Anniversary Cooking Class

A few days ago on March 20, Steve and I celebrated our 42nd wedding anniversary.  Thank you, God.  As I described in a post on our 40th anniversary, we have had some very unique anniversaries in past years.  Whale-watching on Maui for our 25th, snowmobiling in the Cascades for our 30th, a weekend in a rain forest resort in Ecuador for our 35th to name a few.  We are looking forward to a trip to the California coast in a few weeks to celebrate Steve's recent retirement, this anniversary, my birthday, Mother's Day and whatever else we can think of to throw in, so when our actual anniversary date showed up on the calendar this year, we were both willing to go a little low-key.

We love sharing new experiences and learning new things together, so when I saw a Couples Cooking Class advertised at Williams-Sonoma for last Tuesday night, it seemed like the perfect thing to do.  Steve agreed.  Along with being known as the Queen of Questions, my subtitle could be Queen of Casseroles, but I'm generally willing to experiment in the kitchen, and Steve is full of curiosity about cooking.  So, off we went to join several other couples watch, ask questions, and enjoy a delicious meal together.

Our chef/teacher for the evening was Brian who has studied at a culinary school in Atlanta.  His multi-tasking abilities were amazing.  Many pots were simmering, and nothing burned.  Here he is preparing the steaks.

Our menu consisted of French Onion Soup, Rib-Eye Steak with Pan Jus, Mushroom Rice Pilaf, and Chocolate Pots de Creme.

Mirrors above the cooktop helped with the instruction.  Oh, the smells in that store after just a few minutes.

French onion soup is one of my favorites, so I was delighted to watch how to make it and to sample Brian's version.

You may not like your meat this rare, but it really was delicious, and so was the rice pilaf, plated here.

I couldn't resist buying some little ramekins (wasn't that the point of having the classes in the store?) to make the chocolate dessert in the near future.  It was EXTRA good.  From what I understand, strawberries or raspberries and a dollop of whipped cream really dress this up, but they are not required for success.  :)

Here are a few things that we learned that I hope to incorporate into a menu for guests before long.  Even after cooking for 42+ years, I had never used these ingredients or techniques.
1)  Gruyere cheese is delicious.  That's what was on top of the French onion soup.
2)  Leeks should be washed much more thoroughly than onions.  Both were used in the soup.
3)  Fresh rosemary is wonderful when it is pushed into the meat and seared before baking.  Ahhhh, the aroma.  It motivated me to grow some fresh herbs.
4) White pepper is more flavorful than black pepper.
5)  Star Market carries wonderful meat.
6)  Fresh lavender and thyme are worth buying.
7)  Mushrooms look and taste better when they have been peeled, and it is not hard to do.
8)  Chocolate pots of creme are worth the effort.  A little portion can be very satisfying.  This is MUCH better than chocolate pudding.  It is a special dessert.
9) I really WILL need Steve's help in the kitchen if I'm going to start cooking like this.  :)

Williams-Sonoma has a new schedule of cooking classes every month.  I would recommend that you attend one.