Schoool!

I've been learning a lot of interesting information. I like that this school is nutritionally based and holistically based and definitely mindful of the environment and sustainable practices. I'd say probably half of the stuff that that I've learned so far is not stuff that was or that ever would be taught at my prior or any other conventional culinary school. This school does not use refined sugars, uses organic produce as much as possible, teaches different health benefits of all ingredients and the impact that different cooking methods have on those ingredients, it uses mostly vegan ingredients and pretty much all vegetarian ingredients (with the exception of a few fish and poultry classes later on in the program), the chefs talk about the different toxins in the cookware that is used, they talk about how to limit the amount of waste in kitchens, like using a lid when putting something in the fridge as opposed to saran wrapping, whole foods are praised, genetically modified foods are discussed at length...the list goes on. I've really found it to be very much aligned with my beliefs.

     Anyway, I've been waiting to get my camera from the Jerz so I can take pictures from class, but today I just used my cell phone instead so, here are some pictures from class:

Baba Ganoush. We shmoasted(roasted) eggplants right on the fire of the stove top, weighted them, skinned them, and then put them in the food processor with tahini, lemon juice, olive oil and some seasoning. 

 

  

My instructor, Chef Adorbs aka Chef Richard LaMarita.

                         

 Mona! Actually the nicest person I think I've ever met. She's making/mashing butternut squash puree.

 Roasted potatoes, possibly with shallots if I hadn't eaten all of them by the time I took this picture. They're crispy potatoes. They're obviously delicious.

 Roasted parsnips and carrots. Um. Fuckingdeliciousgetinmymouth. Seriously yums.

 Sir Chef Dorsey VI. He also goes by Travis. Hard at work...toasting...bread. 

 This was my eating plate with some of the finished products. Clockwise from the top is the baba ganoush, butternut squash puree, toasted bread(This was a tough one. Oil and season bread. Put bread in oven.) and the roasted pepper salad. I didn't post the picture of the roasted pepper salad in the bowl cause it looked like worms. For real.
P.S. I had to go over it like three times to make sure I actually did write that shit clockwise. Telling time is rough.

 Dessert!

Baked apple stuffed with walnuts, raisins, cinnamon and maple syrup. I'm not huge into baked apple desserts unless they're heavily marinated in something extremely sugary. Enough so that it changes the consistency of the apple. This was not too bad, though.