Couples: Tuscan Favorites

Once you master essential cooking techniques, you possess the culinary grounding to cook both classical cuisines and the latest cooking styles. These full-participation classes teach fundamental skills, not just recipes. Most important, 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. The course consists of four 6-hour classes. Fine Cooking 1 is a prerequisite to Fine Cooking 2. The course completes in four days.

Take a trip to the Mediterranean with "Essentials of Greek Cooking." This class reveals the secrets behind beloved Greek dishes by focusing on fresh ingredients and traditional techniques. You'll learn to make flaky, savory Spanakopita; master the art of delicate Dolmades (stuffed grape leaves) with bright Avgolemeno sauce; prepare a classic Horiatiki Salad; and create comforting Kota Kapama (a flavorful chicken and orzo dish simmered in a rich tomato sauce). Immerse yourself in the vibrant flavors and traditions of Greek cuisine!

From bibimbap to bulgogi, the signature dishes of Korea have seduced America with intoxicating flavors. Sweet-spicy flavor combos are popular, as are the vegetables, meat and seafood that are featured in main dishes as well as in banchan, the Korean assortment of side dishes that appears in most traditional meals. You will learn to make dakgangjeong (hot chicken wings); bulgogi (grilled seasoned sliced beef) with assorted banchan; and bibimbap (seasoned vegetable rice bowl).

By the latter half of the 19th century, bistros were centers of social life in Paris, catering to great painters, writers, musicians and other artists. The simple, down-to-earth food served at such bistros quickly became as celebrated as the eateries' most famous patrons - and it's still celebrated in Paris and around the world today. You will make traditional dishes of that bygone era, such as: steak tartare; frisée salad with apples, lardons and goat cheese in a warm shallot-bacon vinaigrette; moules frites and haricot verts amandine.