day five: the finale December 18, 2009
Posted by molly in : about the kitchen, afk (away from kitchen) , trackback
thought i’d just get right into today’s post with a drool-inducing shot of the brownies i made today. it’s a shame that an egg-free brownie will NEVER look or taste that good. well, i can only assume they taste good based on the noises that came out of phil’s mouth earlier when he ate that corner that you see is missing.
wow, the week-long beginner’s course has come to an end! i will miss school! i’ll tell you the honest-to-god truth: this isn’t a cheap course, but i definitely feel like it was worth it. i think there were more than a few of my classmates who didn’t get as much out of the experience as i did, but i think they were “sent” there, if you know what i mean.
anyway, just a brief recap of today’s stuff, which was lots of fun and mostly about entertaining. we got a full buffet lunch served to us after the demonstration, during which we learned how to make all kinds of party-friendly foods.
demonstration
- thai lettuce salad with steak, chili & lime dressing (aaaaand soy sauce — booooooo)
- smoked chicken and noodle salad (egg noodles — boooooooo)
- grilled goats cheese with warm lentil salad (OMG SO GOOD – the goats cheese aka crottin was so delicious served over warm puy lentils and caramelised red onions. i am definitely making this.)
- roast salmon with orange and ginger (again, another one that’s bookmarked for later. LOVED.)
- green bean and tomato salad (very simple, but excellent dressing… also bookmarked)
- spicy aubergine salad (did you notice? they actually made VEGAN salads for lunch today! no mention of it of course but i was very gleeful)
- herbed couscous (our demonstration teacher called this dish a plate filler, but i thought it was excellent)
- chocolate roulade (gluten free! looked heavenly, like a snow-covered yule log)
- eton mess (boring. egg whites. cream. who needs it?)
practice
- chocolate brownies (as you see above, these were properly fudgey brownies using melted chocolate pieces. there was a very embarrassing moment where i pressed the wrong button on the hand mixer and the whisks fell out into my bowl of brownie batter. good job, amateur.)
- sesame beef salad (again, marinated in soy sauce among other things, but lots of fun to make. my table-mate nick took mine home.)
and that’s that! we were given little certificates at the end to say we had completed the course. hooray!
i definitely enjoyed some teachers more than others, and took away several key points and tips that i’ll hold onto throughout my lifetime. but here are the main recipes and meals that i’ll be attempting to recreate in the new year:
- homemade vegetable stock (reduced and made into ice cubes to be used instead of stock cubes)
- sunday roast
- the salmon, goats cheese lentil, couscous, and aubergine dishes from today
- plum and orange crumble (made with a dairy-free topping)
- orange segments
i have become obsessed with creating the perfect segment - fish pie (again dairy free? it could be possible, we’ll see.)
- salt and vinegar potatoes (like on day three)
- italian bread (using different toppings, like olives or sundried tomatoes instead of rosemary)
- spinach salad (like on day two)
- perfect scrambled eggs and omelette for phil
- hummus
and those are just the recipes we learned at school – i still have my huge 867-page BIBLE to look through!
regular posts will resume tomorrow. i made a potato pea curry last night with phil that was delicioso, plus we’ll be making our mini christmas dinner on monday night. i’ll also be creating some dark chocolate candy on either monday or tuesday, and then it’s off to phil’s aunt & uncle’s house for christmas. as was to be expected, posting may be minimal during the holiday season. we’re back in london for less than 24 hours before catching a flight to boston and traveling around the states for two weeks, so i’m going to apologise in advance if things seem a little quiet around here for the next few weeks!
Comments»
Molly,
I have greatly enjoyed following your school week! I am glad it was lots of fun and you have gained some new culinary knowledge!
Have a fabulous Christmas and enjoy your Dirty Dancing trip in the States!
xxx
hey lyns! thanks very much — have a wonderful festive season
best. brownie. ever.
jealous, anyone?
Molly. Don’t listen to them, I have an egg free, dairy, soy and wheat free recipe for Chocolate Brownie which will have you in heaven. And you don’t have to share it if you don’t want to!
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