Le Cordon Bleu Tool Kit

All new students have to collect their uniforms and tool kit at the Simon Johnson's Homeware on George St....Then i went there on 22nd just 1 day before orientation day...

The Uniforms:
2 x Le Cordon Bleu Chef's Jackets, double row buttons
2 x Chef's Trousers - Checked black and white
2 x Chef's Neckerchief
2 x Le Cordon Bleu Forage cap
2 x Le Cordon Bleu apron

Wusthof Student Kit:
...sooooo many knives...as you can see in the photo..

Day 2 of LCB Orientation

Today I went to LCB again this morning. This time I had a company...Pin, Um, Man and I. We met up in front of QVB around 9 am. and took the L20 bus to school. Pin asked the bus driver whether we can go to TAFE Ryde (LCB is in the part of TAFE Ryde). Then he said '' Have a seat..this bus won't go there, but so close'' Such a kind bus driver! ..we don't need to swipe the red ten travel on the bus (mean we don't need to pay for the fare)..but I have no idea why I did !!!!!!!!!
Anyway, the bus driver let us know where we had to get off and we took 501 bus for 2 bus stops to school...We reached there at 10.00 am..hehehe....not bad, rite?
Today, we come for :

• Present passport with studnet visa details.
• Student contact details will be checked and recorded
• Collect Student Course Notes
• Collect Timetables
• Check allocated class groups on Whiteboard
• Locate the locker

There are 3 groups of Basic Patisserie: BP1, BP2, and BP3

BP1 & BP2 : Monday 15.00 - 17.00 Theory
Thurday 7.30 - 10.00 Demo / 10.30 - 14.00 Practical
Friday 7.30 - 10.00 Demo / 10.30 - 14.00 Practical
Saturday 7.30 - 10.00 Demo / 10.30 - 14.00 Practical

BP3 : Monday 7.30 - 10.00 Demo / 10.30 - 14.00 Practical / 15.00 - 17.00 Theory
Tuesday 7.30 - 10.00 Demo / 10.30 - 14.00 Practical
Wednesday 7.30 - 10.00 Demo / 10.30 - 14.00 Practical

Pin, Um, and Meng all are in BP2. Man is in Cert4. I am in BP3 !!! Everyone wanna change to this group becourse you need to come to school only for 3 days...By the way, I am not sure whether it is good...BP1 and BP2 will see each group for everyday...BP3 is quite seperated !

The LCB orientation day !

Sorry for the so-blur picture...this picture has taken from the Le Cordon Bleu Orientation & Enrolmenton on 23rd Apr, 2008 (yesterday)...I was so excited waiting for this day...As you know, I came here, Sydney, since 14th of Apr and I still have not many friends...Then I hope to meet more friends in the orientation day.

The orientation time was 9 am in Level 1, H Block..Northern Sydney Institute of TAFE Ryde Campus.. But I arrived there about 7.45 am..hahaha....You may think I was too excited ? Yes yes..since I had to take the 501 bus from the george st. to the school and it takes about 50 minutes..

And it was raining...haih.....raining everyday in Sydney ! I was in Level 1 and saw just 2 guys came before me...then only 3 of us sitting on the sofa waiting for the time...One guy, I don't know where he is from, he told us that he finished Cert 1 of Patisserie in London, finished Cert 2 in Paris and then now he will do Cert 3 in Sydney...Wowww...I was so jealous....

9.00 am - Registration
9.30 am - Auditorium, Level 5, Building A

In the Auditorium, we was given some information for the new students, about the school, regurations, immigration things, visa etc...Oh..This time I had new friends : Meng from Malaysia who will study Patisserie same as me (he has been here for 4-5 years already), and another guy, sorry I forgot his name, from Phillipines who will study Cuisine...

After that, about 10.30 am, we got a tea-time break for 25 mins..sorry that i have no photos for you. I always think about taking photos of the event or the food..but still too shy to do :P

The Le Cordon Bleu catered us with the cute mini double chocolate chip muffin, blueberry muffin and plain croissant. I think the chocolate one was good and the blueberry is just fine...and the croissant is good too...And for sure, I had a cup of black coffee.. lol

10.55 am. we came back again in the auditorium. They were continue giving us some information about finance..oh you know what, LCB tuition fees will increase from July 2008:( For the continuing students (current LCB students), if we wanna pay the old fee rate, we have to pay our full invoice before May 15th 2008.

As the picture you see above, the chefs was introducing us about some class regulations...They talked nicely and funny..I hope that in the kitchen, they gonna be like this kind ^o^

12.30 pm...yeah yeah...Lunch time !!!!!!!! We went down for level 4 ..They had many different kinds of sandwiches on the long table. White and whole meal bread. For the filling, as I can remember, they had turkey & cranberry jam- i like this, ham & cheese, veggies, salami & cheese.. Sincerely, I prefer the one that William Angliss Institute of TAFE, Melbourne, had served in the coffee class I took ;P

This lunch time, I met more friends : Alex from Brunei, 3 Thais - Um, Pin and Man...So happy ^ ^

Everything seems to be fun for me in this school :D

I got my visa label

I got it.....my visa ! Just that I applied for the e-visa..then have to go to the immigration to do the visa labelling...The immigration in Sydney is located near the Central station where is near my aparment...and it took only a few minutes to get it done...

Actually, it is no need to do this...Last year, I didn't...but I think it is better to got it in the passpost so you don't need to carry your A-4 printed visa paper with you all the time.

And of course, it looks more cool when you have so many visa labels on your passport :P

Harry's Cafe de Wheels

If you come to Australia, one food that you often find here is a meat pie...It was described by New South Wales Premier Bob Carr in 2003 as Australia's "national dish".

After I read many foodie blogs like Grab your fork and Not quite Nigella about 1 famous pie shop called Harry's Cafe de Wheels....looked at the photos they took...Oh my goodness ! Can't wait to try...So lucky they got the pie cart at Hay market where is easy to go...(but the most successful one is in Woolloomooloo)

Around 10.30 am..I was so hungry cuz had a small piece of bread and green tea at home for breakfast. Since that time most of the restaurant has not open yet, The pie was quickly comed up to my mind...Perfect time to try !

Curry Tiger : Curry meat pie with mashed potato, mushy peas and gravy ($5.30)

Of course, I definitely went for the Curry Tiger Pie (The famous one)..A curry pie is layered on top with a thick of mashed potato, a pillow of mushy peas and filled with a lake of gravy....and beautifully...it comes with a fork !

The pie is on the paper plate...I had to carefully carry it to the table...It's time !!! I digged it ...bite by bite...started from the gravy, the peas, the mashed potato...and finally.......

There were chunks of real hot tender beef underneath. The curry was quite spicy..and the taste is similar as Japanese curry in my idea..haha.. The pastry bottom was just a little gluey, but the top was flaky, the filling was meaty, the potato was creamy, peas and gravy... wow.....It is really good when you have this hot pie in the winter..Don't you think so?

Harry's Cafe de Wheels – HaymarketHay Street,

Haymarket, Sydney

Tel: (02) 9281 6292

Also available at:

- Harry's Cafe de Wheels – Woolloomooloo

Cowper Wharf Road, Woolloomooloo, Sydney

Tel: (02) 9357 3074

- Hannah's Pies562 Harris Street,

Ultimo, Sydney

Tel: (02) 9211 2506

Elixir Espresso

Finally, I got a chance to come here again, Elixir Espresso ! Last year in July, Deryk and I came to visit Sydney for 3 days...It was rainning in the morning so we got no choice...Just have to find a place for breakfast..then we walked pass by the Strand arcade...and saw this cafe..looks quite nice, let's try...and we found out that we made the right decision! ...so nice coffee and breakfast...

Same place but different time..I just was sitting alone this time...but feel not so lonely cuz many people was sitting around me..quite fun looking what they ordered, what they eat :P

Oh..my goodness, this time it got the campos sign on a cup of coffee and the door showing that they served Campos coffee...wow wow...I heard from my friend that Campos coffee is one of the best coffee in Sydney but the cafe is in Newtown where I still don't know how to go...

My skinny cappuccino (AUD 3.30 take away)...so beautiful, rite? The taste was superb... The aroma of coffee, the smoothness of the milk froth, the strenght of caffeine ...ahhh...I felt so good ! Mocha here also the best (but quite expensive among other cafe..AUD 4.5 take away) This cafe has 10% service charge..

You can see I put the sugar sachet next to the coffee...made it looks perfect ? haha....

Still hungry...so I ordered Toasted Turkishbread with peanut butter....looks so flat but the taste...perfect I'm telling you....so crispy outside, chewy inside and a bit of salty...just my liking... (but for the condiment, I think it would better to be butter and jam...ok, next time!)

The cappuccino I had last year...I think last time they haven't served the campos coffee yet...but still good anyway..

Yesterday night, I was reading some coffee lovers talking about good cafe in CBD...and many people recommend that Elixir Espresso serves the best coffee in Strand Arcade...Lucky me :D

Shop G11, The Strand Arcade,

412-414 George Street,Sydney,

NSW, 2000, Australia

Tel: (02) 9233 1005

Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

Normally, Peipei, my niece, doesn't really eat my sweets...Last time I baked Cranberry Coffee Cake..when she saw i put the frozen cranberry in the batter...she said..''Ja, I will give this for grandma...I am not gonna eat it''

haha..I think she is afraid of sour fruit or doesn't like cake with fruit !

BUT !! I am still good !!! She loves my cookies....

The day before I came to Sydney...Peipei asked me to bake her favourite thing again...Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies......She really really loves it....Everytime she comes to see me, always ask for it...

Tan tan tan !!!! ..........the chocolate and butter aroma wake Peipei up...

Looks so good, rite? I put Chocolate more than 1 cup actually...

Ingredients

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1 cup light brown sugar
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 tablespoon Corn Syrup
1 large egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons vanilla extract (or can use instant espresso coffee powder)
1 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 300 F (170 C). Cream the butter with the sugars using an electric mixer on medium speed until fluffy (approximately 30 seconds)
2. Beat in the egg and the vanilla extract for another 30 seconds.
3. In a mixing bowl, sift together the dry ingredients and beat into the butter mixture at low speed for about 15 seconds. Stir in the espresso coffee powder and chocolate chips.
4. Using a 1 ounce scoop or a 2 tablespoon measure, drop cookie dough onto a greased cookie sheet about 3 inches apart. Gently press down on the dough with the back of a spoon to spread out into a 2 inch circle. Bake for about 20 minutes or until nicely browned around the edges. Bake a little longer for a crispier cookie.

Due to my small oven, I have to bake cookies for many batches...for 2 first batches, I used the Ice cream scoop..quite big one... As you can see at the top of the cookies tray...

The rest of the dough, I just used tablespoon.....looks cute though...(and good cuz can give to more people..hehe...)

Ummmmmmmm........................

My journey to Sydney

TG 995 : 23.59 on 14 Apr 2008...that was my flight fly to Sydney....Just a bit excited ! Thank you all you guys came to see me at the airport ...>_< Ann, Tang, Nok, me, Mum, Ake, J'Join..

Before walking to the Gate...had some snack at Thai Airways lounge first... just ok..not so good...

In the flight, of course, I, a drunk girl, have chosen the Bourgoge Pinot Noir Vignes, Albert Bichot 2002 ...not really know about Wine anyway..

It took about 9 hours from Bangkok to Sydney...

20 Mins before landing.....so beautiful...I like it !

Almost landing...Can you see the Sydney Opera House?

Finally....Sydney, here I am !

Again, some of Thais can read my kratoo in Pantip here

Oreo Yogurt Cupcakes

I have been falling in love in this recipe since i first saw it in sweet for my sweet last year. The recipe was created by My Kitchen:My laboratory. Finally, I decided to make it just before i have been to Sydney...

Oreo Yogurt Cupcakes

225g cake flour
1 tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
85g unsalted butter, cut into pieces
150g sugar2 eggs, beaten
1 cup(240ml) nonfat unsweetened yogurt
1 tsp vanilla essence
80g Oreo cookies, roughly crushed
Whole Oreo cookies for decorating

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180C and grease or line a 8-inch round tin.
Sift together cake flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
2. Cream the butter and sugar until light and creamy.Dribble in eggs slowly, about 1 tbsp at a time, beating constantly for about 2 mins.
3. On LOW speed, beat in 1/3 of the flour mixture until just combined. Beat in ½ of the yogurt. Then beat in 1/2 of the remaining flour mixture, followed by the remaining yogurt, and vanilla extract. Finally beat in the remaining flour mixture.
4. Lastly, fold in the crushed cookies.
5. Pour into prepared tin, arrange whole Oreos on top and bake for about 40 - 50 mins till skewer inserted comes out clean.

Cool in pan for 5 mins. Unmold and cool completely

So cute !

After I tasted my cupcake...i was thinking ''this cupcake was a bit dry...It's just ok...but why it was dry...must be something wrong..cuz everyone who baked before all said it is so good...'' I was thinking, thinking and thinking...May be I reduced too much sugar? or I have to put the oreo cream in the batter too? (i thrown away the cream inside, just put the biscuit)

Oh...my goshhh...I have found out the reason !!! I read in the recipe..it said 1 cup(240ml) nonfat unsweetened yogurt ... then I just put 1 cup of yogurt while I forgot that 1 cup of yogurt in Thailand is only about 125 ml....which means I have to use 2 cups of yogurt...hahaha...so silly....

Some of Thais can read my kratoo in Pantip here