Since you've been gone...

It's been a decade since my last post and i feel like 'just another one' of those failed bloggers, but i've written a post each day on my mind, you just didn't see it:)

I've started that culinary school i've been talking about for the last two years, the very expensive one:/ There seemed no other options for the moment, so i said what the hack:) So, it started on february 1st and i've recieved a 4-months education in the simplest form.. My answer to anyone whose willing to take this way: The only thing i bought, and you will have bought with this money is a diploma to open up a little path for you, other than that it's a barely-mediocre education, so on that part don't get your hopes up. You still have to educate yourself, but the stamp you get is powerful in Turkey for the moment:) PS: With this you also get the cutest stamp of being a spoiled brat from MSA :P

So let's get on to other things it's brought into my life.

I've had the chance to meet a rising star chef from NYC, watched him like a 5-year-old as he did his magic with liquid nitrogen. Then a friend denied him the pleasures of talking about food ( Sorry that

most of you didn't get this sentence, but the ones who did probably had a good laugh:) )... I've found two great friends that make time pass by so easily that you always end up saying: Damn, it's midnight already, we haven't even watch our movies yet:/

We had a hot hot lecture of biscuits from Biscolata guys Oscar and Haley. At that exact moment i realized what i've actually paid for, and felt reaaaallly good about it;))Here's also a link to their commercial, for those of you who don't already know:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DAesQfnvzd4

Anyways,

I now have started my internship at a well-known (worldwide) hotel's pastry kitchen. For diplomatic purposes i'll keep my opinions to myself for now, i'm sure you would all be understanding. It's been 10 days or so, and what i feel when i get home everyday is like somebody beat the bleep out of me all day through. My feet hurt, but not so much as my back... Kinda feels like my spine has been used for a Jenga game, and one of the vertebras is about to slip and lead to a destruction:) But i'm sure i'll get used to it, or to a good massage after it... Yet the pain is also most satisfying as it is from actually doing things. I've never even touched a dirty dish, or wiped the floors... For the 8 hours i work, i'm almost always baking baking baking... cakes, financiers, brownies, pannacottas, creme brules, etc... and ofcourse chocolate:)

Besides all that, i've also had a couple of orders in the last weeks. I'm making my fortune out of nasty nasty cakes and cupcakes. Bachelorette business is good, i may soon rule the bachelorette parties in Istanbul with my cupcakes, so here are some pics of that, too...

So...

apart from how tiring it is, everything is good. Can't wait to finish this internship and actually start working... I apologize for such an unorganised post, but i will spend more time on posting and writing fun and interesting ones again...

Eat chocolate, be good and i will see u later:)

Chocolate Problem

I've been working on a lot of stuff simultaneously. Finding a brand name, finding a secondary brand name, designing a logo, choosing a product line, saying 'wth?! chill!', making bunches of brownies and tryin to come up with new bunches of brownies:) Then, i realized - on a chill moment- i've been parrying the blog, just posting pictures of what i've done. So here comes a new post:

Why oh why my brownies have to be so expensive?

For the last couple of weeks i've been making a whole lot of brownies, and the cost has become an insane burden that i was starting to wonder if it wouldn't be possible to make reasonably-priced brownies without comprimising from the quality.

Some who've seen previous photos may think i'm being quite posh both using Lindt chocolate and complaining about the price, YET, the domestic products we have are insults to the chocolatiers worldwide. If, for example, we think in terms of tea, our market chocolate is like black tea with actually a few drops of tea and a whole lot of hot water, with 6 sugarcubes inside- usually prepared by a five year-old:)

So...

YES, i complain. But, thanks to Cenk of CafeFernando, the nightmare is over:) After spending hours and hours on reading his blog and all comments to his blogs, i found a name and number...I was finally able to get into contact with a distributor of Valrhona chocolates, from whom i don't have to get a hundred kilos of each product:) So yey for that and thank you Cenk:)

It's insane that you can get 100 times the quailty for lower the price. I do have to get at least 3 to 5 kilos of each type of chocolate i want, but the price per kilo comes down to such a good level that some of the cocoa-sugar mixtures they sell as chocolate become expensive, when compared:)

So, i'll go make some brownies now...

Truffles truffles truffles

I'm working on my cinnamon-cognac truffles. So here's a sneakpeak for you:)

Will be finished by tonite...

New Cupcakes from the New Book

After a small break, i got back into the kitchen today. Tried out two new cupcake recipes. I am tired, my back hurts and i may be falling asleep right about now:) Buttt, it was worth the effort.

It doesn't exactly look like the ones in the book, i'm working on that, too.

One chocolate peppermint and raspberry vanilla cupcake down, just about two hundred more recipes to go:)

But the main good news of the day is that I GOT A JOB:) A while ago, i've sent an email to the owner of a bistro-like place, of which i adore both the style and the food. And, luckily, i got a reply right ahead. After a cozy interview on monday, we sealed the deal and i've spent the whole day, today, collecting all the necessary reports and stuff. I'm gonna be working at an about-to-be-open restaurant in Nisantasi. I have no idea what i would be called since i will be working different parts each month or so; but i will be within the whole process inside and outside the kitchen, even outside the restaurant, hopefully. EXCITEDDDD:D I know that it's gonna be a tiring, yet incredible experience. Guess my luck has turned around;)

Keep following...

PS: For more pictures, visit my facebook page