Cooking with Music

(Chocolate Mousse the easy way!)

Today was the first summer session of Cooking with Music at my house, which is a group of lessons or classes that combine food, culture, and music from specific countries or cultures.  French was first up--

MENU CHEZ MORGAN

Hors-d'oeuvres (appetizers):   Fromage avec pain  -- Cheese with Bread
Entree  (First Course)  Salad Printemps avec vinaigrette dijonnaise-  Spring Salad with mustard vinaigrette or....Everyday Chopped Salad (from Jamie Oliver's Ministry of Food--we used the on-line video)
Plat principal  (Main Course)  Quiche  -Cooking with Music Quiche (Lesson on Pate Brisee; quiche w/ bacon and pruscuitto)
Dessert (Dessert)  Mousse au Chocolat -Chocolate Mousse with Whipped Cream and Strawberries

Beginning French Lesson was a great online video from Alain Le Lait

We began with

Bonjour!
Comment ca va?
Bien!  Tres Bien!  Et vous?
Pas mal.

And so on.

(Alain:  They loved Josette!)

I passed out notebooks and each student had a different color and their photo on the front.  Inside were maps of the world, Europe, info on the country of France, links to all of the sites we used in the lessons, all of the recipes and notes, and some coloring pages for the younger ones.

We went over the geography of France first.  Where was it?   While we did that, we listened to French folk songs...  But soon, if we wanted to eat before supper time, we needed to begin.  We made the mousse first and got it in the frig.   Next, we learned to make pastry dough ( Pate Brisee) and quiche filling.  That went in the oven while we watched a video on how to make chopped salad and made the salad.  Table set.  A little cheese.  Lunch was served.   It began to look like a piano lesson was going to have to be another day.

Merci! Merci!  to Jacque, Joel and Ellen.  Good cooks all!!!!
What are you cooking for Father's Day?

Here are a few highlights.

Working on liquid measuring technique

Using Le Creuset cookware on a gas stove...

Hot stuff in a Krups blender....

I get the taste test!

I want to see.

We all work together.

How to fill a quiche without spilling the filling.

Maybe.

Ok, How did Jamie chop cress?

Should we watch the video again?   Watch those fingers!

Oh, yeah.  That's a chopped salad.

Hey, I made that quiche!

At the table...finally!

Oh, by the way, you need to put a grace to music.  Here are the words:

Come, Lord.  Teach us to care, share and be grateful.  And most of all, teach us to love you and all you love.

We got a tune we're workin' on.

We did it!

Et voila! Mousse au chocolat:)  Another French food convert.

We'll have the piano lesson with French music another day!  Phew.

A bientot!