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

"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."

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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.

"Hmmm. Well, you chopped it neatly, so your technique is fine," Colette said. "Try a honey-lemon dressing next time. It helps to enhance the juices."

This was, actually, reasonably high praise from her.

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.

Liir brought his plate of pink (rose) and purple (lavender) frosted cakes (http://www.tigersandstrawberries.com/2005/06/20/whispered-secrets-of-a-kitchen-tantrika/), arranged in a simple pattern on the dish.

"Liir Thropp-Tigelaar," he introduced himself with a bow of his head, "junior. And I made these. We never named them, but the pink are rose and the purple are lavender."

"You are from Louisiana?" Colette guessed as she went to sample the food.

Her eyes squinted in delight.

"There is nothing like a good regional dish. Your grand-mère must be quite the cook."

"I'm not usually one for the taste of flowers, but that is personal preference," Colette warned as she took a purple-iced cookie.

From the look on her face as she bit into it, her personal preference might be changing.

"Very, very, very nice," she said. "Not too sweet. What goes into the frosting?"

"Cream cheese, butter, heavy cream, all organic" and he paused to look a little embarrassed "and I promise I'm not terribly picky, but there's a difference in texture and sweetness when it comes to dairy," and continued "powdered sugar, either rosewater or lavenderwater, and I used paste coloring to maintain the texture."

The smile he gave her was still a bit shy, since she was a Professional Chef and hello budding hero worship?, but he seemed pleased that she liked it.

"I used canned," Joan said. "I couldn't find fresh and I didn't have time to go buy any."

"No, no, you need the organic ingredients for dairy if you can possibly afford them," Colette said, and nibbled the cookie again. The cream was the ingredient she hadn't been able to place. "Local, too, if you have such luck as to be able to find it."

She returned his smile. "Very nice work, Liir."

"I am not certain that this kitchen has fresh," Colette admitted. "I apologize. As it is, this would be fine for a family picnic, or to watch the baseball. With fresh crab, less mayonnaise, and maybe a hint more pepper it could be divine."

"You presented it well," she added.

And lo, was Liir's day made.

He bowed his head again.

"Thank you, Chef Tatou."

Kate nodded and smiled. It could have gone a lot worse, after all.

"Yes ma'am," Sookie said, happy her dish went over well. "I'm from Bon Temps, which is in Northern Louisiana? And Gran's been teaching me to cook since I was seven, since if I can sit in the kitchen and talk to her, I can hold a spatula."

"And if you can hold a spatula, you can learn to stir, and if you can learn to stir, you can learn to cook," Colette said, nodding along. "A smart woman. Send her my regards."

Jambalaya wasn't the kind of food she'd been taught to cook first, but it did hit the spot. She took another bit of sausage before moving on.

Sam Winchester

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.

Helen took very good notes as was usual for her.

Edited 2009-09-01 15:58 (UTC)

Helen Haras-Uquara

Helen made a spicy beef casserole with noodles.

"My name is Helen Haras-Uquara. I made a spicy beef casserole that is to be served over noodles." She showed her dish to the class.

"Merci, Helen," Colette said, and sampled the casserole. "What spices went into this?"

It might have been hotter than she expected, from how quickly she sipped her water.

Edited 2009-09-01 16:04 (UTC)

Priestly

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.

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.

"I'm Priestly, I'm a senior, and I made subs." Priestly stood behind a plate of little one inch sub pieces stacked in a pyramid. "That's turkey-steak instead of beef, provolone, grilled tricolor peppers, onions, and alfalfa sprouts. With some mayo. Soooo, let's say a California cheesesteak."

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

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Re: Cooking [9/1]

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