http://www.hotels-paris-rive-gauche.com/blog/2007/01/31/cooking-courses-english-by-emmanuelle-cuchet-paris/ A Paris Newsblog with a sense of humour Wed, 01 Feb 2012 09:51:34 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 http://www.hotels-paris-rive-gauche.com/blog/2007/01/31/cooking-courses-english-by-emmanuelle-cuchet-paris/comment-page-1/#comment-2441 Corinne Moncelli Wed, 14 Feb 2007 13:22:51 +0000 http://www.hotels-paris-rive-gauche.com/blog/2007/01/31/cooking-courses-english-by-emmanuelle-cuchet-paris/#comment-2441 <p>I'm not a good cook, and cooking doesn't interest me especially, but I accepted to go along with the idea and met up with the other at the market on rue Oberkampf. Our hostess told us all about vegetables that have gone out of fashion, a few tips for choosing fresh fish, and how it is always better to buy from small vegetable producers rather from the wholesalers at Rungis (huge professional fruit and veg market for grocers, just outside Paris). An hour later our shopping baskets were full and we were off to Emmanuelle's apartment. First, we warmed ourselves up with tea or hot coffee (it was really cold on the market), accompanied by a delicious slice of cake, but it was soon time to get to work! One person peeled vegetables while another prepared the caramel, and another watched our hostess. Through the organised chaos, little by little, the fine tartlets, fish filets and crème caramel were starting to take shape! A few hours later we were all sat at the table, pleased with ourselves, starving hungry. We had prepared a whole meal whilst also little tricks about how to get special flavours, cook faster, better organise oneself, and correct mistakes. I enjoyed eating and learning whilst still being relaxed. It was nice to be in someone's home, as other cookery courses don't give you a glimpse of the person's character. It's a simple act of generosity, and I would recommend it for those who like their food but don't think they are gifted for cooking. </p> I’m not a good cook, and cooking doesn’t interest me especially, but I accepted to go along with the idea and met up with the other at the market on rue Oberkampf. Our hostess told us all about vegetables that have gone out of fashion, a few tips for choosing fresh fish, and how it is always better to buy from small vegetable producers rather from the wholesalers at Rungis (huge professional fruit and veg market for grocers, just outside Paris). An hour later our shopping baskets were full and we were off to Emmanuelle’s apartment. First, we warmed ourselves up with tea or hot coffee (it was really cold on the market), accompanied by a delicious slice of cake, but it was soon time to get to work! One person peeled vegetables while another prepared the caramel, and another watched our hostess. Through the organised chaos, little by little, the fine tartlets, fish filets and crème caramel were starting to take shape! A few hours later we were all sat at the table, pleased with ourselves, starving hungry. We had prepared a whole meal whilst also little tricks about how to get special flavours, cook faster, better organise oneself, and correct mistakes. I enjoyed eating and learning whilst still being relaxed. It was nice to be in someone’s home, as other cookery courses don’t give you a glimpse of the person’s character. It’s a simple act of generosity, and I would recommend it for those who like their food but don’t think they are gifted for cooking.

]]>