It's raining in New York again and thank goodness for Collin who brought my rain boots for me at school or I would have been floating home on ruined flats! Did you know that when it thunders here, you don't see lightening? Random fact I guess, but I'm pretty sure it is thundering and lightening because the two usually go together but I could be wrong. It could be neither thundering or lightening, my upstairs neighbour could just be reorganizing furniture...
So. Egg Day. Hooray for egg day and all its egg-y-ness! It was actually a really fun day at school because not only did I get a new partner (who I like and who works and helps clean -- what a concept!!) but it was the first day that our cheeks got really red. We started by learning about the parts of the egg and some fun egg facts. For example, did you know that you can tell how old an egg is by how big the air sac inside the shell is (yeah, egg's have air sacs...I never realized either)? If the air sac is rather large, the egg is old because as the egg ages, the cells inside start to break down and the extra space that opens up from the breaking down is taken up by a growing egg sac. Also, because fresh eggs have smaller air sacs, they will not float in cool water but as they age, they will start to float. Cool, huh?!
After Egg 101, we learned how to made zabaglione, a Italian custard that I always thought was crazy hard but which is actually quite easy. Basically, you take four egg yolks, four ounces of Marsala and four ounces of sugar and put them into a double boiler over simmering water and whisk until the mixture is warm and the bowl is hot to the touch. Then, quickly, take the bowl off the water and use a hand mixer (or if you have one, it is easier to use the bowl off your kitchen aid mixer to warm and whisk the custard and then make the kitchen aid to do your work for you!) to cool down and thicken up the mixture. After the custard is pale and thick and ribbon-y, you can pour it over fresh berries for a delicious dessert. Make sure you serve the zabaglione warm though or it will separate and look nasty...
After the zabaglione, we made mayonnaise by hand (which sounds A Lot harder than it is) and then we did a number of different tests with egg whites. We beat them with sugar, with yolks, into soft peaks, into stiff peaks and then we beat sugar into stiff peaks and soft peaks and foam and then we beat them in copper bowls and stainless bowls. We beat them a lot and my arm is tired but it was fun.
Tomorrow, when I take my row boat to school, I am excited for all the egg work that we are going to do. We will be working on souffles and mousses which will make for one tasty afternoon!
The art of eggs. Maybe they will teach you how to decorate eggs for Easter? lol Souffles sound good. How did you admin class go this morning? Probably drier than hard boiled eggs.
ReplyDeleteSorry to hear that it is raining again in the Big Apple. No wonder the Hudson and the East rivers are so big. It must be from all the runoff from Manhattan! Except for Central Park and the other odd spots of green, the water must just drain off the concrete into the river. Glad that you two are smart enough to be wearing your rain gear.
ReplyDeleteWell I am sure that they will keep you busy learning about all sorts of things that you can make with eggs. That actually sounds quite interesting.
Good luck with all that whipping. Just think, it is just as good as going to the gym!
Imagine Katie wearing bright yellow rubber boots with little ducks and frogs on them, skipping and splashing thru the puddles on her way to school in the morning... awww so cute!
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