Learning to Cook!!

API was kind enough to plan a night of cooking for the group! We got terrible directions to walk down Shoppe st and get lost through the small winding side streets. We finally found the small cafe where we were greeted by Kevin, our assistant API director. Kevin introduced us to Kate, the owner of Cobblestones Cafe. The cafe was small and the 20 of us barely fit with all the cooking-ware and small tables. We managed to squeeze in and make ourselves at home.

Kate started the night off with showing us how she prepared for the Irish Stew and the Leek and Potato soup. Both seemed really easy to make, but then again I am not the most avid person in the kitchen. She diced all the vegetables and showed us how to properly cut up lamb and prepare it for the Irish Stew. I'm not a huge lamb fan so I only tasted the stew, but the Potato and Leek soup was delicious!

Kate also showed the group how to make scones and bread! I have made bread before with my Grammy of course, but this was completely different. All of the ingredients were fresh and the flour and sugar was different from what we use in the US. We didn't have enough time to bake everything in the oven properly, but she had made some earlier that day and we were able to taste it. I though the brown bread was DELICIOUS! We still had soup so I dipped mine and it didn't get soggy or anything. Very good!

When she was done showing us how to make the bread and scones, we used the left overs to made the Bread and Butter Pudding. It looked really gross at first, and I don't really like pudding because of the texture. I only got grossed out more as she kept adding milk and cream to the mixture and letting the bread soak it all up. I was not looking forward to trying it at all! When it came out of the oven, I was seriously mistaken. It smelled delicious and looked nothing like pudding or anything drippy and soggy. The pudding looked more like a thick cake and when you sliced it up, you poured a creamy sauce over it. I loved every bit and then some!

For all you at home with your mouths watering, don't worry. I've got the recipes and I plan on making a few things for Christmas Eve and Day! So Uncle Harry and Grammy...be prepared to taste real Irish food made by yours truly!