Our Price $595.00
Choose Class Dates: Sept 16 2008

Cooking Essentials & Food Fundamentals is the first in a series of three French Cooking Class sessions.

This program is six weeks long, meets once a week and runs about four hours. Each week following a brief overview, class begins with both demonstration and hands-on format. Students enjoy the delicious meal they prepared (bring your own wine) and go home with recipes and tips from the class. Most cooking done in restaurants is based on French cooking techniques and principles. This class covers all the basics of French food preparation, everything that you would need to know to begin to prepare simple dishes at home. Here is a detailed description of each week:

WEEK ONE
Introduction to French Cooking Principles
*Knife care and handling, cutting techniques and basic cuts
*Food handling safety and sanitation
*Equipment identification and usage
Heat Transfer To Foods:
*Moist Heat Cookery - braising, stewing, steaming, boiling and poaching
*Dry Heat Cookery - roasting, baking, broiling, grilling, griddling, pan roasting and pan searing
*Dry Heat Cookery Using Fat - saute, pan frying, shallow fat frying and deep fat frying
The Art of Seasoning and Flavoring
*Herbs, spices and flavoring agents
*How and when to season and flavor
Stock Preparation for Soups and Sauces
*Basic beef, chicken and fish stock

WEEK TWO
Soups and Sauces
*Hollandaise, Espagnole, Veloute, Bechamel, Demi-glace
*Glace d' Viande, Fresh Tomato Sauce
*Thickening agents and the power of reduction, basic soup preparations: creaming, puree's, chowders and bisque
*Boiled fowl noodle soup, cream of mushroom bisque, fish chowder base, and puree of spring vegetable, French Burgundian onion, and Brunswick stew

WEEK THREE
Vegetables, Starches, Legumes, Grains and Other Farinaceous Foods
*Provencale Vegetables Confit, Baked Stuffed Tomatoes
*Assorted Grilled Vegetables, Spinach Timbles,Pommes Anna
*Roasted Garlic & Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes
*Potato Pancakes, Risotto Petit Pois

WEEK FOUR
Basic Seafood Preparation and Handling
*Filleting, poaching, steaming, sauteing, grilling, broiling, braising and pan roasting
*Sauteed Pecan Trout Meuniere, Steamed Sole Merlot
*Pan Seared Citrus Salmon Granita
*Pan Roasted Haddock with a Lemon Thyme Butter Sauce
*Potato Crusted Red SnapperTapenade

WEEK FIVE
Basic Poultry Handling and Preparation
*Chicken, fowl, ducks, squab, turkey and quail
*Sauteed Chicken Estragon, Proscuitto & Herb Wrapped Cornish Game Hen, Forty Carrot Chicken & Roasted Elephant Garlic
*Roast Duck with Caramelized Apples, Turkey Marsala
*Braised Chicken Stew with Artichokes

WEEK SIX
Basic Meat Handling and Preparation
*Beef, lamb, pork, veal, venison and wild game
*Venison Game Pie, Onion Swiss Steak a la Flamande, Steak au Poivre
*Pork Tenderloin with a Braised Leek & - Mustard Cream
*Grilled Lamb Chops with Mint & Coriander, Veal & Peppers Fricasse

Program Cost: $595.00 includes Cookbook & Apron, 50% deposit with registration, balance at first class

Please add $5.00 p/p, p/wk gratuity for chef's assistant

Next Classes Available:
September 16, 2008

Class Times: 6:00 pm - 10:00 pm