The last day of Level One... Lamb and PANIC

Monday night... Culinary Arts Level One Lesson 19. Lamb. This was the last lesson of Level One... our exam is scheduled for Wednesday evening. We had two recipes to complete - marinated lamb chops and lamb stew (navarin) - a demo of leg of lamb on the bone, and then review for the final exam and practical. I kind of wanted to forget the lamb... forget the entire evening. I was already focused on the exam. I just wanted to get through the evening, enjoy some tasty lamb chops, and know that I would ace the final.

Sometimes nothing happens as you wish. The evening was disorganized and frustrating. During the early demo we were told to complete the lamb chops before dinner, to eat for dinner... maybe I misheard? Those who know me will tell you this isn't likely. It is nearing 8 PM. Dinner is scheduled for 8:30 PM. Suddenly Chef announces that our priority is the stew... which will certainly not be done in time for dinner and wasn't supposed to be presented until the end of the evening. I put the lamb chops in the fridge. So, we are told that we're not taking dinner... we will eat the leg of lamb... the leg of lamb that we were told would feed 10. There are 16 hungry culinary students! I am quickly certain that this will not be enough food. And it is a HOT day outside and in the kitchen. And frankly, I don't really know that I want a wintry leg of lamb for dinner.  If we want anything besides leg of lamb we are instructed to go to the fifth floor to buffet. The clock strikes 8:30, I turn down the heat on the stew, and I make a mad dash for the fifth floor. I pick up some salad and fruit.

When I return, I take some lamb from the leg on the front table. Chef told us that these are a "big hit" for large gatherings or dinner parties. It looked and smelled delicious. But it was the most strange (not in a good way) lamb I have had in my life. Harsh? No. Honest. I LOVE leg of lamb. I have no problem with leg of lamb, foot included, but... there were tubes in my lamb. Tubes? Yes, tubes. For the first time since I was, I don't know, five years old, I played with my food. I stuck the fork through the tubes and dangled it from high. I dangled it in Julia's face. Do I need to say that this was pretty unappetizing... I might even describe it as disgusting? Well, it was! But I was starving... and ate it anyway. I ate it because it was lamb or starve... but PLEASE do not invite me over for a leg of lamb like this.

So I made it through a very unsatisfying dinner. I made it through the stew and lamb chops. I packed up the lamb chops to share with Michael's boys tonight. It is the best looking "takeout"/"delivery" I have seen. Don't you think?

Lamb Chops -- Cotes D'Angeau ave Ratatouille

Delicious delivery

We reviewed for the exam. It is 10:30 PM. Chef announces that before we go we will do one practice run of making eight cocottes from one potato in 15 minutes. Cocottes are these AWFUL five centimeter long, seven sided oval, football shapes with blunt ends... something like the photo below (but not exactly, because these are so un-perfect).

Cocotte potato practice

I get my potato, choosing one that is a "good" size and shape -- relatively symmetrical and long enough to get 10 centimeters of usable potato. In my practice at home I quickly learned to never choose a lumpy or twisted potato for cocottes. You will never succeed. I get through my cocottes in the allotted time with Chef Will peering over my shoulder... He comes around to my bowl. "You might get a 7.5 or 8," he says. WHAT!?     I am deflated. "This is not what you wanted to hear?" Chef asks. I am so annoyed! Then I panic. I run to the locker room, quickly change, and run to the subway. I pick up three potatoes before I make it home. The next 48 hours is a mad dash to improve... I am in a state of total panic.

And now I receive an email from Dad: "I expect a A+ for something you enjoy". This is worse than Organic Chemistry. I cannot sleep.