Besides our extensive time in the kitchen practicing cooking, we also have many theory lessons. Every day we have a technical briefing concerning the day’s recipe. The object is that we’ll go into the kitchen knowing exactly what is going on, what we’re about to do with each of the materials, we still watch some demos to actually understand everything that can’t be explained by talking. With chef Antoine we each read the recipe at it’s turn to make sure it’s understandable (something we have to do anyways at home as a preparation) but with chef Sebastian we do a whole table of each ingredient of the recipe: how it’s precooked, prepped, cooked, seasoned and finished (including little drawings).
Other than that we have French class, geography-history class and wine class . In French we have two teachers in the intermediate group (a morning teacher and an afternoon teacher). We learn French but focus on food: how to write a recipe, culinary vocabulary, the kitchen verbs (there are many and some are completely useless outside the kitchen). Both of our teachers speak only French to us and that’s pretty cool. We have Devoirs (homework) for example for next week I have to make a 5-10 min presentation of the cuisine of one French region, and talk in front of the class. In this class it’s actually just me and Shane from the cooking class (all the rest are basic level or speak french good enough and got a pass) together with 5 pastry students, we are a funny group together and they’re all fun and cool people (Okay I also love their pastries, you got me!).
French class
The history class is translated simultaneously for us to English. Problem is that the professor is so excited about his lecture that it’s hard for him to stop talking and leave gap for the translation so we mostly get the beginnings of the sentences. The subject is again the regions of France, climate, land, tradition, typography, history of boundaries, wars etc. and local growth, typical dishes, wineries and famous chefs. This week it was before kitchen so we were focused and learned many details about the Alsace region but last week we had a Normandie lesson after waking up at 6AM, 5 hr in the kitchen and then lunch, we were all sleeping through this class that seemed to last forever.
This is how lessons look like, we are in an actual school!
And then there’s the wine class. The teacher is very impressive and she’s also being translated but do it a little better. In the first week we had a 3 hours lesson about Provence wines that in the end we didn’t even tasted the wine she brought to show us (because there wasn’t enough time ironically). This week when talking about Normandie we had a feast because Normandie is not that interesting wine-wise, we could focus on the basics principles of wine tasting and tasted two different vins blancs and an apple cider together with two kinds of cheese and bread of course. It was exciting! We had the option to spit the wine so the alcohol will not get to us (so early in the morning) but none of us did.
After 1.5hr of talking, it's about time to get to business
Zeynel opens the two bottles
Left wine is being poured
Left wine: Sancerre 2009, Sauvignon
Right wine: Rully 2008 , Chardonnay
First step is to look at the color and clearness, then "first nose" - smell it before spinning for the first time
Left besides the right wine, compare is the best!
The Camembert. A good one unlike one I bought in the supermarket. It was very strong but I prefer let it ripen a bit more..
A big sac of freshly baked bread buns then arrived from the school bakery and what a good bread that was!
The bread was used as a pallet cleanser which was a good idea. I forgot what was the second cheese 🙁 oopsi
We had to try each wine on it's own, and then each wine with every cheese, see what goes more harmonically together. Unfortunately my personal taste of matching was the complete opposite then the teacher's. Maybe I prefer the un-harmonic?
Then we got some cider because it's a Normandie typical (although the French produce the cider they don't drink that much of it, the English do!) and tried it with the two cheeses. It went very good because both were from the same region which is usually a sure match but the "safe way out" of matching
After that class we went to get some lunch (obviously!) haha, we were not that hungry but very happy!
so who was right? you or the chef? did his view change your taste? is the re-education (aka. brainwashing) working?
Wine class and cheese tasting sounds so much fun!!!