Day Twenty The End

All good things must come to an end, and unfortunately today was such a day. We ended the day with a repeat of the initial mystery chocolate taste test.
1) Extremely sweet
2) More bitter, a little dry, slight acid element
3) Complex with a lingering fruity flavor

It turned out the first one was Dove, the second was Godiva, and the third was Shaffenberger. It was interesting how much peoples taste buds changed over the course of the course, with most people switching from preferring the Dove.

When I signed up for this class, I did so mainly because I was interested in cooking/eating a lot of food. However, as the course progressed, I quickly realized that a much more important thing was happening. I can confidently say that I understand my tastes much more now after this course. It was extremely interesting to have the daily chocolate tastings and witness the changing nature of my taste buds and the so called "loss of innocence" about what makes a good chocolate. Additionally, I really liked the cheese tastings and being exposed to a variety of new tastes. While I wish we could have been in the kitchen more often, since I truly enjoyed cooking, given the logistics I think we had a perfect balance. Therefore, I truly appreciated the experiences this class gave me, and think it was definitely an interim well spent. 

Day Nineteen Southern Cooking

Today the other group was in the kitchen cooking southern food. Of course I love southern food, so I was really excited about this day. I have to say that the group did a good job, and it tasted like something my Grandmother would make. I particularly enjoyed the macaroni and cheese and the gravy they made. It was a good way to end our time in the church kitchen with such a homey, and comfort food filled meal.

Day Eighteen

We started off with our last official chocolate tasting today. All of these chocolates Vahrona, and we are determining what differences vintages have on chocolates.
- Gran Couva (Trinidad 2010): Complex flavor with a fruity flavor that developed on the palate.
- Gran Couva (Trinidad 2011): Milder flavor with a hint of bitter
- Palmira Criollo (Venezuela 2009): Very fruity, elements of honey
- Palmira Criollo (Venezuela 2010): Still fruity, but more bitter than the older vintage

After this tasting, it does not seem as if vintage has too much of a significant effect on flavor.

We also did a vanilla tasting.
- Tahitian: Mild flavor, but very smooth and good
- Mexican: Most pronounced flavor that was almost a little spicy
- Madagascar (homemade): Milder than the storebought
- Madagascar (Spice House): Intense vanilla flavor

I think out of these my favorite was the Tahitian.

Day Seventeen

Today was a bittersweet day, in that it was our final day of cheese tasting. But before that, we were able to have another chocolate tasting. This was actually my favorite groupings of chocolates we had tasted all month, and they were known as the "best of the varietals." All of these chocolates are from the Amedei chocolate company.
The Amedei 9 was extremely smooth. It was sweet, and the taste lingered. There was almost a nutty taste to me.
The Chuao had a fruitier taste. I did not like it as much as the other ones, but it was still a good chocolate.
Amedei Porcelana was by far the my favorite though. It actually was probably my favorite chocolate I tasted all year. It had a wonderfully smooth and creamy texture, just the right amount of cocoa flavor, without any bitterness or astringency. Just a great chocolate.

Today was also the last cheese tasting day. We tried some more soft, "stinky" cheeses this time. These weren't my favorite, but I could appreciate it.
- Taleggio: smelly, tangy, creamy, didn't particularly like it
- Morbier Raw Milk: similarly smelly, had an almost musty flavor
- Chimay: Really did not like this one, even though I do like Chimay beer. Extremely bitter.

Day Sixteen Indian Cooking

Today was my last day cooking in the church kitchen. I can't believe Interim has gone by so fast, but I have really enjoyed expanding my cooking skills and learning to cook different things. But for my last day in the kitchen, the International team will be cooking Indian food. I was a little apprehensive going into it, because I had never cooked Indian food before. However, I think it turned out extremely well! The dish I mainly worked on was Chicken Korma. It is a Northern Indian dish that has a lot of good flavor, but isn't too spicy, which worked out well for serving the class. I really enjoyed it, and it really wasn't too difficult to make. If I had the right kitchen appliances, I would definitely try and make it again. Other dishes included Aloo Gobi, which was a cauliflower and potatoes dish. It had a little more of a kick, which I enjoyed. We also had basmati rice, naan bread, cucumber salad, and mango lassis. I had never had mango lassis before, but they were a perfect compliment/end to the meal.

I thought the meal overall was a success. There were a few mishaps at the beginning of the day, but once we got going it was a good day. I really enjoyed making something different like Indian food though, as I could really appreciate learning to make and try something new. Overall, it was a great way to end my time in the church kitchen!

Day Fifteen

With interim ending next Wednesday, I try to appreciate each chocolate tasting even more than I have been. Today's class started off with a chocolate tasting with several El Rey chocolates.
-Bucare: 58.5%, even though this was the lowest amount of cocoa, I still think it had a strong flavor. Almost earth.
-Mijao: 61%, the sweetest of the three, extremely creamy
- Gran Saman: 70%, almost fruity taste, astringent, this one was probably my favorite.

The next aspect of our day was a cinnamon test. I never realized that most of the cinnamon we had grown up with was not actual cinnamon, but rather some form of cassia.
Ceylon: Actual cinnamon, spicy, lasting flavor
Chinese Cassia: Very tangy
Saigon Cassia: Extremely spicy, tastes like a Red Hot candy
Korintga Cassia: The smoothest, less spicy than the others

The cheese tasting we did today was by far my favorite. We tried various blue cheeses, which are by far my favorite type.
Stilton: Creamy, my favorite kind, we have this every year at Christmas time, and I always enjoy it
Valdeon: extremely strong, lingering taste, not bad but it almost overpowers everything
American: The least flavorful, creamy, not my favorite
Cambozola: developing flavor, less flavor as well

I enjoyed the cheese tasting a lot, and definitely confirmed my love of Stilton. It was a great day, and I am looking forward to cooking Indian food tomorrow for President Dunlap.

Day Fourteen Cooking with Eggs

Today we went back to the kitchen at the church to cook with eggs. We used eggs in a variety of ways that I never really thought of before. The menu we cooked included frittatas, biscuits, quiche, ice cream, souffle, and tarts. Personally, Kevin and I worked on the frittatas, and a recipe will be soon following explaining the steps. I had never made a frittata before, but after this day I feel like they can become a staple. The frittata we made was a sundried tomato, mustard green, and fontina cheese one. I was a little nervous at first, but in fact it was not too difficult. Next time I will be a little more careful when cooking the eggs in the skillet, so that they will rise more when placed in the oven.

I really enjoyed learning to make the frittata, as well as helping with the chocolate souffle. I particularly enjoyed this cooking day because I feel like I can utilize the knowledge I learned in my day to day cooking life. My favorite foods from the day were probably a tie between the frittata as well as the souffle. A recipe for the fritttata will soon follow.