Reflections
Reflections on my progress with the IGNITE project
I'm really excited to start this topic and further my skills in something IÂ am really passionate about. Ever since IÂ was little, IÂ can remember loving to bake, and so as soon as we started IGNITE I knew I had to do something about baking. In the first brainstorm we did, IÂ had so many thoughts I was wanting to put on paper. I started with desserts around the world and branched out from there. I think I want to look at the effects culture has on food or vis-versa, as well as the different techniques involved in making desserts. I'm interested in History, so maybe I could explore the history of desserts in more depth. The more I brainstormed the desserts around the world and the differences between the cultures, the more interested I was in French culture and desserts. So I think I might do something more involved in France and how they're the dessert capital of the world, their history, culture, desserts, techniques and how French desserts have changed over the years. I'm really excited and think I will show my work in a book and a website with videos and recipes. So far, some of the desserts I'm thinking about doing are: Lemon meringue pie, creme caramel, creme brulee and mille feuille. I think I could also look at doing a petit four. It's a French high tea, and I would love to also look at the history of it and the different foods involved. Over all, I'm really interested in French desserts and am excited to get started.
Reflection 1
We are back in isolation!! I'm so disappointed but at the same time I know it won't affect my work majorly. I just started making my desserts. This weekend I made crepes with and apple and caramel sauce, they were really yummy! I can't wait to make more. I'm really enjoying the project so far, I have my website up and running and have finished about half my book. I am filming myself making the French desserts but I have yet to edit the videos and put them on my website. I have added a new aspect to my project, I will be reviewing each recipe and rating them out of 5. I hope to make more desserts and finish my book soon. I have had some troubles setting up the website- not all of the recipes will show in the recipes tab and I don't know how to fix this, but am going to research it and see what I can find.
Reflection 2
I have made my creme brulee, written my first review and added some more recipe's to my collection. I have made progress with my website, but still haven't solved how to get all the recipe's to show on the recipe tab. I guess I will have to research it some more or find a different way to fix it. The creme brulee recipe turned out to be a pretty bad recipe, it didn't show and tell me techniques when cooking the creme brulee and it made it very difficult to get the recipe right. It ended up being pretty much a disaster and I was really disappointed, but I might make it again with a different recipe after I have finished making the rest of my recipe's. I want to make a Lemon Meringue Pie and possibly a Tarte Tatin this weekend and finish my book. I'm worried that I won't finish all of my recipe's but I hope I will and I might cut a couple out if I am finding it too difficult.
Reflection 3
I have just made my Lemon Meringue Pie and it was delicious! My whole family loved it and it was eaten in 2 days! I'm really happy with my progress so far, I have just finished setting up my website, I'm still having some problems on the recipe page, it still won't show all the desserts! I don't know what i'm going to do about that yet. I have looked on all of the help sites I can find and asked my family if they knew what was going on- they didn't. Rosalie has directed me to another help website so I might have a look at that and see if I can find anything to tell me how to fix it. It's quite frustrating but I hope I can figure out a solution soon. I just finished all the recipe's in my book and I'm really proud of myself, in terms of my progress and dedication to the work. Next week I hope to make Tarte Tatin and do the video and edit the photo for that as well. Overall, feeling really happy with my progress and looking forward to cooking some more french desserts!
Reflection 4
I just finished making my Tarte Tatin. It was so delicious! The combination of caramel, apple and crispy pastry was perfect! I can't wait to cook some more. This week has been pretty routine. I have finished my book and what I can of my website. I have been uploading recipe's, pictures and videos to my website as I go. My weekly routine is now just making the dessert, uploading the photos and videos to the website and book and then writing a reflection. I'm really happy with my progress and can't wait to finish all the desserts and have a finished website, I find the baking is a great way for me to escape the groundhog day-like feeling of being in quarantine and I absolutely love it. I haven't finished fixing the recipe tab on my website but hope to do so soon.
Reflection 5
This week was really good. I made my Madeleine's, and then like the other weeks I added the video and picture to the website and my book. I'm really liking my routine and baking at the end of the week is a highlight, as well as motivation to get through the week. When I finished baking the Madeleine's I noticed they were a bit dry, however I fixed is through creating a syrup with lemon and lime juice as well as some caster sugar. I'm really happy with my progress so far and have had almost no problems this week. My only problem this week has been that my oven isn't working. The element is broken and therefore there is no heat. I'm not too stressed because I have already done a few recipe's, all this means is that I probably won't be able to cook a recipe next week or I might make something that doesn't require an oven, like chocolate mousse. Overall, feeling really good about everything.
Reflection 6
This week I made chocolate mousse. It was delicious! I'm really enjoying the cooking and getting into the routine of making a new dessert every week. Unfortunately, my oven isn't fixed yet. The part has been ordered for it and it's expected to come this week, but we are unsure as to when it can be installed as of job shortages and covid making it hard to do everything. I think we may be getting someone to install the part next week, so this means at the moment i probably won't be making a dessert this week, unless I can think of another french dessert that doesn't require an oven. I might do some research and see what I can find. However, I am not too worried about missing a week of cooking since I have already made 6 desserts. So far, feeling pretty good about my progress and can't wait for my oven to be fixed.
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Reflection 7
This week I didn't know what to make, so I talked to Rosalie and she sent me links to recipes for both chocolate truffles and poached pears. I decide to use the chocolate truffles recipe and just made it this weekend. It was really good and super easy. I'm feeling really comfortable and happy with where I am in the project, and am fully into the routine of making a dessert every week and then uploading the recipes, photos and videos to the website and then repeating that the next week. My oven is getting fixed today! I'm so excited to actually have an oven! I think next week I am going to make poached pears, because I have already purchased all of the ingredients and then I think the week after that I will actually be able to use the oven and make a clafoutis! Overall, really happy with my progress and relieved that the oven is finally getting fixed.
Reflection 8
This week has been like every week I made my dessert and put the video and picture onto the website and book. This week I made poached pears- I didn't mind them but I am not very partial to pears so they weren't my favorite. However, my brother loved them so I am really happy about that. Next week I am making a clafoutis, it's a french baked custard with raspberries. I can't wait to make it because it will be my first dessert in 3 weeks that I have made using the oven! The oven was finally fixed last week and I'm so happy- and relieved. Overall, really happy with my progress and can't wait to finally finish the project- I am about halfway through and have 8 desserts left to bake. Although it might seem like a lot, I'm not worried because 3 weeks of holidays are coming up so I'm just going to bake the rest of the recipe's then.
Reflection 9
This week was the last week of school and I'm feeling pretty good with my progress and comfortable with the fact that I think my project will finish soon. This week I have made a clafoutis and it was so good! It was so bright and colorful and I felt very French when saying the name. I have had a little trouble with my website in that my Instagram account for the project isn't connected to the website anymore, I don't know what happened but I know I can fix it. Next week I plan to make two desserts, the raspberry friands and the citrus souffle. This week has been pretty hectic in terms of finishing off classes and doing assessments so I am looking forward to the holidays when I can relax and focus on my IGNITE project and French desserts. Overall, really happy with my progress and looking forward to making a couple desserts next week.
Reflection 10
This week was my first week of holidays! It was great- and very relaxing. I made raspberry friands- which were delicious, and I made a citrus souffle, which I really enjoyed and was very proud of myself for making it and doing so well. I was worried that I wouldn't get it right and that the souffle wouldn't rise properly, but it did, so I am really happy about that. Next week I will be making macarons and eclairs, I am really excited and think they will be delicious. I am thinking off adding some food die and raspberries to the macarons tomake them pop. In two weeks I am going to finish off my cooking and will make the last three recipe's which are opera cake, creme caramel and mille feuille. I am excited to have a challenge and I think that most of the recipe's left will take a long time to make as they have so many components, however I am not worried because I have nothing but time in the holidays. Overall, really happy with my progress and have been taking the time to plan everything extensively.
Reflection 11
This week was again pretty routine. I made the eclairs and the macarons. The recipe's were some of the more challenging ones that I have included for my project but I'm very happy with my progress and am proud with my completion of them. I am getting to the very end of my project and am really happy with what I have done. I have 3 recipe's left and I am so happy with what I have done with this project. I have challenged myself and have been rewarded for my hard work. I have loved trying some new French treats and have expanded my knowledge on new techniques when baking and making desserts. The recipe's I have left are arguably the hardest of the lot, they are mille-feuille, opera cake and creme caramel. I look forward to the challenge. 1 week left of school holidays and I can't wait to make the most of it. Overall, really happy with my progress and proud of myself with the project I have created so far.
Reflection 12
This week was a very big week for my IGNITE project. I made the most desserts this week I have ever made in all the weeks of my project. I made 3 desserts and they were the hardest of all my dessert! I had decided to do the mille feuille and opera cake in the one day, in hindsight it wasn't the best idea. They were the two hardest recipe's of the project, but I did it! I ended up having to change the buttercream recipe for the opera cake to just a basic recipe because, the first 2 times I made it, it the butter and the eggs split. I also ended up having to make the custard twice for the mille feuille. It was a very stressful day, but I am glad I did it. I have now made all of the recipe's in my project and am going to spend the final couple weeks of the project cleaning up my website, and book, as well as editing and checking everything. Overall, I am so happy with what I have achieved in this project and am so excited to show off all of my work!
Reflection 13
This week was really simple for me. I have completely finished all of my cooking, reviews and recipes and am really happy with everything. I have basically finished my project, and I am so happy with everything that I have done. Throughout the project I have made 16 desserts, all of which have challenged me, I have written reviews on all of them, and I have advanced the knowledge I have on baking. I am so happy I have done this and am very proud of myself with everything that I have done. This week I finished editing everything and reading over all of the recipe's, reviews and reflections. Overall, really happy with everything that I have achieved in this project.
Reflection 14
I have completely finished the project this week, editing and all. I am so happy with the end product and can't wait to show everyone what I have achieved. It has been a really great project and I am so happy that I picked the topic of French Desserts to do. Overall, really happy with what I have done!