Serious Foodie Class in Vancouver

[appreciator]

Looks like ya'll are having a great time in this class.... your results thus far, look fabulous!

As I am a big ol' nosy parker....... I would like to know how these classes shake down...... does Chef Tony demonstrate a procedure then you all replicate on your own, or what? Does Chef Tony or an assistant come round and help each individual out, or after the demo you just try your best?

Basically, I'm curious to know the actual level of hands on instruction as opposed to the amount of demonstration that goes on.

Inquiring minds want to know?!

[Ling]

From the sounds of what you'd make in the course you'll probably be plating everything.

He'll also teach you how to quenelle...one handed...oooohh! I didn't enjoy pastry that much when I first started, but  by the middle of the course I loved it.  I'm pretty sure that Chef Marco had a lot to do with it.  He has an amazing pastry background and has so much pride in his work.  He's also a chocolatier, watching him do chocolate work is awe inspiring.  Oh and he'll also teach you how to say strudel properly 

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Sorry, I wasn't clear...what I meant was I want to learn how to compose a dessert and plate it artistically, with garnishes (like those spiky chocolate things that look like they've been airbrushed with gold spray or something. And I've never used chocolate modeling paste...I've always wanted to play with that stuff!)

[Daddy-A]

[host]

I'm going to ask that we post anything we cook at home in the Dinner! thread in General Food Topics. Other than being cooked in Vancouver, they're not really regional discussion. Feel free however to post a link in this thread to your post in the dinner thread.

[/host]

The finished product?  Looks pretty good although the meat was still tough after 1.5 hours of stewing...darn tough meat!

Nice plates Wes!

A.

[makanmakan]

What I really like about this class is how Chef Tony is letting everyone decide on which spices and vegetables to include in a dish, and how the main is served (i.e. in a sandwich, or stew, for example). I'm interested in the Fine Pastries with Chocolate class, so I went to the website and this is what the program is offering:

• pecan crusted molten chocolate cake, truffle honey

• chocolate espresso tart 

• chocolate bourbon souffle 

• chocolate raspberry mousse cake 

• chocolate creme caramel & poached fruits

• French chocolate ice cream 

I really hope I don't come across as being dismissive of the course (or overly confident in my abilities) but with the exception of ice-cream, I've done all of these desserts on my own over the years, and I wouldn't consider any of them to particularly unique or difficult. I'm quite sure that anyone with a bit of baking experience, the proper equipment and a good recipe can turn out a good chocolate espresso tart, a souffle, or a mousse cake. So my question is does the instructor for these Serious Foodie baking classes teach a lot of professional secrets that I might not know, to justify the expense of the course? (I don't make a great deal of money.) I would like to learn how to plate my desserts nicely. 

Perhaps someone who's taken the Serious Foodie pastry program can chime in on this...?

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hey, this class sounds like fun to me. i'm thinking about signing up for it. anyone else interested??

mmmm.....chocolate......

[Daddy-A]

[host]

Let's keep the discussion in this thread to the Serious Foodie course. There's another thread HERE on culinary schools & classes, so any discussion of the other courses at NWCAV should take place there.

[/host]

Ling, we'll let you know how the baguettes go.

salt & slash .... check!

A.

[*Deborah*]

Holy Baguettes!

I was a bit nervous, but I just ate half of my baguette (well, almost half!) dipped in hot chocolate for breakfast, and it was GOOOD! which kind of made up for the sad mush my cute gnocchi turned into...

I will have pics later.

[Daddy-A]

Holy Baguettes!

I was a bit nervous, but I just ate half of my baguette (well, almost half!) dipped in hot chocolate for breakfast, and it was GOOOD! which kind of made up for the sad mush my cute gnocchi turned into...

I will have pics later.

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Yeah, mine turned out pretty good too. Went very well with some of my mom's strawberry jam. I think I may have found my new cooking therapy ... bread making.

I'll be dropping by Commercial Drive for a gnocchi board this week. I see much gnocchi in my future. Something tells me we needed (not kneaded) to have more flour in that as most people's turned a bit mushy. Perhaps a visit to the lastest eGullet Cook-off is in order?

A.

[*Deborah*]

I'm not sure how much of the mush is the possible lack of flour, and how much is due to the fact that it was certainly overcooked (mea culpa a little bit but not entirely!).

I don't need a board: mine came out very nice right off my fork. Sorry, my pics are still on the camera, at home...but next time, those nice deep grooves will be holding a lot of sauce!

[Daddy-A]

I don't need a board: mine came out very nice right off my fork.

Mine too ... I just like the look of them off the board. Besides, I can never have too many kitchen gadgets!

A.

[Ling]

My ex liked gnocchi; I made it for him by hand several times a few years ago. I used a fork with the tines dipped in flour--but those gnocchi boards are cool! I've never bought the gnocchi that comes in packages. How does homemade gnocchi compare? What sort of sauces did you all make for the gnocchi?

[fud]

Mine too ... I just like the look of them off the board.  Besides, I can never have too many kitchen gadgets!

A.

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I took my baguette home and .... got yelled at.

Because Sandy and her sister ate the WHOLE THING! We took the Jam we got at the wedding over the weekend and ate the whole thing mmmmm.

Hmm I wonder if you can chop the gnocchi board in half to make TWO boards

What a great class last night! I'm slated to make that salad for thanksgiving at home.

[*Deborah*]

My ex liked gnocchi; I made it for him by hand several times a few years ago. I used a fork with the tines dipped in flour--but those gnocchi boards are cool! I've never bought the gnocchi that comes in packages. How does homemade gnocchi compare? What sort of sauces did you all make for the gnocchi?

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I don't know how ours compares except to say that it was very cute before it was cooked, and certainly light...so light it all washed away in the sauce

The sauce started with garlic and small diced (brunoise) red pepper, sautéed in butter and olive oil; added chicken stock and white wine; S&P; boiled to reduce; added the cooked gnocchi and some fresh basil.

This was served with a lovely seared halibut and some green beans.

Edited October 4, 2005 by *Deborah* (log)

[BCinBC]

Well what a better way to welcome myself back home then to plunge into the Foodie class. (For anyone interested, I was in France - more posts to follow as I get my photos painfully slowly uploaded.)

Did a quick catch-up knife skills tutorial with Chef Tony prior to the start of class #3. It is weird, re-teaching yourself to cut with a knife. My right hand is basically fine, but my left (the product-holding hand) feels like some sort of claw, like the hand model who loved himself too much (or so I would imagine). I think my "natural" technique is fairly close to the "proper" way anyway, except for the spreading of the left fingers. Feels weird. Chef said I was not bad, so hey, compliment accepted.

On the other hand, my baguette did not turn out to be the beautiful piece of bread I grew to know and love in France. Mine was dense and not well cooked in the middle, probably a result of my working it too much after the rise; however, I saved it this morning by throwing bits into the toaster and then slathering the crisped-up pieces with butter and jam.

I think the best dish of the evening was the salad; the fried cheese puck (not how I would describe it on a menu, but quite visual nonetheless) with mint and pistachois was excellent, and the dressing (honey-mustard-vinaigrette) was a pleasant surprise as well. I mean, usually I associate honey mustard with chicken fingers, but hey it actually worked. Sum greater than the parts and all that, I guess.

The real highlight for me though, other than learning all sorts of cool tips from Chef, was Learning To Sear. All this time I've been somewhat afraid of the heat, but man alive when I lit that 1 giga-BTU burner and threw the pan on with steely resolve, I ended up with what I would consider almost restaurant-quality seared halibut filets (pic to follow, as taken on Joie's camera). I was one proud fake-cook. Totally made up for my demoralized baguette and mushy / irregularly shaped gnocchi.

Class is a blast, you know, like totally (how weird is it to be back at school, any school). It's been a really long time since I enjoyed being in a class.

Oh yeah, I made a comment to Joie that I wish I took this class when I was 16, it would have totally improved my track record with the ladies during my youth. If only I had access to a Delorean and a flux capacitor...

PS: that reminds me, my favourite thing about Chef Tony is how he relates everything to movies of the 70s-90s.

[fud]

Did a quick catch-up knife skills tutorial with Chef Tony prior to the start of class #3. It is weird, re-teaching yourself to cut with a knife. My right hand is basically fine, but my left (the product-holding hand) feels like some sort of claw, like the hand model who loved himself too much (or so I would imagine). I think my "natural" technique is fairly close to the "proper" way anyway, except for the spreading of the left fingers. Feels weird. Chef said I was not bad, so hey, compliment accepted.

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Welcome to the class! Also fun to have Chef Tony mistaken me for you right from the get-go. Ha he looked embarassed. I was like "why does he keep calling me Brian?"

Maybe it is true...all asians go look alike.

Sorry I digress, the goat/brie walnut/pistaccio breaded/friend cheese has got to be the tastiest thing I've learned to make so far...oh my god.

[CanadianBakin']

Any pictures?

[Mangoe]

How about a picture of the class and chef/instructors?

[Daddy-A]

I'll jump in to say that Mooshmouse has the camera and pictures ... and is in the middle of moving. Not sure if she's been able to meet up with Shaw yet for ADSL.

So it may be a bit of a wait. You've been warned

A.

[appreciator]

Still wondering about the question I asked a while back....

As I am a big ol' nosy parker....... I would like to know how these classes shake down...... does Chef Tony demonstrate a procedure then you all replicate on your own, or what? Basically, I'm curious to know the actual level of hands on instruction as opposed to the amount of demonstration that goes on.

Is this just not up for disucssion or did ya'll miss the question?

Edited October 5, 2005 by appreciator (log)

[Vancouver Lee]

It's killing me that I'm not in this class. Do they allow spectators?

[fud]

Still wondering about the question I asked a while back....

As I am a big ol' nosy parker....... I would like to know how these classes shake down...... does Chef Tony demonstrate a procedure then you all replicate on your own, or what? Basically, I'm curious to know the actual level of hands on instruction as opposed to the amount of demonstration that goes on.

Is this just not up for disucssion or did ya'll miss the question?

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Hey Appreciator,

No problem! So here's the deal:

You go into class, joke around a bit, grab the recipes for the day. Chef Tony then goes over recipes in the order you will make/prep them. He goes over some of the theory, makes entertaining references to movies from the 80s and 90s and then he puts us into groups of 3 or 4 and sends us off to our stations where we apply what he taught us.

In many cases he tries to get each of us to demonstrate the stuff he teaches but of course us being 24 people it is hard to have each of us do every single thing individually in the 3.5 hours of class. But basically he lets us decide who does what (like for example Arne chopped some of the veggies, Tanyia (i hope i got that right) did the sauce and I was on searing the fish). Like a real kitchen

It's a really good mix and he breaks it up so say when we had the bread rising he taught us how to make the gnocchi and once that was done, the bread was ready for pounding and we could make our gnocchi.

I like how he breaks the class up into chunks of time so we dont get like 1.5 hours of instruction then end up lost in the kitchen. it's done in bits. Enough for my wee brain to absorb!

[*Deborah*]

Sorry, yes Sarah, we go back and forth. Chef begins by telling us and showing us how he does something, then we do it, and he walks through all the stations to see if we are doing it correctly and to answer questions (e.g., he kneaded my gnocchi and told me I could use more flour in there). Meanwhile, we have students from the real vocational cooking class who help us out and prep stuff and answer questions, too.

[Mooshmouse]

I'll jump in to say that Mooshmouse has the camera and pictures ... and is in the middle of moving.  Not sure if she's been able to meet up with Shaw yet for ADSL.

So it may be a bit of a wait.  You've been warned 

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True dat. Thanks for the note on my behalf, Arne. The past few days have been a complete clusterf*%k. I have cable internet access as of this evening (arrrrgh Shaw! ) but no home desktop set up yet... I'm logged on through the temporary use of Ian's laptop. Ergo, I hope to have everyone's photos colour-corrected, formatted and e-mailed to you by Thursday at some point, but no promises.

That being said, I rhapsodized profusely in class about how cathartic the bread baking process was after a weekend of moving. Very therapeutic. I was marginally petrified, having baked biscuits and various and sundry cakes/cupcakes/banana loaves from scratch but never bread. However, my fears were quickly assuaged once I started kneading and I got to vent all my moving frustrations by kneading bread dough for five minutes. In Chef Tony's words, "Bake a loaf of bread a week and you'll add five years to your life." And you'll have to take my word on this, but I baked the epis of my dreams. Chalk it up to beginner's luck.

Photos to come as soon as is humanly possible here in box heaven. Stay tuned.

[*Deborah*]

Moosh is adding beautiful pics, I will addmy lame ones:

The salad with the fried goat cheese/brie...mine was a bit lopsided, some came out much more photogenic:

The gnocchi; mine are at the top of the pic, pretty photogenic UNTIL THEY WERE COOKED (never mind, just look at them being cute):

Et puis la baguette:

[*Deborah*]

Moosh, never mind, my darling! your bread was beautiful!!! just stunning!!!

[transfattyacid]

I must say that i`m enjoying reading this thread and seeing your pic`s of the finished product ( nice baguette skills *Deborah* ).

It sounds like your all getting a great deal out of the course.

Thats all .