It's that time of the year where most people are getting introspective, looking back at the year that was and planning to be better next year.
Thinking of the New Year's resolutions we're likely to make, tabloid! decided a cooking class was just the thing to get us going. And a team of different skills levels we took to L'atelier des Chefs at Le Méridien Dubai — a wife and mother who cooks all the time, bachelors who tackle the pots and pans only when they have to, and one who confessed: "The hardest thing I've ever made in the kitchen is scrambled eggs. But I can boil water."
Also in our class were a young couple, Dalia Shukri and Hesham Al Affaad, who decided to learn to cook together, and Jennie Chua, who was attending her sixth class at the school.
L'atelier offers different classes throughout the year, and with helpful hints and tips aplenty, even seasoned cooks will end the session having learned something. It's a simple concept: you prepare your ingredients, make the dishes, then sit down to enjoy the fruits of your labour with your fellow classmates.
And yes, it is as fun as it sounds. If you can wield a knife, you're ready (and we spotted a first aid kit in one corner, just in case).
At the end of the session, participants are also e-mailed the recipes of the class, so you'll always be able to recreate the dishes you've mastered.
The class we took, was From Japan, where we made our own miso soup and sushi rolls from scratch.
Chef Gregory Khellouf has been in professional kitchens since the age of 16. He's plied his trade at a number of Michelin star restaurants, alongside such revered names as Jean Georges Klein, Alain Ducasse, George Blanc and Emile Jung.
At L'atelier, he'll share tips like how to chop onions without tears, and the easiest way to get a mango off the stone.
About the chef: Gregory Khellouf
Of French and Algerian heritage, Chef Gregory's been in professional kitchens since the age of 16. He's plied his trade at a number of Michelin star restaurants, alongside such revered names as Jean Georges Klein, Alain Ducasse, George Blanc and Emile Jung.
Whether you have a rice cooker, or do it the old school way, the chefs let you in on their secret to perfect rice.
We sautéed, getting the onions equally brown all over, and we boiled — the prawns even curled back just like they do in fancy restaurants.
Forget the rice-heavy sushi you had at your last brunch buffet. Apply some pressure to get the rice thin and even all over before you lay down the fruit and veggies interspersed with fish.
And yes, with guidance even amateurs can roll sushi to look like the pros.
Recipes — From Japan
- Dh250 per person
- Miso soup with noodles and prawns:
A light Japanese soup made with miso paste, celery and prawns.
- Sushi rice:
A basic recipe to make the perfect rice for sushi.
- Two sushi rolls:
Two light and simple Japanese sushi rolls with salmon, tuna, cucumber, avocado, chive and mango as fillings.
Coming attractions: Some of the classes being offered in the new year:
- All about macaroons
- Pasta making
- Little pastry chefs
- All about fly to Bangkok
- Japanese lovers
- All about French cooking and knife skills or French touch
- All about tapas
- All about Arabic flavours
- L'atelier des Chefs is at Le Méridien Dubai, Garhoud
Call: 056-6900480
