When I returned home, I went to grab something to eat. Next thing I know, I'm getting a cramp in my arm from whisking mayonnaise.
We have mayo in the fridge. But homemade mayo is really delicious. And I bought some tiny little Persian cucumbers at the store. It made perfect sense to make the mayo to go with the cucumbers.
Santa brought me the pasta attachments to go with my Kitchenaid mixer. That means homemade pasta is in our future. And if you've ever had homemade pasta, you know that it's far better than boxed pasta. I could go on and tell you about the ice cream maker that Santa also brought me for Christmas or the smoked salt my sister gave me or the lovely cookbooks I unwrapped.
Suffice it to say, I am fully immersed in this culinary adventure I've been on.
Over the next 10 days, I'll be studying for my written finals but also spending a lot of time in the kitchen, practicing techniques I've learned. I'll be making sauces (the mother sauces, specifically), roasting meats, boning chickens, baking cakes. In addition to the written tests, we are given a practicum. We have to choose a card, write a recipe, including the techniques used, make the recipe and have it tested by three chefs. The cards can contain anything we've covered in the last 4 months (although it's not likely we'll be making anything that takes several hours to prepare.) We can prepare for that by studying, but the best preparation is in the kitchen.
Culinary school has changed my perspective on food in so many ways, which is a blog post for another day. But it sort of starts with making things like mayonnaise or a nice dessert to bring to a party. The good news is that I kill two birds with one stone when I'm doing that. I practice a technique and I have something good to eat or to share with someone.
I don't know yet if this will become a shift that will last a lifetime. I do know that this experience has changed me as a person, as a cook and as a consumer ... in good ways.
