The menu for the Sur La Table Hors D’oeuvres Party Class looked delicious, yet somewhat intimidating: Gruyere, Lemon, and Parsley Gougeres, Chocolate and Salted Cream Profiteroles, Creamy Salmon and Chive Mousse on Crostini… Just to name a few! Most of these items I have only eaten at fancy restaurants, and the thought of pronouncing them properly, let alone cooking them, was enough to make me feel ill-prepared for class. The closest I have come to preparing hors d’oeuvres for a party is skewering a cherry tomato, a basil leaf, and a mozzarella ball on the same toothpick! (I like to think it looks more elegant than it sounds!)
Luckily, the only prerequisite for this class was a healthy appetite, as Chef Katie Rosenhouse and her assistants encouraged us to snack on our hors d’oeuvres while we cooked.
A lot of the ingredients were already prepped for us upon arrival – it was like walking onto the set of our very own cooking show! The lemon juice was already squeezed and measured out to 1.5 tablespoons for the Mint-Feta Pesto, the puff pastry was already thawed and rolled out onto the cutting board for the Caramelized Onion and Brie Tartlets, and before making the choux pastry, Katie had already given us a head start by melting the butter in a saucepan. However, not everything was laid out for us. We still zested lemons, grated cheese, and applied serious elbow grease when stirring up the choux pastry dough – that’s not as easy as it sounds!
Overall, it was a fun, positive environment – it practically felt like a party in and of itself! (I guess hors d’oeuvres have that effect on me.) The best part of the class was enjoying the fruits of our not-so-intense labor, snacking on the warm gougeres and sinking our teeth into the thyme-sprinkled tartlets. We were sent home smiling, with full bellies and a whole packet of some seriously elegant hors d’oeuvres recipes.
Speaking of which, I’m looking forward to reading Part 2 of the Hors D’oeuvres Party Class review, where Jenny will share her take on recreating it all at home!
Overall Score: 10
-Meredith
Hors D’oeuvres Party Class
Sur La Table
306 West 57th St.
New York, New York 10019
Chef Katie Rosenhouse
The post Hors D’oeuvres Party Class: Part 1 appeared first on PureForme.