Enjoy food and wine while learning to cook dishes from around the world at Ginger and Lime Studio in Fresnaye, Cape Town.
If you love good food but are slightly intimidated by the mysteries of beurre blanc or making your own curry paste, an evening class at Ginger and Lime is a fun way to expand your culinary horizons.
The sociable format around the kitchen table, quaffing wine and chatting as you cook and eat your way through the menu, creates a fun and often uproarious atmosphere, and you can do as much or as little hands-on cooking as takes your fancy, taking the recipes home with you to try out newly acquired skills.
Classes on offer span the globe from Thai to Italian, some featuring well-known guest chefs, others led by well-travelled, self-taught chef, Denise Levy, whose beautiful home in Fresnaye is the venue and whose idea it was to share the warmth of her family kitchen in these interactive classes. “Food is like therapy,” she says, “you’ve got a knife in your hand, you have to be very present, you’re tasting sauces to see what they need, you’re focused and grounded.”
The menu we were tackling that evening was classic French cuisine. Even absolute beginners joined in the preparation, and there were lightbulb moments for more experienced home cooks. My big takeaway was Denise’s “low and slow” mantra for cooking everything that doesn’t require high heat and searing. Not a bubble broke the surface of the court bouillon as we gently poached the kingklip and it was cooked to perfection when it landed on our plates, enhanced with a wicked beurre blanc sauce, which two of the group had been patiently stirring to melt in a mountain of fridge-cold butter.
As each course was completed, we took turns plating and then tucked in, before tackling the next dish. There was no chance of going hungry, as once we’d discovered the secret of perfectly crispy skin on duck breast and made a savoury orange sauce, it was on to the hearty beef bourguignon, which had been slowly simmering all evening, with plenty left for seconds.
It’s a fun way to eat as well as a learning experience, and being part of the preparation makes you appreciate the flavours even more. Upcoming classes are Asian Fusion, French Winter Comfort Food, Cape Malay, The Classics Made Easy and Simply Italian.
Taste for yourself:
- Ginger and Lime | 083 251 6282 | gingerandlime.co.za
This article originally appeared in Neighbourhood, Sunday Times.
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