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who eagerly blackened a few more. These – to put in place all the elements needed
would be roasted and pureed for a sauce. before you cook, bake, or assemble each
We also made a silky pastry cream for item on the menu. It makes for more con-
the dessert. Chef Eric slit open vanilla sistent final dishes and greatly reduces
beans to release the tiny black seeds into stress in a fast-paced kitchen.
the egg and cream mixture. Then he Most of our classwork was dedicated to
slipped the used beans into a jar of sugar gathering and preparing ingredients. As
to flavor it for other dishes. He also we worked, laughed, and learned, we didn’t
demonstrated how quick whisking could feel like observers. No, we felt like chefs
save a pastry cream that turned lumpy worthy of the whites we were wearing.
while thickening on the stove. Later we Blistered padron peppers are a favorite
would layer it between layers of puff pas- tapas we discovered in Madrid. We tried to
try. make them at home but they never
All of this was a lesson in “mise en equaled the ones we enjoyed in Spain.
place,” standard practice in every well-run Thanks to our Mimo class, we now know the
kitchen in the world. The concept is simple secret of how to make them perfectly: Put
58 WINE DINE & TRAVEL MAGAZINE FALL 2024
