Birthday celebrations for this guy went on for days!
I was very excited about this little surprise and booked it so long ago that I had to wait FOREVER for the big reveal! I let him think I was taking him to dinner (not too much of a stretch) and had him meet me for a drink at our favorite French cafe on Union, Gamine...
The sun was out and shining so we sat outside...
I had pink champagne and he had a Cab :)
Yummy, irresistible, French bread...
And then we decided we couldn't resist ordering our fave appetizer...
...Baked Cambozola cheese with roasted garlic and toast points... It's LITERALLY heaven...
I couldn't keep my secret a second longer, so I had him guess where we were headed next. When that didn't work, I gave him a hint: "It's directly across the street!"
I've only taken one other cooking class (also at Sur la Table) and it was SO much fun, I was dying to take Ian. Plus, how beyond cute does he look in an apron?!
I brought my own because I'm sini like that :)
You literally don't have to have ANY cooking experience. Everything you need is laid out and prepared for you...
...and the instructor is always super nice and friendly!
First thing's first, you gotta scrub up!
Cappuccinos to keep us bright eyed and bushy tailed for class!
Our menu was "Date Night: Great Food on the Grill". So each couple had it's own little burner with a grill pan on top. We kicked it off with Grilled Bruschetta with Spring Pea Puree and Cherry Tomatoes. Here I am oiling up those breads!
Ready for the grill!
Spreading on the peas...
Arugula, cherry toms, parm and a little salt n' peppa et voila!
Positively de-lish!
Toasting with our toasts!
Next up, Grilled Fingerling Potatoes with Warm Bacon Vinaigrette...
Ian makin sure that bacon don't burn!
Adding some fresh thyme to the mix...
Beautiful grill marks on those 'taters if I do say so myself!
Mixin' it all up!
Taste test!
For our main, we made Grilled Steak with Rioja and Black Pepper Glaze...
...I was a little intimidated by the sound of that...
So I let Ian take the reigns while I happily snapped pics...
Ooo la la!
After getting some nice grill marks, the steaks finished cooking in the oven...
Meanwhile, I got to work making the Rioja and Black Pepper glaze...
A little roux to thicken it all up...
Steaks are ready!
And looking mouthwateringly amazing...
Still working on the sauce!
Perfectly thick and ready to eat!
Hooray! We did it!
Best steak I ever had :)
And lastly, for dessert we made Grilled Banana with Caramel Rum Sauce...
Ian grillin' up those nans...
This girl is shocked by Ian's bomb grill skills...
Making the caramel during class was suuuper easy... but something tells me it won't quite be the same if I were to try and recreate it at home...
It goes from white to caramel pretty darn quick and can burn easily... eeeks!
I'm not the biggest fan of a warm banana, but I delighted in eating the coconut rum caramel with ice cream :)
It was seriously SO much fun and everything was so yummy! The class is about 2 hours and you make quite a few things! Even if you don't walk away feeling like you can recreate the whole thing at home, it will definitely make you more confident in the kitchen. To see the different menus, check SurLaTable.com!
xo
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