Today was our last day of interim. We redid our mystery chocolate tasting and found out what each piece was. The first one was a very sweet, nutty, creamy piece of chocolate that was very good. We found out that it was Dove, which clicked immediately once I figured it out. The second had more of a cocoa bite and was more brittle. It was astringent but did not have a great finish. We found out it was Godiva. This was probably my least favorite of the three. The last one was sour and fruity. It was astringent and it had a sweet finish that made up for the sourness in the beginning. We found out it was Sharffen Berger.
I want to give a few thoughts on this interim as a whole. I'm really really glad I took this class. I learned so much about food that I may not have learned throughout my entire life. The little tidbits I have picked up here and there in the class will help me as I cook for the rest of my life. I have always enjoyed cooking and thought that I was a decent cook, but I have no doubt that this class will improve that. As far as the tasting portions of the class, it has really opened my eyes to what you can perceive from a piece of food. I will never look at chocolate the same, and I'm sure that will carry over to cigars, wine, and pretty much everything else that has a complex taste.
Dr. Sloan and Dr. Nowatka, thank you for your knowlege and your time. It really has been a great interim and I've enjoyed getting to know both of you as much as I've enjoyed the food.
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Day 19 - Jan. 31, 2012
Today, my group went into the kitchen to cook southern food. This was something I was really looking forward to. Growing up, my mom always cooked us our favorite meal on our birthday and my choice was always fried chicken, mashed potatoes, green beans, etc. Today, we cooked fried chicken, mashed potatoes, string beans, macaroni and cheese, sweet potatoes, biscuits, and peach cobbler (I hope I'm not forgetting anything). It was delicious. I helped Josh with the fried chicken. We cut up 5 whole chickens and also had a few packages of leg quarters. We soaked the chicken in buttermilk and seasoned our flour. We used a total of three cast iron dutch ovens, two of Dr. Sloans and one of mine I brought from home. We heated up canola oil to about 350 degrees and began frying our chicken. The whole process took right at three hours, which I thought was pretty amazing for the amount of chicken we cooked. Some of it was a little bit overdone and dry, but we had to make sure everything was cooked thoroughly since we were feeding so many people. We would rather it have been overdone rather than undercooked and people getting sick. I thought everything people cooked turned out really well. We probably should have bought more string beans, but there was plenty of food to go around and I think everyone left full and happy. This was my favorite day in the kitchen and my favorite meal to eat period.
Day 18 - Jan. 30, 2012
Today's chocolate tasting was of Valrhona chocolates of different vintages. The first was a 2010 Gran Couva. This was a nicely balanced chocolate with a sweet aftertaste. The 2011 Gran Couva didn't have quite as much of a cocoa bite but it was more astringent and sort of fruity. The 2009 Palmira Criollo was very smooth and fruity. The 2010 version was not as sweet. It was more bitter but not to the point where I didn't like it. It was also nutty. We tried Mo's Bacon Bar, which was salty and smoky, but the flavor seemed too artificial to me and I really didn't enjoy it as much as most people seemed to.
We had a vanilla tasting with the vanilla mixed with a concoction of milk, egg yolk, and sugar. The first was the Tahitian and it was very fruity. The Mexican was sweeter and milkier and had an alcohol aftertaste. The homemade Madagascar was thicker, fruity and sugary, and I really couldn't tell much of a difference between that and the store-bought Madagascar. I thought this was a very useful thing to taste and to see that there is a difference in products that you sometimes don't think twice about. Before this I thought all vanillas were pretty much the same, but now I know that there are subtle differences that can mean a lot.
We had a vanilla tasting with the vanilla mixed with a concoction of milk, egg yolk, and sugar. The first was the Tahitian and it was very fruity. The Mexican was sweeter and milkier and had an alcohol aftertaste. The homemade Madagascar was thicker, fruity and sugary, and I really couldn't tell much of a difference between that and the store-bought Madagascar. I thought this was a very useful thing to taste and to see that there is a difference in products that you sometimes don't think twice about. Before this I thought all vanillas were pretty much the same, but now I know that there are subtle differences that can mean a lot.
Day 17 - Jan. 27, 2012
Today we started out with another great chocolate tasting with Amedei chocolates. The Porcelana was probably my favorite chocolate of the entire interim. It was smooth and creamy and had nutty overtones that were well balanced. It had minimal tartness for a 70% chocolate. The Chuao was milky with a fruity taste at the end. I could get notes of red wine that I enjoyed. The 9 started our having very little flavor, but then I got tastes of nuts and coffee. It was the most astringent of the three. None of them had too bad of a cocoa bite.
Our cheese tasting today started out with a Taleggio. It was creamy and had a strong smell. It was very sticky and had a tang at the end. The Morbier Raw Milk was denser and had a similar smell to the first one. It had a strong tangy bite and had a barnyard taste. The Chimay had a very pungent smell. It was salty and extremely sour. This cheese burned my mouth pretty bad, not a pleasant bite.
Our cheese tasting today started out with a Taleggio. It was creamy and had a strong smell. It was very sticky and had a tang at the end. The Morbier Raw Milk was denser and had a similar smell to the first one. It had a strong tangy bite and had a barnyard taste. The Chimay had a very pungent smell. It was salty and extremely sour. This cheese burned my mouth pretty bad, not a pleasant bite.
Day 16 - Jan. 26, 2012
Today, the other group went to the kitchen to make Indian food. Honestly, I really do not like ethic food. I tried everything, but I didnt enjoy a single bite I put in my mouth. I'm sure that for someone who likes that kind of food it was prepared very well, but the smell and the spices just did not sit well with me.
Day 15 - Jan. 25, 2012
Today, we started out with a chocolate tasting involving El Rey chocolates. We tasted a 58.5% Bucare, a 61% Mijao, and a 70% Gran Saman. This was my favorite day of chocolates. The Bucare was fruity with a faint hint of cocoa but not too much. It had a nice long finish that I really enjoyed. The Mijao was nutty and earthy and hard to snap. It was really very good. The Gran Saman had a more prevalent cocoa bite but it wasn't tart. It had a bit of a sour aftertaste, but I really enjoyed this chocolate as well.
Next we did a cinnamon tasting using buttered croutons. This was something I've never tried before, but I used to eat cinnamon toast as a kid so I figured it would be pretty good. The first was Ceylon. It was very sweet and had sort of a strange taste to me. It tasted a lot like brown sugar. The next was the Chinese Cassia, which was earthier and not as sweet as the Ceylon. The Saigon Cassia did not have as strong of a flavor and seemed less cinnamony to me. The last one was the Korint je Cassia. This was more like what I typically think of cinnamon tasting like. It was very smooth and good.
We tried oil-cured olives which were completely disgusting. I had a bad experience with olives when I was younger, so I've stayed away from them ever since.
Last, we did our usual cheese tasting, this time with bleu cheeses. The first one was Cambozola, which was salty, creamy and buttery. The American was a little harder than the Cambozola but was more sour. The Valdeon tasted rotton and was very strong. I could get a hint of mint, but I really didn't like it. The Stilton was even worse. It was the strongest of the four but it was sort of creamy.
Next we did a cinnamon tasting using buttered croutons. This was something I've never tried before, but I used to eat cinnamon toast as a kid so I figured it would be pretty good. The first was Ceylon. It was very sweet and had sort of a strange taste to me. It tasted a lot like brown sugar. The next was the Chinese Cassia, which was earthier and not as sweet as the Ceylon. The Saigon Cassia did not have as strong of a flavor and seemed less cinnamony to me. The last one was the Korint je Cassia. This was more like what I typically think of cinnamon tasting like. It was very smooth and good.
We tried oil-cured olives which were completely disgusting. I had a bad experience with olives when I was younger, so I've stayed away from them ever since.
Last, we did our usual cheese tasting, this time with bleu cheeses. The first one was Cambozola, which was salty, creamy and buttery. The American was a little harder than the Cambozola but was more sour. The Valdeon tasted rotton and was very strong. I could get a hint of mint, but I really didn't like it. The Stilton was even worse. It was the strongest of the four but it was sort of creamy.
Day 14 - Jan. 24, 2012
Today, the other group cooked, so Team A had the day off. It was very nice to be able to completely relax for a day.
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