So glad it’s over, though it went well.

Tuesday this week was exam free, and we finished the battenburg, opera cake and petit four glace.. I love that opera cake so much, it tastes like tirimisu in cake form.. and I love tirimisu!

Day one was mostly prep work, making as much as possible that could be kept for the three days such as my buttercream. I parbaked my pastry and made the filling ready for the lemon meringue tartlets. The only thing I could cook completely was my pecan slice.

Writing out my plan ready I got rather nervous about how much time I had and how much needed to be done. Wednesday evening I was finished an hour earlier than we had, having made everything I could make that day and weighed out everything I needed for Thursday.

Feeling much happier day two went nice and smooth. Finished an hour and a half earlier than we had! Leaving just things that had to be made fresh on the day or presentation.

Had more practice tempering chocolate so I could stripe my pecan diamonds, and pipe my filigrees ready for the Opera cake.

Then after weighing out what I needed for the final day I ended up weighing out stuff for my Chefs.. and being called an overachiever by them.. why yes, yes I am, and proud of it *grins*

Friday I was back to being nervous, and even dreamed about how I was going to organise everything to get it done in time!

But then, even despite a crisis with my madelines (my chocolate bloomed) and having to remake them and retemper some more chocolate, I was done early and cleaned up and ready to present.

I was mostly happy with it.. What can I say, I’m a perfectionist and I knew where I had gone wrong.. and the majority of it I got called up on and lost points for..

Still I came out with 360/400, 90% just scraping in with an A.. now I just have to wait for my final grades for the unit to be calculated.

Next week we’re onto laminated doughs!