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First of all, let's talk about this flambe!
Sur la Table is new to Hilldale so I was thrilled to get into a recent class. I opted for the sizzling summer grilling class since my husband and I love to grill in the summer. The funny thing is that I can honestly say we're not really great at grilling. I mean, we're okay, but I tend to either cook my salmon to rubber or take it off the grill raw. My steaks are a little better. Everything else is OK.
We went on Father's Day and had the luxury of being the only ones in the class, though they can hold around 15 people. Our chef for the evening was Christopher Berns, someone who is well-known in the Madison College culinary program. He was fantastic! Jim really enjoyed listening and talking with him. 
And, if you follow us, you may remember another Sur La Table instructor, Punky Eagan. She is a fierce baker in Madison and now that she's retired, she's teaching the rest of us!
Here's what we made:
First of all, let's talk about the pea puree. It was amazing. As a kid, I used to gag on peas. My mom would make me eat five for dinner and I would drop three to the floor before I got to the table. So, I was a little nervous about a spread with peas as the main ingredient. It turned out to be my favorite thing! Can't talk about what an awesome surprise this was for me. 
The potato salad was also an incredible surprise. Trust me, I've made lots of potato salads before but it makes a world of difference when you use creme fraiche. I don't have the best pictuer here, but it was so light and hearty at the same time. Chris said we might have a hard time finding creme fraiche but it's worth the hunt. Also, you can make it. By the way, I tried to find it at Hyvee to no avail. So, I'll keep you posted.
Also, we boiled the potatoes and then grilled them. Makes a world of difference. 
The pork skewers were delicious but the Romesco sauce gave it an extra punch. Not much to say here other than I loved it. Romesco sauce is mix of a few things like tomatoes, garlic, almonds, country bread, roasted red peppers and olive oil -- short version: pop in the oven, mix in a mixer.
We ended the night with bananas foster. And yes, that is a whole stick of butter.
As many of you know, I can't have lactose without essentially ending up in a lot of pain, so I had a few bites of it and let my sweet-toothed husband finish the job. I don't think he minded.
We had such a great experience in the class. My husband always says he wouldn't mind cooking if he knew how to do it... so I thought the grilling class worked out really well for us. My only wish is that we took home all the leftovers! LOL
Thanks to Chris and the folks at Sur la Table. We really had a great time and will be back! Hopefully we'll take a class with Punky! 
Cast Iron Bananas Foster
4 scoops good quality vanilla ice cream 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter 1/2 cup light brown sugar 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt 4 bananas, peeled, sliced 1/4 cup dark rum In a medium cast iron skilled, combine sugar, butter, cinnamon and salt. Place over medium-low heat or the coolest area of the grill and cook. Stir constantly until sugar dissolves. Increase heat to medium-high and add sliced bananas, stirring constantly and spooning butter mixture over fruit until they soften and begin to brown, about 3 to 4 minutes. Remove skillet from heat and carefully pour rum over the bananas. To flambe the bananas: Return pan to medium heat. Carefully tilt the pan slightly away from you to ignite the rum or use a stick lighter to light the rum. When the flames subside, lift the bananas out of the pan and divide over each portion of ice cream. Generously spoon warm sauce over the top of the ice cream and serve immediately.
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