I usually don’t get nervous before a test, but today as we were waiting to enter the classroom, my heart was beating quickly. But I felt ready. I studied all the recipes, knew them by heart and practiced béarnaise sauce several times.

The chef announces the dishes – stuffed trout or roasted lamb. I pull the lamb and am excited. I really liked this dish the last time we made it. The only problem with exams is that the chefs make us work at new stations. This is a big challenge because you’re working next to different people with totally different equipment. The burners can be hotter or cooler, same with the ovens.

But by far the biggest challenge is finishing in the two and a half hour time limit. If you go even a second over time, you immediately begin to lose points. This means your dish must be plated, kept warm and your entire station must be completely spotless. It’s not easy.

I begin all my preparations: making the wine, vinegar, herb, shallot reduction for the béarnaise; heat water to blanch tomatoes for peeling; chop my herbs. I feel like I’m moving even too fast for me – and I’m normally very fast these days.

I remove the fat, silver skin and bones from the lamb. It gets rubbed with oil and chopped mint. The bones get chopped into small pieces and browned over medium heat. The pan is then degreased and deglazed with Cognac and Madeira. In goes the veal stock, mint stems, crushed peppercorns, and water. Bring to a boil and simmer for at least 30 minutes to develop flavor and reduce.

Now I work on the garnish. Two pounds of spinach gets a nice bath and then a quick plunge in a sauté pan with oil, salt and pepper. Drain well and set aside. Slice the mushrooms and sauté them in the same pan with oil, salt and pepper. Once the liquid evaporates, set aside. Peel, seed and dice the tomatoes. Sweat the chopped onions in oil and then add the tomatoes. Season and cook over low heat until all liquid evaporates.

For the potatoes Noisette, peel the potatoes and using a melon baler, cut out perfect spheres. Bring them to a boil in cold water. Once blanched, drain and cook in oil and butter until nicely crisp and brown. Once cooked through, drain and season.

For the lamb, brown lightly on both sides, about a minute per side. Place in the oven for three minutes per side. Rest and keep warm.

Now it’s time to plate. Reheat the garnish quickly. Using a ring mold, put a layer of spinach, then a layer of mushrooms, and top with a layer of tomatoes. Slice the lamb thinly – it should rose – and place on top of the tomatoes. Strain the sauce, taste and season, then ladle around the plate. Place on the potatoes and voila! I’m done.

Well, not quite. I have to complete the béarnaise by whisking egg yolks, water and the vinegar reduction over a hot water bath. Once it reaches the desired consistency, remove from heat and whisk in a boatload of clarified butter. Strain and then add chopped herbs.

I managed to finish 15 minutes before time, so I felt pretty good. My work wasn’t perfect, but I was happy with the results. I forgot to salt my lamb after it came out of the oven and my béarnaise sauce wasn’t exactly the consistency I wanted. But I’m done and thrilled to have it behind me.

Now comes pastry. Wish me luck!

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