Holiday Cookie Swap

For a flash course on all the basics you need to make a varied and impressive meal, look no further. With a professional chef, you'll gain the skills vital for moving through any simple menu with ease. You'll practice knife skills, roasting vegetables, cooking proteins with a pan sauce and a vinaigrette. Then you'll use what you learned as you make a menu of: popovers; sautéed chicken with classic pan sauce; roasted root vegetable salad with fresh herb dressing and garlic mashed potatoes.

Provence is a gastronomic paradise where French techniques meet Mediterranean elements like garlic, basil, olives, lavender and honey. Throughout this enchanting evening, you will learn essential techniques to make simple and aromatic dishes that burst with flavor. On your menu will be: brandade de morue; chicken with potatoes, rosemary, olives and lemon; bouillabaisse with rouille and vegetable tian.

Chef Herve Mallivert takes you on a “voyage gastronomique” in this hands-on class highlighting Lyonnaise cuisine. Your journey begins with an exploration of Lyonnaise ingredients and techniques that includes rare insights from Chef Herve, a native son of Lyon and a longtime leader of Michelin-starred kitchens throughout France. You will then transform two classic Lyonnaise recipes into dishes fit for fine dining: 1) Quenelle of Pike with Crayfish Emulsion, Roasted Morel and Tarragon Oil; and 2) 24-Hour Braised Short Ribs with Smoked Truffle Cream of Parsnip, Roasted Pearl Onion and Bacon Crisp.

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.