Monday evening, we headed to the esteemed L’atelier des Chefs for a crash course in French cooking.
After a warm welcome (accompanied by a glass of wine, bien sûr!), the chef and staff ushered us into the kitchen of my dreams. Mounds of fresh vegetables lined the counters, stainless steel sparkled, and there were more burners than I could count.
After a very brief demonstration, the chef left us to our own devices. I reveled in my new-found knowledge of how to prepare artichokes, then chopped vegetables until I never wanted to see a bell pepper again. “Our” chef then showed us how not to burn lamb as we sautéed and stirred and tried not to fling onions everywhere.
Sweating from the heat of too many woks, we sat down to a delicious and extremely satisfying meal. The first group, who had prepared the entrée and the dessert, presented us with a summer vegetable tapenade served between rice crackers and topped with creamy chevre. We (the plat principal group) then proudly displayed our new skills with tender slices of roast lamb served with sautéed peppers and artichoke hearts, two vegetables I formerly disliked but devoured in copious quantities. Everything was tender, light, and perfect. We finished with a delicate butter pastry topped with crème Chantilly and poached cherries accompanied by a café.
The highlight of the evening, however, was the pre-dinner course on wine tasting. We sampled three French wines (two whites and a red), discussed their color, scent, and flavor, then guessed at the type and origin. We swirled and swished and sniffed, trying to find that taste of green apple and earthy texture. For me (who can barely remember which types of wines are which), this was an excellent introduction and left me feeling like quite the connoisseur.
One cours de cuisine is an expensive endeavor (even with a group rate), but the experience is well worth it. There is great comfort in knowing everything you make will turn out magnificently; the chefs can turn even the “dicey-ist” of situations into a culinary masterpiece. So indulge: drink good wine and learn from the best at L’atelier des Chefs.