Taking a Cooking Class

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Hey y'all!

Today we're chatting about something that I recently did with my sisters and my mom...and why you should do it too.

 

Before I talk about our particular cooking class, I want to tell you why we decided to take one.
My mom's birthday falls in June (so does mine & my middle sister!), so instead of just buying more knickknacks or candles we decided we wanted to give her an experience and a memory to keep forever-from all three of us sisters.

We decided that going to Birmingham for the afternoon and a cooking class at Sur la Table was the perfect "experience" gift, and it was!

Our class was called "Tacos from Scratch" and included a pork shoulder taco and a shrimp taco with all the toppings. Our instructor, Chef Tyler, was very good at his job and we enjoyed how hands on he truly let us be. He guided us at the beginning of each step, but really let us take the lead. 

My mom took her turn searing our pork shoulder before it went in the pressure cooker.

Trystan, my oldest sister waiting with our pork.

Mom listening to Chef Tyler explain about the process of searing and how important it is.

There was also some amazing pico and chips, oh and wine, for us to enjoy during the class!

We got to use some new techniques, which was my favorite part-now I want a mandolin for my kitchen!

Julie and Trystan doing the quick pickling liquid for our peppers and onions. 

Probably our most favorite tool of this class was the tortilla press.

I had taken a field trip when I was younger and we saw tortillas made by hand, so since then I have always wanted to learn how to make them as an adult and I had no idea how easy it was!

One thing I want to point out is how Chef Tyler always showed us how to correct things that went wrong; for example, our tortillas were breaking when we tried to flip them on the grill. To correct that, we had to go back and add just a touch of water to the balls before we pressed them.

If everything had went perfect in class and I got home and tried that and my tortillas cracked, I would've had no idea how to fix it. It's true that we learn more from our mistakes than being perfect!

The end result was so incredibly tasty.

The shrimp was perfectly cooked and slightly spicy. The pickled onions and jalapeños were the perfect tart taste and the tortillas were soft and the perfect texture. 

The pork didn't cook as well as it could had, because we had issues with the pressure cooker, so it wasn't as tender as it could've been-but it was still tasty and the flavor was spot on!

In addition to making the tacos, we also made an avocado creama and a tomatillo salsa that were so yummy!

I hope I've convinced you through taking you along through our class that you should consider taking a cooking class-if not with Sur la Table, then at another place. We laughed and just had the best time talking and cooking and learning, it was one for the books and has turned me into a believer of doing experiences rather than asking for things as gifts. 

Let me know below...have you ever taken a cooking class?

Until next time. . .

xoxo, 

📷: 99% of the photos in this post were taken by my beautiful big sister and part-time blog-tographer, Trystan Terrell!