Wednesday, at last!

It's been a long week since I wrote last!  I've had one day off, and that was spent building the walkway--yes, still!--and garden-hopping with Mom for Mother's Day.  We're not a lot alike, but we love gardening, and we love fiber arts.  My day off started about two hours ago, even though I know my boss thinks I should be at the hotel with the band of famous French Chefs.  Yesterday was my day, and his, to show our stuff to them.  He made a salad with sheeps' milk cheese, country ham, garden greens and radishes from our garden.  Next, he made roasted squab, sunchoke puree, braised spring onions and foie gras-stuffed morel mushrooms.  I made sheeps' milk cheesecake on pecan shortbread with lavender syrup and edible flowers from our garden.  The sheeps' milk cheese is from our cheese maker, too, so we showed those French folks what we can do.

  Last night, Joseph made dinner at Sam's house for the cooking school guests, and while I don't have his menu, my dessert got its photo op from Joseph.  Close up to the left, and the multitudes below show the Ethereal Chocolate Cake, layers of cocoa nib and hazelnut meringues with chocolate mousse and hazelnut pastry cream.  It's not as tidy or clean a presentation as I'd like, but I know it tasted very, very good.
  And now it's the French chefs' night to shine.  Melanie promised to take pictures, so check back on asweetthread.blogspot.com in the next day or so to see what they did.  The pastry chef was still working on his rhubarb dessert, having just finished his chocolate dessert when I left today.  So beautiful, so precise, and I'm sure it was absolutely delicious.  French chefs typically start their careers in their early teens, apprenticed to chefs, learning to be the absolute best they can be.  I admire them and aspire to be as good.  I learn from every cooking school we host!
  I have been weaving a little bit.  After Mom's and my garden tours Saturday, I forced her into labor, helping me wind the shag rug warp onto the Colonial.  Since then, I've been threading the heddles in chunks, and am almost halfway there.  Tomorrow morning, before it's light enough to get outside to work, I hope to have the warp threaded and tied on.  I still need to cut strips of Polar Fleece, for a toe-snuggling rug for Matt's bathroom, but that should go quickly.  Tomorrow evening, when the garden has received the bulk of the day's attention, I'll start cutting.  Why not tonight, you ask?  Well, it's my first day off in a week, I have a cold beer sitting next to me, and I think another is following it soon!
  Have a beautiful, summery week, and happy weaving!
Maggie