Luckily, Monday's exam was only our mock midterm. I'm only two weeks away from reaching the halfway point of finishing my nine-month program at the French Culinary Institute.

This exam was a real eye-opener.

Of course I drew the number to be the first group to turn in dishes. My assignment? I had to make consommé (a very clear, clean and flavorful soup) and boeuf bourguignon (beef burgundy).

We started at about 5:55 p.m. and my consommé was due at 8:43 p.m. I quickly prepped my vegetables to make a raft to clarify the consommé. It went well — my consommé had good flavor, the vegetables were uniform and the broth had very little grease in it.  I was pleased considering how last week our chef said my consommé lacked salt and tasted especially flat.

My beef dish was a different story. Due at 9:41 p.m., I was nearly nine minutes late. We're docked seven points at the five-minute mark and a point for every two minutes after that point. Besides the meat, the dish had many components: sautéed mushrooms and bacons, pearl onions cooked to a nice golden color, diamond-shape croutons, fresh egg noodles and a reduced veal stock. My sauce was too thin and the beef needed more salt. The bright side: I had practiced making the egg noodles at home and it paid off.

Overall, I felt pretty good about the results except for being late. This just means more practice at home! As our chef said, you have a new day to redeem yourself in a kitchen.