Week 2 - Cows & Vistas
On Monday morning I was feeling very ambitious so I went on a run and went to the bread shed before class. Crazy how I am not given awards for this kind of morning person behavior. My dishes were a dill and gruyere tart, jam tartlets, and a tomato salad. I would classify all of which were “good enough”.
Tuesday morning was a real highlight of the week - I got to spend the morning in the dairy with the cows! Ballymaloe has nine Jersey cows, only seven which are milking right now because the other two are pregnant. Each one is more perfect than the last and I could tear up thinking about how sweet they are.
We went out to the fields during sunrise to collect them from the pasture. They knew exactly where to go and what order to line up in to get milked - one tried to cut the line and the rest made her get back in her spot. No cuts, not butts, no coconuts! Each cow produces about 24 litres of milk a day which is enough to supply the school their milk, cream, buttermilk and butter and also produce yogurt for the farm shop. And this is considered a microdairy!
In the kitchen that day I made a frittata, a soup, and tomato fondue which I was shocked to learn was not a cheese dish.
That evening I went on a cliff walk that was so stunning I truly thought I was on the set of a movie. I can’t believe how stunning the coastline is here - it just goes farm, cliff, ocean. The weather has continued to amaze me. Even days that are rainy have been clearing up by evening.
On Wednesday I once again went for a run and went to the bread shed. You might be thinking - wow Pam, you sure are running a lot. And you’d be right. In my normal life I am by no means a runner and have even flirted with hating it. But the appeal here is threefold - number one: it is kind of the only fitness option available to me. Number 2: it keeps my brain from having narcolepsy times in the afternoon. And lastly and MOST importantly number 3: it is keeping me pooping regularly. And if that is too vulgar for your delicate sensibilities I kindly invite you to either grow up or contact the lawyer I keep on retainer specifically to protect my rights to talk about pooping on my own personal blog. The amount of things you are required to eat every day here - it is critical to be regular!!! Write this down!
Wednesday is our lecture day so no kitchen time. But we learned all about how to make butter, cheese, yogurt and other dairy products from milk. It was extremely interesting especially considering I had just been working in the dairy the morning prior. Sound off in the comments if you think I should open a dairy when I get home. That afternoon we had the lovely Colom return for another wine lecture. This week was about sparkling wine - oo la la!
Thursday I made a Victoria Sponge cake with whipped cream and jam. I must have made something else but I didn’t take a picture of it so how am I meant to remember? Anyways, here that is:
That evening I had Charcuterie class with previously mentioned love of my life Tiffin. Charcuterie class just meant how to make sausage class. Very fun and not as gross as I feared! We made chorizo and a fennel and herb sausage, the first of which will need to cure for the next 4 weeks. Will report back on how tasty that is or isn’t. We all walked away with a sausage roll for dinner, no complaints here!
On Friday I was assigned a culturally confused combination of French Onion Soup and Chilaquiles. The soup honestly ruled sorry to brag. And look, I came to a culinary school on a farm in Ireland, I didn’t exactly expect to be taught authentic Mexican cooking. But I did have to politely fight my instructor to allow me to put an egg on my Chilaquiles. Imagine chilaquiles without egg?? They are literally breakfast nachos! I think I won her over in the end though.
Overall another great week but boy oh boy is my brain made of mush that cannot take in even one more grain of information! It is a miracle I remember anything at all! Ta ta for now!