Valentine's, Mardi Gras, and Birthdays.

DISCLAIMER: This is a very long post, with lots of pictures. If you plan on getting enthralled in my baking career and life as of late, then I hope you have a few minutes on your hand. I wouldn't want you to start reading and then remember that you have a more pressing matter to address... Read at your own risk.

Let's just jump right into things...

Friday, February 11, 2011
*Tied about 150 bags of cookies and truffles for the Spa.
*Chocolate Caramel Sauce.
*Espresso Creme Brulee.
*Rolled Raspberry Ganache and Champagne Ganache in dark and white chocolate. Helped Robyn put dried raspberry powder on final coat of dark chocolate.

Look how festive. And they tasted delish too.

*Tuile cookies.
*Baked 6 Cookies each of Peanut Butter, White Macadamia Nut, Oatmeal Raisin, and Chocolate Chip.
*Rolled out around 20 X and O Cookies on the Dough Sheeter and baked. Robyn decorated later.

Here's a picture for you, Mom.

*Helped Temperance with Sweet Potato Scones and Parmesan Sage Scones.

*Dipped Strawberries in Chocolate.
*Helped unmold key lime tarts, chocolate cake, and bourbon pecan bread pudding.
*Robyn showed me how to use transfer sheets, to give chocolate cool designs. She cut some fun shapes and I stamped heart shapes.

Saturday, February 12, 2011
*Tuile. Using a triangle mold, I smeared the batter onto silicon mats, topped the batter with cocoa nibs, and baked them until brown. Robyn then placed them on a rolling pin immediately after removing them from the oven to give them a curved shape.
*Peanut Butter Mousse. I tasted this and it is very peanut butter-y.
*Buttercream. Instead of making an Italian meringue, like I have done at school, Robyn taught me how to make buttercream using a Swiss meringue. I used ten pounds of butter so you can imagine how much buttercream I made. :)
*Cream Cheese Icing (using buttercream). Using buttercream to make a cream cheese icing makes the frosting more stable and less heat sensitive.
*Plating. There was a group at the hotel who had lunch in the Private Dining Room (we call them the PDRs) at the Ocean Room Restaurant. Robyn was in charge of plating dessert. Our dessert was the Expresso Creme Brulee in a tart shell with a Tuile, Chocolate Sauce, Caramelized Sugar Disk, and Chopped Chocolate-covered Espresso Beans. She played around with the plating down in the Pastry kitchen.

This was attempt one.
She settled on this design.
And here are all the plates. Success!

*Rice Krispy Treats. Robyn used these the next day for the kid's table at Sunday Brunch, and in honor of Valentine's Day, we added red food coloring (to make the marshmallows pink) and red, white, and pink sprinkles. I cut these into 2 inch x 2 inch squares.

*Praline Bread.

Robyn let me leave around 2:30 and informed me that I had the next four days off. FOUR DAYS OFF. What do you think this "dumb bunny" (as my dad says) did? I drove back to Charleston, showered, packed, and drove to New Orleans, to spend some time with Nate. As my mom likes to point out, because she is mom and is mostly always right, it is a long way from Charleston to New Orleans, and this was probably my first and last time to make that drive. (My love of maps did not make this trip more bearable.) However, this was my pro/con list for the trip:

CONS:
(1) Charleston to New Orleans is 11 hours, one way.
(2) That is 750 miles, one way.
(3) I would be riding alone, with no hopes of a nap or switching drivers.

PROS:
(1) I would in New Orleans with the bf on Valentine's Day.
(2) Surprising people is worth it. (I called Nate when I finally made it to NoLA around 2:30 Central Time. He was at the bar. I told him he should go back to his house. He probably was wondering why I was telling him what to do at 3:30 in the morning my time from SC. I told him I was waiting outside his house. He did not believe me. Then, he made someone drive him back. How many hours had I been driving again? I can't remember. :))
(3) Stopping in Auburn to see my favorite cuzzy buzzy is always a pro.

So, clearly, the pro list won.

Nate had to work every day I was in town. I mean, I did surprise him, and he had no warning to take a few days off. He did manage to get out of work like an hour early on my last night. While I was there, I walked a bit by myself. I also was Nate's personal chauffeur, taking him to Walmart, driving him to work everyday, and picking him up. We ate a lot, which is not surprising. We ate after he got off work one day at Camellia Diner with a few of his friends from work. (I won't mention what it took for me to drive to this place to meet them there. Oh wait, I just did mention it.) We ate lunch at a deli on Magazine Street one day. We had yogurt before he went to work. His roommate works at a restaurant called Capdeville, and we had lunch there one day. (I had truffled mac and cheese. Mmm.) We ordered Chinese, of course. And, finally, we ate a late dinner at Rally's one night, which was a hilarious experience. I like eating in New Orleans, with my favorite, super critical, and overly knowledgeable chef bf.

Nate switched restaurants. I posted a picture of Bourbon House. It is only appropriate for me to post a picture of Palace Cafe. :)

In the afternoons, I spent some quality time with me, myself, and I, walking the streets of NoLA and visiting my favorite spots. I mentioned Sucre on my last post about New Orleans, but I just love it. I thought I would post some pictures this time.

The outside. The sun was shining and cast a weird shadow, my bad.

The front window display. Mardi Gras macaroon tree!

House made gelato and sorbet. I've had the hazelnut gelato and raspberry sorbet!

Beautiful desserts!

I bought a box of eight chocolates to bring back to Kiawah for Robyn and company to try. I still have six left. We tried the salted caramel (top second from left) and the creme brulee (top left with mask).

I also mailed Nate's family a sampling of chocolates and macaroons: two Mardi Gras macaroons and creme brulee and bananas foster chocolates. They packaged them in adorable little Mardi Gras boxes. If I ever opened my own bakery or sweet place, I would want it to be very, very similar to this one. If you are ever in New Orleans, go visit them on Magazine Street!

Speaking of Mardi Gras, the Carnival season is around the corner, and preparations are in full swing. Parade stands are being built. And the decorations in store windows, restaurants, etc. are beautiful. If you live in New Orleans, you decorate your home, as if it were Christmas time. Instead of red and green, everything is gold, purple, and green. Flags, wreaths, lights, garland... you name it. And I think it is fabulous. Check this house out below. I am sorry that the picture is not the greatest and doesn't do this house justice!

Fat Tuesday!

And, of course, one of my favorite things about New Orleans is a tourist staple. But, if you have the best cafe au lait and beignets, you can't fuss about it. I want to live at the Cafe du Monde!

My mouth is watering just looking at this picture!

Thursday, February 17, 2011
*Vanilla Sponge Cake. We made enough batter for three 9 inch cakes, three 6 inch cakes, and three sheet pans.
*Chocolate Sponge Cake. We made enough batter for three sheet trays.
*White Chocolate Mousse.
*Chocolate Sucre Tart Dough. I made this and then wrapped it to store in the refrigerator.
*Chocolate Ganache.
*Another ten pounds of butter batch of Buttercream.
*Chocolate Chip Cookies. I made and scooped jumbo cookies, wrapped them, and stored them in the refrigerator.
*Pecan Shortbread. Scooped and refrigerated.
*Madras Cookies. These are made using curry powder and coconut. The dough was really wet and when baked, they flattened into a mess. Hm. Something was off with this recipe or I messed something up!

Friday, February 18, 2011
*Brownies.
*Sugared Pate de Fruit candies. This is essentially gummy candy made with fruit puree.
*Coconut Macaroons. Scooped and baked. YUMMY.
*Citrus Cookies.
*Nut Bonanza Cookies. These are made with mixed nuts roasted in butter, including pistachio, peanuts, cashews, etc. SO DELICIOUS!!
*Spun three quarts of Salted Vanilla Ice Cream.
*Watched Temperance make pralines.
*Helped Temperance make sweet potato scones for Jasmine Porch. Something happened the first time, either I over-worked the dough or Temperance forgot the leavener. Either way, we had to remake them, re-roll them, and re-bake them.

Saturday, February 19, 2011
Temperance trained me last night on plating desserts for dinner service at the Jasmine Porch Restaurant. SO EXCITING. I worked from about 4-10:30pm, but I felt like I had worked for 2384198 hours. AND, Temperance says we weren't busy. Eh yi yi. I loved it though, and I will admit publically that Nate told me I would (and I didn't believe him).

Sunday, February 20, 2011
Night #2 of training at the restaurant with Temperance. I need to go get dressed in order to leave by 3 for my hourish commute to make it to Kiawah on time at 4! Wish me luck, as I am sure Temperance expects me to take control tonight!

Just an FYI, did you know that people are trying to figure out when they should conceive in order to have their baby on 11.11.11. Well, apparently THE day was February 18th, but I'm sure that if this is of concern to you, things might still work out for you. I think, personally, October 2011 is the month to have a baby this year. :)

Also, my roommate moved back to China this week, and I now have the apartment to myself for a few weeks. I switched rooms and now have the single room. I rearranged the living room and kitchen to make it how I like it. I must say, I could get used to living by myself. I mean, everything is where I left it when I come and go. Fabulous!

CELEBRATE LIFE

Haley "I'm tired" Rehberg

I hate having a 9-5 job...

... but I love my job. It's a "catch 22," you see? I'm a baker. Bakers can work the night shift, the early-morning-before-breakfast shift, or they can work at service, for lunch or dinner. Then, there's me, who wakes up and commutes to work in the big city (ok, the island, same diff) like every other businessman (or woman) in America. If I have to work (my parent's are loving my whining by the way), I guess I should do something I love, at a decent hour of the day. So, even though I hate the working part, I love the work, I like the freedom of halfway being on my own like a real grownup-ish, and I get paid to bake. I can't complain or whine too, too much.

And, get this... last week, I had orientation on Wednesday and Thursday. Then, I had three days off. I worked in the kitchen for the first time on Monday, and then, I had Tuesday and Wednesday off. Two days on, three days off, one day on, two days off. Yeah, that's more days off than on days. Haha. I think I will only have, well, one week that looks like this (this week), but it was fun while it lasted, right?

I report to Robyn, who graduated from Johnson and Wales in Charlotte after getting her Bachelor's from UNC Wilmington and who completed her internship/externship requirement while at JW at Kiawah! She primarily works production for Banquets and Catering. For the most part, her main concern is not the restaurants. Though I will have the opportunity to work in the restaurants, I will mostly work directly with Robyn on Banquets and other random pastry needs for the Sanctuary (cakes, special occasions, pop-ups, etc.) I am excited about working with Robyn, because I know I will be exposed to a lot of variety, recipes, techniques, etc. Every day will look and be different for me as a pastry extern in a large hotel.

Monday, February 7, 2011 (9am-5pm)
Production Day in the Pastry Kitchen with Robyn.
*Short tour of the kitchen and surrounding areas (laundry room, pot room, etc).
*Placed frozen cookies on sheet trays to bake and baked these cookies.
*Decorated Cookies, including cashew, pecan, coconut, chocolate espresso, almond, and that's all I can remember right now. This took a good portion of time. Pate a glace, or chocolate without the cocoa butter, takes time to microwave, stir, microwave, stir, and you need more chocolate than you think.
*Used the Dough Sheeter (holla) to roll out sugar cookie dough. I then used cookie cutters to shape X, O, and heart cookies.
*Almond Cookies, made with almond paste and powdered sugar mostly. I scooped and baked these.
*Explored Beaches and Cream, the adorable ice cream/ snack shop near the pool in the hotel, to find Sanctuary stickers to make goodie bags for people we are trying to impress to come stay at the hotel. I filled the bags and placed the sticker, though upside down the first go around (but I caught it before someone had to tell me), to close. Robyn decorated the sugar cookies (so cute) I rolled out on this day today (2.10.11) and they will be sold this weekend in honor of Valentine's Day in Beaches and Cream.
*Checked to make sure that Jasmine Porch was set for dessert service for dinner, by making sure they had plenty of bread pudding, key lime squares, garnishes, etc.

I think I could hang out in Jasmine Porch all day. Call me superficial, but the guys that work in this restaurant are fairly easy on the eyes, if you know what I mean (miss you, Nate :)). And, they are funny and cool and one went to UGA (hearing "GO Dawgs!" from across the kitchen melts my little heart), so obviously we have much in common. But the thing I could get used to the most is them cooking me lunch. Here's how it went down:
"Haley, do you want lunch?"
"Sure!"
"What do you want?"
I GET TO CHOOSE? (That's me thinking. Notice, no parentheses.) "I'm Southern. Just whip something up."
Carolina-style Barbecue Sandwich on Texas Toast with a Side of Pasta Salad served on a real plate. Why, thank you, boys!

Thursday, February 10, 2011 (9am-5pm)
Production Day in the Pastry Kitchen with Robyn, though Erin from the Ocean Room Restaurant and Temperance (like Bones, Katy Capers!!!) from the Jasmine Porch Restaurant, who both graduated from the CIA, worked/work in the same kitchen too.
*Chocolate Sucre Dough for tart shells tomorrow. I wrapped the dough and refrigerated it.
*Chocolate Chip Cookies (jumbo size). I think I have blisters from scooping so many. Ahh. I baked about 30 half jumbo cookies for something (Robyn asked and so I did).
*Oatmeal Raisin Cookies (jumbo size). I scooped these after the CC. Yes, feel sorry for me, because I get boo-boos from scooping cookies, I know.
*Chocolate Caramel Filling to fill the chocolate tart shells tomorrow. I made caramel using the wet method, added cream, then butter, and, finally, port wine. I poured this mixture over the chocolate to melt. And there you go, a yummy caramel chocolate filling.
*Red Velvet Cupcakes. I made the batter, using six ounces of food coloring (you can imagine my work table, hands, and side towel, though I did manage to not get any on my clothes. Go Haley.), scooped the cupcakes, baked them, and then wrapped them for tomorrow.
*Marquis Cakes. Butter and chocolate are melted together over a double boiler and added to eggs, vanilla, and sugar. This forms a ganache-like batter overnight. Tomorrow, Robyn will add raspberry puree and bake these cakes before I start my day. This is listed on the menu as raspberry chocolate flourless cake.
*Blondies. I filled one sheet tray, baked them, and wrapped them for tomorrow.
*Rolled Chocolate Espresso dough and shaped them by using a small, fluted cutter. I baked these for Robyn to finish for the Spa. (I think they want to give little treats to their guests this weekend.)
*Streusel for tomorrow. I made it and then put it in the refrigerator.

Robyn made a beautiful truffle plate for the romance package treat in honor of the weekend. It was amazing, with a chocolate flower and caramelized rice flour to garnish. I wish that I had taken a picture, but sadly it was swept away before I was able. Don't worry, I know there will plenty of fun things for me to post in the near future.

Today was a great day. I even got a short lunch break, albeit in the kitchen (and not with the JP boys), but still, it was a little break to eat and enjoy a Diet Coke (they brought it to me and don't know of my love for the real thing yet, sigh). Robyn even commented that her list for me this morning was overambitious, yet I finished everything and had time to help her with a few other things before I finished my shift.

As a reward for a great day in the kitchen, I went to Moe's (knows burritos) when I got back to Charleston. Now, I shall watch a few episodes of Bones before I call it a night, to get up in the morning to do this all over again (well not, this per se, but something baking related).

LOVE IS IN THE AIR

Haley

*Congratulations, Best Duck and husband.

Charleston Chew.

Let me begin by apologizing for the lack of pictures. It has been overcast and rainy for much of the time I have been here, and I did not want to post pictures that do accurately justify the beauty of Kiawah and Charleston. And, it gives me something to post later. :)

I am loving being back South. Everyone talks like me, for the most part. The weather has been unseasonably warm, compared to New York. I flew on a Friday to miss the coldest day of the year thus far on that next Monday. I'm not even going to mention the blizzard that affected 30 states last week (with South Carolina not being one of the thirty). Now, I must say that I do love being back in the land of Coca-Cola (Pepsi, yuck), but I have a new found appreciation for drinking sweet tea more than once or twice a year to one or twice a week. Charleston's history is rooted in the traditions and times of the Old South, including having a big part in the Civil War, with Fort Sumter minutes away. With that being said, Charleston and the surrounding areas are all about Southern charm and hospitality. Needless to say, I am loving exploring my new area, my new home away from home. Having never even been here before accepting my externship, there is much to see and learn!

My mom and I said goodbye to my family in Statesboro and drove to Charleston last Sunday. From Sunday until she left on Tuesday, we spent the majority of our time exploring Charleston and Kiawah Island. We did buy several things around town that I need or will need, such as soap, detergent, hangers, etc. It was so fun to spend several days, just the two of us, letting Gertie (the GPS) take us wherever she wanted to lead. Seeing as my mom and I have never been here, we just put into the GPS where we wanted to go and hoped we would make it there. The draw bridges, cupcake shops, yogurt places, Chickfilas, colleges, and rivers we saw on our journey to our destination were just added bonuses.

My family thinks, now that I am in culinary school, that I am a food snob. I do not argue with them, but it is my philosophy that we all have a little food snob in us. Do you like to eat good food? Do you have standards? Okay, then you too are a food snob of sorts. Just because I know what duck confit is or what the percentage in front of chocolate means does not make me more of a snob than you. It just means that when you were studying teaching techniques or what Advair does to the body I was learning about food. I do not proclaim to know it all by any means, but I am confident enough to think that dining with me usually leads to good food and a fun time. At least, my mom agrees after spending days just the two of us. I even drove us across THE bridge (Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge) to Mt. Pleasant for my mom to experience Whole Foods for the first time. We ate at the Jasmine Porch on Kiawah for dinner one day and breakfast another. We had yogurt. We had sushi in Downtown Charleston at Tsunami. We had pizza at Your Pie. Mmmm.

As a CIA extern, I will be working in the Baking and Pastry Department at the Sanctuary Hotel at Kiawah Island Golf Resort. As a resort employee, you must attend an orientation. As a hotel employee, you must attend an orientation. Therefore, on Wednesday, I went to the Resort orientation and attended a separate hotel orientation on Thursday. After orientation on Thursday, I met with Robyn, who will be taking me under her wing in the pastry department, and she gave me a tour of the kitchens. For the next few weeks, while the hotel is slow, I will be shadowing her in production and then spend some time rotating through the restaurants at the hotel. During peak season, Robyn will schedule me to work where I am needed. I officially start on Monday, and I am so excited about all the opportunities to work and grow in many areas at the Sanctuary Hotel.

About forty minutes from where I live in Charleston, Kiawah Island has only be open to the public for a few decades. Therefore, it is an exclusive resort and community. Kiawah Island Golf Resort has the reputation of being one of the top golf resorts in the country and world, but its goal is to be one of the top resorts in the world. Home to five elite golf courses, KIGR has hosted many premier golf tournaments. The Ocean Course, known as one of the top three most difficult courses, was opened to host the Ryder Cup in 1991. Since then, this course with breathtaking views of the Atlantic has hosted the Senior PGA Championship and will host the 2012 PGA Championship, a major golf tournament, in August of next year. The Sanctuary Hotel opened in 2004 and will celebrate its seventh year in August of this year. This hotel boasts five stars and five diamonds from AAA and Forbes respectively, one of only 36 hotels in the country to be rewarded both. The Spa at the Sanctuary is one of thirteen spas worldwide to hold such ratings. Basically, I am thrilled to be working here.

The Sanctuary was built to look like an old plantation home, with three additions made over three generations. There is even a story of a fictional family living at the hotel. The hotel is second to none in Southern charm in design with antiques and beautiful artwork throughout. The Spa experience is a day on the backporch of a Southern home during the warm months. At the hotel, there are two restaurants, the Jasmine Porch (where my friend from the CIA, Trevor, will be working) and the Ocean Room. Jasmine Porch is open for three meals a day and is responsible for in-room dining. Therefore, this kitchen never closes and has a lowcountry flare, representative of this area. The Ocean Room is home to the only four star, four diamond steakhouse in the country. These restaurants call the Sanctuary home but could easily stand alone anywhere in the country/world as solo restaurants. Yes, I get to work here.

Okay, I have bored you enough with my high raves. If you do not believe me, then see for yourself here. And, come visit!

And I thought I would post my new address:
Haley Rehberg
Apt. H235
1840 Carriage Lane
Charleston, South Carolina 29407
(Doesn't Carriage Lane just sound Southern?)
I no longer have the address in Hyde Park. If you send me mail there, there is no guarantee I will ever receive it!

MISSING YOU BUT LOVING LIFE

Hay Reh