Here I sit, at home on a sunny Sunday afternoon smack in the middle of the day. It's homework time, and we have more than ever before. Are you jealous? Probably not, but you should be! My homework is actually fun.

I get to review the fantastic desserts we plated this week and am finding myself drooling (don't tell anyone) over the photos I took. I get to remember how we made basil crème anglaise... and how delightful it tasted with our lemon tarts. And I get to plan out my itinerary for tomorrow's desserts: pineapple tarte Tatin with frozen vanilla lime yogurt and a slew of other tasty accompaniments, plus a banana macadamia nut financier served with brown butter sauce. What will need to be done first on the long list of tasks? Solving this kind of puzzle is a thrill.

But right now I'm working on some sketches: Chef Jürgen has asked us to make detailed drawings and descriptions of everything we've plated thus far. I'm no award-winning artist, unfortunately, but still it's fun to play the part.

I've got a few more drawings ahead of me, so back to the grind I go before I can close my books and call it a day. I'm sure I'll also have to sharpen my colored pencils again. You can bet that tomorrow evening I'll be back at my kitchen table sketching two more desserts!

Or so we thought. When our stools were put away and our stations set up for tackling the apple treats, Chef Jürgen had a surprise. "Who really knows their ladyfingers?" he asked, and we all casually raised our hands. We were whizzes at separated egg sponges, weren't we? But Aaron, hand held high like the rest of us, was called on to prove it: Chef stepped away from the demo station and asked my classmate to replace him on stage.

Aaron nervously approached the front of the room and took his place beneath the demo mirror. Ingredients already mise en placed and mixer already plugged in, he began to combine ingredients, whisk yolks, and beat egg whites into nice, strong peaks. Chef stood in the corner challenging him: "Why are you doing that?" and "How would you do this instead?" I tried to answer the questions in my head before Aaron did out loud: How would I do if Chef had called on me? And did I really grasp the making of ladyfingers as well as had I thought? Aaron did wonderfully, as did Kat, who was up next to review for us the making of a fruit-based Bavarian cream.

We didn't expect the moving of the spotlight today, but its first two victims put on a respectable show. It was exciting to see them in action—and gave us all optimism that we'd each do equally well when called upon ourselves. But from now on I'll think twice before I raise my hand to the "How well do you know...?" question. I would hate to bomb when the curtain rises on my stage.

From monkeys and mice to men and monsters, we worked on figurines of all shapes and sizes. While we showed off our animal creations, we also learned the difficulties of giving them expressions and personalities. While we "oohed" and "aahed" at each others' work, we realized the importance of proportions and poses. Sure, we can make bugs and bunnies galore—but are they good enough to sell in a store? Fortunately, I was able to take my extra marzipan home. Practice makes perfect, I hope.

An easier endeavor for most of us was fashioning marzipan fruits and veggies. Little peas in a pod, peaches and pears, even corn on the cob! They were simply adorable.

After a few quick sprays from the airbrushing machine, they were ready to be put on display. For that, we made individual nougatine baskets. After making the caramel/almond mixture and rolling it into one large sheet, it was time to cut and mold. But keeping the nougatine bendable and soft for shaping was no easy task. Transfers into and out of the oven did the trick, but also made for some hot (hot, hot) stuff. Oh, my poor little finger tips!

We kept at it, though, and the results were well worth our efforts. Check out Annie's veggie basket and mine, filled with fruits. Don't they look divine?

What a week! Today we reached the completion of a four-day project: a pastillage cake stand with four favor boxes, completely made out of sugar. The stand had to hold a fondant-covered orange/lime curd cake (which was absolutely delicious, I might add) and a selection of the sugar flowers we made with visiting Chef Ron Ben-Israel, one of NYC's premier wedding cake designers.

It was four days of brand-new ideas, brand-new materials, brand-new techniques—and lots of nerve-wracking moments, too. Working with such fragile and delicate material, we were holding our breath much of the time, especially today, when the final assembly took place. Would our pastillage pieces crack under the weight of the cake? Would our pretty sugar flowers slip from our hands and shatter all over the floor? We felt like we were participating in one of the Food Network's Las Vegas competitions, only there were no commercial breaks to build up the suspense—and, bummer, no $10,000 prize.

I'm breathing now, and celebrating. Our cake stands all came together, and they are more impressive than I ever imagined! Here are some of our creations. (Mine's the chicken laying eggs.) I think we definitely have some future Food Network sugar sculpting competitors in the group, don't you?