Chocolate Project

I previously published a post about the flavors that I was using for my chocolate project and asked for your feedback. Well you will be glad to know that the production part of the project is officially over as of Tuesday. On Tuesday we had to produce all three of our chocolates in 6 hours. Of course anything that could go wrong did. It took me a good hour to temper the chocolate for my molded bonbons and pour it into the mold. My marshmallow although the flavor came out great, I just mixed it a little more than I should have because I walked away from it for a few seconds. The caramels came out great, but I did dump 3/4 of my sesame seeds on the floor when I was taking them out of the oven. It was a bad day for everyone. They didn't have the ingredients that half the people needed which was the whole reason we had been practicing. It was very stressful. But all in all even though things got screwed up and we were all down to the wire my flavors were delicious and I was very happy about that. I am just glad that it is over.

Geneve

This past weekend was a three day weekend because of all Saints Day. Annette and I decided to take the train to Geneve, Switzerland for the weekend because we would have gone crazy here in town and it was Switzerland. It poured buckets of rain on the way there but once in Switzerland it maybe drizzled for 10 minutes total the whole weekend. We arrived on Saturday night at the hostel, switched some money (because they still use the Francs) and went searching for food. We found a pizzeria still open so we sat for a delicious pizza. It was a little over priced though, but that's just the way Geneve is. Since everything, and I mean everything, is closed on Sunday we decided to do most of if not all of out sightseeing then. We saw the Jet Eau, the flower clock, St. Peter's Cathedral (from where we overlooked all of Geneve), saw the reformation wall, played checkers on life size boards and discovered Geneve. We walked around from 9 am to about 8pm. We were exhausted. But it was a fun time and can now say that we have been to Geneve. We got back to the hostel and since were were bored and nothing was open we ended up playing the box game and then conked out. On Monday since we had no school and everything was open again, that is when we did all of our shopping. A lot of that shopping was swiss army knife hunting to find the best deal. I ended up buying my brother one with his name engraved on it. In the morning though we stopped at the United Nations because part of it is located in Geneve, that is why they speak so many languages there. It was gorgeous and the beautiful morning added to it. With some more shopping, and the hunt (literally) hunt for chocolate shops, which was surprising. Our day came to an end with a dinner of the most expensive Chinese food I will ever eat. But it was good.

25 Years and Still Going Strong

This post is a tribute to my parents. They have been married for 25 years as of October 19th. For a couple's 25th they usually do something special, like go on a vacation or have a fancy dinner. My parents spent it in separate countries, thousands of miles from each other.
They met at Friendly's. My mom was a waitress and my dad was management I believe. Mom thought dad was annoying in the beginning and wouldn't go away but grandma loved him. Mom eventually came around and they began dating. My dad is one of the reasons my mom became a christian. Mom was raised catholic but always questioned the faith and practices. Dad was raised protestant, so she attended church with him a couple times. She became a christian and it's a good thing too because dad wouldn't have married her otherwise and I wouldn't be sitting in France right now doing something I absolutely love. They were married in 85' and my sister was born the next year. They have been through TDY after TDY, move after move, 5 kids, 3 dogs, stitches, broken bones and illnesses; and they are still together.

They are amazing parents and I couldn't of asked for better. They raised us in a christian home and showed love and kindness to everyone. They supported us in everything we did and still do and will love us no matter what. They also support each other in whatever comes their way and is the shoulder to lean on for the other. This is for them...the best parents in the world. Love you both :)

Crazy French

This weekend is going to be another weekend of finding stuff to do in Yssingeaux. A friend and I were planning on going to Provence this weekend for her birthday but we can't leave town. The train system is on strike, the citizens are on strike and gas is being rationed because people are refusing to deliver. So we are stuck in Yssingeaux and are going to go crazy by the end of the weekend.

Chocolate Project

The project for our internship this year is to create a chocolate line and then produce 3 different chocolate from 11 families. I have decided that my line is going to be Sweet & Savory. Of the 11 families I have chosen Molded Bonbons, Marshmallows and Caramel. My Molded Bonbon is going to be a dark chocolate shell filled with a white chocolate passion fruit and ginger ganache. The Marshmallow is to be lemon and rosemary dipped in dark chocolate. And finally the Caramel is a sesame seed caramel, twisted and dipped in dark chocolate. I have to also research how long the shelf life of the product is, who I am to promote it towards and how I am to package it.

What do you guys think so far? Let me know.

Marseille, Boats and Fruit Vinegar

Last weekend one of the girls and I decided to go away for the weekend because we NEEDED to get out of here. We decided to go to Marseille in the south of France on the Atlantic. The first day was gorgeous weather but it rained the second day which was fine because we were leaving anyway. The hostel we stayed in was classic, modern and nice. We ended up staying 1 minute from the port after hours of searching for a hostel. We toured all day Saturday from 9:30am to 9 at night. We saw the Notre Dame, went to the Old Port (Panier District), saw some cathedrals, went to the highest point in the city and found tons of deliciousness. The Notre Dame is small but is gorgeous inside. Tons of color, gold, pictures and candles. It also has a beautiful view of the city. We found an outdoor market selling soaps (which Marseille is known for), pictures, vinegars, bags and other stuff. Unfortunately we did not buy anything because it was only the beginning of the day and we thought that we might find some other deals else where and if not then the market would be there in the morning. Well it rained the next day so most of the sellers weren't there and the only thing we found elsewhere was the vinegar. While walking in the Panier district we came to a cute little shop where the lady was canadian so she spoke perfect english and french. The vinegars in the store were so good that we had to buy one. I bought a black currant and my friend bought tomato. We went back the next day to buy the one each other had but she was closed. They were delicious though. We also bought these cookies that are famous to Marseille. They are about 12 inches and smell of citrus and flowers. They taste of lavender and citrus and last for a year. They are very interesting but good. You could probably only eat one at a time, which is why they are good for a year :) For lunch we ate at a pizzeria where the owner sat down next to us to eat his lunch and then helped us with directions and places to go. He told us that if we wanted the best view of the city and port that we had to go up the hill on the opposite side of the port and go into some port. So we did and he was right, so we decided to go back to the hostel and change into warmer clothes and go back to the park to see the city at night. It was beautiful. Dinner was pasta and the tomato vinegar...deliciousness in a bowl :) The next day we decided to trek up to the Palais du Longchamp in the rain. We didn't realize how far it was but it was totally worth it. It was beautiful. It was a great weekend and well needed. It was nice to be away from the people, and city here. Not that it's a bad place but every once in a while you need to get away.

School Excursion

This past Monday we went to L'Hermitage, France; located on the Rhone river. We all piled on a bus and drove 1hr 30min to the final destination. We were given an 1hr 30mins to walk around town and then meet up for lunch. The first stop on some of out lists were the M. Chapoutier wine shop. We walked in and it was amazing. There was wine everywhere, they had samples of the gravel that the grapes grow in, barrels and wine bottles. One look at the price list thought and out first comment was "No way," then we found the affordable wine. I ended up purchasing 2 bottles, a red and a rose, as gifts for the parents. We had time to walk around the town and visit bakeries and take a view at the Rhone River. Lunch was a 3 course meal, during which we experienced a huge rain storm that was blowing chairs all over the place. Once most of the rain had subsided we left for our excursion at the Valrhona Chocolate Factory. We were not allowed to take pictures inside the factory but the chocolate was delicious. We got to see the whole process of making the ingredients for chocolate. The chocolate bars and candy themselves were all made at the Valrhona school. At the end of the tour we were given a gift back with sample chocolates and recipes books. All in all it was a very fun and interesting day.