Wow what a day! The kitchen was insane today! Everyone had a lot of different dishes to make today. I had to make quite a lot of intricate dishes, and almost had a break down at the beginning when I got frustrated with the paté, but overall I'm happy with how things went today! I got good marks too! :D Here's what I made:
Overall my day in the kitchen wasn't bad at all! I think what put me behind was trimming the livers. I was a bit timid at first, so I didn't move very efficiently and ended up spending WAY too long on them. I got good marks at least! :D I learned a lot and thought everything tasted delicious, which I guess is what's really important.
- Pâté de Campagne: this is a crazy dish. I rolled out bacon between cling film to lengthen and thin it out, then lined a casserole tin with it. Then I made a mix of chicken and pork with egg, spices, and pistachios. And then I made alternating layers of the meat mixture with chicken liver and chunks of ham. Once I got that all ready to go, I had to make a mixture called "luting paste," which is water and flour that glues the lid of the casserole dish to the base. I almost hit my breaking point when I was putting the bacon in the dish because it was just so annoying!!! UGH! Luckily I was able to push through it. Once I finished it felt like a huge weight lifted off of my shoulders and I got really excited to move on to the next thing! :D
- Confiture d'Oignons: this is a great condiment! I can imagine it would go so well with a burger. I cooked down onions with some sugar, red wine, red wine vinegar, and cassis (a blackcurrant liqueur) until it caramelized. Delicious!
- Parmesan and Gruyère Soufflé: the timing of this dish is what makes it so tricky to serve. Once you mix the egg white in to the cheesy milk and yolk mixture, there's only a certain amount of time you can leave it out before you cook it. Then it cooks for 12 minutes exactly (AND DON'T OPEN THE DOOR OR IT WILL COLLAPSE!) and then you have to serve it immediately. I thought it tasted quite good though :). Cayenne pepper and parmesan are a great combo!
Overall my day in the kitchen wasn't bad at all! I think what put me behind was trimming the livers. I was a bit timid at first, so I didn't move very efficiently and ended up spending WAY too long on them. I got good marks at least! :D I learned a lot and thought everything tasted delicious, which I guess is what's really important.
The part of demo that I did see was really interesting! Emer showed us how to cook with salmon. She brought in a whole wild salmon (apparently one of those things runs for 100 quid!) It's such a beautiful fish! I never realized how massive those beasts areI would love to try hot smoking one someday. Apparently you can convert a biscuit tin into a smoker by placing a metal rack inside it with hardwood shavings under it, fish on top, and then tin with lid over a stove. So cool! It only takes a matter of minutes to cook too! Imagine all of the possibilities! :D Emer also made some glazed fruits, which I thought looked gorgeous! She brought in some ground cherries, which are related to gooseberries and tomatillos I think. They're so cute with their little hats! :D
I had to leave demo early today so that I could register for classes at JMU. I can't believe it's time to do that. I think I have a decent schedule! I got all of the classes I needed, and nothing is too squished together, though Tu/Th will be busy. Oh well! I'm glad it went smoothly!
Between demo and sourdough time, I WENT ON A RUN!!!!! THE SUN WAS STILL UP AND IT WAS SUCH A BEAUTIFUL DAY!!!! :D:D:D:D:D:D I was able to do a hill workout on the massive hill about a mile out. It was awesome. Today has been such a beautiful day too, so I loved having the chance to get outside and really appreciate it.
Between demo and sourdough time, I WENT ON A RUN!!!!! THE SUN WAS STILL UP AND IT WAS SUCH A BEAUTIFUL DAY!!!! :D:D:D:D:D:D I was able to do a hill workout on the massive hill about a mile out. It was awesome. Today has been such a beautiful day too, so I loved having the chance to get outside and really appreciate it.
And finally, here's the sourdough I made!! It didn't rise a whole lot, but at least it had a lovely flavor. Tim thinks my starter is getting stronger and that this loaf is much better than the first spelt one! :D He reminds me of my good friend Bobby at home. He's so fun to talk with!
I didn't really do a whole lot after making the sourdough other than hanging out with Nan. We read through my wine book (or rather I read through it and she probably didn't listen because she HATES wine with a passion). Somehow I managed to go to bed late, even though I really wasn't doing anything after that!! Oh well! It's the weekend!! Woohoo!
Favorite part of the day: doing my hill workout. Athletically, I haven't had a chance to get "in the zone" lately. Even though running is a bit intense, I find it really soothing and cleansing for my mental clarity. :)
One thing I learned today: chocolate tart is amazing, especially when it is cooked with a base of salted caramel and roasted hazelnuts - enough said! One of the girls in my kitchen, Beth, let us try some of it today and WOW! My mouth had a party ^_^.
Love,
Livvy
Favorite part of the day: doing my hill workout. Athletically, I haven't had a chance to get "in the zone" lately. Even though running is a bit intense, I find it really soothing and cleansing for my mental clarity. :)
One thing I learned today: chocolate tart is amazing, especially when it is cooked with a base of salted caramel and roasted hazelnuts - enough said! One of the girls in my kitchen, Beth, let us try some of it today and WOW! My mouth had a party ^_^.
Love,
Livvy