By:Brian Shappell
The food tasted and smelled of a gourmet caliber and it certainly wasn’t because of the ambiance or the oven.
The first of three cooking classes with Tamsen Granger kicked off this year’s spring 2001 schedule of Community Education programs on Feb. 13 in the Cranbury School teachers’ lounge.
Ms. Granger shared recipes, cooking tips and plenty of witty banter with the audience.
“I try to do some things that are easy and worth doing,” Ms. Granger said. “I’m not looking to re-create the wheel.
On the eve of Valentine’s Day, the audience of 20 learned French cooking secrets from Ms. Granger, dealing with quiche, crepes and, the ever popular, chocolate soufflé. Ms. Granger went over everything from what the best ingredients to use for the recipes are, to how thick to mix the batter.
“The timing right before Valentine’s Day was perfect,” Irene Cashman said.
Ms. Granger kept the mood lively with several comedic interludes about nonstick pans, why some many students take Spanish, the extremely temperamental teachers’ lounge oven and the TV show “Buffy the Vampire Slayer.”
“I don’t like Buffy, but I like Spike; he’s a very witty guy,” Ms. Granger said about one of the show’s characters. “I’m missing it right now, but, hopefully, my daughter is taping it.”
Ms. Granger, a Cranbury resident and former owner of the Cranbury Food Sampler, also gave her friend, class assistant and artist Lisa Walsh, plenty of friendly ribbing as she mixed and stirred in the background.
“This is what happens when you let an artist in the kitchen,” Ms. Granger joked.
“A real assistant can foresee my every desire,” she continued.
First out of the oven were the broccoli and cheddar, bacon and mushroom and salmon varieties of quiche. Despite Ms. Granger’s concerns about the oven’s functionality, the quiche came out of the oven looking, smelling and tasting restaurant quality. While the crepes and chocolate soufflé were still cooking, the audience took time to enjoy the food and chat about their kids, shopping and town gossip.
“I was more interested in the savory recipes for crepes and quiche,” said Kathy Easton. “Tamsen offered lots of helpful hints for activity in the kitchen.”
Most participants said they were most eagerly awaiting the sweet chocolate dessert at the end of the night.
“I was most interested in the soufflé because I never made it before,” said Laura Kotowski. “It would be great to have an assistant. Sometimes I can try to enlist my husband for prep and cleanup.”
The fluffy chocolate soufflé was pulled from the oven and greeted by “oohs” and “ahhs” after the oven, once again, surprised the class chef.
“It happens to be perfect,” Ms. Granger said to the cheering onlookers. “It must have been the oven.”
All of those who took the class got to leave with their taste buds appeased, doggy bags with various varieties of crepes and plenty of new know-how to make treats for their loved ones on Valentines Day or the upcoming weekend.
“We’re all going to have stuff to do tomorrow. I guess we’ll all just call out of work,” said Ms. Cashman.
