Hands on

I'm sure we've all noticed that chefs have heatproof fingers ... turning flash-fried liver barehanded. A new cookery school has opened in Narbonne, and I went along to the opening event, a half-day and half-price workshop on nibbles to serve with drinks. It was billed as lasting from 9:30 to 12:30, with a long list of things to be made -- I wondered how we'd fit them all in. It certainly was a whirl of activity, mostly by Bruno the chef and his two washers-up. We four students did bits of preparation, while trying to keep up with the multi-tasking. We made/sampled:
-- skewers of cured duck breast with pineapple and prawns, quickly fried
-- tiny spring rolls lined with spinach and filled with slivers of foie gras, then fried
-- a spiced puree of beetroot to serve with the spring rolls
-- salmon mousse with pieces of hot-smoked salmon (done on the stove in a casserole)
-- pain d'épices to serve with foie gras
-- honey madeleines
-- vanilla ice cream
-- spherified blobs of soy sauce (just for fun!)

I think that's everything ... I'm not sure I would rush to do many of these again, except for the duck skewers which were dead easy and delicious. But you always pick up ideas at this type of event. The tiny spring rolls were cute, though I'd fill them with something other than foie gras. And I also learned that you should chill your madeleines before you put them in the oven, so they rise better -- something that also turned up on GBBO, which I've just watched on catch-up.

Off out to a restaurant with friends tonight, after a copious meal with A and B last night -- the eating and drinking never stops!

PS spot the selfie :)