THE GERMANS are famous for making luxury vehicles and the French are proud of their haute cuisine, so “A Touch of the Mediterranean Sea” held recently at Le Cordon Bleu restaurant afforded the best of both, pairing cars and cooking.
Mercedes-Benz Leasing Thailand organised the event for its clients, some of whom rolled up in their posh cars, a treat for the eyes, while the restaurant’s cooking studio produced fine dishes for the tummy.
The mirthful crowd, wondering what driving and cooking had in common, surmised that distracted chefs and drivers alike can run into trouble.
The clients arrived at Le Cordon Bleu Dusit Culinary School on Saturday morning, a good mix of people – married couples, mums with kids and a few folks you might not expect to own a Mercedes. A young pony-tailed woman, there with her mother, had her back tattoo elegantly covered by her sweater for the occasion.
Actress Piyathida “Pok” Mittiraroch, a Le Gordon Bleu brand ambassador, was there too to make sure the soup wasn’t too salty. But chef Christian Patrice Ham was on the ball.
“We’ll do Terrine of Red Mullet,” he announced. “The red fish is unique to the Mediterranean, especially in Provence in the South of France. Here we’ll prepare it in tomato jelly and spice it up with Provencal herbs – marjoram, rosemary, thyme and oregano.”
The jellied, layered fish dish also featured eggplant and zucchini and was served cold with tomato coulis sauce.
Ham finished the first one and then freed his students to struggle to remember everything he’d done, from dicing the tomatoes to filleting and frying the mullet. As in learning to get the most out of your car, the school offers a lot of tips and recommended techniques in preparing a tasty dish.
And, just like with cars, the journey ought to be as enjoyable as reaching the destination. Some of the students found that the most worthwhile experience came from making mistakes – maybe using more oil or less, or frying the fish skin-side down or up.
In kitchens, as in life, you learn as you go, and when the Terrine of Red Mullet banquet was assembled, everyone was feeling quite satisfied.
This source first appeared on The Nation Life.