Last Friday, my boyfriend Nick and I went to our first cooking class at 18 Reasons, a Bi-Rite-affiliated non-profit organization that aims to empower people to cook healthy food for themselves every day and to foster community through food. In addition to offering various cooking classes in their charming space on 18th and Dolores St. in the Mission, 18 Reasons holds free cooking courses and nutrition classes for vulnerable and underserved communities across the Bay Area.
I had never taken a cooking class before, but it’s always something I’ve wanted to do. We considered signing up for one while traveling in Thailand and Italy, but they never seemed to fit into our jam-packed schedules. I chose to spring for an 18 Reasons class because I, like many Bay Area millennials, have a big crush on Bi-Rite and assumed anything they’re affiliated with must be wonderful.
We took the “French Bistro Classics” class with Zoe McLaughlin. Theresa, a friendly 18 Reasons program manager, greeted us at the door and invited us to sit down at a long, wooden, communal table and eat some snacks before class commenced. Knowing mealtime was a long way away, we chowed down on some buttered bread, green olives, and salted almonds and made conversation with our fellow classmates.
Once the final pair arrived, Zoe introduced herself and gave us an overview of the ambitious menu we’d tackle: a bacon and onion tarte (Tarte Flambée); chestnut soup (Velouté De Chataignes); a gruyere and parmesan cheese soufflé (Soufflé Au Fromage); steak tartare (Tartare De Filet De Bœuf); and a croquembouche, which is a tower of cream puffs!
We split into three working groups: the tarte team, the soup team, and équipe de croquembouche. Zoe assigned the tarte, the easiest of the three, to Nick and me. We combined flour, baking powder, water, olive oil, and egg yolks to make the crust batter. We took turns kneading the dough then divided the batter into two halves and rolled each out into a thin, circular crust. We spread crème fraîche and fromage blanc over the crusts and topped them with bacon and mandolin-sliced onion.
The other groups worked on the chestnut soup and croquembouche. I was pretty engrossed with the tarte preparation and didn’t pay too much attention to the other groups during the early stages of their recipes; but Zoe did a good job calling out key aspects of the various recipes and bringing our attention to what other groups were getting into. For example, it’s important to simmer the soup until you can easily mash the chestnuts and celery with a fork. And you need to stir each of the five egg yolks one-by-one into the croquembouche batter for it to come out right. Zoe had us gather around the bowl and take a look at the texture and sheen of the batter after it was combined properly. (It should look thick, smooth, and shiny.)
Once the soup was simmering and the pastries and tarte were in the oven, we moved on to the steak tartare and the soufflé. Zoe pulled out a few beautiful pieces of center-cut beef tenderloin from the fridge. She explained that we needed to chop the meat into extremely thin slices using a very sharp knife and went on to demonstrate. Then she explained the technique for creating the béchamel sauce: melt butter in a sauce pan, add flour, and whisk vigorously; then add milk and continue whisking. I volunteered to grate the huge blocks of gruyere and parmesan cheese for the soufflé (yum!). I also tried my hand (no pun intended!) at whisking the egg whites. My technique was a bit off, but Nick’s was spot on! (You should vigorously whisk the whites in a circular motion while hitting the bottom of the bowl to create optimal egg white fluffiness.)
As we students executed pieces of these unfamiliar recipes, Zoe buzzed around the kitchen, letting us know how we were faring. Her talent for culinary precision and communication shined in the kitchen. She successfully orchestrated several complicated recipes simultaneously while emphasizing key points we’d need to remember to succeed in recreating this meal independently in the future.
Once the soufflé was in the oven and the beef was sufficiently minced, Zoe sent us back out into the dining room to sit around the communal table and drink wine while we waited for her to plate the meal. We ate the tarte as an appetizer, and Zoe served the silky chestnut soup alongside the cute cheese-filled soufflés as a first course. Steak tartare was our main course, and we devoured the croquembouche for dessert. Everything was insanely delicious, but I think I enjoyed the soufflé most, probably because its insides were melted gruyere and parmesan cheese.
We wrapped up dinner around 10 pm and said au revoir to our fellow students and to Zoe. I enjoyed the class and feel like I got a high-level overview of several classic French recipes; dishes I will (hopefully) be able to recreate with Zoe’s detailed recipe instructions in hand.
18 Reasons cooking classes aren’t cheap – this one was $100/person – but for a few hours of intensive instruction plus a delicious meal, I think it was worth it. 18 Reasons also offers work-trade volunteering opportunities around these classes: volunteers help out with washing dishes and assisting the chef in the kitchen. In return, they get to hang out in the kitchen and glean instruction from the chef for free.
While I don’t feel like I mastered any of these dishes, I came away from the experience with a renewed enthusiasm for the art of cooking! I went on to make a carefully crafted spinach and cheese-filled breakfast omelet on Saturday morning (inspired by the soufflé, of course) and a yummy green curry on Sunday night. I’m hoping the culinary inspiration continues.
TOPOGRAPHER 