369 Pearl Parkway Bldg 2
San Antonio, TX 78215
This past weekend I had a chance, courtesy of my in-laws, to take a class offered to “foodie enthusiasts” at the new CIA campus down in San Antonio. This class was specifically on Bistro and Brasserie style food and was taught by a somewhat imposing (6’8”) German named Hinnerk von Bargen. Hinnerk actually turned out to have a great sense of humor and made the class quite enjoyable. We spent 5 hours cooking and ate a huge meal at the end. While the meal was great and varied - Moules Marinières, Steak au Poivre Verts, Galette de Pommes de Terre, Steak Tartare, Crème Brûlée, and much more - we didn’t actually each learn that much. We were all divided up into four groups and each group had four people. Each group had four dishes, so each person ended up preparing only one dish. I would have liked the chance to prepare a few more dishes with everyone to gain a greater depth of knowledge, but oh well.
I ended up getting the one dish I really wanted to try - Canard à l’Orange. I’ve only made a duck dish once, and it came out a bit less than adequately. The fat never rendered from the skin properly and so I was left with a soggy and greasy mess. I can now say that I have mastered the artful preparation of all things duck. It turned out t0 be the most difficult dish of the day - I was peeling oranges and julienning rinds and preparing stocks and sauces all why staring at the duck breasts, hoping the fat would render. And it did! The low, slow approach of Hinnerk worked! To artfully render the fat out of duck breast skins, start with a cold sauté pan, season the duck breasts, and place them in the pan skin side down. Place the pan on a burner and slowly allow the heat to come up to low. Monitor the breasts for burning while you let the fat render out of the breasts for 45 minutes or so. Finish them in a pre-heated oven and then eat! I ended up with moist meat, crisp skins, and a lovely sauce. All in all, that skill made the class quite worth it!
On a side note, the Pearl Brewery complex seemed quite nice. The weather was awful when I went down so I didn’t feel like exploring as much as I normally would have. I think it’s definitely worth a visit if you are in the San Antonio area.
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