A La Cuisine – Week One
How much I will learn through this 3 month course! Therefore, I have decided to post a weekly account of our culinary works. Don’t forget you can click on a photo to view a comment about it.
Usually each day we create one dish and often do some preparatory work for the next day’s class. This was our first week so we were a little slow and didn’t complete all the dishes on our docket! We’ll be playing catch-up in Monday’s class. Also, many times we have made little dishes on the side using leftover ingredients. We’ll take these leftover dishes home. For example, we made lobster bisque with leftover lobster consomme from Tuesday’s Lobster Ravioli. No complaints here!
Tuesday’s Lobster Ravioli:
Each day, we arrive fully in uniform before we enter the kitchen. Full uniform consists of security shoes, chef pants, white t-shirt with chef jacket over, apron tied on, hair fully put away (mine goes in a tight bun on the top of my head so it sits under my hat), and white chef hat on. As soon as we enter, we set up our stations with a cutting board, large chef knife, small pairing knife and a peeler. We wash our hands and loop a clean towel through our apron string on the front so it is handy. Other tools come out depending on the week’s focus or the techniques we’re learning (ie. sushi or flexible knife for doing fish). Chef calls “a la cuisine” many times throughout the 3 hours of class. When he does, we’re to quickly leave what we’re doing, gather around and pay close attention. This is when he gives us the skills we need, next steps etc. We work in pairs to get our dishes done, but each will plate our own. In class after we make our dish of the day, we plate it, have it critiqued by Chef and then eat what we want of it.
Wednesday’s Avocado Mousse, Coconut Mousse and Grapefruit Mousse with Prawns:
I have to say, I wasn’t expecting how gourmet our cooking would be. By this, I mean the multi-time consuming steps and the emphasis on plating. This is neither good or bad, just the way it is. I feel there will be many dishes I will choose not to re-create for friends and family, but several that I will. I have a love/hate relationship with plating. I think I can be quite good at it because I have an eye for detail and have an artistic side, however, while plating I often find myself wondering “why am I spending so much time on this? don’t people just want to eat it?” Maybe I’m just hungry when I’m plating though? Ha, actually it is the opposite. I usually am not hungry during class or for several hours after! I know presentation is important however, and as you’ll see, the plates do look pretty amazing!
Thursday & Friday’s Escabeche of Mediterranean Fish
General Kitchen:
Gastronomicom – Cap D’Agde, France
After a four hour train ride, getting off briefly at the wrong stop and having an old French lady repeat Sete, Sete, Sete to us at our question about Agde, we arrived at Agde station from Paris. We were met by one of Gastronomicom’s (culinary school) directors and were whisked away to the school located in Cap D’Adge only a handful of minutes away. The school is part of a resort run by Odaly’s called Residence Saint Loup. Yup, Odaly’s and we aren’t in Ireland!
It being a Sunday, the resort office and secretariat were quiet and only bits of chatter drifted over from the pool. I was given my itinerary for orientation beginning the next morning with a petite French test at 9am sharp! We received our keys and quickly found our apartment. It is a very basic, 1 bedroom space. Maybe 500 square feet, but enough for us!
We have a little store at the residence just outside our apartment door for last minute purchases or warm bread/croissants in the morning! It is just a 5 minute walk down to the beach (Mediterranean) or a 10 minute walk to The Port which has some shops, restaurants and lots of boats. I’ve been pleased there are so many walking/running/biking trails that connect all over the beach and city.
So, the French exam put me in the beginner’s class. No surprises there! Everyone keeps asking me how that is possible seeing as I’m a Canadian. Does Canadian mean I’m supposed to speak French? I must have lost that memo! Actually, since classes began I’m picking it up at a decent speed (in my opinion), though in less than 3 weeks they will be switching to French only. No more moments of grace via English translation! I have to admit, Google Translate has come in handy for my homework assignments! Shhhh…
At first I didn’t think I’d like my schedule of French class from 9-12 and cooking from 4:15-7:15, because of the big afternoon break, but I do! It is a great time for us to have lunch together, to run or walk, to take in a book (so far just my homework) at the pool and to have some strong coffee before continuing on. Hopefully I learn how to take a nap in there some days too!
The weather is mild, but not quite as warm as I expected especially in the mornings and evenings. Oh where, oh where is that hoodie I left at home?! A sweater is definitely required in the mornings and evenings, however, the sun is warm enough in the afternoons to put on the swimsuit or at least take off the sweater! Of course, Dan is always happy in his t-shirt.
My french instructors (2) and Chef are all great teachers and very passionate. I will learn a lot! There are 12 students in each class from all over the world. It truly is an international school with students from South Africa, Denmark, USA, Canada (3 of us), Japan, Australia, England, China, Italy, Switzerland, Bahamas, Nigeria and I’m sure a few more places. We’ve found some good friends already!
You’ll have to check out my weekly kitchen (a la cuisine) blogs for more foodie posts!
51 Hours in Paris
We arrived in Paris at 9am on Friday the 18th after taking a red-eye Air Transat flight from Vancouver (with a lame stop in Calgary). All told, I was blown away by the flight, far more leg room than Air Canada, and pretty decent service (plus we got two meals). In-flight entertainment was dull (and no in-seat screens, not that I was expecting them).
From the airport we jumped on RER Line B into the city. A quick change at the metro and we arrived at Place d’Italie which was about 300 meters from where we were staying (Oops Hostel). The place was swarming with cops when we arrived (for better or for worse – apparently there had been some sort of “incident” the night before).
Bleary-eyed we headed out for some exploring.
First stop was a Panini, Pain au Chocolat and Espresso at the first corner cafe we could find. Sufficiently pastry-fied and caffeinated, we carried on to Notre Dame (yup, it’s a church) – and then to Berthillon (known to make the best ice cream in Paris) on Île Saint-Louis. I had salted-butter-caramel – and all I can say is they live up to their reputation. Wow.
We headed back to the hostel for a nap, and then it was off to the Eiffel Tower for some photos. I’ll agree with several people we talked to that the best metro station to get off at in order to get your first view of the tower is definitely Trocadéro. It puts you just across the river and smack-dab into some great views and great photos.
Dinner at La Petite Tour, with an extremely friendly English-speaking owner who was happy to answer any and all questions about the menu (including advice on avoiding the veal kidney if you hadn’t grown up with it). I started with foie gras, Carly with Caesar salad – we both had steak for dinner, and all of it was delicious.
Day two was a bunch more walking, a couple of house enjoying some of the great impressionists at Musée d’Orsay. A walk around the outside of the Louvre (no time to go in), and then a long-ish walk down Champs-Élysées to the Arc de Triomphe. Neither Carly nor I saw all the fascination with this giant shopping street. Not anywhere near as cool or awesome as all the small little streets with bustling markets and lively cafe’s that can be found elsewhere in the city.
We ate a dinner of cheese and fresh bread sitting on a bus bench and loving every last minute of it.
The next morning we headed off to Gare de Lyon for a four hour train ride down to Agde, where we’ll be staying for the next couple months (on our way to Gare de Lyon, Carly may or may not have gotten stuck in the turn-style at the metro station with an arm full of luggage, which may or may not have been quite amusing).
Ottawa
In an attempt to have the newest post here be less than a year old. I thought I would upload a few shots from one of our side-trips this summer. Welcome to Ottawa.
Coming soon… France.
