Recently Groupon had an offer for Top Chef University which
is series of online cooking classes taught by former contestants on the Top
Chef show. Now I love culinary classes
but prefer a live instructor and class.
But since it was a crazy price and the fact that I had credit in my
Groupon account from a local spa experience that went terribly awry, I decided
what the heck. I’m of the mind that if
there is an opportunity to learn one nugget of information, then it is
worthwhile. And while I think I’m pretty
well versed in the kitchen, I’m well versed as a ”home cook”, certainly not a chef! I have plenty of nuggets to learn.
The site has a professional feel complete with a report
card, a tattletale report to track your frequency of logins (hello
accountability!), as well as a certification upon completion. It appears there are well over 200 videos and
lessons. Oh, and tests too. So this is definitely not something I’m going
to sit down with and blaze thru in an afternoon.
A couple of days ago I started the coursework. The first session is on the basics. There are 19 videos on the basics. Nineteen!
Carla Hall, one of the instructors and a finalist from Top Chef New
York, is very pleasant and fun in her presentation. Oh, and she’s a Southern girl as she likes to
say, so we have that in common. And she
loves peas. Carla, you and I are going
to get along fabulously!
In one of the basic lessons Carla covers the julienne
cut. Now I’ve cut julienne carrots
before, but she made it look super easy and didn’t include all those extra
little cuts I have to make to get them into those perfect little
matchsticks. I’m intrigued! At the end of the lesson she said, “Now go
grab a bag of carrots and start cutting”.
I’ve never been so excited about a freaking bag of carrots!
So last night I played with my carrots and made beautiful
little matchsticks and some little carrot cubes. I was so inspired and excited I created a
yummy and gorgeous side dish to complement last night’s dinner-Fresh Steamed
Green Beans with Meyer Lemon Olive Oil and Julienned Carrots. I went to bed excited about the improvement
on my skill. Yep this is going to be
worth the investment!
Fresh Steamed Green
Beans with Meyer Lemon Olive Oil and Julienned Carrots
1 lb. Fresh Green Beans
2 Cloves of Garlic, minced
Meyer Lemon Olive Oil
1 Carrot, julienned
Kosher Salt
Wash beans and remove ends.
Place in a steamer basket and steam for 8 minutes. Heat Meyer lemon olive oil over medium heat
and add garlic. Sweat garlic for 2
minutes then add green beans, carrots and salt.
Cook over medium heat for 3 minutes tossing occasionally with
tongs.
