Last Week of B Block!

This is a monumental week in my culinary college career. I finally get to finish these 4 classes and move on to kitchen activities... and it's my birthday on Friday so that makes it all the better. This week has been terribly boring because we are just finishing up and reviewing for the finals in each of the 4 classes (2 tomorrow and 2 Friday).

The food for the last few days has been pretty solid. A few boring things such as burgers, chicken sandwiches, etc, but a few very good meals too. I had an Antojitos Platter yesterday for dinner which consisted of 3 types of Quesadillas (Chorizo and Potato, Mushroom and Cheese, Peppers and Onions and Cheese) served with Red Salsa, Tomatillo Salsa and Rice. It was fantastic. Today I had another Southern American/Mexican inspired lunch as well. A sampler platter that had an Empanada, a Chorizo, Pickled Onion and Queso Blanco Tostada, and a Chicken and Rice thing in a Corn Husk with Guacamole and 2 Salsas. Again, fantastic and delicious. Most of the food that comes out of the Mediterranean Cuisine kitchen is excellent.

Oh and the other day I had fresh Ravioli stuffed with Cheese, Herbs and an Egg Yolk topped with Brown Butter and a touch of Balsamic Vinegar. I'm not a huge egg person but even I enjoyed all of it together.

Easily the best day of Product Knowledge happened this morning too. We had our last learning class (final on friday, a practical of 20 produce items from the whole 6 weeks) and we did Dairy/Nuts. I tasted nearly 20 cheeses today and it was paired with a whole variety of Nuts and some extra fruit we had leftover. It was an awesome day. Turns out there are 6 categories of cheese. Fresh (we tasted Feta, Goat Cheese, Cheese Curd and Mozzarella), Soft Cheese - Rind Ripened (tasted Brie and Camembert but also Limburger is included), Semi-Soft Cheeses which were my favorite (Fontina, Monterey Jack, Morbier - so good!, Tallegio and Muenster), Hard Cheeses (Cheddar, Gouda, Provolone, Manchego, Aged Dry Jack), Grating (Parmigiano, Asiago, Romano, Grana Padano) and finally Blue Cheeses which aren't really for me (Gorgonzola, Roquefort, Stilton and all the stinky ones). Either way it was an awesome class.

My personal favorites were the Morbier, Brie, Fontina, Monterey Jack, and Aged Dry Jack. If you get a chance to try new ones then you absolutely should.

Unfortunately for me the next two days are dedicated to studying and attempting to get a Frisbee team going at this school (I've got a big meeting today with the Dean of Student Activities). This weekend should be a blast though.

Chef Werblin

ps. Mountain Creek Waterpark... google it
pps. For those who watch Top Chef, Bryan Voltaggio was here talking and doing a demo last night. I couldn't go but my friends told me it was amazing. He has a restaurant in Frederick, MD called Volt so take a look.