Mardi Gras Cooking Class

Fun! Flavor! Flames!

Billed as The Best of New Orleans, this Sur la Table cooking class featured a knowledgeable and humorous instructor (Chef Thanh Tang), a three-course and flavor-packed menu straight from NOLA, and an amiable group of sixteen students. Well, I can only speak for our congenial team of four, but no fights broke out anywhere in the kitchen. Flames and occasional shouts, yes, but no harsh words or fights.

Photo: Chef Thanh Tang

Photo: Our focused, smiling team at work in the Sur la Table kitchen.

Peel and Eat Shrimp with Remoulade Sauce 

We built a new-to-me version of the versatile Louisiana remoulade sauce, a mayonnaise-based blend incorporating some sweet pickle relish, capers, anchovy paste plus a hit of Tabasco. Akin to a zippy tartar sauce it added a nice flavor punch to the perfectly poached cold shrimp. Everyone had a part in the prep and cooking, sharing roles as cooks and as diners throughout the evening. 

Photo: Team Hilary, Marilyn, Ron and Dee (not shown) cooking & consulting

Smoky Red Beans and Rice and Chicken and Sausage Gumbo came next, giving us some opportunities to... 

• analyze sausage quality (big, visible chunks of meat, please), 
• practice knife skills (pinch blade with fingertips and grip handle lightly; grasp food but tuck fingertips, bend knuckles, and slide the knife down past the second joint...without any unnecessary clunking please),
• guesstimate the measure of a pinch of salt, 
• negotiate spiciness/heat levels within the team (how much salt, pepper and cayenne is enough? and watch the Tabasco!)
• use 1-count, 3-count measures for oil; preheat to shimmering before adding food.  

We sliced, seared, sauteed, stirred, seasoned and finally savored two delicious dishes served with a scoop of perfectly cooked white rice... and now know the secret of cooking one-knuckle rice. Oh... My... Goodness... these were good eats!

Photo: l. Okra joins the "holy trinity" of bell peppers, celery and onion; c. a simmering pot of red beans; r. bowls of gumbo and red beans and rice. 

Bananas Foster

Photo: Five simple ingredients plus a little flame add drama to dessert.

Heat some butter, brown sugar and cinnamon; add lemon-coated bananas and warm; stir in a little rum and continue cooking and stirring until warm. Then flambe! Easy peasy, right? (Our sauce seemed faintly harsh in flavor - was it over-browned butter or was it the rum?) Generously spooned over a scoop of vanilla ice cream, this dessert disappeared quickly! Hmmm, know anyone who loves sweets?

The class wrapped up with a review of recipes, techniques and cooking tips, plus hugs or handshakes all around. It's easy to bond over good food and a cooking adventure. 

Mardi Gras Menu

"Laissez les bons temps rouler!"

It's Fat Tuesday* (Mardi Gras) and we're cooking... oh my yes, we're cooking and celebrating at Sur la Table tonight.(link) 

*Fat Tuesday is the traditional name for the day before Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent. It is more commonly known as Mardi Gras, which is simply Fat Tuesday in French. It gets its name from the custom, in many Catholic countries, of marking the day with feasting before the fasting season of Lent begins.

The Official Course Description: Best of New Orleans
Take a culinary tour through the sensational Southern flavors that combine rich Creole and spicy Cajun influences into unforgettable and exciting New Orleans cuisine. Experience a kicking' Southern-style remoulade, the famous trinity of bell pepper, celery and onions in a savory gumbo, and more delicious traditions. You'll love the vibrant, bold flavors of a menu that embodies pure Southern joie de vivre.

Menu:
Peel-and-Eat Shrimp with Remoulade Dipping Sauce
Chicken and Sausage Gumbo
Smoky Red Beans and Rice
Bananas Foster

What To Expect:
Great cooking isn't about recipes--it's about techniques. In our classes you'll work together with other students in a fun, hands-on environment led by our professional chef instructors.

Now doesn't that sound like fun?! I love the published menu for tonight's class; these traditional dishes are already family favorites, but I look forward to the opportunity to explore new techniques and seasoning twists. Maybe I should pack a thermos of something alcoholic to get the party rolling... or maybe not, since sharp knives are involved. 

I will report back with photos and updates from the class later this week. Meanwhile, here are the links to some Mardi Gras dishes, versions I have shared in previous OTM-InTheGalley posts. Once again, all together now: 

"Laissez les bons temps rouler!"

Remoulade Sauce

Chicken and Sausage Gumbo

Red Beans and Rice

Shrimp and Grits

Olive Salad and Muffuletta Sandwich

Vieux Carre

Fun at a Fish Class

Cooking School, Sur la Table style, was a special treat this week. Armed with gift certificates from her mom Meg, Hilary and I set out to master five Fabulous Fish Dishes... all in two hours. 

Chef Instructor Alex looked young enough to be a high school student (he wasn't) but certainly knew his way around a kitchen, even one with 16 students and work stations! The ingredients were prepped and well-organized ahead of time, 3 kitchen assistants kept things moving and offered guidance as necessary, and our fellow students were a friendly, positive crowd. 

Omigosh, it was a high-energy, fast-paced session.
The menu featured:

• Soy-Honey Lacquered Salmon over Scallion Fried Rice
• Cumin Grilled Halibut with Chipotle Tartar Sauce and Cabbage Ribbons
• Lemon-Thyme Roasted Snapper Fillets with Tomatoes and Olives
• Seared Tuna Salad with Citrus-Sriracha Salsa
• Prosciutto-Wrapped Scallops over Arugula-Parmesan Salad

We worked in teams of 4, sharing the cooking and the tasting after each  preparation. I tried to grab a photo or two for each recipe, but somehow the fork won out over the iPhone for several dishes. The images are blurry, but hey! I was busy cooking... or eating. 

The menu began with marinated, prosciutto-wrapped scallops, and just one bite left me craving more.

The seared tuna was my personal favorite, and the accompanying sriracha spiced citrus salsa was outstanding. I'll be serving that salsa with other dishes.

Several long minutes of fast whisk action needed to reduce the brown sugar-soy cooking sauce for the salmon fillets, but oh! what a delicious glaze it yielded.

The halibut was swapped out for true cod, brown sugar substituted for honey, and we did not prepare the tartar sauce or the fried rice, but those were little hiccups in an otherwise terrific class. The preparation and cooking techniques were useful, the results showcased a variety of flavors that ranged from amazingly good and spicy to okay-but-needed-tartar sauce. 

Conclusion: we felt comfortable enough with each recipe do this at home... and so we did, the very next night. Check back soon for the at-home versions of Seared Tuna Salad with Citrus-Sriracha Salsa and Soy-Honey Lacquered Salmon over Scallion Fried Rice.