We're here to cook!Aug 1, 2011
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We arrived!
Lucy & Jim Fisher our hosts: and a typical evening meal -...
Videoing in action
| We needed the GPS coordinates to find cooking school as they are located in a very remote part of the Dordogne. Very remote: Just a country lane that appeared to lead to a farmers field, but instead we found coloured flags tied between two trees to indicate we had arrived. Yahoo. Lucy Fisher the co-owner greeted us, showed to our rooms and pointed out that appies and drinks would shortly be served. Off to a good start I thought. There are 14 of us in attendance – two students of ‘Paint in France’ and 12 students for ‘Cook in France’. Apparently they also offer “Photography in France’ but no-one had booked for this week. The majority of the 14 are from the UK, a teacher from Toronto named Leanne meant we are five Canadians and nine Brits. There is a lovely family of four with two young daughters 12 and 14 who are enthusiastic cooks. Click here for the video. Chef Jim Fisher prepared our first dinner and it was scrumptious, so we knew we were in good hands. After breakfast we got stuck straight into work after receiving our issue of an apron and tea towel – we certainly look the part. The first task was to fillet a Sea Bass! Nothing like getting stuck in I say. Robert and I were workbench partners and he was not happy with his skills as a fish fillet-er – I didn’t want to boast, but I seemed to be able to do it exactly as Jim instructed. Lucky perhaps. All of the off-cuts were put into two pots to boil down into stock. Click here for the video. Next we prepared and ate our first lunch of a goat’s cheese and tomato tart with basil topped with a scoop of basis mascarpone. Yummy. Click here for the video. After lunch we made ice cream – three flavours: basil, cinnamon and black pepper. Then we prepared the dinner veggies of potatoes and fennel before using the fish stock to make sauce for the fish. Next came the strawberry prep for desert and then we leaped tall buildings with a single bound, well hey, it was impressive. Click here for the video. The day was really hot and the swimming pool was a welcome break after the long day slaving in a hot kitchen. Next came an almighty storm complete with hail stones the size of a good jawbreaker. At 7 pm we reconvened to prepare our dinner and then had to eat it inside as the heavens had opened earlier and the rain was thundering from the sky. Click here for video. |
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