Besides visiting markets, one of my favorite food-related things to do while traveling is to take cooking classes. Not only do you leave with some awesome, authentic recipes, you also usually get to visit markets to learn about unique local ingredients and perhaps learn some culinary techniques that are specific to the area. The cooking class I took with Concept Chef in Avignon, France, hit all of these points and then some.We started the morning off with some coffee and then shopped the Les Halles market for all of our ingredients (the class is conveniently held in the same market). We learned all about the typical Provence fruits, vegetables, meats, and fish that were available in the market and ooh-ed and aah-ed over things like lavender salt and potatoes of a dozen different colors and sizes.
We discussed our menu: a ratatouille tart; sea bream with potato gratin and lemongrass scallops; and a chocolate custard with ginger whipped cream and apricots. We started with the sea bream, which were whole. None of us had ever dealt with a whole fish before, so Chef Julien gave us a lesson in gutting and deboning fish. I think this was perhaps one of the most valuable parts of the cooking class, at least for me. What a good life lesson!
After we fileted and de-boned the fish, we were split up into groups to work on different parts of the meal. This was probably one of the only things that I didn't like about the class, as sometimes we missed out on things that Chef Julien was saying to other groups when we were busy doing our own thing.
One of the coolest and totally French things I learned in the class was how to make a fish fumet. This is basically a fish stock made by boiling the leftover fish bones and heads with some herbs and vegetables, then straining the solids out and using this type of setup with a chinois to extract maximum flavor from the bones:
Everything we made in the class was simple, allowing the wonderful flavors of the in-season ingredients to shine through. The individual ratatoutille tarts were a fun take on the traditional dish with fresh, roasted zucchini, tomatoes, eggplant, onions, and a tangy anchovy vinaigrette dressing. Our potato gratin had lots and lots of cream, and was consequently divine. The fish was perfect, topped with a creamy sauce made using the fish fumet. The dessert had a great flavor combination of rich chocolate, tart apricots, and pungent ginger.
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For taking on French cuisine, the cooking class made the dishes seem easy and approachable. Now that I have learned a few French dishes first hand, I'm ready to take on more!
