Wednesday Week 2 of my cookery diploma, it started with a 4 and a half hour class at 8am, and was thus looking a bit tricky ! However, between Mr Faverol and the rest of us, we managed to get pretty animated by the history of cookery, development of products and techniques in the 19 & 20th centuries, and the structure of a typical kitchen “brigade”…..really good stuff from a teacher who has been there and done it after 15 years of working in various kitchens (including the Ritz).
Then, after lunch with Monique and my wife (semaine du goût – at the restaurant run by the students at our cookery school – food disappointing) I went to the “Librairie Gourmande” near to the Sentier à Paris. Great place, full of cookery books, dvds, biographies, history of cookery, etc….had a great look around, noted some titles that would be good for a later date and then left without buying a thing….which ain’t easy for me when it comes to cookery books !
Got back home (reading the interesting, even if very light, autobiography by Gordon Ramsay “Humble Pie”) and completed my prep work for the practical cookery classes tomorrow and Friday. I feel as though I’m really getting into things, I know the names of a fair bit of the material (knives and pans, basically) and I see now pretty much what is expected of me.
To finish the day, here’s an article about “The Fat Duck” which was voted the best restaurant in the world (in 2005) and has 3 Michelin stars (despite the chef and owner not having any formal training or experience before setting up the restaurant)….
Heston Blumenthal & the Fat Duck
a bientôt