Day 4 of final exams for course I.

I hate eggs. Frustrating things. You don't use enough butter and they don't slide around easily in the non-stick pan. You use too much butter and they brown. Darn things never want to fold properly. About the only eggs I do like are the scrambled kind. Those I can do readily. The others, what a pain.

I'm going to need a lot more practice with egg cookery before I feel confident. My respect for breakfast chefs is much, much higher now.

Quiches are cool, though. I don't mind them much. One hint: I find that the cheese on top browns too much before the rest of the quiche has set. Solution: give the quiches ten minutes in the oven before adding the final top coat of cheese. Seemed to work out pretty well.

Quiches may be nice, but crepes are better. I got a beautiful batter this time. I was producing perfect crepe after perfect crepe with no problem. These would be used for a Suzette, but I'm definitely thinking of experimenting with some savory recipes at home. Of course, this is not to dismiss the sublime pleasures of Suzette sauce. To me, they taste of California. Having them this early in the morning is sort of like waking up in an orange grove.

The last thing I made today (for grade ... I whipped up an extra batch of Crepes Suzette at the end for the heck of it) was the Hollandaise for Eggs Florentine and Blanched Asparagus. Despite its reputation for difficulty, I feel pretty good making Hollandaise. I would love to compare flavors, but I think the texture I get (ribbony) is just right.

Overall, a mediocre day (thanks for nothing, eggs!), but whipping through the recipes shows that my skills have certainly improved from the beginning.

Tomorrow, the last day of Course I.