I’ve taken two cooking classes on previous trips to Paris – one good, one not so good (more on that in a moment).
But each time I planned another trip to the city, I would do a search for a very specific class: one that focuses on sauces. They’re not so easy to come by, at least not any that are taught in English. But on my recent trip in June, I found TWO classes that specified sauce making being offered during my weeklong stay. One was a five-minute walk from the flat we had rented in the Marais; the other was a half-hour ride on the Metro to the 18th arrondissement. We chose the latter, even though the name of the school had the hokey name of Cook’n with Class.
Why didn’t I choose the closer school? Because it was the one where I had an unpleasant experience on a previous visit. The reason I didn’t like it was because the chef who was teaching the class was rude and borderline abusive. He yelled and scolded my fellow classmates as though we were his underlings in his restaurant kitchen rather than paying guests trying to enjoy a vacation and have a little fun. And even though the school was in a perfect location and had windows overlooking the Seine, I didn’t want to take the chance that the same chef was still on the payroll. (Besides the rude instructor, all the knives were dull.)
As it turned out, I made the right choice. Our instructor at Cook’n with Class, Fabrice, was gracious, knowledgeable, easy-going and a patient instructor. And the curriculum for the course was just what I was looking for.
Fabrice had written on a chalkboard in the classroom the sauces we would be making that day, beginning with two “mother” sauces: a brown stock and a fish stock. From the brown stock (made with chicken) we would make mushroom, grape and tarragon sauces. From the fish stock (made with fish heads and bones) we would fashion red pepper and basil sauces. In addition, we would learn the proper way to make a roux, then use it to thicken our sauces when needed.
We also made hollandaise, béarnaise, mayonnaise (plus a green variation with parsley, basil and spinach) and vinaigrette.
And to sample all the sauces, we roasted chicken and potatoes and prepared fish fillets with julienned vegetables en papillote. When it was all done, we gathered around the butcher-block work area, now made into a dining table, to eat our foods and sauces, paired with some lovely wines.
With only eight students in the class, everyone got a chance to chop, stir, whisk, sauté and deglaze, all under the watchful eye of Fabrice.
Cost of the four-hour class was 150€, about $177 USD, and included a PDF of all the recipes that was emailed to us a week later. For me it was a bargain – heck, the food and wine would have cost almost that much in a nearby bistro.
There are many places in Paris that offer cooking classes, from private cooks to full academies. But when you filter your search for classes taught in English, the choices become fewer. (I had a wonderful class on bistro cuisine at École Alain Ducasse several years ago, but that’s the only topic it offers in English. Been there, done that, or J’ai déjà donné, as they say in France.) A nice thing about Cook’n with Class is that all of the courses are taught in English.
So I’ll definitely plan on taking another class on my next trip. I’m thinking bread making. Or even a class on croissants.
For more information, visit the Cook’n with Class website.
Want to talk about travel in Paris (or anywhere else)? Drop me a line at scottj@gotravel.com.
