autumn.braising.

Today was cooking class number 1- autumn braising. I picked andrea up at 9:45, and made it to the atrium a few minutes before 10. Since the mall doesn't open until 11am, we got a top level parking spot- pretty rare these days. In my head, I'd pictured the cooking class as a small affair- maybe 10-15 people, all clustered around a cooking surface taking turns trying out new techniques. In reality, there were 27 people, and while we were all clustered around the in-store stove and prep area, we were observing, not physically cooking ourselves. The cook was finishing up the sampler of chicken cacciatore which braised while we learned (and which we ate at the end) and then started in on a basic info session about braising tools, pots, etc. Though a tad unprepared (they were printing out our syllabi (and her notes) when they opened the doors, so she wasn't as fluid in her descriptions, etc) she was certainly knowledgeable, and answered the many questions without complaint. She showed us how to butcher a whole chicken (which was great!) and then went through the whole act of braising. My stomach rumbled as the time ticked by and the air filled with good smells. We wrapped it up with a plate of the braised cacciatore at 11:30, and then zipped over to bookclub for our noon meeting. I'm excited for the next class on knives. Apparently I need some lessons.