"Group B Mafia"

Here is one of the nicest photos of the "Group B Mafia" (a nickname given to us by Chef Hervé) -- Group B of Superior Pastry (Term 2, 2009). This photo was taken in the Student Lounge, five minutes before the start of our practical class on 4 June 2009. All twelve of us just decided to get on the couch to pose for a photo. It was completely spontaneous, and the photo turned out well.


(Click on photo for a larger image)
[Many thanks to the photographer -- a classmate from Group A, who happened to be walking by and was asked to take the photo for us.]

In the photo above, if you look at the back row, the first (Christine), second (Hanna) and fourth (Danielle) students from the left were the three students who were chosen to participate in the post-secondary baking section of the Skills Ontario Competition in early May (two representatives and one reserve). The two who ended up representing Le Cordon Bleu Ottawa came first and second in the Competition (i.e. they were provincial champions). Hanna first and Danielle second.

The winner of that provincial Competition (Hanna) -- who is also one of my housemates in Wilbrod House -- then had the chance to represent Ontario in the Skills Canada Competition (a national competition) in late May, and she came first again (i.e. she is the current Canadian champion)! Congratulations, Hanna!

Here are photos of some of Hanna's competition practice cakes, chocolates and petits fours (she practised for months leading up to the competitions in May, under the guidance of Chef Hervé). Aren't the cakes and chocolates beautiful?

Petits fours in the foreground, mousse cake and plated dessert in the background


Mousse cake on a display stand that is made completely from poured sugar (the rose is made from pulled sugar)


Chocolate box with chocolate bonbons (all handmade)


Buttercream cake with pulled sugar roses

I'd been taking photos of Hanna's practice cakes every now and then, but I was asked by the chefs not to post any of these photos online until after the competitions, hence I am posting them now.

A Baby Cottontail Rabbit

I almost forgot to post these photos for my friends and relatives to enjoy.

These two photos are of the baby cottontail rabbit that comes into the Wilbrod House backyard regularly. It is such a cute little thing! :)


As you can see, this baby rabbit is not afraid of people, though it keeps its distance.



Of course, rabbits are such pests in Australia that in the state of Queensland, it is illegal to keep a pet rabbit. That's because feral rabbits (pet rabbits gone feral) can destroy the paddocks used for raising cattle and sheep, which means undesirable consequences for the primary industries.

(Aside: Click on the link to read about the rabbit problems in Australia.)

Watering Holes

You might be wondering about local watering holes favored by culinary students. Well, I have only been to a few with my friends, and they are all within walking distance of Wilbrod House.





The Urban Well is a pub that LCB Ottawa students often hang out in. It is on Laurier Avenue East, just a few blocks from the LCB Ottawa campus. The food here is quite affordable. A large plate of fries/chips costs about $4, and goes well with the beer (so I have heard). I like the ambience in this pub. The chairs/seats are comfortable, and the entertainment is not bad -- I have seen a live stand-up comedy show here.

Another watering hole favored by LCB Ottawa students is the Royal Oak (again, on Laurier Avenue East). Personally, I prefer the food (especially the fries/chips) served at the Royal Oak, though it is much pricier. (Aside: I am not much of a drinker, so when I go to a pub with friends, I am there for the company and ambience, and sometimes the food. I don't mind if it is more expensive, as long as the food is good.)





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Foundation is a more upmarket watering hole. It is a nightclub with really nice decor and pretty good service. Students often go to this nightclub for special occasions, e.g. for celebratory drinks after the graduation ceremony. They make a mean lychee martini here, I can tell you that. :)

Random Reflections XIV: Gender and the Preference for Jazz Music

Yes, I know the title of this post might surprise some, but it was something that made me wonder if anyone has done any research on it.


Wilbrod House Dining Room

Last Monday night I was sitting at the dining table enjoying some pasta with some housemates (plus a friend from School). As we ate, we chatted and enjoyed the music that was playing on someone's laptop computer (which is a common occurrence in Wilbrod House). Of course, it was jazz, and the guys at the table said how much they loved jazz, and they started talking about going to jazz festivals, and so on. They also asked everyone else what they thought of jazz. I was, of course, not partial to jazz music; I simply prefer classical music (from Haydn to Shostakovich). Another female housemate said she didn't particularly care for jazz.

I tried to think of people I know who liked jazz, and all of them were male. So I asked the guys at the table if they knew of any girls who really liked jazz, and after some thought, they said, "No, not really." So, I began to wonder if there was a correlation between gender and the preference for jazz music. Hmmm ...

Anyway, I guess I will never know for sure, but it was an interesting thought that came to mind.

Life in the Wilbrod House is never dull, that's for sure. Good food, nice music, interesting personalities and lively conversations. Couldn't ask for more.

A Cute Cat on Wilbrod Street

This afternoon, when I was walking to Loblaws with a housemate to do some grocery shopping, we came across this very friendly cat a few doors down from Wilbrod House. I'd never seen this cat before, but it came running up to us, as if it was really glad to see us. :)

Of course, I whipped out the camera and took a few photos of it. It didn't enjoy that sort of attention and soon began to ignore me. See photos below.





I couldn't help thinking this cat reminds me of the cartoon character Garfield. Looks cute, doesn't it? It is obviously someone's pet, because it sure looked well-fed and it had a pretty collar around its neck.

Anyway, I took these photos to show some of my relatives, who are cat lovers, an example of cats around my neighbourhood. I personally prefer dogs any day.

Easter Feast

Yesterday we had a lovely Easter dinner at Wilbrod House. The food was just fantastic!!! I feel so spoilt living in the House, because whenever we have a potluck party or a feast, the food is always superb (my taste buds never complain).

Here are just some of the dishes we had:

Deviled eggs, some of which were made from the hard-boiled eggs we used for the Easter egg hunt in the afternoon. [I have to say the Easter egg hunt was a lot of fun. Made me feel like a kid again. :)]


Macaroni and Cheese.


Pasta Carbonara, made by a new housemate from Italy.


Ham, which is traditional fare during Easter here in Canada. This one was really delicious -- it was far, far better than what I'd ever tasted in Australia over the years.

For this Easter feast, I made some vanilla ice cream, laced with blueberry coulis. The vanilla ice cream recipe from LCB Ottawa is so good that I know it won't be the last time I make it.

Actually, I didn't like vanilla ice cream until I came to Ottawa, because the store-bought vanilla ice cream (especially what you find in Australian supermarkets) generally tastes pretty awful to me. However, the LCB Ottawa recipe uses (real) vanilla beans, and I can assure you it makes the world of difference. And once you have tasted vanilla ice cream made with quality vanilla beans, you can never go back to the ice cream made with vanilla essence (or artificial flavour). Trust me!

Decorating Easter Eggs

This afternoon, about 10 of us sat around the dining table in Wilbrod House and decorated a few dozen Easter eggs. It was so much fun!!! See photos below.







And here's the first one I decorated today:


For me, this really brings back childhood memories of finger painting and playing with colours. I haven't felt so spontaneous in a long time.

Thank you, DF, for organising this activity!

Snowing Again

Just when I thought spring was finally here (because almost all the snow outside had melted), it snowed again today. See photos below.


Wilbrod Street, looking towards Charlotte Street


Wilbrod House. All the snow had melted yesterday, and now there is a layer of snow on the ground again.


Reluctant subjects -- resident squirrels on Wilbrod Street. They were up the tree outside Wilbrod House when I came home today, and since I always have my camera with me, they had to put up with me taking their photos (just like my housemates and classmates at School). :D

The resident raccoon has thus far eluded me. Never mind. One of these days ...

RIP Sushi the Pet Fish

I'm sorry to say Sushi the Wilbrod House pet fish is no longer with us. May he rest in peace now.

I woke up to the news that he'd gone, but thought it was a joke (today being 1st of April, right?). Well, it is no joke... /sigh/

The poor little fish! Six weeks in the Wilbrod House. At least he is not suffering anymore.

Tamales

We made Tamales today. DF, the owner of Wilbrod House, started preparing the ingredients yesterday, e.g. soaking the corn husk, preparing the chili sauce and ingredients for the tacos, cooking the masa (cornmeal dough) and the pork filling, etc. At 2pm today, she took us through the process of wrapping the tamales. All of us sat around the dining table for about an hour, helping to wrap the masa and pork filling with the soft corn husk (see photos below).


Here, you can see the corn husk, corn dough (masa) and pork filling in the tamale.


This is what wrapped tamales look like. They are then steamed in a pot until the corn dough is cooked.


These were the ingredients to go with the tacos.

The tamales (esp. the spicy pork filling inside) tasted so good that I ended up eating five of them. I think I decided I was going to have lunch, dinner and supper all at once. :)

I really enjoyed the mixed salad with the balsamic vinegar dressing too. It was made by one of the cuisiniers in the House. I believe the dressing contained a reduction of balsamic vinegar, syrup, raspberry puree, and some other secret ingredients that the housemate refused to divulge. There is something to be said about living in a house with people who cook well.

Anyway, we had a real feast -- it's one of the best we've had in the House. All of us had fun. The dining room was filled with lively conversations and laughter. I hope the new housemates (who just arrived a few days ago) enjoyed this activity. I can assure them there will be many more such parties to come.

I am Relieved

I am relieved I did not receive a phone call from LCB Ottawa yesterday. It means I passed my exam, and I get to attend the graduation today.

Everyone from Wilbrod House passed their exams. Yay!!!

Our graduation will be held at the Fairmont Chateau Laurier, at 2pm, Friday, 20 March 2009.

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I had a great day yesterday. Firstly, it was stage at Stubbe Chocolates. Worked with chocolates again for quite a few hours. Made more of the same stuff. But I enjoyed the practice. Working on building my confidence in the kitchen again.

At 6:30pm, I met up with some housemates and we had dinner at a bistro in the Markets. A former housemate had driven 8 hours to stay with us for the night, so that she can attend our graduation today, and I was delighted to see her. We had a great time catching up.

Then all of us came home and basically chilled out in the dining room. The drinking and chatting is still going on (as I type, at 1:30am). I don't think many of my housemates will get much sleep, but no one really minds.

I am really tired now, so I am going to try to get a few hours of sleep while I can.

My Rant about Rude/Selfish People

You might recall that I brought home lots of bread yesterday, because we had the Bread Workshop. The following was an incident which made me so annoyed that I feel the need to rant about it here.

When I came home at around 2:30pm, Y and Z (who are classmates and buddies of W, and they were just visiting) were hanging out with W in the dining room of the House. You see, sometimes the timetable is such that we have a 3-hour break in between classes, a lot of people from School would hang out at Wilbrod House in between classes. The dining room of Wilbrod House pretty much serves as a second LCB Ottawa student common room (and these visitors often help us eat some of the cakes we bring home, which is something none of the pastry students mind at all). I often invite my classmates over to hang out with me too.

Anyway, back to the story ... Y and Z (cuisine students) watched with interest as I placed all my breads on the dining table (which is what we do if we want to share our products with others -- this is one of the rules of the House). Y commented quietly to Z that it would be so good to have a baguette to go with the foie gras demo that they were having next (i.e. the Chef was going to show them how to cook foie gras, and they get to taste it at the end of the demo, and some fresh baguettes would go well with the foie gras). I took the cue and offered Y a baguette (I don't know Y personally; I have only seen him at School). I said he would have to put it in the oven for a few minutes to get a nice crust on the baguette (because, in my rush, I wrapped up the baguette with parchment paper while it was still hot, therefore the crust had gone soft). He proceeded to bake it in the Wilbrod House oven.

When the baguette came out of the oven, it was nice and crusty. You could see the delight on Y's face. He commented that it was like that scene in Ratatouille (I don't remember, but he does), where one can tell how nice and fresh a baguette is by pressing gently on the crust and it makes a crunching sound...

At this point, X (a housemate of mine, and a classmate of W, Y and Z) came into the dining room and, without a word, helped herself to a quarter of the hot baguette that Y had just brought out of the oven. She ate it on the spot. I stared at her and said, "That's his!" (pointing to Y). She replied, without a hint of remorse, "So?" I glanced at Y for his reaction, and he just shrugged and muttered, "It's OK, don't worry about it." He clearly did not want to make a fuss (probably because they were all about to head back to class), so I held my tongue. After all, I had given the baguette to him, so it's his to do as he wished. Otherwise, I would have confronted X about this. Trust me, I don't let things like that slide. Just put it down to the teacher in me.

Where does X get off feeling like she is entitled to take something someone has prepared without even the courtesy of asking if she could have some? It was the height of rudeness and inconsideration.

W, X, Y and Z are about the same age (all in their early 20s), but some definitely show less manners and decorum than others. Could it be that X is an only child from a wealthy family and has never learned to share? Well, if she keeps this up, she will learn the hard way one day ...

Anyway, I usually use the "tit-for-two-tats" strategy when dealing with people. In other words, they get two chances; the third time they annoy me, they lose my confidence. If they don't show any remorse, I have nothing to do with them again. I will not render any assistance in the future, and I minimise my contact with them.

X had used up her second chance yesterday. The first chance was when she "borrowed" some cooking ingredients from me several times and never ever returned them to me or offered to reimburse me. So, that's it!

That's my rant for today.

A Pet Fish Named Sushi

Yes, we now have a pet in Wilbrod House. It's a blue-coloured Siamese fighting fish that the owner of the house, DF, brought home about 10 days ago. One housemate suggested the name Sushi, and it kind of stuck. At least the fish wasn't named Amuse-bouche (apparently suggested by another housemate).

I was somewhat dismayed when I got home from School one evening and found that they had named the fish after a dish... But no one wanted to change the name, so Sushi it is. /sigh/ Trust the people here in the House to have food on their minds all the time!

The fish bowl usually sits on the dining table. Sometimes, it gets moved to the counter near the dining table. I bet the little fish is not happy to be in the middle of such a noisy environment, with the TV going at full blast during the day and 16 housemates coming and going. Poor thing!

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On a sombre note, I saw the flag outside Australia House (corner of Wilbrod and Augusta Streets) flying at half-mast today. I think it's been like this since Sunday. I believe it is for the National Day of Mourning (for the bushfire victims in Australia).



I hope we don't see any more bushfires going out of control in Victoria this weekend.

Chinese New Year 2009 Celebrations

This year Chinese New Year falls on 26 January 2009 (same day as Australia Day). Last night (Saturday night) my housemates and I decided to celebrate Chinese New Year by having some of our classmates over for a Asian potluck party. (Aside: Since many of us have classes on Monday, 26 January, we opted to celebrate Chinese New Year on the weekend.)

The rule for the potluck party was: either you make some Chinese/Asian food (some people learned to make Asian dishes for the first time, from online recipes or with the help of Asian housemates in Wilbrod House) or you bring drinks (i.e. alcohol). I made a vegetarian dish with beancurd sheets, fresh water chestnuts, bamboo shoots and four different kinds of Chinese mushrooms that I bought from a Chinese grocery store about 10 minutes' walk from Wilbrod House.

Here's some of the things we had for dinner:


A veritable feast indeed.


BBQ Duck (centre of the photo), Beef Rendang and Lemang (the green things), Spicy BBQ Pork Buns, Chinese Dumplings (3 types of fillings: Chicken, Pork and Vegetarian).


Japanese Fried Rice, General Tso's Chicken (with Broccoli), Steamed Fish with Soy & Ginger Dressing, Stir-fried Rice Cake with Pork and Mushroom.


Vegetarian Spring Rolls, Chop Suey with Shrimps, Steamed Vegetarian Beancurd Rolls, more Dumplings and Spicy BBQ Pork Bun.


Appetisers: Century Eggs (preserved duck eggs) with Deep-fried Enoki Mushrooms, Sweet and Sour Pork (served in cherry tomatoes), Egg Tofu, Shrimp and Shiitake Mushroom Canapes, Spicy Jellyfish and Kelp. You can also see a vegetable carving of a white dragon (with Daikon Radish).


Mini Pineapple Tarts/Cookies and a Watermelon Carving.


In the foreground is Umai (a salmon salad dish).


Fortune Cookies that an invited guest brought, Mango Pudding, Strawberry Tart

I always love these potluck parties at Wilbrod House. Everyone here (including invited guests) are aspiring chefs, and the dishes produced are always of a high quality (even if it is someone making a recipe for the first time).

In the end, there was enough food to feed 25 people and there were still leftovers, which we ate today. With a wonderful gourmet feast, lively Chinese pop music and good company, it was a most enjoyable evening indeed!

The Igloo that My Housemate(s) Built

Weeks ago, I reported that the housemate who designed and made the gingerbread houses was working on an igloo in the backyard of Wilbrod House. Well, he's finally finished building it, with the help of a couple of housemates. Here are some photos of the igloo:


It took a while to make the first couple of courses of snow blocks.


Making progress ...


In this photo, my housemate is standing on a chair inside the igloo. He is working on the roof of the igloo, which can easily hold 6 people inside.


The building you see in the background of this and the next photo is Le Cordon Bleu Ottawa. I'm sure the chefs can see the igloo from one of the back windows on the second or third floor of the School.





The igloo is given the address of "476.5 Wilbrod", because it is in the backyard of 476 Wilbrod Street. We are hoping the igloo will last until end of March, as one of our former housemates will be driving 8 hours to come visit us then.

My Second Ambassadeur Exotique

This morning I decided to practise making a second Ambassadeur Exotique at home, just to practise some of the skills I learnt in class the other day. I think my piping is more even this time. And less wobbly too.



When I finished making the cake, I took it to the neighbours. I figured that would be preferable to throwing the cake out, since no one at Wilbrod House even wants to taste another Ambassadeur Exotique this week. In fact, some of the cakes we brought home from school are still in the fridge... My cake from the other day is half eaten -- various housemates had helped themselves to it. The other half, if untouched by tomorrow, is going into the garbage bin.

Each of our 8-inch cakes has a standard 8 servings. Four of us in Wilbrod House are taking Intermediate Pastry this term, therefore the cakes we bring home total 32 servings, which means each housemate must eat 2 servings in order to finish all the cakes. But people rarely have 2 servings each, so there's always some left over. Besides, there are also five housemates taking Superior Pastry this term, so we have a total of at least 18 cakes per week. It is no wonder the squirrels and other pests rummage in the Wilbrod House garbage bags the night before garbage collection day. I guess they can smell all the lovely leftover cakes -- rich in eggs, sugar, cream and butter -- going to waste.

For food safety and legal reasons, we are not allowed to sell the cakes. That's because we are not certified food handlers. We try to give some of the cakes away to people we know, but that's about all we can do. I had thought about giving my cakes to the homeless on Rideau Street, but I wasn't sure if I would get into trouble for that. So, for now, I am giving my practice cakes to the neighbours around here.

New Year's Eve

I spent New Year's Eve with friends and housemates at Wilbrod House. We made a special dinner for the occasion. It was lovely.


New Year's Eve dinner at Wilbrod House.

At 11pm, we all walked to Parliament Hill to watch the fireworks at midnight. It was freezing cold. About -17 degrees Celsius, plus wind chill. It was quite an experience for me to be out in the cold for about an hour. Even though we were all rugged up really well (the way we were dressed, you could only see our eyes), my legs and fingers were almost numb from the biting cold...
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I am a bit sad today because I found out yesterday morning that Mrs Enid H., a family friend for over 40 years, passed away in Warrnambool, Australia, on 30 December 2008 (the date of my last post). She shall remain in our hearts and memories forever. RIP, Aunt Enid.

Icy Conditions

Well, we have had a couple of days of freezing rain since Boxing Day, and it has turned the snow into ice. I had a really hard time shovelling the snow yesterday; in the end, all I could do was simply salt the icy footpath outside Wilbrod House, so that we can at least walk on it (rather than slide on it).

The driveway by the side of Wilbrod House (that is shared by about 5 houses here) has turned into a slippery "skating rink", and I had an interesting time sliding around on it in my boots yesterday, just to feel what it is like to go skating. :)


Icy footpath


My attempts to clear the footpath outside the side door were not very successful


Footpath leading up to the driveway


In this photo (and the next), you can see the shiny, smooth, slippery ice that has formed on the shared driveway.


The Wilbrod House garage is just behind the two trees on the right of the photo, and there is a gentle incline between the garage and the driveway. I practised sliding down the gentle incline quite a few times, much to the amusement or alarm (I'm not sure which) of the lone squirrel that was foraging for food on a tree behind the garage.

Speaking of sliding around on ice, I cannot wait to go skating on nearby Rideau Canal in February, when the canal freezes over and Ottawa hosts the Winterlude festival. I have never gone skating before, so this will be a whole new experience.

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PS. Update on 30 December 2008: I finally found out how to clear the ice on the footpath of Wilbrod House. My landlady showed me this ice-breaking tool she uses. It is like a chisel (a wedge at the tip), and is used to break the ice (see the pole-like tool next to the snow shovel in the photo below).


Tools we use for clearing snow and ice.


Sharp, chisel-like tool for breaking ice.


The footpath is cleared of ice now.