The class was held in a loft in the Industrial district of downtown LA (where the 5 meets the 10 freeway). While walking around the neighborhood waiting for the class to start I discussed with my sister in law the weirdness of how it would be to live in a loft. However, after attending the class in the loft I thought it would be pretty awesome to live in one...Not happening anytime soon...but hey, I liked it.
There were 8 people in attendance at the class but they can have up to 12. We all got there and signed some waivers and then stood around the kitchen island where Pace taught us a few techniques of cooking and tips for the dishes we would be making. Then, we split up into groups of 1 or 2 and started in on our chosen dishes.
I started working with another girl on making a vegetable puree. What I learned about my puree was that parsnips and potatoes turn gummy when pureed in a food processor so they should instead be mashed by hand or with a ricer. On the other hand fennel, carrots and turnips hold up fine to the food processor. Therefore, we separated our vegetables into two groups before cooking them so that we could separately puree them and then mix it altogether.
The meal had a lot of parts about it that I would never take the time to make--a vegetable and a salad is a bit excess to me. Plus all the garnishes! Breadcrumbs on top of soup is an interesting texture change...but is it worth it? The extra dishes? The time and effort? I'm not so sure.
I thought that the class was a little bit elementary, although I left feeling satisfied in both mind and stomach. I felt that it was a good group of people to cook with but not a class where I learned lots of technical terms and techniques. But I did learn that you can cook with the beets and use the beet greens for something else, I learned that all those vegetable clippings that some people throw to compost can actually be thrown into a bag and later used for vegetable stock. And I learned that the outer bits of Brussel sprouts make a very satisfying snack when baked with oil and salt.
In comparison to other cooking classes though, because I only made one dish in the meal of six dishes, I didn't really see what was going on at the other stations. The meat was cooked perfectly but I don't know how long it was cooked or even exactly what was done. I heard something about a balsamic reduction but I don't know how it was made. I felt like I missed out a lot on stuff. In the past, I have been to classes where each person makes their own portion of the meal and then cooks them altogether. That is a little better because you see each step of each preparation, but then again, it is not terrible to focus on one thing--just different.
I also loved the loft atmosphere! I loved how it was like cooking with friends in someone's house and then all sitting down for a meal we felt accomplished about making. I loved the little downtown neighborhood that was maybe a little sketchy but had some neat restaurants nearby. I totally want to buy a loft now--just for the parties. I can see the draw.
The Menu:
White Bean soup with Kale topped with bread crumb sand (so-so, it wasn't as flavorful as I hoped)
Citrus Salad with beets and goat cheese (I had higher hopes for the dressing but loved the fresh citrus flavors)
Roasted Brussel sprouts with Apples and Red Onion topped with roasted pistachos and blue cheese (the blue cheese here was really delicious and I liked the combination despite my dislike for B.S)
Root Vegetable Puree with crispy fried shallots (I made this! The fried shallots weren't that noticeable and took hours to make, I feel sorry for my partner. I liked the addition of fennel in this dish)
Steak Roulade with beet greens and pine nuts (really good! the meat was cooked perfectly and the greens didn't feel like eating vegetables)
Lemon Curd Tart with Rosemary Studded Crust (good, but a little strange warm. I liked the rosemary in the crust a lot)
I would like to go to one of the Taste of Pace Supper clubs since the eating and enjoying was more my style--it is nice to enjoy someone else's homemade food once in a while!
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