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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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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Helen made a spicy beef casserole with noodles.

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.

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.

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.

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

Kyle cooked meat pieces on a stick (skewers, Kyle, they were skewers) over an open flame. They didn't look like much, but the meat was cooked perfectly. Practice makes perfect!

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