When it is raining in Paris there is no better way to spend the day than taking a cooking class from a trained professional chef and restaurant owner. Catherine Reed, owner of Reed (a small bistro near Rue Cler), has been delighting patrons for over a year now with her classically inspired menu. She recently began offering cooking classes two mornings a week.
Seven of us joined her in her kitchen to cook a menu of White Asparagus with Mousseline Sauce, Roasted Chicken with Morel Mushrooms and Potatoes, and Profiteroles.
Catherine demonstrated her techniques for making cream puff pastry. She did this for all of the dishes that we prepared. But it was a “hands on” kind of class. Everyone participated.
Everyone took a turn with the pastry bag.
She kept us busy chopping and dicing. One of the best things I learned was how to bone a chicken leg and thigh for stuffing. To roast a whole chicken Catherine removes the thigh and leg sections of a chicken, bones and stuffs them, and then roasts them with the whole breast portion. This ensures that the white and dark meat cook properly at the same time. It also makes a nice presentation when plated.
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| The beautiful free range chickens ready for roasting. |
She had a unique way of making hollandaise sauce. I ruined one batch by letting the eggs scramble; not one of my better moments. But we ended up with two big beautiful bowls of lemony sauce. Whipped cream was added to make it a mousseline sauce.
The meal was completed a few hours after we arrived and everyone had fun in the process. Here are the results.
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| White Asparagus with Mousseline Sauce |
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| Roast chicken 2 ways with potatoes and Morel Sauce |
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| Profiteroles with ice cream and chocolate sauce |
It was a wonderful meal and a worthwhile experience. I would rank it up at the top of things that should not be missed in Paris. Catherine Reed is indeed a hidden gem.
Συνταγες που θα σας λυσουν τα χερια και θα δωσουν στο τραπεζι σας ενα αλλο αερα. Απλα επιλεξτε απο τις πολλες συνταγες που θα βρειτε στην ιστοσελιδα μας και αρχιστε το ταξιδι στις γευσεις. Συνταγες ευκολες, περιπλοκες, συνταγες για γλυκα οπως μηλοπιτα, σοκολατοπιτα, γλυκα του κουταλιου, και γενικα για θεσπεσια ζαχαροπλαστικη που θα εντυπωσιασει.
http://xs-recipes.com/
Your meal looks exceptional and how fun that everyone participated in the preparation and cooking. I’m assuming she spoke English or I would have been totally lost. As far as the sauce is concerned, I would have been searching for the blender as that’s the only way I know how to make it (smile).
Sam
What a wonderful experience. So glad you are having a wonderful time.
Looks like lots of fun! Glad you were able to take advantage of it!
Oh my! That looks like so much fun Penny. The food looks delicious! It sounds like you are having a fabulous time!
Hugs,
Penny
Whoop Whoop… So, what dishes will you be making again???
Hi Dave! I will be making beautiful stuffed boneless chicken thighs and legs. Once they are boned, the stuffing is whatever you fancy. We had mushrooms with shallots, garlic and white wine. The leg and thigh package is lovely and slices to reveal what is inside.
Wow! You are having so much fun and eating really well! Looks amazing.
This sounds like an experience my daughter and I must have when we are there. You were so lucky that that amazing asparagus was in season. Wonderful post, Penny.
Wow Penny – what a great opportunity, not just the class but getting to do it and not just watch someone else do it. I feel a blogger party theme coming on – just tell us what we need to buy for you to cook 🙂
Looks like so much fun. I am enjoying it all. Love all the Paris photos in the next blog too. Thanks for taking time to share your vacation with us.
Taking a cooking class like this would be a dream come true for me!
I took the Catherine Reed class a few months ago but do not have the recipe with me for the stuffed chicken. Can you post the recipe?