Louise Quatorze

LC--I believe I may have been the first to ask about bringing my pet and Mme. Gallagher said no because who knows where it would lead. I had bought a special blue collar and leash at Samaritane for the occasion and thought he should share it with me. He had much to do with my joy at being in Paris; Westie owners from all over the world would stop and give a pat. Not to mention my neighbors knew I lived in their quartier and was not just a tourist. Superior exams were changed right after I graduated. We worked in teams in three, self-chosen, and had two hours to prep before going to the demo kitchen where we could have one assistant. Forty-five minutes to plate the technical and 2 hours to plate the final. Three plates for the judges and one for pictures. I ended up liking the demo kitchen, lots of room, lots of pans and the kibitzing from the chairs was helpful. When my mandoline was acting up (It really was!) two classmates in the audience offered up theirs. Our group was quite a team and we always helped each other out. When someone would show up at an 8:30 am practical direct from the clubs, or Amsterdam, we would divide up the tasks: one would do his mirepoix, another dismember the chicken or turn the carrots. We were happy they showed up at all. One student cut himself badly enough sharpening his knife for the Boeuf Bourguigon he dropped out the course entirely so we thought it best for the impaired to stay away from sharp objects. It was us against the school and not each other. My biggest complaint about the final exams was at the end all we received was a number. Every other dish we prepared received a verbal response and then there was no indication on what was good or bad which I found frustrating. Chef Bruno, is he the one who looks like Richard Nixon? I found most the chefs very entertaining and thought they would make a great sitcom. I gave up on the idea but now since it not only OK to deride the French but encouraged, it could be a winner. My puppy has been vary patient and is now demanding some attention and I need to sugar my cherries. I have been candying some cherries to coat in chocolate for another test recipe; you start with a 3:1 sugar syrup and add 100 g. of sugar every day for a week until the cherries are all sugar. And people think organic is healthy. Good luck on the stage. We ate at AD/PA and were given a tour of the kitchen afterwards, it was spotless. The meal was excellent but the sight of six people running over when a friend tried to remove his dinner coat was truly memorable. They upped the AC and all was well. LQ

I am sorry, I had hoped to reply earlier. Your confession of no butter made me swoon and then the no ribbon part sent me over the edge. You are very brave. I am dealing with a temperamental puppy at the moment, he's 12 in calendar years, much too much work and not enough scratch time. I will ask that you ask to bring your dog to graduation. Patricia shot me down when I asked, a Westie less than 9 kilos, and I have always wondered if it was personal. And by the way, the Grande Diplome is pretty big and has a nice blue ribbon.

Dear Louisa: As your exams must be very near, the best advice I can give is: 1: Serve a hot dish. This sounds so basic yet, consider the judges- tasting all those dishes and if many of them are tepid; that would put me off my feed for a while. The correlation to this is not to over decorate. Making trees out of rosemary and bay will not impress and will make take temperature off your dish while you decorate. 2: Trust your palate. That is what I did with salt, after a long while of asking others to taste my sauces. I always thought I was an aberration when I salted my food so when I started at LCB I followed what I thought was the norm. Turns out I have a French palate when it comes to salt and once I followed my own tastes, I did much better. 3: If they promise you an ingredient which you have never used before, do not count on it showing up in your market basket. We were give the choice of brick or phyllo, being part Greek I chose phyllo. I bought phyllo at Le Bon Marche and made a pastry coupe filled with sauteed girolles and bayonne ham. Upon some relflection and after eight months at the LCB, I knew I was going to get brick and practiced that for my exam. A bit of puree held the coupe to the plates as they were transported to the judges. The other veg was julienned carrots and courgettes, lengthwise on the mandoline cooked in butter, bien sur. 4: Let me guess--turned artichokes for Basic and bearnaise for Intermediate? For final exams we had 2 hours to prep and then we had to cook in groups of three in the demo kitchens. My practical group had 13 so all I had ever cooked in was the large kitchen on salle 2, except for pastry ateliers. It was disconcerting to have to cook the most momentous meal in an unfamiliar kitchen. It was difficult, but I must say that Chef Chantefort looked out for us and did what he could to help with the process. He was a prince and would never own up to it. 5: DO NOT FORGET ABOUT SUGAR!! French pastry is more rigid than cuisine so follow the sugar formula: base=1.5 times height*three colors+shiny ribbons. As for me, I am not cooking for a living at this time for a lot of reasons. I am doing event planning (quel dull as you cannot order anything but salmon (and only farm raised) and chicken. I am in the testing stages of starting an organic chocolate company and thinking of getting an M.A. in Gastronomy from U. of Adelade. My thesis is either "If it is Round, can it still be an Opera Cake?" or "The Politics of Passed v. Plated Hors d'Oeuvres." I will think positively for you in your endeavors and for a stronger dollar.

Dear Louisa: I agree that your plate has to represent you as a chef but you also have to cook for your audience. It took me a long time to learn that my salt level is equal to that of a French Chef and I finally understood that have to trust your palate or there is no point to cooking. In Los Angeles, that tenant really tests your will and patience. I will not speculate in public the personality behind Richard's exam. I served my magret with black peppercorns and cherries and a puree of potatoes and turnips. The turnips, I believe, were my saving grace as almost nobody else used them. Lots of flans were served, even one with the LCB logo cut out of blanched carrot and leek. The biggest criticism I remember is that the plates were not served hot. Cold food after hours of more cold food must be demoralizing as well as grade reducing. You are fortunate that the LCB retired the technical portion of the exam. We had to bone out a sole from the back, poach, fill with duxelles and serve with sauce. We did not have a salamander for practice so many plates shattered when we stuck them under the broilers in the demo kitchens. That was entertaining. And we had a good excuse that time. And whatever you do, rely upon your instinct. The best thing I thought the LCB taught was to do what you KNOW; over thinking only gets you into trouble. BON CHANCE!

Dear Louisa: In August 2001, when I graduated from LCB Paris, one of my fellow students received an unbelievably high grade for his cuisine final; he may have received a perfect score. I did not see his dish but I heard it was very traditional French in both preparation and presentation. He took some of the magret and made a farce with the veal and wrapped it in the caul fat. His name is Richard Hilles and I would think that Chef Chantefort would remember him and his presentation. Most of my class prepared dishes we would like to eat, forgetting that the jury had a different idea of traditional French cuisine. Looking back, I don't know if I would have sacrificed my ideas of good cooking for a better grade, but I though you should have the opportunity to make such a decision. LQ