We had a "date" at 10am in the new America's Test Kitchen for a hands-on cooking class. As we are 5 star (or more) Mariners, we are entitled to one complimentary class per cruise. On the Alaska run, we never had time to sign up. And that may have happened here, but the test kitchen hostess, Kathleen, automatically signed us up for today. She did follow up with a phone call to confirm this class. We said, "Why not?"
Today's lesson was all about pie crusts….. specifically foolproof single-crust pie dough and individual fried peach pies. Right up our alley, as one of us loves to bake, and the other loves eating pies of all kinds. Making home-made pie crusts since a child at the side of a talented baker (namely, mom), I thought all was known about the creation. Well…….turned out all was not the case.
This was an intimate class of eight students, four of us President's Club members. Two nice ladies were from Alabama, and a Canadian couple looked quite familiar to us. Eventually, we recalled having seen them on some segments of the world cruise in recent years. Compared to the cooking classes with famous visiting chefs, this was different. Now the itinerary is scripted quite well, and we feel the subjects have been steered towards popular and simple dishes.
After introductions, we had to sign a public health questionnaire, similar to the ones we fill out upon boarding the ship. Each of us were gifted a red apron with the new test kitchen logo on them, along with waterproof recipe cards…..the subject, of course, pie crusts and little peach pies. Watching our young instructor, she blended the dough ingredients in a food processor. One mystery addition was vodka, go figure. A handheld crust blender is all I have ever used. Yes, we do have the blender, but old habits die hard for certain things. Kathleen had already prepped the dough for each couple, and handed them out for us to roll out. With so much butter and shortening in the mix, our crust fell apart with the first stroke of the rolling pin. Drats! Twenty years of food service could not save one of us. The other option was to re-roll it, and press it into the pie dish by hand. And hoping this was not noticed by the others. The trick we learned today concerned using weights to bake the single crust correctly. Did you know that pennies can be used as weights? Kathleen showed a film where a sheet of aluminum foil was placed over the dough, then the pennies, stones, or a metal chain were scattered on top of the foil before popping it into the oven. Another hint was not to use dry rice or dried beans as weights, as they do not conduct heat as well as metal.
The small pastry was easier. Kathleen had prepared the diced peach filling, and had it cooling in the refrigerator. We learned how to roll the dough, which did not fall apart this time, place the filling in the center, then crimping the edges with a roller and a fork. Then Kathleen deep-fried them to show us how they should look. All of the teams did a fine job. One thing, although, is that none of our creations were actually consumed.
Finally, we sat down at the long table, and enjoyed a small peach pie with coffee. After the class ended, we stayed and chatted with the couple we sort of knew, sharing all sorts of news about staff and other passengers we know, mostly from the Amsterdam. It is funny that sometimes it takes three or four years to break the ice, so to speak. Glad we did. However, with 2000 plus passengers on this ship, we are wondering if our paths will cross again.
While we were gone, two blue and white striped beach towels appeared in our room. Suspecting these may be doled out prior to our arrival in Hilo, these generous-size towels are not only to be used poolside or taken off of the ship, they are available for purchase. We feel that $27.50 is a fair price to buy one, although they would add considerable weight to already heavy luggage. By the way, if you lose them while onshore, a charge of $27.50 will be added to your SB account.
Lunch for us was back in the dining room, mainly because we did not want to wait until later in the day. We had reservations in the Pinnacle Grill tonight, so the best way to enjoy the meal in there for us, is to be hungry at 8pm. We happened to mention to Mega, that a waiter by the name of Edi, who served us a few days ago, might be good place to seat us. He remembered that, and did in fact, place us at a window table for two with Edi. We call him "fast Edi", since he was prompt and nice as they come. Good lunch, great service.
Explorations Central lectures continued, as did all of the games, movies, and Microsoft digital workshops to mention a few. These workshops have been full capacity every time we pass the room. Besides the photo gallery, the next largest venue for sales has to be the art gallery. These shops much larger shops have been placed in the well-used hallway on one of the public decks. The design by the shipbuilders was well-thought out.
We're still catching up on the Downton Abbey series, one hour at a time. What a soap opera. Added to the mix of TV series was Castle, which we also like. We have missed so many of those shows at home, we're sure most of the episodes will be new for us. The best aspect of watching these series, is that all of the commercials have been removed, and they can be paused to continue viewing later. Perfect.
A couple of times during the day, we stretched our legs and did a couple of miles on the promenade deck. The sun was out, and it was much warmer, so more people were out on the teak lounges. We're still liking the privacy of the veranda, with the exception of the squeaky door. Today, one of the working crew happened to be passing by our room. Actually, he stopped us and said he recognized us from the Amsterdam. Perfect time to ask how we could get rid of the noise in the door. Immediately, he sprayed the hinges and the squeak was gone. Thanking him, now we can go outside in silence and not bug our neighbors.
Dinner was very good. Two Caesar salads, a shared order of prawns, jidori chicken and dessert found us full and happy campers. Would have been better if one extremely chatty woman did not hang over the opposite booth, visiting with newly-met bar friends. We prayed that her food would arrive, so she would cease her loud intrusive talking. Frankly, we have never seen such clueless behavior in a Pinnacle Grill restaurant. If we had a guess, we agreed that she and her two cronies must have the explor4 package, since the drinks kept coming and coming. Perhaps we may not have noticed this if we were in the main section of the restaurant. But we were in the small intimate area where the officer's table of ten is situated. Despite listening to this continuous exchange, we did like the food and service. Two sets of earplugs may have help though. Just kidding…..
Strolling deck two, we strayed through each music venue, listening to many styles of entertainment, all which were well-attended. This is such a different crowd here, making the most of each and every day. Nice to see. We were way too early to go to the Main Stage for the show. A lady by the name of Frances Dilorinzo took the stage, full of energy and ready for fun. What that means, we don't have a clue. Perhaps comedy is her forte?
We were surprised that the clocks went back one more hour tonight. We believe it has something to do with the fact that Hawaii does not recognize daylight savings time on the mainland, making it a three hour time difference instead of two.
Looking forward to getting our land legs in Hilo, Hawaii tomorrow.
Bill & Mary Ann
