Going into this class, I had to release my mind of preconceived notions: that Patrick Feury only cooks Asian; that cooking risotto isn’t worth the trouble; that freakish mushrooms are best left in the ground; and that i don’t like pickled food.  Leaving this class, all of those notions were proved to be myths. A run-down…

1.  Although Patrick Feury is widely known for his take on Asian cuisine at Nectar in Berwyn, he’s a well-rounded chef. In fact, he’ll be returning in November to COOK to teach an artisanal cheese-making class. I find it admirable that he goes outside his comfort zone in order to expand his reportoire. He’s no one-note that Patrick.

2.  I think we’ve all been taught that risotto is a tedious affair, ladling a quarter cup of stock into the saute pan at a time, chained to the stove to make a dish that then must be eaten immediately. An hour of labor for a moment of pleasure, which is usually gummy and yet undercooked. Feury revealed an alternate method using carnaroli rice that can be made in advance and then enjoyed whenever you want to enjoy it.

3.  This year, I made myself a promise. Try anything that is put on your plate. You may like it–after all, millions of people can’t all be wrong, right? That promise has led me to a new-found obsession with the following items (which I previously wrinkled my nose at) — fois gras, chard/kale, and yes…sweetbreads (thank you Marc Vetri!).  Confession, I tried beets. I still hate those.  My fungi comfort zone of fungi had up to now been limited to white button, crimini and portobello. So imagine my anxiety when Patrick brought out a small (but still large) portion of a 30-lb. hen-of-the-woods mushroom. And then imagine my dismay when beetles started emerging from the mushroom as it was being chopped. But I made a promise. I ate it. And loved it. In fact, I’ve purchased the same variety at Wegmans and truthfully was a tad disappointed that no creepy-crawlies emerged when I prepped them in my own kitchen.

4. Pickles…I love a kosher dill. But only if it’s a baby dill. And really crunchy. And rinsed. But attending this class broadened my pickle horizon and I’ve even purchased a book and subscribed to a couple blogs on the subject. But let’s not get carried away. I won’t be putting kool-aid in my pickling solution. And yes, people do that.

Patrick will be back at COOK on November 15 for a sold out artisan cheese-making class.