cooking class

we start the class off with a fritata that the chef created, plus a drink if you wish.


our wonderful work stations with gas range, awesome pans, really cool tools and knives to drool over.


my grilled mahi mahi. i must say, i was quite proud of my plating skills.

my christmas present to andre last year was a cooking class at calphalon culinary centre. after a rescheduling due to a business trip, we finally were able to take the 'fish 101' class.

despite the annoying nouveau riche type, name droppers (sorry but the class doesn't care that you shop at pusateri's, nor do we care that you had the most 'amazing red snapper in st. maarten last week') we had so much fun!

this was a hands on class and in 3 hours we created four delectable dishes:
Snapper Satays with Mango Dipping Sauce
Grilled Mahi Mahi with Soy
Pan-seared Salmon with Pesto Crust
Sole en Papillotte

we actually filleted the red snapper in the first dish (so much fun!) and created the pesto from scratch without using a blender. we learned about the sad fact that wild salmon is extremely rare in ontario, high-end knives get thicker closer to the handle and fresh fish is best purchased on a wednesday or thursday in toronto.

i even got a personal tutorial on chopping from the assistant instructor - always keep the tip of the knife on the cutting board and raise your elbow!

we came out of the class with enough food to last us for 2 days, plus new and exciting knowledge about fish. so. much. fun.