September 04, 2009

I have some interesting days for you.

Wednesday I woke up to a glorious meal of 20 cheeses and at least 10 perfectly roasted nuts and seeds. While this sounds exquisite-mind you it was- I have a theory it was all an act. Friday (today) is finals, I believe it is a bribe. I, however, discovered my true love in life. Roquefort. If Brie and Blue cheese met and had one night of passion, Roquefort would be the child. It is indeed in the Blue-Veined Cheeses category but its creamy, smooth texture resembles the texture Brie is so prized for. The astringency of the blue in this cheese sends a delightful tart in the back of the cheeks, like a puckering feel with lemons, with the delicate combination of spice. My school text describes Roquefort as "raw sheep's milk, ivory cylinder with blue-green marbling, deep, fully, spicy, semi-soft, crumbly." I don't necessarily agree with the crumbles but everything else seems to be quite accurate. But as all would have it, Roquefort was on the test today and I couldn't remember the name. I can picture spellings you see without actually hearing the word so my poor answer resembled something like "Rofert".

Thursday was Grand Banquette day again, and oh how I love Grand Banquette. Again the old chapel that now serves as our cafeteria was lined with tables full of small plates of all the classes' masterpieces. The stage is full of baskets so artfully stacked with bread and outlined with the desserts, plated in such away you are almost tempted not to eat them....almost. My "gang" and I are getting the hang of Grand Banquette, you go early, swipe, set your bags and belongings down at an empty table and gather three plates at a time, each trip setting them down at your table. Then you have a .....25 course meal? It is delightful. Thursday my best plate was the clams cooked so plainly the pure taste of the shell fish was the focus, and this slowly smoked, roasted, then baked pork fajitas with a cilantro, lime, dill cream sauce. The simplicity of these foods brought out the skill rather than show. The dessert of the day was a pistachio cake filled with raspberry moose. I have a feeling my terminology is not correct for the pistachio "cake" was so delicate, so moist, so creamy I could pass it as moose itself. The combination of both pistachio and raspberry was delightful and tart. The dessert was so light and creamy I did not feel heavy at the end of my meal even though I must have eaten at every single table....I still have bread and tomato-basil cream cheese in a to-go-box in my little dorm fridge.

Friday is today and not close to over with, however I've already taken 2 finals, have one more on the way, and one midterm. At first I was shaky about the 3 week turn over spill, I thought it would be too much for me too fast. However I am beginning to like it. Because you have very little time to cram a bunch of information you do not have "busy" work and you don't have time to procrastinate. I am notorious for procrastinating....at procrastinating. However, when you have a test every 2 days and a final every 3 weeks- you don't have time to put off studying. You have to study or- pardon my French- your screwed.

Eating today was almost as enjoyable as Grand Banquette. I finally found something at breakfast that astounded me. Today a friend convinced me to order a chrizo breakfast burrito and it was incredibly delicious, I went back to K-16 to tell them so. It was mildly spicy and wonderfully salty. The flavors combined together in a wonderful way. Lunch was just as intriguing. I went to the Americas Kitchen and talked to the chef, who influenced my choice. Salad and soup was consistent for everyone in Americas. Salad was a simple, tomato vinaigrette. It was spicy and sour and did not coat the palate, it was light and a perfect introduction to a meal. The soup was the exact opposite, a nice balance with the salad. It was a cream soup of some sort, reminded me heavily of cream of potato, I wish I could give more specifics. Now the meal, the meal was something else. I ordered goat. I've never had goat, nor knew it was an edible creature. The goat was braised and reminded me in the first bite of pork but later resembled more of a roast beef flavor, it was wonderful. The sauce was a thick, tart tomato base. The plate was accompanied with green olives, pearl onions (that must have been pickled), and cherry tomatoes. The entire plate really played with the "pain" we really enjoy. The tartness of the pickling vegetables and the naturally sour tomatoes really prickled your mouth in a refreshing, addicting way. The long spear shaped potatoes (that very easily could have been yuka, thank you product knowledge!) were sprinkled with red pepper and offered no mercy for the plate. It was wonderful and encourages me to order more and more plates that I am hesitant about in the future.