A reformed cooking class junkie AND your chance to vote

I sat at the table and leafed through the stack of cooking class recipe packets. I was applying what I learned in class at home and using recipes in meals as well as suggesting recipes to friends. It was also apparent that I was spending a lot of money. I was exceeding my budget for cooking classes and I was about to reduce my budget once I moved into my place.  What was I going to do? I recalled an instructor at L'Academie de Cuisine had mentioned that the people wearing  the red aprons in class were volunteer assistants. Volunteer assistants earn credits for each class they assist. Those credits can be applied toward the cost of a class on a 1:1 basis, for half off the class. Perhaps this was the answer to my cooking class addiction.


in uniform and ready to work

I completed an application. I went for an interview. My application was accepted. Volunteer assistants attend orientation and then undergo three  class sessions of training before they are eligible to earn credits.

The volunteer assistant's uniform at L'Academie de Cuisine is black pants, white shirt, and sturdy, non-kid shoes(preferably).  I had a shirt on hand. The pants and shoes required a little more research. Bebe was helpful in pointing me to local vendors who might have the shoes and pants. After two weeks, I finally found the non-skid shoes that fit my feet and budget best.

Volunteer assistants receive a list of upcoming classes and select the classes they would like to assist. I choose classes based on subject,  day offered ( I have a day  job so assisting in weekday daytime classes is not possible)  and sometimes location (L'Academie offers recreational classes at its Bethesda and Gaithersburg, MD locations).

cleaning and sanitizing the classroom kitchen is a must

The glimpse of behaviors I noted as a student blossom as an assistant and it is crucial to exercise diplomacy and patience as well as follow the chef/instructor's lead . Some instructors inform the students at the start of class to be nice to the assistants because they are volunteers. Some instructors ask students to pose any questions to the instructor only. All instructors rely on assistants for food prep, classroom clean up before, during and after class as well as serving adult beverages to students legally allowed to drink.

I am grateful for the sturdy, non-skid shoes I purchased. Volunteer assistants are on their feet 99% of the time as we set up the class, support students during class (e.g. removing and replacing cutting boards, cooking implements as well as helping with drying as dishes and returning them to
their proper storage location) and clean up after the class concludes.



 

arugula, lobster and quail egg

What about the food? The assistants generally get to sample what the chef/instructor cooked. The dish is also shared with any staff that is working.



salad greens with duck and raspberries



photo by TEP

What's next? In a few months I hope to attend a cooking class titled Culinary Techniques 101 at L'Academie de Cuisine. The class requires wearing a chef's jacket with a name or nickname  embroidered above the school's name. I'm inviting you to visit the Technicolor dining blog page and participate in a poll to select  which name should be embroidered on the jacket. Don't delay, the poll and opportunity to vote will be available for a limited period of time.

Be well,

Technicolor girl

Fat Tuesday Favorites: A cooking class featuring New Orleans Mardi Gras favorites

Beignets anyone?

Chef Danielle Turner's Fat Tuesday Favorites class syllabus on the L'Academie de Cuisine website piqued my curiosity. I was born in Louisiana as were my parents. My parents cooked some popular dishes associated with New Orleans/ Cajun dining when I was a child. I even helped my mother prep the vegetables she would use in many of her dishes. Yes, I was the kid whose hands reeked of onion, celery and bell pepper (aka the holy trinity of Cajun cooking or the mirepoix of Louisiana Creole cooking). Would this class teach me how to make the oft talked about beignets or oyster po'boy that my mother talked about eating as a young woman?

A snowstorm passed through the DC metro area the day before class and many areas were still clearing roadways and walkways the day of the class. Instead of 10 participants, there were 5 participants.

On the class menu:

Barbecued Shrimp

Chicken & Sausage Gumbo;

Fried Oyster Po' Boys

Beignets

Our first task was blending the ingredients for the beignet dough and then set it aside to allow the dough additional time to rise and expand.

We  moved on to the chicken and sausage gumbo. I scanned the recipe to see if okra was a listed ingredient (it's one of the few vegetables I'm not fond of. I remember once trying to extract the okra from bowl of gumbo  and my mother saw me - BIG mistake. I was told not to eat the gumbo unless I was willing to eat whatever was  placed in my bowl). I found no okra listed in the ingredients for class- whew!

We used red pepper instead of green pepper in our gumbo. Chef Turner recommended using chicken thighs and seasoning the meat well because they will absorb the flavors of the dish. Chicken stock, tomatoes, and a small bit of tomato paste were added to the cooked  peppers, cooked chicken and cooked sausage.

gumbo simmering



gumbo is served

Once the gumbo ingredients were simmering we began preparing the barbecue shrimp. It was simple, easy and quick to prepare - a winning a combination in my book. The word barbecue refers to using a 'low and slow' heat to cook the shrimp once the sauce is prepared. As my classmate and I discovered using a  high heat to create the sauce burns the sauce quickly. Fortunately, the shrimp had not been added to the pan and  one of the class assistants brought another set of ingredients to us to re-create the sauce. When the sauce is mixed well the shrimp are added to the pan and the flame is lowered. When the shrimp were  done we were shown two ways to plate the dish: arrange slices of bread on a plate, arrange shrimp on the bread slices, pour the sauce over the shrimp and bread OR place shrimp in bowl, pour sauce over shrimp and garnish with bread slices. I decided to serve the dish by arranging the shrimp atop the bread slices.



barbecue shrimp

After enjoying the barbecue shrimp Chef Turner demonstrated how to preprare the oysters for frying. The oysters were marinading in their own jucies with a liberal amount of Tabasco added.  We used one (1) beaten egg, flour, and cornmeal. We dipped the oyster in the beaten egg first then the flour, followed by the cornmeal. It's a messy process, but the end result is so worth it - oysters with a crispy exterior and a tender, somewhat spicy interior. We were given sliced baguette bread, lettuce, tomato, red onion and remoulade one of Chef Turner's volunteer assistants prepared for the class using the recipe provided in the course syllabus.


fried oysters

po'boy prep

Before tonight's class I had never made beignets.  After setting the beignet dough aside so it could rise and expand we rolled the dough out about 1/4 inch thick and then cut the dough into similarly sized pieces. The pieces of cut dough were deep fried and when done (the dough must be flipped over) were liberally dusted with powdered sugar. Delicious and addictive! Overall, the process reminded me of what I had done in another cooking class to make donuts, excluding placing the dough in a proofer to encourage the dough to rise more.

frying beignets

Chef Turner discovered that a recipe for bananas foster had mistakenly been included in the class syllabus she submitted for printing. She prepared the dish as a bonus for us.

I enjoyed the class and learned new techniques as Chef Turner's presentation style makes it easy to repeat the steps she demonstrates. She also encourages students to ask questions.

Merci!