Chantilly, anyone?

10 points and the first trial shipment of treats to the first person who correctly writes what Chantilly is (used in the food sense). No cheating! You can't look it up or scroll down and see what I have to say about it later in this post! And bonus points if you know how it got its name. I'll give you a small hint... we used it for a special cake today (that I got to bring home!!).

Sadly, this was my last day of cakes... at least for now. You know you really love what you're doing when even in the midst of taking a final exam all you can think about is how you don't want it to end! For the practical, I had to assemble another "Happy Birthday" cake in an hour and 15 minutes. You can see the inside of this one, as the chef cut it to check out the layers for grading.

This cake got me my first 100% on a final as a baking & pastry student!!

My chef mentioned a really great book to read called "How Baking Works", written by a professor at J & W. If you've ever had questions about... well... how baking works... it sounds perfect! Also, she said there's an awesome documentary called "Kings of Pastry" about two French pastry chefs trying to get the ultimate distinction for pastry chefs worldwide. Apparently, there's this humongous test held only every 4 years in France... it's kind of a big deal. (The movie's on Netflix if you're interested!)

Now... about chantilly. So our chef asked if anyone hadn't ever made chantilly, and I was one of 3 people who raised my hand. I was a bit concerned when everyone looked shocked by this... until someone next to me said, "You've never made whipped cream before?" Oh.

So, after whipping up some chantilly, which always has to be kept in an bowl over an ice, we assembled a black forest cake. My new friend and group member accidentally called it "black jungle"... which I think sounds way cooler. After weeks of using buttercreams, which hold together quite well for frosting a cake, using whipped cream (ahem, chantilly) to frost a cake was quite the challenge. It's so soft and airy and slippery, but it makes for a beautifully smooth finish if you get it right. The finished cake is three layers, with a cherry filling and a splash of cherry brandy between each layer, shaved chocolate around the sides, a pile of shaved chocolate on top, and a rosette of chantilly with a cherry for each slice.

This marks the end of cakes (sad!). Next week- artisan breads!