Developing and Refining One's Sense of Taste - Practical Application

Last week's class was cancelled due to a snowstorm that blanketed the area around the school with approximately  9 inches of snow.  \The  snow began Thursday morning and continued  to fall until nightfall.  People were asked to stay off the roads if at all possible.  Definitely not the evening to be traversing the roads.

Being snowbound offered an perfect opportunity to practice the recipes from class. First on the list was French onion soup.  My Valentines' Day gift , a stock pot, was finally put to use.

Honestly, the pot made a difference. I sliced three onions. They caramelized well in the pot and I was able to deglaze the onions easily with white wine . The defining moment was adding the bouquet garni and the chicken stock and letting the flavors develop and blend. My bouquet garni was a piece of cheesecloth filled with celery, black peppercorns, thyme sprigs, and parsley and tied with twine. I added a bit of lemon juice and salt. The soup was tasty on its own.  When I topped the soup with sliced, toasted French bread and grated Swiss cheese it tasted even better.  The failure of the first French onion soup could now be put to rest!

Still feeling exuberant about the onion soup, I decided to try making risotto again, but this time I would substitute the mushrooms for bacon and garlic. Great concept, but the resulting dish was chocolate colored risotto. What happened? I think the onions cooked too long. It was still edible, but certainly not something I would serve to anyone else.  I'll revisit the recipe another day.

Much of the snow has since melted. The school recently issued a revised schedule. The class has been extended to early June to make up for the canceled class. It was good to apply what I've learned at home, but  I'm ready to return to class. Tonight's topic: poultry

Be well,
Technicolor girl

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