Ballymaloe Week 3 / How to make Hard Aged Cheese

I ride my borrowed bicycle every chance I get when I'm not in school and it's sunny.. turns out that day is Sunday.

At school this week we learned how to make sourdough and cheese!

Makin pizza!

Sourdough starters.

Sourdough Tutorial

Cheese equiptment.

Let milk ferment with cheese culture.

Cutting cheese to let whey escape.

Mix at a certain temperature to encourage whey to escape.

Drain whey and wash.

Whey is a really healthy beverage!

Adding water to wash it.

Fill cheese mold.

Press out whey.

3 months later.

Cheese fridge.

Salting the cheese the next day!

The most amazing part is getting to sample all the local goodies and just completely immerse myself in the culture where food is concerned. I'm really starting to get an idea of what true Irish food is. Cured fish, breads, THE CHEESE IS AMAZING. Irish cheese and butter is widely sought out around the world since the cows just have so much darned grass to eat. It makes their milk more yellow.

Midleton farmer's market. BARISTA!

You get locally made chocolate chips with your coffee.. amazing.

Bread.

Cheese stand!

My goodies. Eggs, blue cheese, chive goat cheese, ginger dark chocolate, seaweed pickle, hot smoked salmon with chili.

Local prawns.

Bacon.

Chocolate lollipops.

Meringue heart with spiced plumb and whipped cream centre.

My creation!! Smoked salmon rosette with quick cucumber pickle.

Stuffed lamb breast.

Roast beef!

Dressing a cutting board for roast beef.

Roasted lamb shank.

beautiful raw vegetables for an appetizer

Hummus

Helen and Mary Pat. Music promoter and Irish mom.

There was a talent competition at the local pub.

Talent show!

Potatoes & Mushrooms with Fried Egg | First Day at Ballymaloe Cookery School

Ottawa - Toronto - Amsterdam - Cork

I landed. I was tired. I was the first to arrive at cooking school and was welcomed by...

So I was hungry and made the following.

Golden Potato Coins with
Fried Onions, Mushrooms and A Sunny Side Egg

gluten free, primal | serves 1

2 medium potatoes, peeled and sliced
1/2 cm width-wise
1/2 cup sliced white mushrooms
1 small onion sliced thin
2 tbsp butter
1 farm fresh egg
salt and pepper to taste

Heat 1 tbsp butter in a heavy bottomed frying pan on medium high heat. Add in your potatoes (they should look like coins) and fry until golden brown on one side (5min) then flip and fry until cooked through (5-7min). Toss in salt and fresh ground pepper to taste.

Remove potatoes to a plate with paper towel (warmed, ideally) and melt in the rest of the butter (1 tbsp) until melted. Add in mushrooms and onions and sautee until cooked through (about 3min).

When cooked, move the onions and mushrooms to the side of the pan and add the egg. Cook until the white part of the egg is opaque (about 3min). Add salt to taste.

Add Potatoes in a large bowl, add mushrooms and onions, then top with the egg. Add salt and pepper to taste.

The next day we had our orientation dinner.

We had pizza but I had the gluten free version:

A week's of classes ahead!