Anyone Can Cook, 9/1/09, Period 4

[thetoughestcook]

"Bonjour, class," Colette said, once it seemed like everyone who was coming was in the Home Ec classroom with a syllabus and set of rules before them. She was dressed in her chef whites, and the classroom was kitted out like a well-equipped restaurant kitchen.

"Welcome to Anyone Can Cook. I am your instructor, Colette Tatou. You may call me Chef Colette, Chef Tatou, or Mademoiselle Tatou." It wasn't that she didn't know the English honorifics; it was that Ms. sounded like buzzing to her and she certainly wasn't a professor. "I hope you will enjoy our time together."

"In this class, I will instruct you all in basic and advanced cookery, using Auguste Gusteau's classic cookbook, Anyone Can Cook. If you tell me that is not true and you simply cannot cook, I will laugh and tell you the best chef I have ever known -- after Monsieur Gusteau -- is a rat. You all seem to be human shaped, so the advantage is yours, is it not?" Her raised eyebrow was very elegant.

"Today, we will start with an assignment I saw on a television program. I would like each of you to make what you would call a signature dish, then present and explain it to the class. Do not be ashamed if it is basic; if you can only make toast, make the best toast you can make. You have 40 minutes to cook, and then we'll spend 20 minutes on introductions. I am here if you have questions or you may refer to the cookbooks on this shelf for ideas. Begin."

There, she finally smiled. "I also need two assistants. It would be very nice if they already knew how to cook. If anyone is interested, talk to me after class, s'il vous plait."

Comments

Sign In [9/1]

[thetoughestcook]

As you do.

Re: Sign In [9/1]

[ihavenocodename.livejournal.com]

Jean Grey

Lecture [9/1]

[thetoughestcook]

Listen to Colette, read the rules, look for the chocolate in the classroom ...

Re: Lecture [9/1]

[icecoldfrost]

Right. Cooking. Emma was looking around the kitchen warily, trying to figure out what everything was for.

Re: Lecture [9/1]

[joan-notjane.livejournal.com]

Joan jotted down some notes on her syllabus and tried to figure out what to make for her signature dish.

Re: Lecture [9/1]

[rocksthescarf.livejournal.com]

Well. Pretty much safe to assume Chuck was going to catch something on fire in here. Cool.

Re: Lecture [9/1]

[new-to-liirness.livejournal.com]

Liir was pleased right from the outset at this class.

Anyone can cook. Finally, someone else was with him on that; it was a little sad that he'd heard stories of burning down kitchens from no less than six people at various points.

...the mention of the Rat was rather interesting and made him want to ask her about it, but perhaps not today. Today, he had to figure out what to make that would be suitable. A 'signature dish'? Well, everyone knew about the brownies, but that made him not want to make them. Then there was the summer ice, one of the few items he made from Kiamo Ko.

He was just going to sit there and ponder for a bit, thx.

Re: Lecture [9/1]

[likethegun]

Sam still wasn't sure if "anyone" included him, but it would be worth it to give it a shot. He really did want to learn how to feed himself without burning anything.

Re: Lecture [9/1]

[elephantgadget.livejournal.com]

Helen took very good notes as was usual for her.

Re: Lecture [9/1]

[lovemykilt]

Priestly was actually pretty excited about this class.

Who knew? Maybe he'd learn something he could dangle over the kitchen guys at the diner.

Re: Lecture [9/1]

[wantstobehuman.livejournal.com]

George? Was really excited about this class. The rules seemed obvious to him, and he hoped that he'd have time to prepare his 'signature dish'.

Re: Lecture [9/1]

[weetinyreese.livejournal.com]

Kyle listened, but the rules stayed put without much of a glance.

Cooking [9/1]

[thetoughestcook]

Go to town and make your signature dish. It's an individual assignment, but she won't beat you with a rolling pin if you quietly help each other.

Re: Cooking [9/1]

[joan-notjane.livejournal.com]

Joan was better with baking than cooking, but she decided to make her Maryland Crab Dip (http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Hot-Crab-Dip/Detail.aspx) as her signature dish since it was pretty easy, she had made it before and it could be done in the time allotted.

Re: Cooking [9/1]

[vanillajello]

Because calling Moosh for instructions and help from class didn't seem like a good idea, Kate ended up making fruit salad, because she was sure she could manage that.

At least that way she couldn't set anything on fire.

Re: Cooking [9/1]

[justwantsquiet.livejournal.com]

Sookie considered what she could make in that amount of time, and started pulling together the ingredients for Gran's jambalaya. At least with something like that, remembering exact measurements off the top of her head wouldn't be a problem, as it wasn't very exact at all.

Re: Cooking [9/1]

[new-to-liirness.livejournal.com]

In the end, time was what made the decision for him: neither the brownies nor summer ice could be made in forty minutes. Instead, he went back to his memories of Miss Lulu, one of his first classes, one of the first times he'd ever felt welcome and cared for.

He made the soft flower-flavored cakes (http://www.tigersandstrawberries.com/2005/06/20/whispered-secrets-of-a-kitchen-tantrika/) he'd done up with Miss Lulu for that first evening (of many) of baking.

Suffice to say that, on top of being a well-prepared recipe, there was a lot of heart in the food. Memories of Miss Lulu were exceedingly special after everything that'd happened on that alternate island, after all.

Re: Cooking [9/1]

[elephantgadget.livejournal.com]

Helen made a spicy beef casserole with noodles.

Re: Cooking [9/1]

[lovemykilt]

Cold cuts didn't seem enough like cooking, really, so Priestly set about making turkey-steak and cheese subs with grilled peppers, carmelized onions, and sprouts in lieu of lettuce. He figured the turkey and sprouts kept it from being just a Philly cheesesteak.

Re: Cooking [9/1]

[likethegun]

Since he didn't have a ton of time, Sam decided to make macaroni and cheese. He'd managed to make the not-from-a-box version a few times without screwing up too badly, and it didn't require a lot of precise measurements.

Re: Cooking [9/1]

[wantstobehuman.livejournal.com]

It was tight, but George had just enough time no, really to prepare risotto ai frutti di mare (http://www.cookiesfromsicily.com/recipes/risotto_frutti_mare.htm). His panicky energy served him well when it was focused on a task like this.

Re: Cooking [9/1]

[iknowstuff.livejournal.com]

Layla used marshmallow fluff, chocolate syrup and graham crackers to make a very sloppy and messy no-heat-applied-s'more.

Presentations + Introductions [9/1]

[thetoughestcook]

Show off what you made and explain who you are.

Re: Presentations + Introductions [9/1]

[joan-notjane.livejournal.com]

"I'm Joan Girardi, senior, and I made Maryland Crab Dip (http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Hot-Crab-Dip/Detail.aspx)," she explained. She held out the tray (http://www.amazon.com/Bamboo-Chip-Dip-Set-73360/dp/B002BZVZRY/ref=sr_1_14?ie=UTF8&s=kitchen&qid=1251812748&sr=1-14) she had found which featured her dip in the center and some wheat crackers around the outside.

Talk to Colette [9/1]

[thetoughestcook]

She's just hoping no one will set the kitchen on fire.

OOC [9/1]

[thetoughestcook]

Yay, shiny class! TAs have already been chosen, but feel free to ask Colette.

Re: OOC [9/1]

[oops-mbad.livejournal.com]

Somewhere, many universes away, Alanna is suddenly feeling the urge to point out that no, not everyone can learn how to cook. Just like not everyone can poison people with oatmeal, or cause rebellions through salad.