Saturday in the kitchen with Manu

Last week was a short class week - field trip on Monday (visited Valrhona Chocolate - and, yes, they did give out samples!!) and then a demo on Tuesday by one of the visiting professional chefs - so only three days of kitchen time.  Obviously our class has become gluttons for pastry punisment - because we actually requested to have an additional session on Saturday, just to get in as much kitchen time as possible.  Our request was granted - and we spent 8-2 on Saturday learning some classic French desserts with  Chef Emmanuel (Manu, for short).  None of our usual chef instructors was available for a Saturday class, but Chef Manu agreed to help us out for this extra session.  Even though we haven't had him for class,  we all know Manu very well because he lives with us in the Chateau...so we often chat with him in a mix of French and English during coffee breaks and in the evenings. 

(Side note - in addition to being a great chef, Manu's also a top-notch bowler - we found this out the hard way last weekend when the Students challenged the Chefs for ENSP bragging rights.  We all descended on Planete Bowling - one of the hot spots in Yssingeaux - for the big "bowl-off".  Luckily for the students, bowling is not a requirement for graduation, or we would all be in trouble!  The chefs beat the baggy pants off of us - with Manu taking the high score, getting strike after strike.  Who knew our chefs were so multi-talented?)

After a relatively sunny week, we were back to lots (and lots and lots) of snow again on Saturday, so it was a good day to stay in the kitchen and cook...

Our lesson was filled with some classic French favorites - great recipes to have in your dessert arsenal - either for professional or personal use. 

We made a smooth and creamy panna cotta...

...topped with a mix of fresh pineapple, lime zest and a pinch of vanilla powder...quite tasty.

Next, we made a decadent chocolate tartlet...sweet pastry shells filled with a rich, chocolate ganache...

...simple to make (in spite of the crazy face I'm making)...

...but really delicious... 

 

...and very lovely on the plate, especially when garnished with chocolate ribbons, chocolate sauce and coconut ice cream.

 

To continue the chocolate theme for awhile, we made a classic Chocolate au Moelleux - a French chocolate fondant, or molten chocolate lava cake...

 

That's Chef Manu behind that piping bag - you can tell by the fancy chef's hat!

 

...again, a relatively simple recipe and technique - but it's really lovely when accompanied by some rich white chocolate/coffee ice cream.

 

 

And, of course, we had to break out the torch for some creme brulee...

 



...and it wouldn't be a class on French classics if we didn't work in a souffle.  I'm always amazed when I see these lovely little pillows of yumminess rising up out of the dishes...

...Souffle citron vert - lime souffles...light and airy with just a hint of lime zest...

...obviously this was one of the class favorites!

 

 

We all had a great day in the kitchen with Chef Manu - he shared some simple yet classic French recipes and techniques, along with some tips for plating that kept us all snapping photos the entire morning...

 



...even the chef himself took the time to take off his hat and capture a few shots with his iPhone.

 

 

 

I don't know about you, but I think that looks like a pretty great way to spend a snowy Saturday!