Arrivederci! Gutentag!

Today was full of both good and bad surprises, but surprises are always exciting and I guess fun!

Class: Invention

This morning Marcella went to the market and bought some ingredients with a few recipes in mind but what we actually made was based on improvisation and the recipes weren't even in the book. The ingredients she bought were: mussels, scampi, anchovies, salmon, tuna, a cured meat I can't remember the name of and a cheese I can't remember the name of either. Thus, I don't know a lot of the Italian names for the dishes we made. The theme ended up being finger foods, day 2.

• Salmon and Tuna Tartare with Celery, Carrots and Avocado
  -we had leftover salmon and tuna from the other dishes we made, so we chopped them up with celery, carrots and avocado, mixed with some olive oil and some other things I can't remember
  -delicious.
  
  
  
  Salmon and Tuna Tartare
  
  
• Crispy Mussels with Parsley
  -made a broth by steaming mussels in parsley and garlic and mixing it with a roux (water and flour), then poured the broth over the mussles, sprinkled with bread crumbs and parsley and baked in the oven
  -I didn't like the other mussels dish we made earlier in the month, but I enjoyed the mussels prepared this way more
  
  
  
  Crispy Mussels with Parsley
  
  
• Acciughe Fresche e Pomodorini Secchi (Fresh Anchovies and Sun Dried Tomato Bites)
  -so yummy!
  -we had to gut and clean the anchovies again which I enjoy
  -then put them on a slice of bread with a caper and sun dried tomato, then sprinkled with olive oil and baked until crispy
  
  
  
  Acciughe Fresche e Pomodorini Secchi
  
  
• Tuna and Zucchini Rolls with Grapefruit Foam
  -Raw tuna, marinated in salt, wrapped in sliced zucchini and topped with cured fish eggs, I think
  -These were way too salty and next time I wouldn't marinade the tuna first
  
  
  
  Tuna Rolls
  
  
• Marinated Scampi with Carrot and Avocado
  -marinated the scampi in lemon and orange juice, the served them (raw) on a slice of carrot and topped with avocado and grapefruit foam
  
  
  
  Scampi with Carrot and Avocado
  
  
• Salmon in Celery Cups with Garnish of Arugula, Marinated Egg Yolks and Grapefruit Foam
  -If you marinate egg yolks in salt and sugar for 8-9 hours, they become like play dough and you can shape them into decorative garnishes--they don't taste much of anything, but can be pretty
  -In this recipe, the marinated egg yolks actually added a nice saltiness to the dish
  -Originally we were going to make a crostini with smoked salmon but we had nothing to do with the fresh salmon and I don't enjoy smoked salmon, so I suggested we do something with the raw salmon, and wanted to serve it on something, but not bread because we needed more vegetables...so we found celery in the fridge used the stalk of the heart as a boat for the salmon
  
  
  
  Salmon in Celery Cups
  
  
• Dish which I can't remember the name of the ingredients
  -my favorite one today
  -Sliced, cured meat stuffed with a cheese (with a texture similar to cream cheese, but a little more airy) mixed with chives
  
  
  
  Beef and Cheese Rolls tied with Chives

The set table

It was a good last day--eating finger foods is fun! It was one of the longer prep days just because everything had fine aesthetic details that were tedious, such as tying the beef rolls or wrapping the zucchini. These are foods I definitely won't make on my own (or atleast wouldn't present in this way just for myself--more of a nice buffet spread).

I am definitely going to miss Marcella and cooking school, but I have learned so much and had such a wonderful time. The experience truly exceeded my highest expectations. I am interested to see how I adapt what I've learned to my life back home and at school.

After class I went home, said goodbyes to the family and went off to the airport. Saying goodbye was a lot harder and more sad than I had anticipated. I feel such a strong sense of belonging to the family and to Firenze; I am truly going to miss it.

I ran into some extra luggage charges at the airport which was frustrating, but the flights were fine. Actually, the flights were great. They gave us a wet towel to wash our hands and served fresh fruit on the flight from Firenze to Munich and for drinks they had wine free of charge! The flight from Munich to Berlin was only 45 minutes but they also had free wine (or rather the most expensive wine I'd' ever had given the extra baggage charges)! Wine + turbulence = exciting! There was a ~5-yr old kid sitting a row in front of me with his mom and he was giggling and cheering during the 2-3 minutes of bumpiness we went through. The mom was so embarrassed, it was hilarious.

I arrived to Berlin at around 8:45 and met my friends Jon and Xinxin. We came back to their apartment building (first stopping to pick up some German beer! ... I love seeing my last name everywhere!!!) and then went to the club with some other Michigan students here on their program (many of whom it turns out I know!)

All in all, it was a good end to my time in Firenze and I am excited for this weekend in Berlin. I think it will help me transition and get me ready for Greece.

Photo of the Day

Berlin Bier!

Lesson of the Day
My American Passport screwed me over

The Count

Flights taken: 4

Glasses of wine drinken: 67

Beers tasted: 5

Photos taken: 2308