Stir Your Senses November December 2006

stir your senses
November/December 2006

contents

welcome * events & news * one-to-one cooking *
seasonable feasts * intimate culinary journeys * kid-chefs *
kid-chef interns * teen-chefs * our favorite recipe *
wine picks * contact us

welcome

dearest most honored culinary bon vivants,

we wish only to tempt you. enrich your life and beckon you and your family into the kitchen. lace warmth and joy through your bones. share with each other a rich wealth of scents and memories for a moment and for the future.

as the last leaves line the forest floor they make a new bed for spring--under the grey north carolina sky, muses run deep to umber and siena. cardamom and coriander turn up the heat and bowls brim with summer's toil and work. ceres find deeply needed repose in the winter garden.

merci beaucoup for all your participation in the past. we are replete with news and we'd love to see you soon!

Rich and Dorette

events & news

c'est si bon! in the news . . .

please visit our events & news page to get the complete scoop of what all we've been up to.

* * * * *

if you are literarily inclined, please check out the new blog associated with dorette's novel, the city of ladies. she will explore the recipes and feasts visited in this warm tale of two 16th century bread apprentices, talmelier.

* * * * *

dorette is pleased to announce that her assistant, renee ramage, will be available for private classes, too! for more details, write to renee@cestsibon.net.

one-to-one cooking

for january and the cold months to come, can we entice you and your friends to be the next food star? create your very own c'est si bon! "fantasy dinner" class! instead of giving you a fish and feeding you for a day we show you how to make bouillabaisse (or beef chili enchiladas or roasted veggie torta or homemade fettucine) to dine on and then take home! our menus are simple, easy and deliciously fun!

or if you're stuck for a gift idea, this is simple as pot pie. consider a gift certificate for a private one-to-one session where your beloved foodie is the focus (complete with a photo of them as the star chef). write to dorette or renee for more information.

seasonable feasts

seasonable feast classes will be posted for spring soon. a new schedule of classes just perfect for the bride and husband to be.

for details on this, and the entire lineup of our new classes, please visit our seasonable feasts page.

intimate culinary journeys

we are working on dvds of our most recent teen chef tours to provence and tuscany. please e-mail us with your mailing information if you are considering this for a teen in your midst next summer.

kid-chefs

please visit our kid-chefs page for all kids' classes for the winter. we even have a few more holiday classes (and is that royal icing?) up our sleeves including a gingerbread class this coming weekend, december 3, from 9 a.m. until noon.

if you have year-round school, are home schooled or live elsewhere and want to plan a trip around a teacher work day class or a private one-to-one cooking session at c'est si bon!, please contact dorette via e-mail or by phone at (919) 942.6550.

kid-chef interns

please contact us in january--by e-mail or by phone at (919) 942.6550--for information about summer opportunities for 2007.

it is such a busy summer ahead that we have room for another co-chef!

if interested and available for the winter/spring schedule, please contact us by e-mail or by phone at (919) 942.6550.

teen-chefs

. . . in chapel hill

teens in north carolina
premier residential camp for advanced teens

carolina on my plate!
june 11 - 15, 2007
cost: $1,750 per person

our third advanced teen week at c'est si bon! is also residential! we found the day just wasn't long enough to work in EVERYTHING! stay at a local farm, and embrace a variety of culinary field trips and applied kitchen work. in the evening, cooking classes at c'est si bon! menus will be market driven and developed by the teen-chefs every day, with focused guidance. at week's end we will provide a recipe booklet with recipes developed during the week.

to download a printable PDF registration form, click here.

. . . in europe

teens: look what's coming!

four weeks of open air markets, beekeepers, bakers and cooking classes in the heart of paris, provence and tuscany the summer of 2007.

NOTE: 2007 additional requirements

250-word essay from the teen--what are the benefits to cooking in another culture, whether paris, provence or tuscany?

each teen needs to submit two recommendations with registration, one from a teacher and another from a culinary professional.

teens will be notified of their acceptance after we have received your essay and recommendations. a $50 non-refundable application fee will be required for each application submitted.

chef paolo, nonna's and basilica: teens in tuscany (italy) 2007
june 23 - 30, 2007 AND july 2 - 9, 2007
tuition: $2,150

teens that join c'est si bon's tour of tuscany will enjoy accommodations--and tuscan culinary specialties--at the agritourismo (farm) poggio tre luna--a 50 hectare farm only 20 minutes from florence. poggio is situated on a hill overlooking the woods of ancient vallombrosa and boasts a swimming pool, meandering tumbling vineyards, sunflowers, olive groves (and tuscan extra virgin olive oil!), gardens teeming with all manner of zucchini and melanzata, aromatic and medicinal herbs.

to download a printable PDF registration form, click here.

myths, maps and the culinary lore of provence: teens in provence (france) 2007
july 14 - 21, 2007 AND july 24 - 31, 2007
tuition: $2,150

teens that join c'est si bon's tour of provence will stay--and cook--at madeleine and erick vedel's newly renovated ecole de la cuisine provencale. a blend of ancient and new: modern plumbing and air conditioning, fully renovated 10th century walls, and beamed ceilings from the renaissance--located in the center of the city of arles, in the heart of provence and in the crook of the rhone river, just off the place voltaire, below the 2000-year-old roman arena.

to download a printable PDF registration form, click here.

weekend option in nice (france) 2007
july 21 - 23, 2007
tuition: contact dorette for more information

depart myths, maps and the culinary lore of provence program and train to nice for a visit including nice's old market in the cours saleya, enjoy feasting on socca de nice and pissaladerie, swim in the bright waters off the cote d'azure, amidst the intense perfume of lavender. we strongly recommend that either you adore fish and shellfish or if a vegetarian, a plethora of provencale sun-warmed vegetables and fruits to fully enjoy and participate in this particular excursion.

to download a printable PDF registration form, click here.

NEW! teens in paris (france) 2007
august 4 - 11, 2007
tuition: $2,300

a table in the city of light! accommodations at hotel de la paix in the montparnasse arrondissement. enjoy eight days of visits chosen by c'est si bon! from the following menu of possibilities: upscale fauchon, rustic rue de mouffetard, sunday's marche raspail, luscious and creamy fromage at androuet, angelina's infamous chocolate and mont blanc, les ancienne oven at poilane, shopping at delherrin near emile zola's the belly of paris, berthillon for glace, crepes, wherever and whenever we find them! musee de gastronomique at one of paris' oldest restaurants still in operation, la tour d'argent. take-out culinaria at bon marche, franco-vietnamese and north african specialties in the 6th, 9th or 19th arrondissements.

to download a printable PDF registration form, click here.

*** we are accepting registrations for these travel opportunities now. airfare is much more reasonable the earlier you book. an eclectic, spirited and welcoming group is forming--joined by their love of culinary arts and travel and friendship, they want you to join in, too! ***

our favorite recipe

we're thrilled to share! as the weather cools, try this recipe for mantuan pumpkin bisque with sage and prosciutto (printable PDF file) to ladle into deep bowls.

wine picks

this month we begin a new feature, wine picks. hear it straight from the horse's mouth--er, i mean--from our sommelier, rich snover's maw. i took the liberty of recording our conversation as rich is far too busy researching to pen his thoughts. just think of me as the ghost wine writer. (say, just what kind of nose belongs to a ghost wine? the friendliest nose you know.)

rich: winter time is a time to get down and dirty with your wine.

moi: so we should scoop up a handful of the garden, then fillerup? ummmm...

rich: you chefs! to simplify, because of the deep earthy nature of the meals you'll be fixin', you can have a bit more terroir in your glass.

moi: exactament! just like making low-country dirty rice. now that's terroir. earth and leather and mushrooms in the glass. wait, i'm going to be fixin' meals? i'm up to my ears with houses of gingerbread...

meaty winter wine and dirty rice: a perfect pair.

cote du rhone with a big beefy stew or those mushrooms

california zin with a mess o ribs

blushing provencale rose with cold luscious seafood

oregonian pinot noir with pasta and cream and saffron

chateauneuf du pape with a celebration porc rotie and pomme de terre

mourvere blends (languedoc region of france or from chile) with duck with prunes

spanish cava just for fun and friends, the break of 2007!

contact us

for more information or to register for any of our classes, please contact:

Dorette Snover
C'est Si Bon! Cooking School
Chapel Hill, NC
(919) 942.6550
www.cestsibon.net