There’s something about the bracing mountain air that really builds an appetite.
Great news if you sign up for one of Terri Taylor’s cooking classes at Tamborine Cooking School, situated in the leafy and elevated scenery of the Gold Coast hinterland.
Terri offers a gallery of gourmet adventures with classes in Asian, Greek, Italian and Moroccan cuisine – just to name a few.
Being a professionally French trained chef, Terri also shares her considerable culinary knowledge (and a sprinkling of clever short-cuts) in the preparation of traditional French dishes.
Think Coq au Vin, Crepes Suzette, Chicken Liver Parfait and Cheese Souffle – twice-baked (the secret to avoiding an embarrassing deflation at the dinner table).
Cooking adventures take place in Terri’s airy, spacious and well-appointed home kitchen – perched on the ridge off Main Western Road. The cooler climate and sweeping valley views lend a special ‘frisson’ to the classes.
So is it a misnomer that French Cooking is notoriously tricky to master?
“No, I think it’s easy. As long as you learn the basic sauces, the basic stocks and cutting techniques,” Terri explains. “By using good, high quality local produce, you’d have to be a pretty bad chef to muck it up.”
Given that advice, it’s no surprise Terri is a big fan of using locally grown ingredients when possible. She sources fresh figs from the neighbours as well as rhubarb and avocados from farms just down the road.
The crescendo of the cooking class is, of course, casting aprons aside to gather around Terri’s table for a feast of classic French dishes. You may never be a threat to Martha Stewart or Julia Child, but there’s special joy in knowing that you’ve helped prepare a menu worthy of a Parisian bistro.
Bon Appetit!
Contact: www.tamborinecookingschool.com.au or phone 07 5545 4564 or 0421 087 901
