It was a scene right out of My Kitchen Rules: Wooden spoons, mixing bowls and pots and pans flying around a kitchen. The only difference was the language that the chefs were using as they took on classic French dishes
The combined Year 11 Methodist Ladies’ College and Christ Church Grammar School French class took their language skills out of the classroom to explore the cuisine of France. The students were put into groups, given a classic recipe and the ingredients. Not only was the dish French, the recipe and instructions were also in French.
MLC’s Head of Languages, Maria Outtrim, says the friendly competition gave the students a fresh approach to learning about a language and culture.
The educational outcome of cooking using French recipes in a language class is that it has students engage in positive sensory experiences with a variety of healthy foods, identifies personal food preferences, the students practice food preparation skills while learning about cultures of the French cuisine, Madame Outtrim said. The cooking experience together with the vocabulary and grammatical topics covered in class supports educational standards in language students study for the course.
‘Les Crêpes’ flew from the pan to the plates at speed under the direction of Erin Oliver and James Booth. James McQuillan and Nina Trimboli were in charge of the vegetables, keeping a careful eye on their ‘Gratin Dauphinois’ to ensure the ultimate indulgence for potato connoisseurs was cooked to perfection while they threw 4 Salade Niçoise together a crisp ‘Salade Niçoise’. These were served alongside the perfectly set ‘Quiche Lorraine’ cooked by Claire McCarthy and Dylan Boggetti.
For desert, Luca Handcock and Georgia Saunders whipped up ‘Far Breton’, a traditional cake from the Brittany region of France. In true French style, at the end of the day the class sat down and shared their dishes.
AISWA Languages dit Merci a Mme Maria Outrim for this story. Photo courtesy POST Newspapers.
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