Reflections From a Country Girl

 

I had Friday night reservations at Fleur-De-Lys Home Culinary Institute on Millwood Avenue for months now.  My friend, Becky, and I were going together but at the last minute she had to change her plans.  

Since I’d been telling my son about Fleur De Lys for quite a while, he agreed to go with me before work.  He was working the T-Mobile concert that evening so we parked his car in a spot nearby Five Points and headed to Millwood. 

I knew we were in for a culinary delight.  Chef Francois Fisera, owner extraordinaire, has such a fantastic talent for cooking and sharing his recipes with the participants.  

I have been most grateful to my sister and brother in law for sharing that first Fleur Dy Lys gift certificate with me for my birthday.  Though I am not able to go often, so far I have been able to squeeze in at least one class a month since my first experience there.  

Francois lead us through the initial steps of selecting the beer to use in, what turned out to be, one of his many superb sauces that compliment his cooking sensations.  This one was beyond magnificent.  

True Southerners love their BBQ and know of many vinegar, mustard, catsup based sauces.  This one will be one of my new favorites.  A vinegar based BBQ sauce lover myself, I thrilled at the new tastes in this beer based sauce complimented with herb flavored vinegar, cumin and port wine.

There was further excitement among the participates as two of them were celebrating their 100th class.  Generous appetizers brought in by those who knew the two flowed among the group.  There were several celebrating birthdays so cakes and Greek pastries from the local festival were shared among us as well.  It was like New Years Eve complete with decorations, noise makers and lots of laughter and frivolity.

If you are so inclined, you should sign up for one of these classes.  I can assure you, you will be VERY glad you did.  There is just something about a Frenchman cooking food for you with such a wonderful French accent to boot!  He is always dropping great hints that, if used, will help you make a fantastic presentation for hungry guests who will think you are the best chef ever.

My wish for you today is that you savor life in all its flavors!

~ Joellen

This entry was posted on Monday, September 22nd, 2008 at 10:04:am and is filed under Family/Friends Gatherings, Food and Drink, Living Life to the Fullest. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.