Couples: Tuscan Favorites

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.

Braising - searing at a high temperature, then finishing in a liquid at a lower temperature to infuse flavor - can add umami and more to pretty much any meal! And the best part is, it creates tender, juicy dishes with a minimum of effort. We'll master this technique as we make a braised banquet of: Guinness-braised short ribs with creamy polenta; braised chicken thighs with mushrooms and balsamic vinegar and braised fennel.

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.

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.