Paul Young

Educator, Designer, Culinary Explorer

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@cooking.with.paul.young
@chef_paul_young
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ABOUT THE RETREAT

French Cuisine Workshop

Saturday February 24 • 2–5pm

Formal French Dinner in Paris

Saturday February 24 • 6–9pm

Chef: Paul Young (with wine tasting by Matt Cho)

 

Arguably, French gastronomy is the most influential of European culinary traditions. The French invented haute cuisine, then turned everything upside-down and re-invented itself with nouvelle cuisine — a simpler, lighter approach with an emphasis on fresh ingredients and presentation. And now the French gastronomic meal and its rituals have been inscribed as one of UNESCO's "intangible cultural heritage of humanity."

 

At this afternoon workshop, you'll play the role of sous chef and join Chef Paul in the kitchen to help him prepare all the dishes for this evening's gala dinner. You'll learn the flavor principles of each dish, classic French cooking techniques, and how the French think about food. You'll also walk away with lots of tips and tricks and all the recipes on the menu so that you can recreate this meal at any time. You'll discover that French nouvelle cuisine is elegantly simple and that making dishes look beautiful is not hard at all.

 

Here's what's on the menu for this classic seven-course "formal" dinner which will be served in the sequence as the French have prescribed (with wine pairings for each course):

 

• Amuse-bouche (appetizer): Charcuterie Board (a French invention with a selection of cured meats, pâté, terrines, and more from a typical French deli)
• L'Entree (starter): Vichyssoise (potatoes, leeks, and cream are the essence of this elegant chilled soup)
• Poisson (fish): Seared Tuna Provençal (a simple dish from the south of France made with a white wine sauce)
• Le Plat Principal (main course): Boeuf Bourguignon (beef stew made with red wine, based on Paul Bocuse's classic recipe)
• Salad: Salade Lyonnaise (a classic from the city of Lyon, made with wilted frisée lettuce and a bacon vinaigrette dressing)
• Fromage (cheese): the French love their cheeses and you'll get to taste a wide selection of every kind of cheese imaginable
• Dessert: Crêpes Suzette Flambé (thin pancakes with orange sauce, flambeed with Cointreau and topped with ice cream)

 

Tip: Just because the French like to dress up for dinner, you don't have to. We are in the Midwest afterall, so do come casual.

 

Also see: French Dinner Playlist on Spotify

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