L'Atelier Cuisine "The Cuisine Workshop"

Yesterday, the Bucknell group attended a cuisine workshop. It was one of the coolest things I have ever done. The house itself was fascinating. It was built into the mountain. Not next to but actually in the mountain, part of the mountain was carved away to make room for the house. This is a popular and old tradition in Touraine because it regulates the temperature of the house, regardless of the season.

The House

We were greeted at the front door by Beatrice and her adorable dog, Falcon. We walked up the hill to her house. She had the coolest house I had ever seen. The kitchen was beautiful, with a HUGE stove and lots of space. The other rooms had low ceilings, but they were all very cool. It was as if I was walking in a comfortable cave. The back room held a huge fire, where I immediately parked myself next to so i could warm up after our UNHEATED bus ride. Beatrice asked us to divide ourselves into groups. 1. The table setters and bouquet makers (pass- I already know how to make flowers look pretty) 2. L'aperatif or salad (pass, I do this every holiday) 3. Entree (pass- the main course was duck, with fish for me and the FOUR other vegetarians-my people) and 4. DESSERT (I was the first to hog this position). 

Each group was given a recipe to prepare and Beatrice walked among the different groups. Each recipe was also selected because it was a specialty of the region. For example, goat cheese or fromage chevre, is very popular in Touraine. And it should be because its wonderful (and contains less fat than cows cheese- just saying). So, it is officially my new favorite. 

The Dessert Group

The dessert group was given the task to make gateau chocolat et creme anglaise (chocolate cake and vanilla cream). It was so much fun to make, and very simple. 

After everyone made their recipe, we all sat at a big table and ate our big lunch together. Lunch is typically the largest meal in France, which has been a weird experience for the Bucknell group. We are all used to grabbing quick lunches in between classes at school, so it was weird to make such a large meal in the middle of the day! (Especially since I had yet to go to the gym!) But, our meal was very good. And Beatrice was an excellent host. She hosts these workshops for a living and they range from 50-75 euro per person. Also, in the back of her house, is a small bed and breakfast. I would love to stay there and have her cook me meals and teach me to cook! Every student received a small parting gift at the end of the afternoon- a small, blank recipe book! The recipe for the salad was included (good thing because it was delicious- cabbage, goat cheese, and apples- I was in heaven). And she promised to send each of us the other recipes. Personally, I cannot wait to make the gateau chocolat again. 

A Bientot!

Falcon