Monday and Tuesday, October 20 and 21, 2019 - Two Days at Sea

Monday and Tuesday, October 20 and 21, 2019 - Two Days at Sea

Awoke to very grey skies and it is raining!   But, it's super humid - another UGH!!  Thank the Lord for air conditioning.

Today will be Team Trivia and a wine tasting.   Though these tastings have been offered on other cruises, have never participated - should be fun.   And, tonight I dine with Emma Abel.   She is delightful and it should be another good table.   Will report more later.

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Caramel Cookies recipe delivered to my suite by Chef Lindsay Lewis.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 cup granulated white sugar
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup caramel chips
• 3/4 cup walnut pieces (not in original recipe, but in cookies eaten today!)

Preheat over to 375 degrees.  Line baking sheets with parchment paper and then set aside.

Add butter, sugars, eggs and vanilla extract to a large bowl.  Using any electric mixer, beat over medium speed until nice and creamy, about 1 minute.

In a medium sized bowl, sift together the baking soda, salt and flour.  Gradually add the dry ingredients to butter/sugar mixture, beating over low speed.  Scrape the bowl then beat over medium speed for another 30 seconds until well combined.

Add caramel chips to the dough and then stir to combine.  Drop dough by rounded tablespoons on to prepared baking sheets, about 2 - 3 inches apart.  Bake for 10 - 12 minutes (mine are ready at 10 minutes), then remove from oven and allow cookies to cool slightly before transferring to a wire rack.

Note from Jeanne:  On the ship, the cookies are not dropped on to a cookie sheet, but baked in a perfect round shape, about the size of the top of a cupcake, about one inch thick.   Though I don't have anything like that at home, will be on the hunt!  Next time I have one, will take a photo!

Here's one with one bite missing!!   . . . and that rascal chef left out one ingredient.   Today's cookies had pieces of walnut!  

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Joanna Pizer is head sommelier on this ship.   She conducted a wine tasting for 13 of us yesterday, and while she welcomed each and every one of us, was quite honest in her surmise that most of us were there to taste one wine - the last one - but not so for me.   All were new to me.   All were 2014 vintages.  The prices quoted here are as they are listed on the special wine menu of the ship.   Should I order any one of them, would get a 25% discount with my many days on board Seabourn ships, though I don't think these will be on "my" menu!

We began with a French, Domaine Chandon de Briailles -  Corton - Bressandes Grand Cru, the only wine in this tasting to have a "grand cru" rating.   100% Pinot Noir.  Joanna would cellar this wine aboard ship 10 to 15 years (don't think it would last that long in my cellar!) - would be chancy going to 20 years.   Quite good!  Priced at $260.

She spoke briefly about most things which kill the palate prior to drinking wine. 

• How many times a day you brush your teeth. That one surprised me!
• Whether you drink bourbon prior to wine on any given evening (which does the most damage to the palate), and other liquors.
• Of course, tobacco - cigarettes or cigars.
• Almost everything one ingests changes the palate.

Next came an Italian wine - Tenuta Bolgheri Sassicaia.  Though familiar with the Bolgheri district wines outside of Florence, hadn't tasted this one.   While it is designated as a Super Tuscan, found it quite soft and most friendly to the mouth.   Only priced at $299!

Then, another French wine, Domaine des Tourettes (Towers) from the Hermitage Appellation, north in the Rhone region.  Because it was made from a Syrah grape, was prepared to like it, and I did!   Priced at $164.

The final wine, was the one everyone had waited for - Opus One from Napa Valley.   This one is a blend - mostly Cabernet Sauvignon (80%) with the rest made up of varying percentages of Petit Verdot, Cabernet Franc and Malbec.  Perhaps it is because I love Verdot, Franc and Malbec that I found this wine absolutely delicious!  Because I've never been a fan of the man, Robert Mondavi, had never tasted this wine before.   However, he is no longer affiliated with the winery, so . . .    And it's only priced at $299!

So we drank approximately $1100 in wine - $1100 divided by 13 is $84.50 per person - They charged $150 per person and I will get a 15% discount on this activity - not the 25% when I order the higher priced wines.   Learned a lot - if there are more tastings will participate again.

Joanna is a very friendly sommelier, not haughty, fun, anxious to share knowledge and to learn something new from her audience - lots of fun!

Dinner with the Cruise Director, Emma Abel, was really enjoyable!   She had seven guests at table, so that made up eight, and all women!   We had so much fun, Emma has decided to make this an event on all cruises when there are women traveling alone - and there really are quite a few.

Of most interest was the young woman to my right, who turned out to be a professional gambler, told us her story, and the fact that she's been banned from most casinos throughout the country.   Now that she is so well-known (even in Indian casinos) she is seeing that her career is coming to an abrupt end.   The only way you can make this work is to stay under the radar - going so far as to play under friends' identities (with their casino cards), playing in teams, etc.  The more I think about her story, cannot think of a more bizarre career!

Next Day - At least it is not raining!   Quite nice weather today, still very warm and sultry, but not as damp as yesterday.

Played Trivia today and though we really rocked yesterday, today we bombed in a most extraordinary manner!    Questions were really difficult!   But even though we went down in flames, we had some fun with the bonus question at the end.  Here are some sample questions to which our answers were really incorrect:

• How long is the gestation period of an elephant? - 24 months
• What bone is a baby born without?  - kneecap
• What year did Wimbledon begin?  - 1876
• How many brains does an octopus have? - 9. (we figured he had one for each tentacle and one for his head!)

There were more that I cannot remember as I write this.  So, the bonus question was to list all seven Harry Potter books, with their complete titles.   Oh No!   I think we got one correct, something about the Holy Grail.   Then something struck my funny bone and I began making up titles using the questions that we'd failed - something like this:

• Harry Potter and his 24 Month Pregnancy.
• Harry Potter Born in 1876.
• Harry Potter and His Nine Brains.
• Harry Potter Grows a Kneecap.

Cruise Director chose to read our answers aloud, and everyone was cracking up!   Really fun, even though we were useless today.

Have turned down my usual dinner invite in the Main Dining Room, and chosen to have another easy day.   Now that I know I can eat alone with my trusty laptop, am braving the evening alone again.   Decided to bring my laptop onto the pool deck and then just stay on for an early dinner.   However, two of my fellow trivia teammates just came over to the table, and asked if I wanted to join them later on this deck, with two more teammates - sounds like fun.   Our team is filled with very special people, whether on any given day we are brain dead or super smart!

Another evening filled with laughter, good wine, and lovely food with a couple from Australia and another from New Zealand.  The New Zealand couple has Jewish heritage and relatives who are/were closely tied to the holocaust.   Their stories were both interesting and horrifying, but once again examples of triumph of the human spirit.

Had such a good and interesting time that we'll repeat tonight out on deck the next evening,  because our ears perked up when the chef came by and informed that we would be having Peking duck!!

Here's a photo of Chef William - boss of Earth and Ocean dining venue.   Good job, Chef William!