Gettin' It Up With a Convention Oven or Rise My Pretty - Rise

Tonight is my first practical exam for culinary school in addition to having our first quiz. Both are in baking and specifically on quick breads. Basically, these are baked goods that are, well, quick and don't need yeast.

So far we have made Muffins, Scones, Date Bread and Biscuits and utilized the Muffin Method, The Creaming Method (hee hee, I know, it makes me laugh too) and the Biscuit Method. Basically, all these methods can deliver tasty little morsels of baked deliciousness.

For our test, we will be presented the challenge of making any of the recipes we've made so far in any of the variations that our text book mentions... muffins could be poppy, almond, blueberry or corn; scones of cranberry or chocolate chip and bicuits with cheddar or buttermilk. Any of the three methods could be called upon for this test. So, being the over achieving gerbil I am, I made several treats last night to practice.

For those of you who know me, you are well aware that baking has never been my forte. I'm slowly but surely earning my right to wield a rolling pin! I approached my kitchen with confidence. I pretended as though I were being tested - that the adjudicating Chef was watching my every move! I decided to start with Cheddar Biscuits. (This was wise as Jack wasn't home yet and the biscuits would go well with the brown sugar cured boneless pork ribs I was making for dinner) I set up my "mis en place", every ingredient was measured to the exact ounce. With a clean station and a mixing bowl and spatula at the ready, I began. Dry goods sifted, cheddar mixed in and then my wet goods added. This is when I forgot I was pretending to being tested and giggled over putting my hands into the gooey and stickey batter. Suddenly I was 5 years old and making a mud pie in the yard. The sticky batter was on my fingers, inbetween my fingers and all squishey!! Truthfully, it was a lot of fun... then one of the cats let out a veritable lion's whine which scared the crap out of me and returned me to my test. The dough was just mixed and I turned it out onto a clean work surface. I kneaded the dough for 30 seconds (six to ten times) and then cut them into 9 uniformed bits and popped them into the oven. While they were doing the heat dance, I, the ever efficient and clean baking professional, cleaned my station, did the dishes and then threw water at the cat that decided to whine at me.

With the last dish put away, the oven sounded and I opened up it's lovely black door to find 9 perfectly golden and fluffy cheesy biscuits!!! (At this point Jack has come home and I've relegated him to the grilling of the pig). I knew by the delighted look on his face that he too was excited that my baking had improved! (God bless him, he eats anything I throw at him.) So, while the biscuits cooled, I sliced the pig and made him a plate with a lovely arrangement of farfalle with fresh pesto and a biscuit with butter melting on it. It was now onto the judging - this was only the first element and yet it would set the tone for the following events - the judge bit into the flaky steaming biscuit and declared a full success!!!!

With the confidence of a prize fighter having leveled his/her opponent in the first round, I then fought the muffin man with ease; decimated the date nut bread and turned out two gorgeous nutty loaves (not a phrase I'm likely to usually use again) and ended with three dozen sugary chocolate chip scones. All of this was completed by ten pm with the kitchen cleaned!!!!! I'm hoping I can accomplish the same results tonight, wish me luck!