Sunday, February 4, 2007

Thirty Days...But Who's Counting?



Thirty days but who’s counting? My dear Aunt Rosemary that’s who! She has sent me an email every single day since I left and each one is titled by the number of days I have been gone. Well, when I awakened this morning I received my daily email and was stunned to acknowledge the fact that I have been gone thirty days. As busy and fulfilled as I am here I do miss everyone and everything…and I must stress that I appreciate hearing from all of you even if I can’t write back as often as I would like. There is now another chef blogging, a lovely Irish girl named Mags. It might be fun to see another perspective besides Julie's and mine. Margaret's site is:
www.berry-delicious.blogspot.com
I had the pleasure of cooking some fantastic recipes this week such as watercress soup, seared scallops in beurre blanc sauce, apple blackberry cullohill (a delicious dessert with a yummy pie crust) served with fresh whipped cream (my bicep muscle is stronger than ever from all the whisking), beautiful chicken liver pate (I don’t want to tell you how much butter is in the recipe), gorgeous caramelized walnuts filled with homemade marzipan, and “to die for” crème brulee (I had fun with the blow torch making the crunchy topping). One day was devoted to perfecting our omelet making techniques. The highlight? Making pasta from scratch. It was a long process but the taste made it well worth the effort. Monday night we ventured out to a “Slow Food” benefit dinner at the Fire and Ice Café. “Slow Food” is an organization to counter the alarming fast food trend and is spearheaded by Darina Allen and her mother in law Myrtle. They promote the use of organic foods and support cottage industry here in Ireland such as farmhouse cheese. The food was fantastic and it was the first time I had been out to dinner since I’ve been in Ireland. Wednesday was an all day lecture and demo. The morning session was on vegetarian foods and in the afternoon we learned about cooking with filo dough. Darina made over forty dishes in one day! Last but not least I got brave enough to rent a car. I picked up my Nissan Micra yesterday at the Cork airport and by the grace of God made it home. I had planned to drive up to Galway to see my cousin, but she wisely recommended I get a little practice before I make the long trek. So keep me in your prayers as I master the roundabouts!