Oh yes. This is my dad, armed with his water-proof yellow hat, smoking 4 turkeys, 2 racks of pork ribs, and a 30 lb ham all by himself. Not only is he a pro at the smoker, but he is incredibly dedicated to his food- so dedicated in fact, that the woke up at 3 am and faced the freezing cold to turn the ham. Obviously, our Thanksgiving meal tasted amazing this year.
As for school, we began our tour through various culinary nationalities. It began with France as we cooked our way through all of the fatty, butter-filled foods that define the renown French cuisine. Each region has their fat of choice, ranging from duck fat, pork fat, butter, etc- Light eaters beware! Duck fat was a particular favorite as most recipes incorporated duck fat by the quarts. We made Duck Confit which is basically duck legs that are simmered for 2 hours in duck fat and are then re-submerged in the fat. The fat acts as a preservation technique that allows the duck to be saved for up to 2 years. Besides the few legs that were used for "educational" tastings, the majority of the duck legs were put away to be saved for our graduation buffet so we can see how much flavor the legs develop while in the fat (sounds delicious right?). One dish that was particularly exciting for me to make was Julia Child's infamous Beef Bourguignon. After being inspired by the movie "Julie and Julia", making her well-known classic was very thrilling. I felt a part of the "club" having taken my first step into the culinary industry. Overall, France was great, but I was ready to leave the fat behind us...
This week, we have moved to Italy! (studying these countries REALLY makes me want to go see them- anyone interested??) So far, I have loved studying Italian techniques because, unlike the French who cover up their foods with fatty complications, the Italians put their efforts into finding the freshest products and highlighting that freshness with the simplest of recipes. This was a refreshing change. Today, I got to the fulfill my dream of making homemade pasta! We started by kneading the dry, stiff dough until it got to the necessary consistency. Using a pasta maker, we then rolled out the disks of pasta into long, thin sheets of soon-to-be-deliciousness. With these sheets, we made butternut squash ravioli and traditional trenette pasta (basic angelhair noodles). We also made my favorite pasta- gnocchi! The recipe we used called for riced potatoes, flour, eggs, nutmeg, and salt. We kneaded, rolled, cut, and boiled those marvelous pockets of pasta into a divine pasta experience. I definitely have eaten my fill of carbs today.
Another cool part of this week was a seminar I just attended this evening about how to meet human needs with a culinary profession. At the seminar, there was a panel of individuals who are currently in jobs that fight against hunger, strive to increase the nutrition of meals served in schools, and bring awareness to the economical importance of local farmers. It was really encouraging to know that there are so many untapped opportunities to use this crazy industry to meet the real needs of people. I, for one, am determined to work towards something that brings beneficial change directly to people. I am not sure exactly what that will be, but I'm sure the Lord will tell me in due time...
Sorry for the lack of pictures this week. I AM bringing my camera to school tomorrow so I will make up for it :) For the rest of the week, we are continuing our journey throughout Italy as we knead, boil, and sauce our way through the classic pastas we all know and love.
Happy Eating!
