L'ecole de la Maison Cooking School

Our group was lucky enough to experience a French cooking class at the L'ecole de la Maison inside of the Osthoff Resort in Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. The cooking theme? Cranberries of course.

The highlight for me was learning how to make those fancy Parmesan crisps molded into cool shapes. I had no idea it was so easy! The school was nice enough to give us the complete recipes for every dish we made, however I just sprinkled a few throughout the post.

Bon appetit!

Fennel, Cranberry and Orange Salad with Parmesan Crisp

fennel fronds

fennel, fine julienne

Fennel mixed with dried cranberries

Parmesan- Walnut Crisp

2 cups       Parmesan Reggiano, finely shredded

To Taste    black pepper, freshly ground

1/4 cup      finely chopped walnuts

Method:

1. preheat oven to 350 degrees

2. prepare sheet pan with parchment paper, brush lightly with olive oil

3. use a ring cutter or cookie cutter as a template to evenly divide the cheese into (12) 4 inch circles

4. bake to a rich golden color (5-7 mins)

5. remove from oven and quickly remove from the pan with spatula and mold on rolling pin or other item to shape as desired

6. cool completely before removing

Here's how to make those fancy shaped Parmesan crisps!

Finished dish

Fougasse (bread) with Cranberry, Rosemary, and Walnuts

 Rainbow Swiss Chard with Cranberries and Toasted Pine Nuts

Separating the chard leaves from the stems

Salmon En Papillote with Tarragon Mustard Butter and Cranberry Apple Compote

Tarragon and Mustard Butter
4 oz. butter, unsalted, softened
3 T   fresh tarragon, chopped
1 T   chives, sliced
1 T   fennel fronds
3 T   whole grain mustard

Topping the salmon fillets with the tarragon butter

Wrap the salmon inside a heart shaped parchment pouch to cook in

Apple Cranberry Compote
3 each    apple, peeled, cored, and diced small
4 oz        fresh cranberries
1 cup      dry white or rose wine
4 T         maple syrup
1/2 cup  water
pinch     sea salt

Finished salmon en papillote plated with swiss chard and cheddar polent

 Crepe Suzettes with Cranberries

Boil fresh cranberries until they burst and gel

Flambe crepes with cognac and Grand Marnier

Thank you so much to Chef, his assistants, the lovely Lola, and Geiger PR for making this experience possible!

All images will be available for license on Alamy.com. All other inquires please contact me directly at kailey@kaileyflynnphotography.com