Well Hello Y’all,
The weather here in Texas can’t decide if it’s still the height of summer (mid-90s) or fall (56 degrees one evening!!!). I guess that is coming from a Idaho/Utah perspective though. It’s exciting to have a few crisp evenings and mornings and the leaves have started to fall. Pumpkins can be found in every grocery store. I absolutely LOVE October, even a Texan October. The air feels different. There’s the excitement of the upcoming festivities with the fall/winter holidays but the accompanying stress doesn’t seem to be in the air yet.
This week at school was our last week of Ayurveda. The first of our 3 health-supportive modalities went by so fast. I really loved learning a bit more about Ayurveda and how to incorporate some it’s teachings into my future as a chef and also in my personal life.
Here is a glimpse into this week:
International Foods
Chermoula Stuffed Eggplant
Rice Vermicelli with Ginger-Grapefruit Sauce
Goji & Lychee in Suspension*
BBQ Jack Fruit Dim Sum*- Vegan and Steam Bread Versions
Field Trips
This Garden Center was ABSOLUTELY amazing. It had so much style and charm and was so creatively laid out. It was a real treat to be outside and to tour their store.
I think there is a great advantage to being a chef and gardener. Mr. Plate and I have always loved growing basic kitchen vegetables as well as new exciting plants. As a chef it will be even more exciting. In classes we have talked about a lot of plants and herbs that could be useful to a Professional Chef and I can’t wait to try my green thumb at them.
I left my camera in the car but my awesome classmates took these wonderful photos and shared them with me so I could share them with you :).
This was a fun stop too. We looked at all the Indian Ingredients and had fun seeing some of the ingredients we have been using at the school at this Indian grocery store. I bought some fresh coconut shreds that they keep in the freezer and they have such a fresher flavor than the dried shredded coconut you can get elsewhere. Mr. Plate and Little Plate came for the tail-end of the trip and it was fun sharing the experience . . . and a Samosa with them
Finger Foods- Rejuvenating and Aphrodisiacs
A lot of Rolling Today!
Rice Paper Rolled with Slaw and Served with Tamarind Sauce
Cauliflower Soup with Sweet Pear Chutney*
Collard Wraps with Cucumber Tahini Sauce
Strawberries with Mango Coconut Sabayon
Almond Butter Chocolate Truffles*
Date Cardamom Laudu
Ayurvedic Breakfast
Breakfast Kichadi
Teff Porridge
Amaranth Porridge Variation
Spiced Sweet Potatoes and Apples
Creative Left Over Day
Oh man- this day was crazy. We knew we were going to use some mystery left-over ingredients and odds and ends to create our own dish but I had fully anticipated working in a team to do so but we each were able to work individually on our own dish. My tray had butternut squash, sweet potatoes, mustard greens, a bunch of chard, a bit of garlic, and soaked Brazil nuts. I asked for some millet, a 1/4 cups of almonds, an onion , and a bit of jaggery with a lot of apprehension and a dash of faith I made a Millet Risotto with Brazil nut cinnamon cream sauce and candied almonds to garnish. It was actually kind of a yummy festive dish.
(Sorry Pics are even worse than usual- the kitchen was really steamed up)
My classmates also rocked the challenge and made these amazing dishes:
Deconstructed Babaganoush
Beet Hummus with a toasted Baguette
Gumbo
and a Grilled/ Smoked Vegetable Taurine
Desserts
Coconut Mango Mousse
Date & Saffron Halva
Rice Pudding
Vegan “Caramel” Dip
Practicum
Study- Study- Study! Our Ingredient/Spice/Herb Study Trays- And Shoes off at Lunch! The best thing ever after being in a kitchen all morning 🙂
My Practicum Dishes
A Much-Appreciated Rejuvenating Treat after this Hectic Week: Ghee and Coconut Oil Soaked Dates (With Lavendar, Rose, Cardamom)
This week was another busy week, but all of our classes and demos were fun and were great experiences, even when they put me out of my comfort zone (Creative Day!). Sometimes the Challenges are also the Highlights.
I loved how many fun and delicious recipes we tried this week. It felt like a treat to make so many diverse recipes. The practicum went pretty smoothly and didn’t seem as stressful as the practicums in Quarter 1. It was nice to get done early and to feel fairly confident in how the recipes went.
Mr. Plate, Little Plate, and I are now getting to where we are closer to the end of this culinary school experience than the beginning and we get to think about what comes next. After Mr. Plate finishes his two remaining Master’s Engineering classes we might just look into some schools or certification programs that go deeper into Ayurveda. I don’t know. I do know we will work hard to make our careers focused around our passions.
I hope you had a wonderful week and that you are enjoying the beautiful Autumn Harvest Season as well!
Loves,
Ashley
PS- My track has started to plan our Final Event which will be December 17th (let me know if you’ll be in the area- I’ll invite you) and it is so exciting. Our theme is Rustic Roots and developing our menu is in-process. It is going to be DELICIOUS!