Mother Sauce and its Derivatives.

Today was a busy, busy day for us.  We had to make 3 mother sauces on our own and from those sauces we had to make a derivative out of 2 of them. 

And to start my day at class I was setting up my mise en place, getting out my tools and then realizing that the spatula that Katlin was waving about yesterday was mine.  Yep, I couldn't find it anywhere in my bag.  I'm usually really good about washing my stuff and putting them right into my bag but I was obviously side tracked.  So, no spatula for me today and as i was straining my sauces a lot of it was left in the bowls but eh, it all worked out.

I was trying hard to clean up my mess as I went but it seemed that I accumulated a lot of bowls, pots, rewashing utensils several times and then Chef is announcing over the intercom..."The pass is open but will be closed in about 15 minutes... Some of you Need to start getting up here."   Yes, I was one of those somebodies.  I was so afraid to put too much roux in my sauce, my brain was in overdrive.  "the stove is too high, move the pot to the side, start your other sauce..."  It was an incessant buzzing in my mind.  "TAAT, TAAT, TAAT!!!"

"You have 10 minutes to get up here..."  RUUUUUN FORREST RUUUUUUUN!!!  I think I lost 10 pounds today,  I finally got up to the pass and watched the Chef taste and critique those in front of me in line.  There were so many, " your sauce in under seasoned" "your sauce is greasy" "your sauce is too thick"  that I was starting to second guess my ability to cook.  Then I felt so bad for the guy in front of me because out of a Quart of stock he presented the Chef with what looked to me to be 2 tablespoons of brown stock, from a pint of chicken stock was maybe 1 tablespoon of sauce and of 1 pint of milk maybe a teaspoon of sauce.   That was some SERIOUS reduction...

I know my friends always say I can do this, that I'm a good cook etc. but that still doesn't stop me from being nervous in front of the Chef as he tastes and tests my food.  Lucky for me he tested the thickness of my sauces and tasted them and said, "It's all good."  Slowly my heartbeat slowed down and I was able to relax and calm my nerves. 

I love cooking but now i'm thinking, I went from a job that was low stress, almost nil, to going to school with high stress expectations, what in the Hell did i get myself into lol... BREATH.  Just writing about today has my fingers shaking lol...I can do this... breath...

That's my blip for my BFFs today.