TRAVEL SOUVENIR pt2: French Classic Mother Sauces

Give yourself a French travel souvenir that keeps giving.

Instead of trinkets taking up space until you don’t remember where they came from, or why they had any appeal when you first saw them, why not learn something?

Find a travel souvenir that reminds you of a time and place, which is what happened during three hours of cooking class at La Cuisine Paris.

Cooking class in France? Yes, Julia, and what quality is French cooking famous for? That’s right, sauces.

From La Cuisine Paris French Technical Classes:

When we think about French cuisine, sauce is king. So what better souvenir to take back from your trip to Paris than mastering these majestic accompaniments to wow friends and family back home?

If the choice is food, or an Eiffel Tower model that lights up? I took the class with my wife, who discovered the fun before we arrived in Paris. We had it booked early since classes fill up fast the closer the date.

After a walk, a Metro ride, and a bus, there we were

The check in lady at the front desk was an Oregon Duck, so it felt like home.

Our teacher was a food journalist and former cooking show host. He explained why no glass bowls should ever be in a kitchen: “If a glass bowl breaks, you have to throw everything out and start over.”

Stainless steel was the real deal.

He explained the difference between a chef and a cook: “A chef can only work a certain number of hours, so if a restaurant opens at six in the morning and closes at midnight, it’s a cook-run place, not a singular chef.”

It made French sense

I recommend the sauce class in the afternoon. After running students through a thorough round of sauces, the class sat around the prep table with food to dip in the sauce.

Classic Cold Sauces

Temporary Emulsion:  French Vinaigrette

Permanent Emulsion: Mayonnaise

Signature Hot Sauces

White Roux or velouté based: Béchamel Sauce 

Brown Roux based: Port Wine Sauce

Butter Emulsion based: Béarnaise Sauce

Reduction based: Red Wine and Shallot Sauce

Decadent Dessert Sauces

Caramel au Beurre Salé

Classic Chocolate

What are the chances I would have taken a cooking class on my own? Slim. A French cooking class with wife? Why not. It’s Paris.

I took a few ‘before and after’ photos of the class; the next day I lost my phone in the Paris Metro, but I’ll never lose the thrill of learning new things in La Cuisine Paris: 80 Quai de l’Hôtel de ville, 75004 Paris, France.

Now you’ll have to excuse me while I warm up my whisking arm.