Today started our guided review week. We are going through what we've learned these past four weeks, essentially mirroring what we will have to do during our finals next week.

Another surprise, we get to switch station partners once again. Just when Brent, Danny, Arturo and I were operating together so smoothly. I guess this is part of the review - working well with others.

After a brief introduction to the week, we jumped right into production. We had a generous amount of time, so it wasn't too difficult. We basically did the potatoes thing (Pommes Anna, an onion Rosti, Pommes Dauphinoise, and mashed potatoes), as well as a consomme and pasta dough for use later in the week.

The major issue really is time management and organization. One needs to know in which order to put together the different dishes. For example, the consomme has to simmer for about an hour, so one had best get it started early. It also requires constant attention during the initial period. The Dauphinoise takes awhile to bake in the oven, but once you've constructed it, you don't have to worry about it much. The onion Rosti, on the other hand, is done in minutes.

Another issue is that we don't start off with all our ingredients pulled. For example, it was at least half an hour into the class before the chicken stock for the consomme was available. We also had to create some of the precursors for some of the dishes, such as clarifying butter for use with the Pommes Anna and onion Rosti. These are other factors that have to be taken into account.

Of course, the dishes have to be prepared properly, but without organization you'll fail. And it isn't simply getting the dishes out that counts either. Chef Guevara docked the whole class for poor cleanliness. Dishes were simply stacked up by the dishwashing sinks. We got everything cleaned in the time alotted, but we didn't clean as we produced. The class waited until the very end. This is unacceptable in an actual restaurant environment, so we all failed on that count.

Now, personally, I wasn't terribly happy with my organization. I should have gotten my consomme started earlier, but got distracted with my mashed potatoes and Dauphinoise. Nothing serious, but I could have been more efficient. I did have one unfortunate moment when, after returning from the dishwashing sinks, I found that my Pommes Anna had fallen apart (butter was too slippery, I guess). I couldn't really salvage the structure of the dish, which is critical, and had to start over. Luckily, there was enough potato left as well as plenty of time. The dish doesn't really take much time, but constructing it is the major effort.

Grade-wise, ultimately, all my dishes came out well, either A or A-. Hopefully I'll be able to perform as well next week, during finals.

Tomorrow: Some classic sauces and soups.