New York Mini 10K

I was torn on whether or not to register for the NY Mini 10K.  It was a race I wanted to run purely for the significance it has in the history of women's running.  But it fell the morning after the surprise party I was planning for Mike's birthday.

 

In the end I decided to do it because I was having trouble mustering up motivation to hit the treadmill during my lunch hour.  The weekend runs I once craved started becoming somewhat dreaded as I tried to catch-up on sleep from the previous week.  But having a race on the calendar always seems to put things in perspective for me.

 

I woke up Sunday morning, still exhausted from the stress and excitement of pulling off the surprise party the night before.  I winced at the sunlight when I stepped outside.  I knew I couldn't ask for a better day for running: high 60's, partly sunny, not too humid.  But I really just wanted to crawl back into my cool, cozy bed with the blinds drawn tight.

 

The race started on 61st and Central Park West and I yawned the entire way over.  I sleepily entered my corral and made a half-hearted attempt to stretch.  I love running in women-only races, the atmosphere is much friendlier and there aren't as many people to trip over.  But the nervous-energy and chatter of all the females around me was a bit much to handle when I was so tired.

 

Mary Wittenberg, the president and CEO of NYRR, stepped-up to the microphone to give her usual pre-run motivational speech.  I usually do not listen too closely, but something she said really caught my attention.  In talking about how much women's running has changed in the 38 runnings of the race, she congratulated all of the 4,300 women standing on Central Park West that morning, "Ladies, today we are here to celebrate you, to celebrate that you manage to fit running into your busy lives."

 

Despite how tired I felt, I killed the first 5K of the race, clocking all my splits under 7 minutes and 30 seconds.  Running felt effortless and easy.  But as soon as I passed the 5K marker, the hilly paths of Central Park started reminding my body that is was exhausted and worn-down.  My pace slowed and I seemed to be fighting my legs to stay on the course and not start running towards the apartment.

 

The second half of the race was definitely a mind-over-body experience.  I kept looking for landmarks, kept thinking of how I could sleep all afternoon if I wanted, kept thinking about what I was going to eat for breakfast.  I crossed the finish line in 48 minutes 39 seconds, just one second shy of my PR for a 10K.  My split times were saved by my speedy first half, averaging out to 7 minutes 50 seconds per mile.

 

It was a tough run, but sometimes those are the most special.  It was a true reflection of fitting running into my very hectic schedule: half the time it's easy and free, half the time it's tough and painful.  But finishing each run and each race gives me a sense of satisfaction and pride that I cannot seem to find anywhere else.

Week Seven (Part II): Introduction to Bread

Wednesday evening, the stress of the previous night's exam was evident from the look of exhaustion on every one's face.  But we moved ahead to begin the second module of our program which is focused on two different types of doughs: bread and pastry.

We began with a semolina bread, learning the techniques of the straight dough method and kneading.  While the bread was proofing and baking, we discussed concepts and terminology of breads.  The kitchen smelled delicious with all the loaves of baking bread.

I used the semolina bread for my sandwich on Thursday.  I was not totally impressed with the taste of the bread, as it was very commercial tasting.  

We used the second method for breads, the sponge method, in Thursday's class.  Teams prepared a fougasse and either American black bread or olive bread.  I worked on the fougasse, which is similar to focaccia - a thinner, quite herby bread.  This recipe called for cooked bacon and the residual bacon fat to be used in the recipe.  I could hardly wait to bring home the finished product to Mike - hopefully a nice treat for his stressful week.

Luckily, the fougasse had cooled enough by the time I got home for sampling.  Mike was a bit skeptical at first, but I think it was love at first taste.  I was forbidden from taking the loaf to work.

The American black bread was not my favorite.  Our instructor informed us that the taste was very similar to a Northern European rye bread, which made me tentative from the beginning as I am not partial to the overwhelming taste of rye.

It was fun beginning a new subject, especially one which with I have no previous experience (excluding cinnamon rolls).  As I was enjoying kneading the doughs, I thought of Mum talking of how Nana Newman used to make fresh bread every week, out of necessity more than anything.  I don't remember her very well and I found myself wishing I could spend a day with her in the kitchen, asking every question I had about her techniques, tips and secrets.

Funny how the smell of freshly baking bread can make you miss family and home.

Week Seven (Part I): Pate a Choux and Module I Final

We wrapped up the last lesson in our first module on Monday night.  The material was continued from the Thursday before, but with different uses of pate a choux.  We assembled petite croquembouches, a traditional French wedding cake.  I spun caramel angel hair to put a special touch on mine.

We also made gougeres, profiterals and Paris-Brest which we filled with lightened pastry cream or creme mousseline.

Module I concluded this evening with an examination.  The examination consisted of two parts: a ten question written exam followed by a practical.  The practical consisted of three parts: knife skills, chocolate piping skills and preparing a perfect flourless chocolate souffle.  

Our final score was an average of the two parts.  I received a 99%.  I would be lying if I said I was not slightly disappointed in being so close to a perfect score.  But I am happy to have my first exam behind me and to have finished the first module with a 4.0 GPA.

Week Six: Frozen Desserts & Pate a Choux

This week was a bit lighter, both in terms of the schedule and material - so my entry this week will be a bit shorter and lacking in photos.  We did not have class on Monday in observance of Memorial Day, and that extra time off was relished and enjoyed.

Tuesday and Wednesday were focused on frozen desserts: sorbets, granitas, bombes, Baked Alaska.  For the individual-sized ice cream bombes, I made an amaretto flavor, complete with crushed Lazzaroni amaretti cookies.  These cookies are used a lot on Everyday Italian, so I was curious how they tasted.  They are amazing!  I was completely addicted after my first bite.  The ice cream bombe was equally as delicious.

I also really enjoyed the granita, so much so that I actually created my own version (strawberry) for a small dinner party Mike and I hosted Saturday evening. 

Thursday we started to shift our focus to pate a choux and pastry creams.  I thought of Mummy as I glazed the praline eclairs with the chocolate ganache; I do not particularly like eclairs, but I remember these being one of her favorite treats when we were younger.

There is only one lesson left in this module and our exam/practical will be Tuesday night.  I have been uncharacteristically stressed lately and the upcoming exam is a huge contributor.  I will be relieved when it is over and we move on to our second module: breads!

Week Five: Sugar and Custards

On Monday, we wrapped up our lesson on sugar and each team created divinity, torrone, peanut brittle and dry caramel.  As my partner worked on the torrone, I started the divinity.  I incorporated the hot syrup into the egg whites and allowed the mixer to start whipping the mixture cold.  I watched it closely as I cleaned-up my area to prepare for the next recipe.

About five minutes later, the mixture was a complete mess: clumpy and grainy.  I asked the chef to come look at it and as she peered into the bowl, she simply said the mixture had crystalized.  A look of disappointment must have washed across my face, as she told me not to be too concerned about it - it could have just been a tiny particle in the pan or mixing bowl that caused the issue.  I understood sugar was very temperamental, but I was still disappointed.  I do not like to mess-up.

As the taste of the candy was still fine, she had me scoop it out so it could dry.  My partner finished the torrone and I helped her mix in the almonds and spread the mixture between the two pieces of wafer paper.

We started working on the peanut brittle, as I took extra care to be sure the pan was clean.  The sugar took a fairly long time to reach the required 300 degrees.  Once it did, the honey roasted peanuts, vanilla and baking powder were immediately stirred in and then the brittle was poured and smoothed onto a SilPat and allowed to cool.

As we made our dry caramels and worked on creating caramel decorations, we each individually met with the chef to receive our mid-module reviews.  I was happy to hear I was currently earning an A.  Even more assuring than my grade, however, was when my instructor again praised my chocolate piping skills and said she thought I would "do extremely well" in the industry.

The divinity was awful - every group threw theirs out - so I didn't feel so badly that I messed it up.  But I did bring home the peanut brittle, which I thought was delicious, and the torrone.  Mike was intrigued with the torrone once I explained it was a traditional Italian candy and taste tested a small piece.  I was informed I was not allowed to take the torrone to the office; it was to stay in the apartment.

Tuesday brought the introduction to custards, as well as our second quiz, on which I received a 100%.  I am not a huge fan of custards, but creme brulee, baked caramel custard (flan) and bread pudding were on the menu for the evening.  We made up the custards fairly quickly and they were ready to set overnight before tasting.  While the bread puddings went home, the baked custards and creme brulees me stayed in the kitchen to be unmolded and burned-off the next day.

I had been looking forward to Wednesday's class for awhile: cheesecakes!  Each team was assigned a different style: New York, Philadelphia and mascarpone.  We were then to take one of each home, refrigerate it for at least 12 hours and then taste each one.  I did my taste-testing last evening after my wine class.  

My favorite was the New York style - and not just because my partner and I made this version.  The Philadelphia style was fine, but did not have as much flavor.  I unexpectedly enjoyed the mascarpone.  I thought the pate sablee (cookie part underneath the cheesecake) could have been much more flavorful on all three - it was just kind of there and did not really add anything to the overall flavor of the cake.  For the mascarpone, I think some amaretto liquor or a chocolate hazelnut base would be delectable.

We also made creme anglaise Wednesday night as well as our ice cream bases for Thursday night.  Each team had two different ice cream flavors to prepare - my partner and I had praline and cinnamon.

Thursday night was fun.  We took turns freezing our ice cream bases in the industrial ice cream machine.  The base comes out like a soft serve and is then placed in the freezer to become a hard serve.  But we were able to try each flavor before they were quickly whisked away to the freezer for next week.  

Cabby would be proud of me, as the ginger ice cream was one of my favorites.  My top-pick was the cinnamon ice cream - sweet, spicy and homey.  I think it would be absolutely amazing over a warm piece of Mummy's apple pie (any takers for Thanksgiving?).  The chocolate and coffee flavors were also very good, but the team that did both flavors added a ton of add-ins which, in my opinion, distracted the taster from the simple flavor of the ice cream.

It was another enjoyable week - I am starting to gain confidence in the kitchen and am becoming more relaxed during the recipes.  I only have four more classes left in this module, with the exam and practical taking place on June 2nd.  That will put me a quarter-way through the program - its amazing how quickly it has already gone!