Its Tuesday and I already want it to be Friday. However, it’s been a productive week so far; I went grocery shopping, I visited my parents over the weekend, and I also completed my homework and a projects for class. The best part of my weekend was my adventure at sur la table. For my birthday my fiancee purchased us a French dinner cooking class. When I found out about the gift I was super excited as I have never taken a cooking class. Most of my skills and passion for cooking actually came from watching countless hours of the food network channel. I would make the same Bam Bam noise that Emeril did, I would try new experiments like Alton Brown did on Good Eats, and I would also try to recreate iron chef with my family members; that’s how obsessed I was. Cooking has always been a passion of mine, but it has always been more of a creative outlet for me because I suck at painting, drawing, or anything art related.
On Saturday we headed to Sur la Table in Regency. It was a cool store that had a lot of awesome knick knacks for your kitchen. They had any thing from espresso makers to marble display dishes. A lady came over to tell us that they were ready. We then walked towards the back of the store where they had a commercial kitchen set up with a bunch of ingredients already laid out. Geoffrey, the chef that was going to teach our class, introduced himself and told us that we were the only ones for the later class. Which to our delight sounded great because we were going to be doing all the cooking steps and also enabled us to ask more questions as we watched.
This class really met my expectations as I learned a lot of new techniques and tips. For example I learned how to use a garlic roller that easily peels the skin for huge time savings. In addition I learned to how fold in a proper soufflé so that it rises high as it bakes. Finally I also learned how to make a delicious tarragon mustard sauce for some chicken thighs. The chef was actually a food scientist and was very knowledgable in his techniques and in his explanations as to why things worked the way they did. Overall I would recommend this class to anyone that is trying to do something fun with a significant other, or if you want to learn a new recipe, or if you’re just bored and want to shop at the store and meet new people. Also if you have never cooked, don’t worry about it they will walk through everything. Just enjoy yourself and try to learn a new thing or two.
As the week starts back up, I went grocery shopping so that I can continue to create some new dishes. I am not sure if I have brought it up before or not, but I love to go to Trader Joes. Don’t get me wrong, I still have to go to my local Bakers for any other items that I couldn’t find at TJ’s. However, I really like going there because they have some amazing ingredients and they are more affordable than most places. Regardless of where you go just make sure they have fresh produce, variety of new items, and good cuts of meat. The best way to make sure you’re food tastes amazing is that you use the best ingredients. You also want to make sure you spice things up and use different ingredients. How else are you going to feel more comfortable than cooking something you never used? You’ll be surprised how much you might like something that you never tried. By buying your groceries you’re empowering yourself to make healthier choices, save money, and expand your taste.
As your assignment I will ask you to visit your favorite grocery store and buy an ingredient you have always been curious about cooking and try to incorporate it or cook a whole new dish so that you can test it out. If you have any great stories always remember to reach out to my email! This week I got stem Brussel sprouts and roasted cauliflower ravioli; I will let you know how it goes!
The Local Provision 