As part of Cath’s recent birthday celebrations, my dad and sister bought her a voucher to do a day’s cookery training at a Paul Bocuse establishment.
Cath chose to do the day dedicated to working with one of Lyon’s favourite ingredient – praline rosé.
So she headed off for a day being taught by chef Charles Liets.
Cath said the chef was a great teacher and a real expert. The methods he used were almost scientific.
“We were able to take part in making the pralines. That was easy to prepare but required patience as we stirred the caramel and the roasted almonds, covering them in the pink food colouring (beetroot powder).
“This appeared to have ruined the pan with a sticky mass stuck to the pan. But Chef Charles showed us a great way to clean it using cling film and hot water.
After a lovely lunch where the chef talked about his time in London, we set to work finishing the Paris Brest and la Tarte praline rosé.
The pâte sucrée required a technique unknown to lay cake makers like me. You soften up the pastry by spreading bits of it over a board. A mousseline was prepared by using copious amounts of butter. Cholesterol shocker! Not satisfied with the consistency, Charles popped up with a blow torch to heat the bowl the mousseline was in.
“We then tried piping the mousseline which I actually got the hang of. It was a fantastic day enjoyed by all – especially Pat who gobbled down the delights I bought home.
“It’s now just a question of attempting all of these recipes at home! Thank you to Kate and Pat snr.”
Thrown to (the) Lyon 