Day Nine- Something Fishy Is Going On...

Hello :)

Today was crazy; it all kicked off at 8:15am where I ran round looking for the many ingredients I needed for the morning. This morning I made a Chickpea with Fresh Spices Stew and a Crème brûlée dessert. I didn't follow my structure this morning and it was a complete rush towards the end of the morning. I'm going to try and get all ingredients together before 9am from now on because the spinach I needed for my Chickpea strew took me over 30 mins to get together. Oh the stress! Completely put me under pressure, but the lunch turned out to be completely fabulous. 

The Chickpea stew had to be one of the healthiest and nicest dishes I have ever made, I wish I took a pic but I ran the risk of getting beaten over the head with a saucepan if I had to keep my teacher waiting any longer. Here's a pic that I took which doesn't do my dessert justice. I'll be making the Chickpea stew again soon at home so stay turned. 

In the afternoon, Darina introduced us to another Food Hero; Brenda O' Riordan, who set up 'Love Fish Ballycotton'. The idea behind the company is that Brendas' husband catches fine fresh fish and sells it to locals in the community that day- it's superb fish. They deliver to Ballymaloe and other local restaurants around the locality daily. I'm going to order a fish and fillet one over the coming weeks- so stay turned.

Brendas' chat was an introduction to Rachels' afternoon demonstration where Rachel took a full cod and demonstrated to us how to fillet a fish- Rachel has a natural flare for teaching and made filleting look so, so easy. Then Rachel discussed the various fish in the market and how to distinguish between the various fishes. Rachel then made an amazing Fish Pie and she taught us a technique on how to make amazing mash potatoes which were just heavenly. I would just love to be even half as good a cook as Rachel is- maybe some day.

Rachel then moved on to demonstrating how to make 'Warm Salad of Gubbeen Bacon with Poached Egg and Gabriel Cheese', then made a; 'Tomato Fondue' and 'Chocolate Bread and Butter Pudding'- clearly this was not a structured menu in case you're wondering! Rachel then demonstrated various other dishes too, she's brilliant and so informative- I'm looking forward to Friday's demo.

Tomorrow Darina is demonstrating How To Make Homemade Butter, Yogurt, and Several Cheeses in the morning and then in the afternoon Eddie O' Neill, Dairy Artisan Food Specialist from Teagasc is coming in for a chat.

This is going to be a six day week because on Saturday I'm going to the Food and Wine Magazine Chef of The Year winner- Mickael Viljanen demonstration at Ballymaloe Cookery School on Saturday. I'm very excited about it and so is everyone at the school. Mickael is well known for his molecular gastronomy at the Gregans Castle.

So, that was today folks, chat tomorrow.

D x