The French Steakhouse

ICE’s Fine Cooking series are the classes on which our recreational program’s reputation was built. This intensive course expands on our Fine Cooking 1 series and takes a deeper dive into essential culinary techniques. These full-participation classes teach fundamental skills, not recipes. This course covers everything from fileting a fish, to properly sautéing, to cover poaching techniques and fundamental sauce making. As you advance through the series, you’ll gradually come to understand each cooking concept. You’ll have a firm grasp of ingredients and equipment; you’ll know why things happen; you'll learn how to avoid and correct mistakes. Most importantly, you’ll gain the experience you need to cook with confidence and pleasure - without relying strictly on recipes. Each class culminates with a student-prepared meal. Prerequisite: Fine Cooking 1.

Seafood, vegetables, whole grains, herbs and olive oil are among the ingredients most associated with countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea. They make for flavorful dishes that trigger memories of sunbathed vacations and leisurely meals. This class focuses on the cuisines of Southern France, Eastern Spain, Italy and Greece. You will cook your way through a menu-map that includes French olive tapenade on garlic toast; Greek briam; Spanish fideua Catalania; and Sicilian pesce spada.

Learn everything you need to know to recreate that quintessential New York staple, the bagel! Make everything you love about brunch, from the fixings to the bagels to the boozy beverages. We'll make: bagels (in multiple flavors: everything, salt, sesame, poppy seed); bagel fixings (scallion cream cheese, tomatoes, onions, capers, lox); whitefish salad; and Bloody Marys to wash it all down.

Enjoy Spain right here in New York as you feast on tapas --- one of the great pleasures of Spanish culture. You'll make merry with these classic and contemporary small plates featuring all the flavors of the Mediterranean. After we cook, the party begins. We'll enjoy: pan con tomate with salt-cured anchovies; patatas bravas with aioli and chives; jamón croquetas; gambas al ajillo; and red wine sangria.