my spice girl moment

Snow, snow, go away; come back again on Christmas Day. Because of yet another blast of snow this Saturday, our lesson plan did not occur completely as scheduled. There was no knife practical on harmless spuds and no quiz over famous chefs, however, the handful of us who showed up for class and weathered the storm gained new knowledge of spices and herbs and learned several sandwich making skills.

Let's start with the smattering of spices and herbs that were placed before us for our thorough dissection. Over 30 spices and herbs were on display, both in natural form and seeped in hot water, and we were able to taste each one and write down our flavor diagnosis.

It was a bit overwhelming on my taste buds, but a very cool exercise. I came away from the science project with two favorite discoveries.

First: lemongrass

This has a very clean, fresh smell and the taste was just like a soothing tea. Citrus fruits smell delicious and I love the smell of freshly cut grass, so really what could be of more delight to my senses?

Second: pink peppercorns

Have you ever even heard of pink peppercorns? I hadn't, but it was one of four peppercorn varieties on the table and definitely a nice surprise to my eyes and taste buds. These peppercorns are a popping bright pink color and while the taste is pepper-based, there is a sweet kick to it. Chef said he has made an ice cream with pink peppercorns before and I would love to make something delish with them in the future. That was the best part about this exercise - learning that you can literally use any of these spices and herbs for savory or sweet treats. It's all about getting creative.

Our next task was making various sandwiches with all of the meat and cheese we sliced up in the morning. We also cooked a ton of bacon in the oven, which turned out crispy and delicious. And it was way easier than standing over a frying pan trying to dodge flying bacon grease before you've had your coffee in the morning. My group made the classic Reuben, complete with (almost) homemade sauce. We didn't make the mayonnaise from scratch, but the sauce turned out very good and the fresh corned beef, Swiss cheese and sauerkraut made my mouth water while we were assembling the sandwiches.

We also had club sandwiches, muffalettas and homemade egg salad. Yum, yum and yum. And the best part is that we got to eat them all for lunch. Plus we learned a cool trick for figuring out if eggs are completely hard boiled and ready to be peeled. Yes, of course I'm going to share it with you. Do you think I would keep this happy trick to myself?

How to know if your boiled eggs are fully cooked: Once you've boiled your eggs and think you're ready to remove the shells, take the eggs out one by one and spin them on the counter. If the egg stays in one place like a trained ballerina on pointe, then the yolk is set and the egg can be peeled. If the egg spins out of control all over the counter like a drunk person at a dance club, then it's not done and should be put back in the water. Remember your dancing etiquette and you'll just be fine. Also, if you roll the cooled eggs around on the counter to break up the shell, it should peel off in one fell swoop. Less white stuff under my fingernails AND on the ground outside? That's what I really, really want. Spoken like a true British spice girl.