Michigan Cooking School Schedules: Eaton Rapids, Grand Haven and Dundee

The teaching kitchen at Le Chat Gourmet. (Photo courtesy Executive Chef Denene Vincent.)

We’re now posting schedules from three cooking schools across lower Michigan: Le Chat Gourmet in Eaton Rapids, Real Cool Cooking School in Grand Haven, and Un Coup de Main in Dundee. These folks work hard in putting together class schedules with some meat to them (no pun intended … ok, maybe …) and it’s really worth looking for a class that interests you and then taking the time to go.

Be sure to click the links below to see the complete schedules from these schools.

Here are some highlights from Chef Denene Vincent and Le Chat Gourmet’s Calendar:

British Gastropub
Wednesday, September 16th
6 PM
There are some things, no matter how much you blast the British food of yesterday that they got very right and no trip to England would be complete without a meal of traditional fish and chips.
Recipes include: Golden British Beer Battered Atlantic Cod Filets; Homemade Tarter Sauce; English Style ‘chips’ – large and lovely french fries; Autumn Apple and Blackberry Fruit Crumble with Streusel Crisp and Warm Vanilla Custard Sauce.
$65 per person

Chef’s September Table – Drunken Bourbon Braised Beef Short Ribs
Friday, September 18th
6 PM
Recipes include: Drunken Bourbon and Black Pepper Braised Beef Short Ribs; Creamy Buttermilk Mashed Potatoes; Roasted Autumn Butternut Squash Soup with Bourbon Cream Drizzle; Caramel Autumn Apple Bourbon Cake.
$75 per person

Autumn French Bistro
Wednesday, September 23rd
6 PM
Recipes include: French Normandy Crepes – oven baked crepes filled with sautéed mushrooms, caramelized onions and ham topped with a bubbly béchamel white cheese sauce; Bistro Pomme Frites with Sea Salt; Classic Caramelized Apple Tarte Tatin.
$65 per person

---

The teaching kitchen at Real Cool Cooking School.

These schools plan some of their classes around the seasonality of Michigan’s various harvests. Classes offered in the September schedule from Chef Tom Reinhart’s Real Cool Cooking School is no exception:

A Michigan Garden Harvest
September 1, 2009, 6 PM to 9 PM
September 23, 2009, 11 AM to 2 PM
Join us and celebrate the bounty of the local harvest of beans, tomatoes, corn and fruit. We will create a delicious feast, using healthy cooking techniques and great ingredients.
$35

Tailgating!
September 10, 2009, 6 PM to 9 PM
It takes a special variety of fanatic to haul a truck’s worth of cooking paraphernalia to his favorite team’s parking lot, then ignore the team so you can focus on cooking the perfect slab of meat.
$45

The Chophouse Grille
September 29, 2009, 6 PM to 9 PM
Perfect steaks and chops are the reason most of us dine out at restaurants. Grilling the perfect steak is an art form. It takes practice and patience to master it. You will learn the simple steps to grilling a great steak. We will also discuss selecting the right cut of steak and know how to season it to your liking.
$45

---

The schedule from Georgeann Brown’s un coup de main is full of the goodness of the fall harvest, with some cookies thrown in for good measure.

Abundance from the Farmers’ Market
September 19 10:00am-2:00pm
Bruschetta w/Grilled Sweet Peppers and Ricotta, Asian Pears w/Prosciutto and Baby Greens, Linguini (made in class) w/Roasted Late Summer Tomato Sauce, Italian Apple Cake
$65.00

Celebrate the change of seasons with a simple but sophisticated menu.
October 29 10:00am-2:00pm
Yellow Split Pea Soup w/Butternut Squash and Kale, Baked Leeks w/Cream and Tarragon, Chicken Thighs Baked w/Lemon, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme, Roasted Bosc Pears w/Pomegranate Glaze
$65.00

COOKIES! My Favorites and Yours
December 10 9:30am-2:30pm
Fruit-Filled Rugelach, Double Chocolate Biscotti, Pecan Tassies, Peanut Butter and Jelly Jewels and your favorite. Soup and Salad Lunch will be served.
$65.00 2/$115.00