Today was week five of Candies and Bonbons where we focused on part two of hot sugars. As the chef of the day, I was excited for today’s production because we were making brittles, butter crunches, toffees, and other hard crack sugar candies. After my presentation, Professor Hoffman did an overview of all of the recipes and made adjustments to teams that were missing a partner. I mainly assisted the cocoa nib brittle and hazelnut butter crunch team while making sure that everyone was on track. Even though we were down a few classmates, everyone seemed happy and motivated. Mise en place for all stations were prepared and I noticed that everyone was well prepared and did not lose focus during the entire lab production.
Although there were a few mishaps in the kitchen, no one was discouraged. The golden honey comb had to be remade again. The first batch was a little too dark but it is a great learning experience to understand and be aware of the two different outcomes. Also, a part of the hazelnut butter crunch fell onto the ground which resulted in a loss of yield but it was not the end of the world. Lastly, the pecans of the English toffee had to be toasted again because the first batch was a little too dark. These small mistakes were not grave nor did it impact the overall atmosphere of the lab. Everyone did their best and that is all I can ask for! The end results came out delectable and I hope that everyone can agree that today was a great production day.
Final results of today (To enlarge photos, please click on the pictures!):
Majority of the processes was taken and shown below:
Thank you, Michelle Chen
