ending story, apparently the chefs have been impressed with my praline abilities. I found out later that they think I should be a pastry chef. I kind of agreed. As much as I do enjoy the hot kitchens I think I am most comfortable and better skilled for those things cold. Pastry requires a little more time and patience and it suits me. So if I get my masters in Nutrition will it make me feel guilty about creating everything with cream and butter? ;)

Tomorrow I am back at garde manger for two days, back to pastry on Saturday and Sunday then onto the Silber Distal on Monday. Apparently tomorrow it will be about 16®C… No snow, and tomorrow I will have been here a total of 8 weeks. Two weeks and five (or six?) days till I leave Sonnenalp. Four weeks and a day till I am on my way home. Four weeks and four days till I am back in Miami. Four weeks and two days till I can drive my car around town with my music playing, familiar roads and English signs. I miss my car. I miss zipping around town with my cushioned steering wheel, the smell of my Cotton blossom Bath and Body Works scent bug, my little pocket filled with hair pins and hair ties…I miss my faithful, silver “steed.” I’m craving käse spaetzle but I wouldn’t mind a frosty either.

No autobahn, no Alps, no käse spaetzle, but I will be out of this apartment and staying in my home. Home is such a lovely word. Home. Happy thought indeed.