Did you ever dream of taking cooking lessons from a top French Chef? I certainly did but I never imagined that winning an auction bid at a recent Westside Pacific Villages fundraising event would make that dream come true. The prize was a private hand-on lesson with professionally trained Chef Rodney Eubanks who assisted Julia Child for many years as her sous-chef. During the lesson, we planned and prepared an exquisite French dinner consisting of soufflés d’alençoin, en timbales, carottes au beurre aux pistaches et au Cointreau, filets des saumon au four avec sauce bearnaise and to crown it all, a glorious crème brûlee. During our master lesson, this novice gourmet cook also learned how to crack an egg at just the right angle, fold, whip, blend, boil, bake, slice, time and—even wield a kitchen torch—with fineness and exactitude. It was challenging, exhilarating and great fun!
I am especially grateful to Chef Rodney Eubanks for his time, generosity and patience teaching me and a friend who gamely served as sous-chef. And of course I am grateful to my three dinner guests who bravely agreed to eat the results.
*Chef Rodney Eubanks studied in Paris at the elite Ecole de Cuisine Laverenne, then apprenticed at the 2-star Michelin restaurant Jacque Cagna and was a long-time sous -chef for Julia Child.
