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by jessica yoon

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Intermediate: Chocolat

September 22, 2010

Chocolate, chocolate, chocolate.

Lesson 6: Opera

Joconde sponge cake with layers of ganache and coffee buttercream.

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Filed Under: le cordon bleu, paris, thoughts Tagged With: chocolate, intermediate, le cordon bleu, paris

Intermediate Thus Far

September 10, 2010

Here’s a short photo summary of what’s been going on in school.  Enjoy!

Lesson 1: Gateaux: Streusel & Pavé aux Amandes

The streusal consists of a puff pastry base, fromage blanc and apricot filling, and a crumble top.   The pavé aux amandes is a gluten free cake made with just butter, sugar, eggs, and almond meal.

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Filed Under: le cordon bleu, paris, thoughts Tagged With: fraisier, jamaique, le cordon bleu, macaron, paris, pave aux amandes, streusel, tarte passion framboise

Fromage: Coulommiers

September 3, 2010

A few days ago I suddenly felt this desperate need to buy a book on fromage.  I really don’t know anything about cheese except that I know I love it.  I love everything from creamy camembert to stinky roquefort and even processed American cheese.  However, there’s so much more I want to know, like how and where it was made, unique characteristics, and different food pairings.  Learning about something makes the experience of getting to know so much better and more memorable.  So I paid a visit to La Librairie Gourmade, a fantastic cookbook shop in the 2nd arrondissement, and got Le Guide des Gourmets: Fromage.  It looks like a great handbook, covering not only French varieties, but also those around Europe and other parts of the world. It has a brief introduction on the history of cheese along with a good discussion of how it is made and the different categories.  The text is in French, so it will take while awhile to get through that part, but at least I’ll develop a strong fromage vocabulary!  So, in conjunction with my new “studies” I’m starting a fromage series on JDP.  Maybe it’ll inspire some of you to try something new or find interesting cheeses in your local area!

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Filed Under: books & cookbooks, france, fromage, paris, thoughts Tagged With: coulommiers, france, french cheese, fromage

Exam, Thoughts, and Nice

August 31, 2010

I’m pleased to announce that I passed Basic Pastry!  It was a good term that ended in a less than stellar exam.  It wasn’t a disaster, but far from my best work.  I had a few predictions as to what the three cakes would be, but never would I have guessed that the gateau basque would come out.  Don’t remember what the gateau basque is?  That’s right, you shouldn’t!  Because I never made it!  I missed that class because of the mandatory medical examination I had to get for my visa.  A friend did go over it with me and we made it once at my house, but it’s still not the same as seeing it during demo, making it in a real kitchen, and taking my own notes.   I pretty much ruled it out as a real contender for the exam because it’s a simple looking cake assembled like a double crust pie with a pastry cream filling. AND, a few people had mentioned that earlier recipes usually don’t make it to the exam.  Well, lesson learned; if it’s on the list it’s fair game.  I do though have a feeling that the Academics office purposely pushed for the gateau basque because I went and talked to them about my absence and how it would be a disadvantage if I got that on the exam.  Just saying…it’s my little conspiracy theory.

Anyhow!  I can also see why the cake was used for the exam because the dough is difficult to work with.   It’s sort of a mix between a cake batter and tart dough.  It’s not quite liquid enough to pour but way too soft to roll, which is what we had to do.  Working fast on a generously floured surface is key, but working in a hot kitchen on a hot summer day is anything but ideal.  The dough was sticky, messy, and insanely soft.  I also overcooked my pastry cream, which I had a tiny panic attack about, but was able to save with addition of some extra milk (which the chef helped me out with).  I felt fairly good about the cake when it went into the oven, but my heart just sank when I saw it come out.  The pastry cream had leaked a little and the crisscross pattern that I made on top came brown unevenly.  My bottom crust was rolled too thin and I don’t know what the hell happened with my top.  The only consolation was that my three other classmates who made the gateau basque as well felt the same: disappointed.  It just really sucked to be tested on a cake in which we couldn’t showcase a few more techniques that we learned and were emphasized in class like the dacquoise and st. honore, the other two examination recipes.  Well, what’s done is done.  I’m just ready to move on and do better during Intermediate!

To celebrate, or rather lift my spirits after the exam, I went to…

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Filed Under: france, le cordon bleu, paris, thoughts Tagged With: basic pastry exam, cap d'ail, chez rene socca, cours saleya, france, le cordon bleu, nice, patisserie

Lesson 17 to 20 & Basic Pastry Exam

August 19, 2010

Basic Pastry classes have finished!  Now off to exams!  We will be tested on one of the following dishes:

Tarte aux Pommes
Saint-Honoré
Chausson aux Pommes & Palmiers
Dacquoise
Tarte Meringuée aux Poires Caramélisées
Moka
Brioche & Pain aux Raisins
Pithiviers & Sacristains
Buche Pistache-Chocolat
Gateau Basque

Along with the main dish, we are required to line a tart mold and pinch the edges. We will be given ingredient lists so I’m not too worried, but my main concern is time.  We have two and a half hours to complete our pastry and make a tart shell!  It sounds like a lot of time, but I know we will all be scrambling at the end.  The chef’s advise to use: work quickly in the beginning so we have enough time to spend on our presentation.  Looks are everything in patisserie.  No one wants to buy an ugly cake.

Here are photos from the last four lessons and three practicals.  Lesson 20 consisted only of a demo and tasting.

Lesson 17: Feuilltage: Pithiviers & Sacristains

The pithiviers is a pie-esque dish made with puff pastry.  The inside is filled with an almond cream that turns very crumbly and moist when baked. Sacristains are twists similar in taste to palmiers.  The difference lies in shape and the addition of chopped almonds and large grain, chouquette sugars. Sacristains are good to make with leftover, and scrap pieces of puff pastry.

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Filed Under: france, le cordon bleu, paris, thoughts Tagged With: basic pastry exam, le cordon bleu, paris

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Welcome to my site! This is my corner of the internet where I share recipes that are inspired by my Korean background, French training, and American life.

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Tried something new yesterday 🍞🎞🎬! Tried something new yesterday 🍞🎞🎬!
Heyyyy I wrote a post! (Yes...it's been a while.) Heyyyy I wrote a post! (Yes...it's been a while.) It's about the smash cake I made for my baby's 1st birthday--an easy recipe made with wholesome ingredients and sweetened with fruits only. 

Even though the cake has no butter, oil, and refined sugar, it still has great bounce and fluff 💫. I frosted it with whipped, unsweetened Greek yogurt and heavy cream, and my baby loved digging into it on her birthday (see last photo). 

The cake also makes a nice snack or breakfast. For that, I skip the frosting and serve plain or I'll make little cake balls with Greek yogurt and hemp seeds which makes it even more filling and nutritious 😋.

This recipe is super quick and simple, and there are a lot of different variations that can be made--all of which are written out in my post. Check out the recipe from the link in my profile!
A day late but Happy Lunar New Year!!! Wishing eve A day late but Happy Lunar New Year!!! Wishing everyone a happy, healthy, and prosperous 2022 🐯🧡. 

Made my mom’s mandu, 만두 🥟, on my own for the first time and it was such a joy feeding them to my fam. Looking forward to more moments like these this coming year 💛!

#lunarneeyear #dumplings
Happy Halloween!!! 🧡👁🖤 PS: Cheeseboard i Happy Halloween!!! 🧡👁🖤

PS: Cheeseboard inspired by @theboard.mom!
My favorite cookie. Yup, I like oatmeal cookies ov My favorite cookie. Yup, I like oatmeal cookies over chocolate chip 😜. It’s probably the granny in me. 

#imsomartha #oatmealcookies #foodblogfeed #oatmeal #thefeedfeedbaking #oats #chewycookies #cookiestagram #pinefor #bombesquad #f52community
First bake post baby! I had to restart midway beca First bake post baby! I had to restart midway because I forgot the sugar 🤦🏻‍♀️. I almost quit because time was running out until the next 🤱🏻 and I still needed to finish up some other chores and food prep for the week. But I’m so happy I made it happen—even though the result wasn’t perfect. I’ve been wanting/needing to scratch that baking itch for awhile now 🙃. Any guesses on what I made? 🌽
Happy Lunar New Year 🐂!! I spent the last two m Happy Lunar New Year 🐂!! I spent the last two months being spoiled and taken care of by my mom. During that time I learned so much from her on how to be a mom and cook her food—the best in my opinion 😆. 

This is my attempt at the 떡만두국, tteok mandu guk, rice cake and 🥟 soup, that she taught me. It’s not quite the same, but hoping that one day my cooking will be as comforting and special to my daughter the way my mom’s is to me 💗.

#lunarnewyear2021 #떡국 #momsfoodisthebest
Happy New Year! Wishing everyone happiness and goo Happy New Year! Wishing everyone happiness and good health in 2021! 🎆
At the beginning of this year, I wrote that 2020 f At the beginning of this year, I wrote that 2020 felt like it was going to be special--it definitely ended up being special for a wide spectrum of reasons. ⁠
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It's been a tough year to say the least, but I hope everyone is able to find a silver lining in all of this. For me, it was having the space to enjoy my pregnancy quietly and with those closest around me, and giving birth to a healthy baby during a pandemic. ⁠
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I don't know what's in store for 2021, but I think I'd be ok if it was a little less explosive than this year 🤣.⁠
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#thefeedfeed #f52grams #foodtographyschool #theartofslowliving #foodblogfeed #f52community #imsomartha #pinefor #bombesquad #jessicasdinnerparty

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