Hey folks!!

I am in L block at the moment which is 6 weeks long and it's only theory based (Managment, Controlling costs and purchasing food, Nutrition, Restaurant Law and Menu development). I want to add that the CIA program is divided into blocks and each block is 3 weeks long except B block (which I had when I first started) and L block that I'm in right now that are 6 weeks long. Just to tell you, there is a LOT to study this time, that's for sure. That Restaurant law..oh boy..the only thing I understand is ''and another example is...''. Yea, the lecture like fliiiies by. There are definitely new terms and more complicated topics, but...I think I can do it :)
I finally got some time to show you a bit of CIA's interior. This is what you see when you enter the main building or ''Roth Hall'' which is the Apple Pie bakery cafe and at the very end is the ''American Bounty'' restaurant where Stacey and I work, and where the one and only Croatian instructor teaches table service.
The second photo is Apple Pie ''back of the house'' that you can see through glass and it's always an attraction for visitors. Even for us students there is always something new and interesting to see.

I will be showing where we dine next time, just need to catch some time to take a few shots....Until then, nutrition time! ;)

I am sorry for lack of updates, but I needed some time to settle down, get over the jet lag and finally...realize that I'm back at the Culinary Institute of America!
Ah, what an odd feeling. Coming to NYC was shocking, because it was probably -10 C! Then, when I came back to school and saw my buddy Stacey ( you will be hearing a lot about her) and other dear people of mine, I was so overwhelmed. I don't even know how to describe it. On the other hand, walking through the school halls again, smelling all of that amazingness and nice memories were brought back.

I am truly happy to be back.

The time has come for me to leave the place and people I will never forget. Demel was a fantastic learning experience and I will carry it through life while building up new ones.
I am opening a new page in my life by leaving for New York with a big smile on my face, where I start my second year at the Culinary Institute.
I want you to be aware that my future posts will be different from the ones I had now, but surely interesting enough. The next post will be from my new room across the ocean so get ready for a new experience together with me.

This was a very unusual souffle adapted from Nigella Lawson's fantastic book ''How to be a domestic goddess''. I love Nigella and this book, but I wasn't that satisfied with how they turned out. I think it's because I didn't ilke the pistachios I had. But I love pistachios!!! These had a bit of a weird smell, so that might be it...The souffle I once posted is my Chef's recipe and I will stick to it, because it's the best one ever and it rises incredibly high.



Here I am sharing with you the recipe, so you can try it if you feel like it! The chocolate surprise in the middle was a good idea and the souffles are very light and it's great if you have leftover egg whites (which I always do).

30g soft unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing souffle cups
60g caster sugar, plus extra for dusting souffle cups and 1 Tbsp for the egg whites (feel free to add more, because at the end they are not sweet at all)
20g plain flour
150 ml full-fat milk
4 large eggs separated
100g unsalted pistachios, ground
2 drops almond extract
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp orange-flower water
5 larges egg whites
pinch of salt
6 x 10g good quality dark chocolate
6 x 250ml ramekins or souffle dishes

Preheat the oven at 200C / gas mark 6 and put in a baking sheet. Use a little butter to grease the ramekins and then dust with sugar, tipping out the excess.

Put the flour in a saucepan and add a little milk, just to blend. Then, stirring (whisking), add the rest of the milk and 60g sugar. Whisk over medium heat until it comes to boiling point, then whisk for 30 seconds and take off the heat, by which time it should be very thick. Let it cool a little and add the yolks gradually. Beat in the butter.
Add the gound pistachios, the almond and vanilla extracts and the orange-flower water, and mix in well.

Then, whisk all 5 egg whites together with a pinch of salt until soft peaks form. Sprinkle over the tablespoon of sugar and then carry on whisking until thick and glossy. Lighten the mixture with some - up to a quarter - of the whites. Don't be afraid of this, just splodge them into the saucepan (where the pistachio mixture is) and stir briskly. Now fold in carefully the rest of the whipped whites. Ok, this part here took me a while to understand. Isn't it kinda weird to just add unbeated whites like that?! We are talking about the 4 whites that were separeted.

Pour 1cm of the mixture into each ramekin, then lie chocolate pieces on top and pour over the remaining mixture. Open the oven and as quickly but unhurriedly as possible, arrange the dishes on the heated baking sheet (which I forgot to do). Immediately, turn the oven down to 180C / gas mark 4 and bake for 12-15 minutes, when the tops will be scorched gold and risen high above the ramekins' rims. Remove from the oven, dust with icing sugar and serve absolutely at once (and I had to take photos). But one note of reassurance: you can open the door oven during baking; they won't fall just because you've got the temerity to check in them ;)

I have finally asked my Chef to tell me the ''truth'' he knows about the Sacher torte. The Demel story behind it goes like this....
Franz Sacher, a 16 yearl old apprentice cook created this cake for the Austrian State Chancellor, because the head Chef was sick and other cooks had no idea what to prepare. And that was when the first Sacher torte was created.
After Franz Sacher's death, his son Eduard Sacher, who was at the same time the last heir of the Sacher family, did his apprenticeship at Demel :)) And there, I mean HERE, he further developed the Sacher torte and Demel accepted it and started producing it. When he left Demel he opened the Sacher Hotel where they served the Sacher torte as their specialty and since it was made at Demel as well, the revolt begun. After many years at court, Sacher won against Demel.
That's how I learned the story about the Sacher torte.



Demel's Sacher torte

As someone of you might know and some may not, I graduated high school as dental technician. Since my mum's in the same proffesion, a person really devoted to her work just as I am to mine (baking and pastry now!), I decided to make a special Christmas gift for her. I took advantage of making something new and exciting and on the other hand producing the best present ever.
Sooooo I took some chocolate, glucose, water, and a memory from high school and made THIS.
Yes, this is a chocolate tooth (6th down), believe it or not.