Cooking with class

“Maybe you should ask someone who would really appreciate it,”"  I tell Jane.  She’s inviting me to her cooking class, taught by the chef at L’Auberge Carmel, one of Carmel’s most elegant and renowned restaurants.

Jane’s cooking skills are so far out of my league;  I’m  not even playing the same sport.    I did take a cooking class soon after I married H.   We were both pretty useless in the kitchen, so we asked a foodie friend to recommend a basic course.   The first lesson for our “basic course”?   Making puff pastry.  It was like teaching math to first graders, starting with calculus.    That was my first cooking class—and my last.

Until now, 30 years later.   This time, I understood at least some of the words.  I also understood why Jane invited me to this particular lesson.  It was being taught by the Executive Pastry Chef, Ron Mendoza (who formerly worked at French Laundry).

Here’s a man who speaks my language:  the menu was pumpkin pie, trifle, and something Jane knows I can’t resist: bread pudding.

Sorry I didn’t  take many pictures.  As the only remedial student, I was occupied just trying to keep up with the smart kids.

Even though Jane did most of the work helped me  a lot,  I also learned a lot.

And I’m impressed with my final results.    Eat your heart out, Martha.

(And I’m taking full credit— even though I couldn’t possibly reproduce any of these.)

Instead of recipes,  I’m passing on something even better:  Ron Mendoza has his own blog.

P.S.   If you remember me saying I was not going to keep posting about food…..you can blame Jane for this one.