Even as a pescatarian, I found the menu of Sur La Table’s Country Cooking in Provence class irresistible. Sure, the Butter-Roasted Chicken with Herb Pistou wasn’t really my thing, but the other dishes sounded delicious.
For the first part of the lesson Chef David Siegel demonstrated the proper way to truss a chicken. We watched as he easily maneuvered the butcher’s twine, looping it around the unlucky bird’s legs and around the bumpy flesh of its wings. (Did I mention already that I don’t eat meat?)
“Who wants to try it?” he asked. Lightheaded from the demonstration, I quietly ducked behind my fellow classmates, while Jenny bravely stepped up. She slid pads of butter between the skin and the flesh, shoved rosemary and thyme into the cavity, and tied up that bird like it was a runaway robber!
Having successfully not passed out, I was eager to move onto the next dish, an Apricot Almond Tart. (Full disclosure here, this is the main reason I signed up for this class!) Fortunately, Chef David had already baked off the tart crust and prepared the almond filling, so we arranged it attractively with apricot halves and popped it in the oven.
Next, we learned how to make the Fennel Braised in White Wine. Fennel is one of my husband’s favorite foods, but I never quite know what to do with the odd-shaped vegetable that tastes like licorice. I was about to find out! We quartered the bulbs and braised them, adding a sprinkling of some garlic, shallots, and Herbes de Provence (bien sur!) The kitchen quickly started to smell like the South of France.
While that simmered, we watched on as Chef David whipped up a pot of creamy Goat Cheese Polenta. Meanwhile, we sautéed a variety of mushrooms to top it off.
Then Chef David showed us how to prepare the Herb Pistou, which tasted fresh and bright, like a spring garden. Although meant to pair with the chicken, he noted that it would be a good addition to a fish dish.
Finally, everything was ready and we got to enjoy the meal. Although I didn’t taste the chicken, it was cooked to a beautiful golden brown. The polenta with mushrooms was rich and hearty and the fennel was tender and delicious. And as for that Apricot Almond Tart… I’m already planning to make it this weekend. And next weekend. And the weekend after that…
Overall Score: 10
-Meredith
Country Cooking in Provence
Sur La Table
306 West 57th St.
New York, New York 10019
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