Lucas requested we do something special for our final cooking class of the year, and surf and turf seemed to fit the bill perfectly. He did an excellent job with this meal, drawing on many of the techniques and concepts we've learned throughout the year to pull it off. Everything was seasoned very well, but the chimichurri stood out as exceptional. Lucas has really developed his understanding of flavor and did an excellent job balancing the various components of this dish

Teddy had a lot of fun with this recipe, and did a great job measuring ingredients and carefully following each step. This cake was his invention and he was very excited to see how it turned out. When making the frosting, he had the great idea of adding a bit of fresh lemon juice to it and it turned out delicious! He also did a great job decorating, opting for a more abstract arrangement of raspberries on top.

Libby had a blast with this recipe! She was very interested in each step and did a great job measuring ingredients and following the recipe. She particularly enjoyed making the frosting and was very curious to see how it would turn out. We did end up running low on time so we had to very quickly pull out the cake and decorate it as best we could. Libby did a great job spreading the icing and making a smiley face out of raspberries!

PJ did a great job with this recipe! He remembered a lot of what we had researched and discussed on Monday and seemed to have a lot of fun putting it all together. The strawberry topping was particularly interesting to him and he really enjoyed the process of making it. After the cake was baked and had a chance to cool, PJ did a great job decorating it with frosting and sprinkles and was excited to share a few slices with teachers.

Lucas did an excellent job with this meal. He demonstrated great understanding of flavor and texture while preparing the filling, and was able to explain many of the concepts and techniques at play. As we would be performing or setting up the next task I'd ask Lucas why he thought that this particular step was important and how it would effect the final product. He did a great job thinking through these questions and we had some great conversations about various concepts that we've covered throughout the school year.

PJ was interested in making a red velvet cake as a special treat for our last cooking class of the year. We looked up some recipes and watched a very interesting video about the history of red velvet cake and the distinctions that separate a red velvet cake from other, similar cakes. We also learned about velvet cakes in general and how they differ from other sponge cakes, as well as researching recipes for cream cheese frosting and a strawberry topping to go with our cake

Nico was absent today

Lucas did an excellent job with this meal. We had a great conversation about one pot dishes and how we can use our knowledge of layering flavor to maximize the depth of flavor of the final dish. He did a great job balancing the seasoning across the multiple stages of cooking and the whole dish came out delicious.