Culinary Skills Cooking Class

Last night I took my last class in a 4-week series cooking course at the Kitchen Conservatory. It was a blast and I am so sad that it is over. I learned a ton and had so much fun cooking and eating, it's ridiculous.
The class was a bit pricey so I saved up for a while and finally decided to take it for my Birthday present this year. SO WORTH IT! Anne was a fabulous teacher and makes a killer custard, among other things. I met some really nice friends and hope to see them in some future classes. Here's the breakdown of each night:

1st Night-Chicken


I have definitely used my chicken skills already. The first thing we learned how to do was to de-bone a chicken. Not my finest moment but I have since improved, I think, and have made the Tuscan chicken a few times. Yummy.

2nd Night-Beef



This was definitely my favorite night. I came home smelling like a steak house. My favorite was the Filet Mignon and the celery root in the potatoes. Try it! It's delicious. The bearnaise sauce on the filet was awesome! So awesome that I went home and learned how to make eggs benedict, just so I could have some more of it. I didn't have english muffins so I used toast instead.


I really liked the Creme Brulee too. I am so sad that I didn't get a picture of the french onion soup we made. It took me straight back to the Champs-Elysee on my last night in Paris. I want to cry just thinking about it! It's all about the stock I am told.

3rd night-Fish



Fish night was a lot of fun. We started out with a live lobster and finished with a beautiful lobster bisque, which I am sad to say I also did not get a picture of. It was everything I was hoping for! The dill beurre blanc sauce was another winner. I practically licked my bowl clean of that stuff! There wasn't a single thing that I didn't like or actually love, I guess. You just can't go wrong with a good piece of fish!

4th night-Vegetables


I have to admit I was the least excited about vegetable night but really interested to see what new vegetables we would be cooking and tasting. Well, Anne did not disappoint and we were able to try a plethora of new flavors and I am now a liker of Brussel Sprouts and roasted beets! Who knew? My favorite thing was the Caponta and I really liked the crisp roasted Kale. We also made a gratin of Rutabaga and sweet potatoes, which is in the picture above with Anne.

I now feel a lot more comfortable in the kitchen and I think I can make a pretty mean pan sauce.

So......
1.Cooking class?   Check!
2.New recipes?    Check!
3.Guests for dinner? Any takers? I am taking requests.