Personal Cooking Classes, Paris style

So, as promised, I turned up at Au Petit Fer at 8am this morning, ready to watch how they make their amazing Tarte Tatin. I was half expecting the owner not to remember our deal, or say that actually, they werent going to make it that day.

It was pouring with rain this morning and no one was in any of the cafes, and there were definitely none at Au Petit Fer.

And as expected, the owner did a double-take when he saw me, and then the lightbulb came on. “Ah! You’re here for the Tart Tatin! Have a seat, the chef will be starting to make it in about 20 minutes. Would you like a coffee while you wait?”

We chatted about this and that, his elderly mother yelling at him while she mopped the floor before the day’s service.

I got the call and we headed out the back to the kitchen.

Now, I’ve been to this cafe numerous times, and I guess I always thought that the tiny space I could see through the service window of the kitchen door was just a corridor to the main kitchen. WRONG. The tiny corridor IS the kitchen. How they make anything in that space besides toasted sandwiches is a miracle.

I was introduced to the chef and he started to explain how to start the dish while he stirred in the butter and sugar in a pan over the gas cooktop. This guy is an absolute natural for a TV cooking show. Young, tall, dark and handsome with a friendly, easy-going manner. As soon as he realised that I actually wanted some details on the cooking process, he got excited and started to stream out all the bits and pieces and tips and tricks. *swoon*….food porn…

The whole process actually takes from 8.30am until midday (including cooling time), and obviously I didnt hang around for the whole time. But the basics of how they make their tart is really unique and explains why, in my opinion, it really is the best Tarte Tartin in all of Paris. I’m so glad I got to see how they do it.

Now I just need to do a few trials at home….

Over all though, what a fantastic experience, what generosity. Of course, they want me to come back and bring friends and advertise, but I felt like this was going beyond what was necessary for good customer relations.

And I got my coffee for free!