French Cooking at the Hilton Ramses- The four-course French meal, Part I.

The Hilton’s cooking class season has begun again – hosted at the Ramses Hilton, Chef Dimitri starts this year with a four-course French meal, two courses of which you will find below – salmon mille-feuille and pumpkin soup.

Guests at the cooking class arrive at 10:30 AM and are presented with a light breakfast of croissants and fresh tea and coffee. For this class, a group of 15 settled into a semi-circle of tables, aprons on and pens out, ready for Chef Dimitri to set up his main cooking table. Priced at LE200 per person, guests at the cooking class are not only privy to the chef’s little secrets and specific directions but also to the meal being prepared – served the moment the class has finished. Prepare to be ‘stuck in class’ till at least two. Enjoy!

To attend the class, contact Farida Mansour at [email protected].

Check back tomorrow for the third and fourth courses, roast rack of lamb Provencal (with a side of ratatouille) and tarte tatin.

Smoked Salmon Mille-feuille

Ingredients

30g Philadelphia cream cheese

35g smoked salmon, cut in mille-feuille portion size

1g gelatin dissolved in water (to help solidify the cheese)

1 boiled shrimp (per serving)

Lemon juice

Balsamic vinegar reduction (made by boiling balsamic vinegar until it is reduced to half or even a little further – makes it thicker and this recipe (or any other) then only requires a small drizzle)

Directions

1. Dissolve the gelatin in hot water and cool to room temperature.
2. Mix Philadelphia cream cheese with lemon juice and gelatin
3. On a large plate, lay out a number of slices of smoked salmon and cover each with a layer of cheese mixture.
4. Place in the fridge for 30 minutes so cheese has a chance to solidify.
5. Layer shrimp cheese layers together to create your mille-feuille and refrigerate at least two hours before serving.
6. Refrigerate boiled shrimp as well and when preparing serving dish, place mille-feuille with a shrimp next to it and drizzle with balsamic reduction.

Pumpkin Soup

Ingredients (serves four)

½ teaspoon of freshly grated ginger root

15ml white wine

½ tablespoon of chopped garlic

35g chopped celery

40g chopped onion

20g chopped leeks, white only

20g unsalted butter

225g fresh pumpkin, cubed

0.9l chicken stock

Salt to taste

Ground nutmeg (optional)

75ml double cream

20g roasted almond flakes

Directions

1. Add ginger to wine and allow it to soak in a small bowl.
2. Sauté garlic, celery, onion and leeks in butter – add a little vegetable oil to prevent the butter from burning.
3. Add pumpkin and stock to the pot and simmer until all the pumpkin is tender.
4. Remove most of the liquid and reserve – blend with a hand blender (or place solids in a blender) and add liquid until desired consistency.
5. Take the ginger out of the wine and mix the wine into the soup, adding salt and nutmeg for flavor.
6. Before serving, add a spoon of double cream, roasted almond flakes and a few bits of grated ginger.