This weekend, I participated in a cooking class in a real Parisian apartment, right by the Eiffel Tower. When signing up for the class, I could have chosen a baking class or a cooking class. As an avid baker and a picky eater, I felt like it would be good to challenge myself by learning how to cook a French meal. The French are known for their cuisine, especially for foods such as French onion soup, beef wellington, escargot (snails), crepes, all kinds of cheese and, of course, bread!
The cooking class took place in an apartment, and included just me and three of my friends. It felt really intimate, especially with being in a private kitchen. Our “head chef” or “chef de cuisine” had grown up in Paris and went to patisserie school (pastry school) before she opened up her own business, teaching students and younger kids how to cook! She told us that French chefs are really as strict as the movies portray, and you have to be perfect 100% of the time. Thankfully for me, she was very patient and encouraging!
We made a full course meal: ratatouille, soufflé au fromage and coulant au chocolat (lava cake). Ratatouille is now a world-renowned dish, but it actually has very humble origins as a dish for farmers. It originates from the South of France, which is known for its very warm and sunny climate.
