Is it banana?? Or....
Butter!!!!!! :) This morning's demonstration was all about adding value to milk by making butter, cheeses, yogurt, and other various curdled dishes. We learned how to make cheese curds (which is the cream and casein separating from the whey and lactose I think?) - just add rennet to milk and put at a higher heat. From that curdy stage, you can then make all sorts of dishes - cottage cheese, ricotta (the Italian word for "re-cooked," where you cook down the whey liquid), or an aged cheese like Gouda. Making yogurt seemed pretty straightforward too, especially if you have high quality milk like Ballymaloe produces here. :) From the yogurt, Darina also let it drain in a cheese cloth to make something called Labneh - little cheesy balls that are preserved in oil. I actually didn't like them that much, but they were still an interesting variation on plain yogurt! The heart-shaped mold is something called a cœur a la crème, which was made from cottage cheese, sugar, and whipped cream. Overall, the morning offered a lovely way to showcase your milk. :)
Lunch was delicious, yet again! I don't even remember half of the things we got to eat, but one of my favorites was definitely the deviled egg topped with locally smoked salmon! I ate outside in the little glass-encased room this time and got to see a beautiful view of some of the farm! (second picture). Dessert was yet again scrumptious, with some of the cheese dishes Darina had made in front of us. Going clockwise, this is what we had...
Goodness I wish I could eat more while still staying conscientious of my health haha.
- Rhubarb crumble tart (leftover from yesterday) and whipped cream
- Srikhand - I'm not sure the origin, maybe India? It's basically drained yogurt flavored with saffron, cardamom, sugar, and pistachio. SOO GOOD!
- Sweet Labneh three ways - the first with candied sea kelp (the light yellow colored thing), roasted pine nuts, and mint. The second with candied rose petals and rose water syrup. The third is above the raspberry ice cream, which was topped with a kumquat compote :).
- Llast but not least, raspberry ice cream with a nice raspberry coulis sauce!
Goodness I wish I could eat more while still staying conscientious of my health haha.
The day kept moving right along straight after lunch. Some of the girls and I got to put our cheeses we made the other day into a brine to make a mold, then we all sat in on a wine lecture for several hours. We drank SO much wine! I guess it is "Wine Wednesday," after all!
- We started off the session with a sweet, alcohol-free Spanish Muscat wine (absolutely delicious!) called Torres Natureo. Yum! Basically white grape juice.
- Framingham Sauvignon Blanc (2014) from Marlborough, New Zealand - a white wine with a lovely light and citrusy flavor!
- Ovilos (2012): an organic and biodynamic white wine made at the vineyard Ktima Biblia Chora in Greece. Similar to a Sauvignon Blanc, but much heavier. Not my favorite.
- For reds, we started off with a 2012 Bordeaux red wine, which was a blend of Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Cabernet Sauvignon grapes, then finished off the day with a delicious 2006 Cabernet Sauvignon from South Australia!
To finish off the day, I did a nice workout along the flatter part of the country lane nearby. What a beautiful sunset!! I love the sky here!
Ahhhhh so now after a long day of learning, tomorrow I get to cook again! I'll do my best to bake a traditional white Irish soda bread, then make a baba ganoush, then finish it all off with a crème caramel. I can't wait to make hard caramel decorations! :D Happy Wednesday!
Love,
Livvy
PS Sorry this post is so long! We did a lot today!
Love,
Livvy
PS Sorry this post is so long! We did a lot today!