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Here's what I learned at
cooking class in France
04:36 PM CST on Friday, November 5, 2004
By SUSAN TAYLOR / Special Contributor to The Dallas Morning News
Good food is such an important part of a vacation, it's no wonder cooking schools are proliferating around the globe. From Morocco to Oaxaca to Bangkok, you can make an entire vacation of cooking school or pick up just a class or two. But why would anyone who's looking for some serious downtime want to go to school, where presumably you have to work?
At La Varenne in Burgundy, France, where I recently spent five days living in the opulent 17th-century chateau of French cooking authority Anne Willan, I participated in two three-hour cooking classes and spent the remainder of the time going to vineyards, markets, Michelin-star restaurants and watching food artisans demonstrate their craft.
All I had to do was get to Paris. Mundane details such as transportation, translation and ordering at restaurants from a French menu were taken care of.
This was the easiest trip abroad I've ever taken. And, from this vacation, I brought back more than just another stack of photos. I learned how to relive the experience in my very own kitchen
What I learned:
Expect to eat a lot. Many cooking schools have field trips to landmark restaurants and markets, as well as cooking demonstrations with local food artisans. These artisans love showing off to an appreciative audience, so you'll surely have lots of food to sample between meals. Remember, the focus is on food, so after a cooking class and lunch, you might have a bread-baking demonstration complete with seductively hot-from-the-oven bread. Pace yourself; dinner is just a few hours away.
Although some schools don't require it, to be safe in the busy kitchen, bring a long-sleeved shirt, loosely fitting long pants and closed-toe shoes. Most schools provide aprons.
It's OK to go alone. Cooking schools are a great way for solo travelers to hook up with fellow food lovers. At La Varenne, my days were filled with classes, demonstrations, field trips and a ready-made group to dine with. During free moments, I could be alone in my room or relax in the chateau's public areas with other students. There was one couple, and one mother and daughter duo, but the rest of the people left their spouses behind to travel with friends, or came solo.
Where there's good food, there's good wine. If your school includes a wine tasting, don't be surprised to see screw tops and plastic corks replacing real cork in wine bottles. Some very respectable wineries are beginning to use them, and although fancy restaurants will probably be the last to throw in the towel, resistance seems futile. The shortage of cork trees is driving up the price of wine -- something many producers want to avoid.
Basics are important, too. On the way to learning to cook great show-off meals, you're bound to pick up some basics, things you may have forgotten or just never knew. Take a simple egg. Remember how to beat egg whites to a stiff peak? It's a skill that can come in handy. Did you know that an egg white is two tablespoons of fluid? To get the most volume, you should use older eggs -- they have less moisture -- and use them at room temperature. When beating egg whites, start slowly. When they become frothy, increase the beater speed and never stop, or they'll separate.
You'll take home practical information that you can use even when you aren't cooking. I learned from a cheesemaker in Burgundy that there's a correct way to cut cheese. You have to cut according to shape so everyone gets a fair piece. A round cheese should be cut in wedges like a cake, so that everyone has some rind and cheese. It's not OK to steal the "nose" -- the end of a wedge, because then the last guy gets a plank of rind.
It's possible to overindulge for days on end and still not have to spend a month of mornings at the gym when you come home. The strategy is simple: Spend an extra few days exploring the nearest big city on foot. (I had Paris!) Since you probably won't have much of an appetite, it'll be easy to eat light.
The price for the five-day master class at La Varenne is $3,245. For 2005, the school has a new three-day Taste of Burgundy class for $1,675. Transportation to France is additional. Contact: 1-800-537-6486; www.lavarenne.com.
Susan Taylor is a Dallas freelance writer who leads local ethnic food tours. Contact: www.susantaylor tours.com.
Tips for choosing a cooking school
Many cooking schools provide lodging, but if it isn't included, ask for recommendations. Does the school provide transportation? If not, how difficult (and expensive) is it to get to and from the school?
Ask how many days you will be in hands-on cooking classes. These are the ones that give you the experience and confidence to cook at home.
Check to see if you need a cooking background. Schools differ. At LaVarenne, it wasn't necessary. There were teachers and helpers to help everyone, even novices.
How long do the classes last? One woman on my tour has been to cooking classes throughout Europe and reports that she was exhausted by a school in Cornwall, England, that had classes lasting eight hours. She much prefers half-day classes.
How much free time is there? If there's a lot, will you be close enough to other activities to entertain yourself? Are there free evenings, when you'd rather not be alone?
If you're in a non-English-speaking country, be sure the teacher speaks English. Translators are fine for demonstrations, but not for classes.
Cooking schools usually provide lots of recipes and menus. But what about finding exotic or hard-to-find ingredients at home? If your school doesn't provide a list, ask for the proper translations of ingredients, or a list of the ingredients in the native language. This way you can take the list to an ethnic market at home.
Some schools feature celebrity chefs. If this is important to you, you'll probably pay quite a bit for the privilege of being with a celebrity. Many cooking schools are taught by experts in their specific cuisine who have written cookbooks. Look at their books and see what you think.
FINDING A SCHOOL
The 2004 edition of The Guide to Cooking Schools (ShawGuides, $24.95) lists more than 600 recreational programs worldwide. Or go to www.shawguides.com and click on Cooking & Wine Schools-Recreational.
Do a Google search for Culinary Tours.
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