POULET EN COCOTTE GRAND MERE

This is the French version of 'Chicken - Grandma's Way', another classic dish. The process looks simple when the lecturer demonstrates but when one goes about trying to duplicate, it is a different story altogether. As starters we have to (1) 'truss' ie tie & sew up the chicken into a standard presentation shape, before we (2) 'bard' ie adding slices of pure fat, in this case from bacon, to cover the chicken before the oven. I was in heaven as the fragrance of cooked fat is unmatched in the kitchen. Dexterity of a surgeon at closing the incision is called for in trussing. Fatty skin is vital in this step and being too mindful of it, I removed too much, hence my chicken is not 'handsome'. For the first time, ever, I was able to prepare a sauce that looked and tasted like Donovan's ie texture, shine, flavor & so on. The Chef approved, though it is slightly thick. I thought of diluting it with a dash of water but made the mistake of not asking, which I should have and my sauce could have been even better. Garnish is no simple task either ie a trio of mushrooms sauteed in butter, caramelized baby onions (exact size by the way) & lardens or bacon strips. Like a symphony at the finale every note is coordinated right down to the spotless, warm but not too hot plate at presentation. By this time I am normally soaking wet; from the heat, from physically moving around for almost 3 hours, plus of course, from fear!

We had the be-mustached Chef Werner Forster for the first time, standing in for Chef Steve. Hailed from Germany, where he cooked at Michelin star restaurants, he is another LCB veteran. He carries himself differently from the other lecturers, and we all liked his style & humor which helped to relax us. That said, he is no-nonsense as well. One of our classmates has a habit of chewing gum, and no one really noticed. Chef Werner did ' ... is that gum, can you take it out, it is French here, not American!' I love his directness, in a light hearted way.