Giangi's Kitchen

Bistro cooking class in Cannes, France.

The internet is a wonderful thing. Six years  ago, through a food picture I posted on this blog, a great lady, Eliane, commented. From there, a great virtual relationship began. Eliane is a professional chef, trained under a Michelin Star chef. Even more, Michelin placed her in their listing as a recommended chef, including her cooking school and restaurant, La Serviette Blanche. How cool is that?!?

Though she lives in the south of France (Cannes), and I live in Arizona, we managed to keep in contact via messenger, emails and this wonderful world of social media. Through the years we have gotten to know each other personally and she has been the inspiration of a lot of my menus. We have shared our recipes, prepared them, then shared them with you.

Fast forward six years and my travels have brought me here to Cannes, to at last meet my wonderful friend. I must say, it was quite emotional. So, here I am, sitting with her in her living room, sharing as if we have known each other all our lives. A dream for me.

As a treat, she invited me to attend two of her cooking classes. The one I am sharing today is “Bistro Cooking”. The second, “Desserts”, will be my next post.

We started with deep fried anchovies with capers, olive oil and lemon. A treat served as an “apero bite”, with a glass of cold rose. Bordelaise Hanger Steak with French Fries and Garlic Spinach followed.

The experience was out of this world for me. Seeing firsthand techniques that you will never be able to learn via books. I cannot explain the feeling I had. I came out from her class on cloud nine and with a new love for garlic, as I learned how to make it into a paste. We used it with every part of our meal. Yum! I think you will see more of it on my cooking from now on.

How to baste and let rest the meat. How to perfect French Fries. I can go on for ever and ever.

But, it gets better…. She is coming to Arizona, staying with me and giving cooking classes in the fall, right out of my kitchen. Yes!! I am still pinching myself. A treat to celebrate the launch of my new site.

So… I am leaving you with these few pictures of my experience  from the Bordelaise that Eliane prepared for us.

Giangi

Deep Fried Sardines with Capers, Olive oil and Lemon Juice.

Hanger Steak basted with butter

Bordelaise Sauce

Chef Eliane having fun with the camera

La Serviette Blanche fun cooking group