AtTable Culinary Workshop

For the past month I have been addicted to watching the food network and cooking up a storm in my kitchen.  If you haven't noticed I haven't blogged much about crafts...just recipes.  I decided to get up the courage and take a culinary workshop.  I researched all of the workshops in town: Whole Foods, Central Market etc.  I came across a company owned by Laura Arnold called AtTable.  Her mission is to teach in a comfortable and hands on environment.  She gives workshops in her professional kitchen in her home.  I knew this was the way I wanted to take my cooking to the next level.  I highly recommend her workshops.  Go to AtTable to read about her company and her upcoming lessons.  Laura has recently brought on Anna Denton, an incredible chef from Saint Stephens Private School here in Austin to help give her workshops.  I am taking a series of six intermediate workshops over the next 6 months and I can't wait for my next lesson.

 Here is the set up.  We sat around her enormous bar and she chatted with us before our lesson.  She is a wonderful person who is very down to earth and fun to talk to!

Here we are working on our first sauces.  The first workshop Class covers how to make:

Bechamel, Veloute, Espangnole(Brown Sauce), Hollandaise and Mayonanaise and Tomato sauce

We learned how to make a Veloute sauce and take it one step further to make a Classic Sauce Supreme. 

We made the sauces and tasted as we made each one. 

Here is Laura and her mother Leta Huff(who owned the cookware store Bon Appetit) making mayonnaise.  Believe me there is a special process for making this delicious spread but sure worth the time!

The table was set beautifully and the food was amazing!  We ate pork tenderloin with Sauce Robert and Summer Squash , Herb and Rice Gratin.  We also sampled the mayonnaise with meat and carrots.

 Thank you ladies for a wonderful afternoon and great class!  I ran home and cooked up some pasta with one of the sauces for my in-laws and they loved it!

 I made linguini with the sauce supreme and added mushrooms, peas and rotisserie chicken cut up(to save time on cooking chicken).  The salad is arugula, spinach with heirloom tomatoes, hearts of palm in  a vinaigrette sauce. The sauce supreme is a wonderfully creamy white sauce that you just can't get enough of!

The recipe is as follows:

First you make a Veloute sauce :

2 Tablespoons of butter

3 Tablespoons of flour

2 cups boiling chicken stock(you can use chicken or fish stock or clam-juice fish stock)

salt and freshly ground pepper

In the saucepan, melt the butter over low heat.  Blend in the flour, and cook slowly, stirring, until the butter and flour froth together for two minutes without coloring.(This is now a white roux).

Remove the roux from heat.  As soon as roux has stopped bubbling, pour in all the hot liquid all at once.  Immediately beat vigorously with a wire whip to blend liquid and roux, gathering in all the bits of roux from inside the edges of the pan.

Set saucepan over moderately high heat and stir with the wire whip until the sauce comes to a boil.  Boil for 1 minute, stirring.

Now to take it from a Veloute to a Classic Sauce Supreme:

1 1/2 cups of veloute sauce

1/2 cup whipping cream

Salt and pepper

Lemon juice

(optional: 1 to 2 tablespoons softened butter)

Turn the sauce down to low to a simmer and beat in the cream by spoonfuls, simmering until the sauce is the consistency you wish it to be.

Season with salt and pepper and drops of lemon juice.

Off heat, just before serving, beat in optional butter by half tablespoons.

This was a great day and I feel I am a better cook for it! 

Comments

[elyse]

how fun, cool, and delish!!! enjoy, sweetie!

xo