collincollegepastry

Congratulations to our class of 2024 Culinary and Pastry students! 🥳 Make us proud 👩‍🍳

Hats off to Executive Chef Korapin Anuruthwong for her spectacular French-themed Ala Carte service! 🎉 She truly set the standard high with her Ala Carte service.

Her delectable appetizers included a divine French Onion Soup and delectable Gruyère Asparagus Twists accompanied by a zesty garlic-lemon aioli.

For the main course, guests were treated to a hard-to-pick just one selection. The Moules Marinière featured Moosabee mussels, spiked crouton, grapefruit, and a spring green salad with a tantalizing mustard-bacon vinaigrette. The Roast “Mock” Duck Confit boasted roasted duck leg and thigh, red currant compote, parsnip purée, and sautéed leaf spinach. Lastly, the Croque Monsieur delighted with country white bread, béchamel, gruyère, ham, peach jam, and fines-herbs duck fat French fries.

Kudos to Pastry Chefs Adrianna Rodriguez, Ashlyn Locicero, Lindsey Hilla, and Gyaneshwar Vemula for crafting an array of heavenly desserts! Their two options were Saveurs Sucrees de France Trio, which had Paris Brest, blood orange pastry cream, almonds, and powdered sugar, a smoked vanilla bourbon blackberry and plum Mille - Feuille, and a chocolate avocado tart with a dark chocolate raspberry garnish. The other option was Delices de la Patisseries Trio, which had chocolate mousse with raspberry jam and brownie, a blueberry mousse with sponge cake, and gelee lemon tart.

Let’s not forget the refreshing specialty drink of the evening, the Diabolo Menthe, a sparkling mint lemonade that perfectly complemented the meal.

Round of applause to Dining Room Manager Jacob Vargas and his team for orchestrating a flawless dining experience for all guests. Bravo, Kora! 🍽️

Here are some more photos from our last Ala Cart service! 🇨🇳

We are happy to announce that the Culinary Club has resumed! 👨‍🍳 Don’t forget to RSVP! 📝

🗓️ Thurs 4/11
⏰ 3:30 PM
📍 Red Room

This is a general meeting and we will be discussing the plan for the rest of the semester, summer, and beginning of fall.

If you have any questions or concerns, please reach out!

All Collin students are welcome and we can’t wait to see everyone!

Some more pictures from Chef Nimesh’s service

https://www.facebook.com/share/JcGkdAh3GXWDkkjz/?mibextid=xfxF2i

We need your help! Help us delight Collin County's disabled and seniors with a Meals on Wheels Spring Box filled with extra food
and fun surprises!

Everybody gets to taste pastry cream practicals😍🤩🫣

Pop up tea party thrown by our Quantity Bake class 🫖🍰🌷

Check out these scrumptious sandwiches from the AM and PM garde manger class 🥪

Beautiful chocolate babka 🍫

Some behind the scenes from Nadia’s service last week! 🇮🇩

Congratulations, Chef Nadia Karjadi, on a successful service! Chef Nadia curated a fabulous Indonesian menu ✨

To kick off this astounding dining experience, guests were treated to bread service featuring roti canai flatbread with a fiery curry dip.

For Chef Nadia’s appetizers, her first choice was Risole, a crispy and deep-fried crepe roll filled with a luscious combination of creamy chicken and veggies, accompanied by chili sauce. The second appetizer option was Chicken Satay, a savory marinated chicken skewers grilled to perfection and served with a delectable peanut sauce.

For the main course, diners had the pleasure of choosing from three options. The first was Soto Ayam, an Indonesian-style chicken soup featuring bean thread vermicelli, chicken, boiled egg, sambal, perkedel, and krupuk udang. The second choice was Nasi Kuning Empal, fragrant yellow rice paired with shredded beef, sliced omelet, assorted Indonesian pickles, sambal, and krupuk udang. The last but certainly not least option was Gorengan, a tempting assortment of fried street food, including Bakwan (coleslaw fritters), lumpia bihun (fried spring rolls), and perkedel (potato fritters), served with chili sauce.

To cap it all off, Chef’s dessert options were a Ketan Srikaya, a warm sweet rice and coconut pandan-flavored custard, and a Tropical Tartlet featuring Mangosteen custard tartlet topped with meringue and Javanese brown sugar, garnished with starfruit and dragonfruit.

And let’s not forget the pièce de résistance, the specialty drink, Es Cendol, a Pandan-infused coconut milk drink with chewy handmade pandan jelly, sweetened with Javanese brown sugar syrup, offering a perfect balance to the flavorful feast.

Dining Room Manager Annalese Hosch and her team orchestrated a beautiful dining experience. Once again, congratulations to Chef Nadia Karjadi on her outstanding service! 👊

Happy Valentines day to everyone from our garden to yours😍

Here are some highlights from Chef Christy’s service last Friday! 💃

Bravo to Chef Christiana Fields, whose Montevideo Uruguay-themed culinary journey enchanted and enlightened taste buds! 👩🏼‍🍳

To start, her bread service featured crisp, freshly fried tortilla chips accompanied by refreshing pico and a spicy chipotle aioli.

Her appetizers included a Provoleta, a baked provolone cheese delight served with house-made fresh baguette slices, and the Guiso De Lentejas, a slow-cooked beef and lentil stew with a compelling blend of ingredients.

Chef Christy offered three different entrees, including the monstrous El Chivito, Uruguay’s national dish, the succulent Pollo Asado on a bed of creamy parmesan polenta, and the flavorful Pasta Con Salsa Caruso with house-made fettuccine noodles and roasted broccolini on the side.

Pastry Chef Nelson Wong and his team joined forces with Chef Christy for the two desserts. The Dulce De Leche Cheesecake and Cinnamon Arroz Con Leche Duet, featuring creamy arroz con leche topped with house-made churros, and the Pionono, a Uruguayan Swiss Roll with chocolatey goodness, fresh strawberries, and vanilla ice cream.

Finally, the specialty drink of the week was Yerba Mate, a cold brew pineapple tea that added a refreshing twist to the culinary symphony.

A shout-out to Dining Room Manager Deidre Chatman for orchestrating an excellent dining ambiance. Congratulations, Chef Christiana Fields, for her superb service! 💯

Let the lunar new year inspire you to embrace a fresh start. Enjoy the Chinese New Year for all of our students, coworkers, and friends who are celebrating.

We love to see our classes collaborating! 🙌 Breads made fresh hot dog buns while Garde Manger ground, stuffed, and smoked hot dogs from scratch. Together, we both had a yummy day in class 🌭

Here are some highlights from our last Ala Carte service! 🇨🇷

Hats off to Chef Jacob Vargas for his splendid culinary showcase! 🌟 Leading the kitchen with flair, his focus was on the flavors of Puerto Viejo, Limón, capturing the essence of Costa Rican cuisine.

Kicking off the dining experience, guests were treated to rolls brushed with egg wash and a luscious orange zest butter.

The appetizers featured a Pozol de Casa, a harmonious blend of pork and hominy soup with a zing from Habanero caviar (not pictured). Chef Jacob’s other option was the Malanga Frita, a crispy breaded taro served with Lizano aioli.

The trio of entrees were Arroz Caribeño, a coconut spiced rice with red beans, braised chicken thigh, and creamy cabbage slaw. Casado Típico, a crispy whole Branzino with house salad and hibiscus pickled onions, and Patí Arreglado, spiced minced beef in annatto and beer pastry, rounded out the enticing main course options.

Satisfying the sweet tooth, the desserts were a triumph. Created by our very own Chef Jill and Adriana Rodriguez, the two desserts were Flora y Churchi, a chocolate-covered tropical-flavored light sponge cake, and Cheesecake de Plátano, a cashew and almond milk cheesecake with caramelized sweet plantains. Congratulations, ladies, on these fabulous pastries!

The Tango de Mango con Passión, a mango and passion fruit mocktail with hibiscus syrup drizzle, added a refreshing touch.

A round of applause for Dining Room Manager Korapin Anuruthwong for orchestrating a radiant dining experience. Congratulations to Chef Jacob Vargas on his service! 👏

Beautiful setup thanks to dining room manager Dunia Hasan and team. Check out some of these dining room photos and some candid shots during service 🧑🏼‍🍳

Thank you to our students from Safety and Sanitation and Intro to Hospitality for helping this service run smoothly!

Congratulations, Chef Almog Peleg, on his Ala Carte service! 🥳 He was the first person to go and set the bar high. For his service, Almog decided to go with the cuisine of the Jerusalem outdoor market.

To start, bread service was provided to each table on a silver tray. Guests enjoyed house-made rye and sourdough bread and a house-made dip and pickled vegetables. Pastry Chef of the week Howard Flushman and his team were in charge of all things bread.

The first appetizer was an Abu-Hassan style hummus spread, topped with Greek Kalamata olive oil, chickpeas, Za’atar spice, and a side of warm scratch flatbread. Chef's second option was kubbe, a crispy beef and lamb fritter with bulgur dough and Lebanese seven spice on a bed of cabbage slaw, topped with tahini sauce and pomegranate seeds.

For this year's service, there was a selection of three entrees. The first entree was shawarma filled with sous vide chicken, braised lamb, house-made hummus, and pickles wrapped in a warm lafta flatbread with a marinated beat salad. Almog’s second entree was a falafel salad with falafel two ways, salad greens and radish, pomegranate seeds, creamy goat cheese, and candy cane beats. The last entree is shakshuka with a poached egg in a rustic tomato stew and a side of more house-made sourdough bread.

Pastry Chef Cam Dempsey and the team made the desserts, which were Malabi, a creamy slow-cooked milk pudding topped with an apricot glaze and pistachios. The second option was kugel, a sweet noodle casserole, a caramelized pear sauce, and a fresh fruit salad.

Last but not least, the specialty drink of the week is a limonada made with fresh mint and lemonade.

Dining room manager Dunia Hasan put out a beautiful display across the Red Room and Alumni Hall. Please look at our next post to see these photos!

Once again, congratulations to Chef Almog Peleg for a glorious service! 👏

Look at the challah! Great job by our fundamentals of baking class today!

Check out these freshly baked pies! The selection includes raisin, pumpkin, sour cream peach pies, and a peach cobbler topped with fresh whipped cream 🥧

Are you ready for the spring semester? This is such an exciting semester over at Alumni Hall because that means The Red Room is now open for business! Students, get inspired for all the fantastic things you can accomplish this semester. Community, faculty, staff, and students, get ready to support the students and eat stunning meals! 😋 Keep an eye out for more details.

Chef Vishwantha Shrivastava held the last Ala Carte service of the 2023 season. His menu was a rendezvous with Indian cuisine! 🇮🇳 His menu had two appetizers, two entrees, two desserts, and a specialty drink.

One of the apps. was a crispy samosa combo that was filled with potato and chicken, as well as a spinach filling with mint and a side of tamarind chutney. The other appetizer option was a Paneer Tikka Kebab that had grilled marinated chunks of paneer (Indian cheese) with vegetables and a side of mint & tamarind chutney.

Chef Vish’s main courses were Palak Paneer with spinach curry, paneer, naan, and basmati rice. For his second entree item, a rich butter chicken with a tomato curry spiced with cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, and a side of naan and basmati rice.

The dessert selection included a creamy Kheer Rice Pudding topped with almonds and pistachios and a sweet Gajar Halwa Carrot Pudding topped with saffron and pistachios.

Last but not least, the specialty drink of that week was Mango Lassi, made in-house with fresh mangos.

Dining room manager Haley Robinson and the team set up a fun dining room showcasing elements of India. Congratulations to Chef Vishwantha Shrivastava on a dazzling service!

Oh wow! Very unique and outstanding designs from our Chocolates and Confections class. 🍫 Check out these “gingerbread” houses made from entirely chocolate! 🏡

Such fabulous cakes from our Cake 2 class! 😍 Bravo on showcasing each of your skills. 🎂

Each person had to create a 3-tiered cake about a holiday, along with making other treats following that same theme.

Congratulations to our latest Garde Manger class on last night's successful grand buffet! 🎊

The first teams' buffet was a walk through Turkey with extra emphasis on the areas closer to the coast. They featured stunning lamb sausage, a great display of several types of house-made pickles, a chutney-style fruit dip, a yogurt dip, a drink made from house-made yogurt, goat cheese boreks, fabulous baklava, and two dips.

The second team's theme was Sicilian. It included gravlax arancini with mustard dill sauce. A garlic and rosemary focaccia topped with whipped goat cheese and black olive tapenade. House-made light pistachio cannoli filled with lemon mascarpone filling and apricot jam. The team included an incredible charcuterie board with a seafood and summer vegetable terrine, mild Italian sausage, mozzarella, gorgonzola, and Parmigiana Reggiani: a red wine, honey, apricot, cherry, and raisin chutney. There was a green tomato chutney, Giardiniera, house-made cheddar and almond crackers, grapes, blood orange, and grapefruit. Last but not least, the second team made a pomegranate jewel mocktail topped with orange slivers.

The buffet showcased what each person has learned throughout the program and the techniques they have picked up along the way.

“It was all excellent, and we worked on everything as a team! I’m happy it was a great turnout, and everyone got to be a part of it!” - says teammate .fields