Category Archives: French Cooking Courses

French Cooking Tour in the US

My French Cooking Tour in the US!…During the Thanksgiving and Christmas season I did a series of cooking classes in Denver, San Francisco and Los Angeles.

I had such a great time traveling around, with special ingredients in tow, sharing some of my favorite french recipes in family’s and friends’ homes…to spice up their holiday dinners.

Grey Shrimps of the Opal Coast

Grey shrimps are fished on the beaches of the Opal Coast, along the northern Atlantic coast of France.

They are fished as the tide goes out with a special net called “haveneau”.

When we buy these beautiful blue-grey crustaceans at the open market they are still jumping lively in their baskets.

But once cooked, their color changes dramatically to an often vibrant pinkish-orange color.

Here’s why…

‘The outer shell is made of a protein, crustacynin (like all the other crustaceans), which holds in a tight embrace the underlying pigment called astaxanthin.

Because these proteins are not heat stable, they unravel in boiling water. Releasing and voila! allowing the astaxianthin’s true red color shine through.

Why men are great cookery students

I don’t know why, when we think about cookery courses, it’s often a woman that comes to mind.

I can honestly say that of the numerous men I’ve been so happy to have in our culinary holidays, they’re some of the best cooks!

They tend to have a little different attitude in the kitchen, more inquisitive and adventurous (they dare to challenge my traditional methods!) and we enjoy trying different ways of doing things, sometimes with great results.
 
This for me, is what makes cooking so fun and what it is all about.
 
So once you’ve got some sound cooking basics, creativity and invention are
the key to having a good time in the kitchen.