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

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.

Re: Presentations + Introductions [9/1]

[thetoughestcook]

"Hello Joan," Colette said. A look of concentration took over her face as she sampled the creamy dip. "Hmmm. Not entirely bad. Did you use fresh crab, or the canned?"

Re: Presentations + Introductions [9/1]

[joan-notjane.livejournal.com]

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

Re: Presentations + Introductions [9/1]

[vanillajello]

"I made fruit salad," Kate said, holding out the little bowl of tropical fruit salad. "I'm Kate Gregson and a junior."

Re: Presentations + Introductions [9/1]

[thetoughestcook]

Colette modded the salad took a bit of pineapple and tasted it thoughtfully. "Not ... totally horrible," she said. "Kate, did you use a dressing on this?"

Re: Presentations + Introductions [9/1]

[vanillajello]

"No, chef," Kate answered with a little shake of her head. Yes, she'd pretty much just chopped up some fruit and put it in a bowl. But at least it was fruit that went well together!

Re: Presentations + Introductions [9/1]

[justwantsquiet.livejournal.com]

"I'm Sookie Stackhouse, junior, and I made my grandmother's jambalaya (http://southernfood.about.com/od/jambalayarecipes/r/bl20120d.htm)," she said, holding out the dish a little proudly and smiling.

Re: Presentations + Introductions [9/1]

[thetoughestcook]

"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."

Re: Presentations + Introductions [9/1]

[justwantsquiet.livejournal.com]

"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."

Re: Presentations + Introductions [9/1]

[new-to-liirness.livejournal.com]

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."

Re: Presentations + Introductions [9/1]

[thetoughestcook]

"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?"

Re: Presentations + Introductions [9/1]

[new-to-liirness.livejournal.com]

"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.

Re: Presentations + Introductions [9/1]

[elephantgadget.livejournal.com]

"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.

Re: Presentations + Introductions [9/1]

[thetoughestcook]

"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.

Re: Presentations + Introductions [9/1]

[lovemykilt]

"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."

Re: Presentations + Introductions [9/1]

[thetoughestcook]

"Nice presentation, Priestly," Colette observed as she delicately took a piece of cheesesteak. "This is certainly ... very American."

She stopped looking so dubious about the enterprise once she'd tasted it. "I like it. The sharpness of the peppers makes a difference, and the cool sprouts are interesting."

Re: Presentations + Introductions [9/1]

[likethegun]

"I'm Sam Winchester, I'm a senior, and I made macaroni and cheese," he said, smiling because none of it had burned.

Re: Presentations + Introductions [9/1]

[thetoughestcook]

Colette found a clean spoon and took a bite. "A simple dish, but you executed it nicely," she said. "Do you like to cook, Sam?"

Re: Presentations + Introductions [9/1]

[wantstobehuman.livejournal.com]

"I'm George," he introduced himself. "George Sands. I, uh, made a risotto ai frutti di mare (http://community.livejournal.com/fandomhigh/2214819.html?thread=145268899#t145268899)." For the benefit of his classmates -- he assumed that Chef Tatou would know, obviously -- he explained, "It's a seafood risotto, so the rice is cooked in a traditional Italian way."

Re: Presentations + Introductions [9/1]

[thetoughestcook]

Colette simply nodded at the explanation as she took a forkful, making sure to get some squid.

"Incroyable." She swallowed and hesitated, fork hovering over the dish. "How did you learn to cook?"

Re: Presentations + Introductions [9/1]

[iknowstuff.livejournal.com]

"I'm Layla Miller and I know stuff," she declared as she held up her sloppy looking s'more on a plate. "And I made a s'more made with marshmallow fluff, chocolate syrup and graham crackers. All the messiness and taste without the need of a campfire."

Re: Presentations + Introductions [9/1]

[thetoughestcook]

Collette gingerly took a bite. A very, very, very small bite.

She managed not to grimace.

"Do you really like things so very sweet? It is like eating sugar, Mademoiselle Miller."

Re: Presentations + Introductions [9/1]

[weetinyreese.livejournal.com]

Kyle had a plate of red meat skewers. The meat wasn't threaded properly, instead stabbed onto the skewer through the middle of the chunk. The meat itself was cooked properly, but it was just meat. No spices. Nada. "Kyle Reese. I'm a junior. It's meat." He was so eloquent at times.

Re: Presentations + Introductions [9/1]

[thetoughestcook]

"I see," Colette said, but she picked up a skewer and tried some. "Kyle, do you have some allergy to salt?"