Well, today is the official last day of my trip.  It’s a little bittersweet because as I am typing this, the day has already ended.  I am sad to be leaving Italy, but at the same time glad to come back to a familiar place. 

Today was actually a really cool day.  In the morning we headed to the castle to prepare our “final”.  It was a lunch we served to both students and some of the instructors.  The dishes were pretty fantastic.  We had roasted red peppers with a tuna sauce, spaghetti with a lamb ragu, and for dessert, a chocolate flan like cake with a mini tuille and whipped cream.  We all did a spectacular job!

After the lunch, we were presented with our “diplomas” and took a bunch of pictures.  Everyone came back to the dorms to pack and tie up any loose ends.  We had four hours before our final dinner.

The final dinner was at a place in Alba called Dulcis Vidas.  It is a very upscale restaurant in Alba.  The place was phenomenal.  The best part was that the restaurant was closed to only us.  So, we had the whole place to ourselves.  The dinner was fantastic, I can’t even remember all the food we had, but I did take pictures.  The kitchen is the cleanest kitchen I have ever seen in my life.  Everything was polished, including the chains that kept the hood attached to the ceiling.  You could, literally, eat off the floor.  The chef says he has to have a clean kitchen as a starting point to making a great meal.  It was also important because as you come into the place, you pass a series of windows that look directly into the kitchen. 

We were treated like royalty.  The chef was absolutely down to earth and his staff catered to our every need.  The staff (about eight) were working that night only for us; how great was that?  Amazing.

So we returned to the dorms and just sat around and talked.  Some of the people in our group are leaving to stay in Europe a little longer.  So we said goodbye to them (because they had to get up at 5 in the morning.  The rest of us were leaving by noon.

In summary:

Italy is a very wonderful place.  The people are nice and will go out of their way to help you (especially in the small towns).   The scenery is amazing and the local products are the best in the world.  I recommend traveling to anyone who has the opportunity to do so.  Also, if you have an opportunity to apply for the GRI/Giacamo Bologna Scholarship, do it!  It is totally worth all the traveling headaches you may encounter.

So, that’s been my trip in a nutshell.  It’s been really hard to give you every single detail, but hopefully you enjoyed the basics that I was able to describe.  As I said in the beginning, it will be nice to get back to familiar faces and places.   It will also be nice to stop blogging.  I enjoyed it, but to do it every day in such great detail is very time consuming.  I’ll go back to a weekly posting schedule of all things culinary.

Thanks for coming along for the ride.  All of my pictures should be posted onto the yahoo website by now.  It’s been an amazing journey.

CIAO!

I'm back at it...blogging that is.  I got a little burnt out blogging while I was in Italy, so I had to take some time off.  But as promised, I am here to share some of my favorite recipes with all of you.

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Well, this next week will end another quarter.  Only two more to go!  Yee haw!   I will finally be done with school December 1st.  The best part is that my last quarter will be in Florence, Italy for the study abroad program. 

Interesting things have happened this week...

First, I received a proclamation from the President and Board of Trustees of Robert Morris College this past Wednesday.  It was for my winning the Giacamo Bologna Scholarship (and traveling to Italy to study that last week of May).  Thank you so much to Nancy Rotunno for nominating me (and for all the nice things you said in your speech)!  I got this really huge framed proclamation which I have to find space for in my house. 

Second, I just found out yesterday I won an Illinois Restaurant Association Scholarship! It will definitely help me pay for these last two quarters of school!  So, off to another awards ceremony on Saturday, July 21st. 

Somebody asked me how do I do it?  How do I  keep winning all of these awards and scholarships?

I really can't stress enough to other students how important it is to get involved in school.  Volunteering for events, getting involved in clubs, and taking on leadership roles will not only get you in touch with some important contacts, but it will get your name out there and build up your resume.  If you want to win scholarships, you need to make yourself stand out. 

You also need to apply.  For those in culinary or hospitality managment I suggest checking out the National Restaurant Association website or the Illinois Restaurant Association website. They have all different types of scholarships for all different aspects of the restaurant industry.  Fastweb.com is also good, but you have to be careful.  I have seen a lot of sketchy organizations offering scholarships that don't look ligit.  Always research what you are signing up for before you sign up for it!

That's my advice!  And now on to the dessert!

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Here is one of my favorite dessert recipes.  It was given to me by a member of the club I work at.  We made it here and it turned out great.  It's a twist on the traditional flourless chocolate cake.  The orginial recipe can be found at epicurious.com.   If you love chocolate, you'll love the black beast!   ENJOY! 

LA BETE NOIRE

Bon Appétit, September 2006

Jason Aronen, Wilde Roast Café

This phenomenal take on a classic flourless chocolate cake lives up to its translation, 'The Black Beast."

serving size: Makes 16 servings

Cake
1 cup water
3/4 cup sugar

9 tablespoons (1 stick plus 1 tablespoon) unsalted butter, diced
18 ounces bittersweet (not unsweetened) or semisweet chocolate, chopped 6 large eggs

Ganache
1 cup heavy whipping cream
8 ounces bittersweet (not unsweetened) or semisweet chocolate, chopped

Lightly sweetened whipped cream

For cake:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter 10-inch-diameter springform pan. Line bottom of pan with parchment round; butter parchment. Wrap 3 layers of heavy-duty foil around outside of pan, bringing foil to top of rim. Combine 1 cup water and sugar in small saucepan. Bring to boil over medium heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Simmer 5 minutes. Remove from heat.

Melt butter in large saucepan over low heat. Add chocolate and whisk until smooth. Whisk sugar syrup into chocolate; cool slightly. Add eggs to chocolate mixture and whisk until well blended. Pour batter into prepared pan. Place cake pan in large roasting pan. Add enough hot water to roasting pan to come halfway up sides of cake pan.

Bake cake until center no longer moves when pan is gently shaken, about 50 minutes. Remove from water bath; transfer to rack. Cool completely in pan.

For ganache:
Bring whipping cream to simmer in small saucepan over medium heat. Remove from heat. Add chocolate and whisk until smooth. Pour over top of cake still in pan. Gently shake pan to distribute ganache evenly over top of cake. Refrigerate cake in pan until ganache is set, about 2 hours. DO AHEAD: Can be made 2 days ahead. Cover and keep refrigerated.

Run knife around pan sides to loosen cake; release sides. Cut cake into wedges and serve with whipped cream.