Josee has been taking cooking lessons here from a retired chef, who was high up in a French hotel chain and has worked abroad sharing the finer points of French food with the world. He is now retired in Amiens, and does small cooking lessons several times a month. After calling up and checking to see if there was room, he was more than happy to let me join for the lesson and insisted on me not paying for it as I was backpacking around Europe. Today, we learned how to make two dishes, an entree (which is the American equivalent to an appetizer, not the main meal,) and a main dish.

Pannequet de saumon au crabe et gingembre
Gravlax salmon roll with a ginger crab filling

Cuisse de canard farcie en pot au feu
Veal and Pork stuffed duck thigh in stew

The two dishes were surprisingly easy to make, and the group was eccentric and welcoming. I originally had envisioned Josee having to translate everything I couldnt understand, but there were two other people from Britain there who now live in Amiens. Between the three of them, the flow of conversation and cooking was seamless and fun. Lionnel, the chef, was a boisterous man who obviously loved cooking. His home is on the outskirts of town with an amazing kitchen and full garden in the back. I was told he also taught cooking lessons to blind people once a month! Lionnel made a lot of witty jokes (which had to be translated for me), but he always had a smile on his face.

Everyone helped out, and Lionnel was a metronome for the group as side conversations ruled the morning as much as the cooking lessons. The social atmosphere, and delicious food made for a great start to the day.

I say start today because I promised Josee I would join her on a three hour run. She is training for the Dublin marathon, and was looking for some company on her run. I figured it was nearly the least I could do for her in return for graciously hosting me. Never fear, I joined her on a bike. There was no way I was going to survive a three hour run no matter how much hiking I’ve been doing. The run was entertaining, and we ran around in the hills and farmland surrounding Amiens. I did my best to entertain Josee with stories of my travels thus far, and we had plenty of good laughs. This is my last stop in Amiens (and my French home away fro home), and I’m headed off to Paris next. I’ve also posted pictures from the last month, so make sure to check them out when you get a spare minute.