WTAMU Creole Cooking Class 2011

WTAMU

Creole Cuisine Cooking Class

Canyon, Texas

Thursday, July 21, 2011

NOW, this is cool!

We made the front page of the Canyon News, Sunday Paper, it's all from a Texans point of view! And here are the pdf scans. Pages 1, 2, and 3. And this is in HTML format.

.....about the Creole Cooking Class.....

Jambalaya Cooking Station I set up 4 cooking stations, each took different times to prepare and cook, but should work out well together.

One of the things that I have experience in my lectures is that not everyone in the class wants to actually cook..... some people just want to watch. So with about 70 people in attendance, I was thinking that 16 - 20 people would actually do the work..... And the other classmates would bounce from station to station checking out what was happening.

The multimedia facilities at WT are FANTASTIC!! Check out the live video screens in the background. (above and right) The camera operator pans from me to the pot!!.. Even people seated in the rear can see up close what is happening!

This was our Creole Shrimp, Sausage and Chicken Jambalaya station. For the sized pot that we had here, we 4 times the recipe.

So I asked the budding chefs that volunteered to stir, fry and simmer the Jambalaya in my 12 gallon cast iron pot and burner rig. Since the Jambalaya takes the longest to cook, we started with it.

Our next station was the Boiled Shrimp and Remoulade Sauce Recipe Station. I wanted to show that there are different ways to eat boiled shrimp then with the old and tired cocktail sauce. So, in advance, we boiled the shrimp, peeled, divined, and divided them up among the tables......sooooo all the second station had to do was to whisk the ingredients to make the Remoulade Sauce.

I wanted people to be nibbling on something while they were being entertained by the cooking stations and lecture, so as soon as they finished assembling the Remoulade Sauce we served it the Boiled Shrimp!

The Crawfish Etouffee cooking station consisted of 4 beautiful ladies...... just itchin' to cook some crawfish!

The Crawfish Etouffee recipe was probably the most challenging dish for the cooks to produce. We had different sized pans and the burners produced slightly different amounts of heat. I tried to put the best and most experience cooks at this station. THEY did a great job!

The classmates had to wilt the veggies, simmer the crawfish stock, reduce the cream, add seasonings.... all while making sure nothing burns! They were perfect, so I combined the completed pans together to make one chafer of Crawfish Etouffee. Sometimes a plan really does come together!

Our final station was to cook a true New Orleans and Creole dish.... Bananas Foster. Bananas Foster Station Since this only takes about 5 minutes to produce, I had them seated until the very end of the presentation.

They cut the bananas, assembled the ingredients and simmered them until bubbling. (about 5 minutes in cooking time), we dimmed the lights, I added the Old New Orleans Dark Rum, and flamed!!

Dinner Time!!!

This event was sponsored by WTAMU's Office of Continuing Education they asked the attendees to fill out comment cards, 31 the people did. Can you believe this!!!

Rating Scale 5 – excellent 4 – above average 3 – average 2 – below average 1 - poor

1. The presenter was knowledgeable of the course content.

5- 31 4- 3- 2- 1- N/A- No Answer-

2. The presenter communicated that knowledge effectively.

5- 31 4- 3- 2- 1- N/A- No Answer-

3. What did you like best about this program? fabulous food and fun; everything – it was so fun to participate at the cook station!; the food; the participation; tasting the food – very interesting; watching preparations (it was all good); food preparation was interesting! And tasty!; relaxed atmosphere, participation, liked it all; watching the process; chef’s willingness to explain; to see the chef’s technique and hear suggestions; hands on activities (informal); presenter’s knowledge; cooking demos; learning by doing, enjoyed the entire program; interaction; crowd participation; interaction; very interactive, helped cook; learning how to cook Creole food; smells and that we could get up and look; eating your product; being able to participate – loved it all; It was something unique and the food was authentic; interactive; recipes, tasting, watching it being cooked; food; getting to help and eating it; able to move about and see; hands on cooking/opportunity to ask questions; tasting

See the full Comment Card Responses

Mr. James Barrington of the Canyon News graciously allowed me to use these pics! He took them with a slightly wide angle lens, that technique really shows the groups of people well. Check out his website at www.BarringtonArtOriginals.com .

NOW, Ya gotta admit that is a BEAUTIFUL plate of Creole Jambalaya!

Everyone did a fabulous job!

OMG...... NOW, on to the South Louisiana Adult Cocktail Class!

to Home Cookin' Page or Return to Off-Premise & Picnic Photo Album

OR Return to WTAMU "Buffs on the Bayou II" Photo Album