Chiffon Pie - Why Not Taffeta?

So, this week brought two very interesting culinary experiences to me, the first was Strawberry Chiffon Pie. Now, I recently made a strawberry rhubarb pie that while not a pleasant looking success, it was delish. Chiffon pie, unlike a cream pie, is made with gelatin and egg whites. It's fluffy, with volume and structure which can look very impressive. The pictures of these pies are gorgeous which were inspiring me to look for ways to incorporate them into future menu's. And then it happened. During the demo we were provided by our Chef, all pleasant thoughts of Chiffon went out the window. When the gelatin is added to cold water, it coagulates. Not my favorite word, but, in this case, very apporpriate. We watched the glop start to form. I'm hesitant to admit that I found this part kind of fun. Anyway, once it starts to coagulate, you then need to stir it to disolve it over warm water for the proper texture which you can then add directly to your filling base. Once added and incorporated, the filling is left to sit. This is where I lost the love. The Chef warned us, that if left unattended, the texture will turn "SNOT" like. I can barely use the word SNOT and not throw up in my mouth a little bit. The very thought of a food resembling that disgusting substance to me is, without question, unacceptable. Back to the demo - after several minutes of controlled gagging followed by regaining my composure, I told my baking partner that she was more than welcome to the pie she and I would be making that evening. It is safe to say that I will not be serving a Chiffon pie in the near future.

The second culinary treasure I got to make was during our practical exam. (It's here we are tested on actually producing a product we've learned about so far in our studies). We have been studying stock and soup production. So, our Chef for this class allowed us to pick our product out of a hat and I drew Cheddar Leek Soup. Not a difficult recipe. I like cheddar cheese, I like leeks and I like soup. I did not however like how it looked when the cheese melted within the soup. There is something very, very wrong about the way the fat of the cheese looks when it melts into the soup. More disturbing is that the choice of liquid used to enhance the creaminess of the soup is half-and-half. If I closed my eyes and listened carefully, I could hear the tiny voices of my arteries screaming in protest!! Once I drained the soup, I had to taste it for seasoning. It was surprisingly thin once strained. Which I found disturbing. There was a cheesey taste and an onion taste, and yet it was thin. I plated my soup in a warm bowl and garnished it with freshly made garlic croutons and chopped parsley, then served it to the Chef. The flavor was apparently right and I was warned that I may have taken too long in the straining process which could cause a grainy consistency. Ewww. Grainy, cheesey soup. Howeve, the Chef indicated I did well so I'm expecting high marks. Regardless of the grade I've received, I learned something incredibly valuable to me... cheese stays on my burger or on a cheese board. It doesn't belong in my soup!