Parisian Romance Cooking Class

For Christmas I bought a cooking class for Chris and I to attend as part of his gift.  I debated between two different classes at Sur la Table at the Bayshore Mall.  Both were Date Night classes; Romantic Italy and Parisian Romance.  The one I chose was the Parisian Romance class since we  talk about a trip to Paris someday and we don't often cook French food. 

The Menu was as follows:
- Frisee Salad with Warm Goat Cheese and Champagne Shallot Vinaigrette
-Pommes Anna
-Thyme-Walnut Crusted Lamb Chops
-Chocolate Souffles with Chambord Sauce

 

The class was two hours and we were paired up with another couple for it as you share the cooking duties within a team of four people.  The chef, Nicholas Keller walks you through each step and has a team of assistants so that it all runs fast and smooth.  Everything is measured out for you ahead of time and you just do the chopping, mixing, peeling, layering, folding...you get the idea.  Best part, no cleanup either, the assistants bring and take everything away from your station.  A great way to cook!  I also liked the fact that they label each item that your station makes, because at the end you get to eat the food that your team created.  You share the salad and potatos and get your own lamb chop and souffle.  I thought it was definitely worth the price of $79 a person for the amount of food you are served and the experience you get out of making it as well.  

 

 

Pommes Anna - a thinly sliced potato cake.  Layered not with butter, but with....duck fat!  It is nothing we would make a regular habit out of cooking with, but it sure brought out the flavor.  Sur la Table sells duck butter and I was tempted to buy it, but didn't.  This was a dish that looks really elegant and delicate, but was so easy to put together.

 

 

I had never had lamb before, so that was another reason I had picked this class.  The texture to it was something to get used to, but I did like it.  I also liked that ours was served as a chop without the bone.  As far as future bouts with lamb, I wouldn't order it in a restaurant and spend a lot of money on it, but I would maybe make it again at home.  My favorite part, as usual, was the salad.  The baked goat cheese balls were what really topped it off for me.  Definitely something I would make again at home.  Another nice thing about this class was the fact that you get a 10% off coupon to use in their store. 

 

I would definitely do a class like this again and it would be fun to go with another couple we are friends with.  I'm glad I liked it because I also bought a tickets to the Macaron class in February for Christmas for myself, my Mom and my Mother-in-Law.  I'll probably write about that class too!