Learning With Experts – The Roux Way online cookery course with Michel Roux Jr.
The Roux Way Online Cookery Course
Review by Mia Hansford, Travel Dine Relax Editorial team
You may remember that we highlighted the launch of a series of online learning courses with the Learning With Experts team. Their courses cover a variety of genres with experts within those industries. Being a foodie fan, I jumped at the opportunity to take part in an online cookery course conducted by chef icon, Michel Roux Jr.
As I excitedly went online and started watching the first tutorial, I was immediately drawn back into the wonderful world of French cuisine which reminded me of my love for Mise en Plase (French for everything in its place) and the ritualistic approach to the preparation of a serene and well organised cooking environment.
Michel Roux Jr is a wonderful teacher and even through the screen you can feel his passion and love for his craft. All the videos are clear, concise and made nothing feel daunting or scary even for a rusty home chef like myself.
The first lesson was the Roux omelette which in learning and then making, has transformed and completely elevated my previously quite basic omelette making skills and my family were suitably impressed by my new found abilities.
Next up was the omelette soufflé, which at first felt a slightly daunting task, but after watching the tutorial and using the skills Michel Roux Jr taught I felt confident in making my first ever soufflé attempt and et voila it was an absolute success and disappeared into my family’s happy mouths before I could say “lunch is ready”.
The next tutorial was stock making which was also full of useful and interesting knowledge and cooking instructions on how to make the perfect stock from start to finish and really emphasised the importance of a good stock as an integrally important base to so many recipes.
Next up was the piece de resistance, steak and gratin Dauphinoise. Again, an incredibly thorough and detailed lesson by Michel Roux Jr step by step and not overly complicated in the slightest, which initially I thought the dauphinoise and steak cooking and preparation would be. The secret to these two dishes is simple, use the best ingredients and produce you can afford AND lots and lots of butter. Butter…. the key to the most delicious home cooked steak I have ever put on the table (again my family’s opinion….my harshest critics). Adding butter whilst cooking then basting with a spoon as you take the steak off the heat, is most definitely the best secret I’ve learned to cooking the perfect steak. Preparing and cooking the dauphinoise was also simpler than I had thought and Michel Roux Jr’s tip of rubbing a peeled garlic clove around the dish before adding the sliced potatoes was a subtle but oh so heavenly addition to the dish and overall flavour.
I made a red wine and shallot sauce to accompany the steak and dauphinoise which was also covered in a previous lesson during the course, it elevated the steak and dauphinoise to another level of absolute deliciousness which once again was devoured with much delight by my family. Overall, I thoroughly enjoy the online course and found it hugely interesting and informative. I am now so much more confident in the kitchen having acquired so many new skills, all thanks to the brilliant Mr Michel Roux Jr and lockdown, which gave me the wonderful opportunity to gain access to this world renowned hugely admired chef, which I otherwise would only have dreamed of being able to do.
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