LA on the cheap-rediscovering a hidden talent

I am loving all the discount emails I am getting groupon, bloomspot, travelzoo, living social. If you haven’t signed up and don’t mind all of the emails, I recommend it. It is a great way to explore your city during this economic crisis. As I mentioned before, I did get the trip to Catalina at half price, normally close to $100. I purchased 10 classes at my favorite yoga studio for $49, regularly $110. I have a Burlesque class at Hell's Belles waiting for me when I get back from vacation. My best purchase came from travelzoo, a French cooking class for $35, regularly $75 dollars at Cashmere Bites.

I had wanted to start cooking again, I am surrounded by people who really know how to cook; make their own sausage from scratch, know how to debone a chicken to make their own galantine, cook down apples to make a sauce that goes over pork belly. I am beginning to feel a bit insecure around my friends.

I used to cook my way through college, a line cook in a southwestern fusion restaurant in Iowa City. The restaurant is no longer, and for good reason. When I left there I could cook a perfect steak, made ancho chili mashed potatoes that would squeeze perfectly through a pastry bag, everyone always loved my jalepeno cornbread. The owner asked if I could make it all the time. (recipes I still wish I had)

I used to love to cook. Would invent things that turn out to be amazing, but when you live with someone who doesn’t like to eat or likes to belittle your cooking skills, you end up ordering out and making a lot of BLTs. Let me tell you, vegetarian Fake-on does not smell good cooking in a pan-although being on a first name basis with Kalia at Sunset Thai isn’t so bad. I am completely out of practice, My cooking prowess now, is being "grill bitch" at my friend’s bbqs.

So now, I have a desire to cook again. To not look bad at my friend’s dinner parties, make meals that make me smile when I bite into them, even if it is just for me. So when a friend sent me a link to the cooking class I think it was a sign I was looking for.

I walked into the cooking/artspace/loft/commercial kitchen a bit nervous. What if after all these years I sucked at something I used to enjoy? I was especially daunted by the fact that our first lesson of the day was crème brulee, which I always thought was so hard, which it isn’t as much as you need a crème brulee buddy and I am so very glad I had one. My friend and I were paired up with this cute British couple, who looked to me as their cooking sherpa, I let it slip that I had some skills and maybe out of lack of confidence or their desire to learn, I backed off and played the role of cheerleader during crème brulee time.

By the time we cooked our coq au vin I was in the zone, but a little discouraged that I couldn’t chop my mirepoix ingredients as fast as I used to. (Maybe I should stop staring longingly at the Japanese knives at Surfas, and just buy one)

Sole Meuniere was by far the easiest recipe and perfect timing because all of the laughing, storytelling, wine drinking was making class go so long that we didn’t get the chance to make the French salad. I don’t know if it was the 3 hour wait, but the food we cooked was so delicious, made with so much laughter.

In the end our eggs were soft yellow, like a baby chick, our coq au vin was gluten/pork free and delicious and I had an incredible pyromaniac joy while liquefying sugar on the top of my crème brulee.

Lesson about French cooking: It takes a lot of time and a lot of ingredients, but it really isn’t that hard.

Note: bring your own wine as well, they provide some, you can drink during class