Red Meat-Part 1, the search for the perfect pastry cream recipe continues

Our series on red meat started today. We learned the different parts of the cow and what cuts they produced, and during demo, Chef made the marinade for beef bourgogne, roasted sirloin steak with jus, beef with onions and carrots, and pureed potatoes (mashed potatoes!).

I had a lengthy break between classes so I walked home to meet Quinn for a quick lunch before his boxing lesson and then continued my search for the perfect pastry cream recipe. We had FIVE different pastry creams as part of our tasting: the one I made two nights ago, the one I made last night, the two I made this afternoon, and the pastry cream in Stohrer's millefeuille. I also made another batch of choux pastry to accompany the various pastry creams I concocted. I varied the amount of eggs, vanilla, butter, sugar, cornstartch, and cooking methods in my different recipes and I found a winner! Thank goodness! I'm on the verge of pastry cream overload. For three days in a row, I have had pastry cream and/or cream puffs for dinner... probably not the best thing for my girlish figure.

When I got home, Quinn gobbled up the sirloin steak, jus, and mashed potatoes that I made during practical. I've made mashed potatoes a million times at home with some success, but never have I made mashed potatoes like I did tonight. They were delicious! This recipe's a keeper!