The Viking Invasion of India
For my birthday one year, my wife surprised me with a cooking class at the Viking Cooking School, located at The Viking Store in Franklin. I know what you're thinking: why, what possible room could you have for improvement? (Especially since my prowess with grilling is so well documented.) But I humored her and went, and I had a ball. The class in question showed how to grill the perfect steak, from creating those nifty crosshatch patterns to not cutting into the meat to test its doneness. If I forgot much of what I learned, I retained enough that I now remove the plastic wrap before the meat is placed over coals.
Viking now offers a variety of classes for students age 16 and older, and the one that currently has my (stovetop) eye is "Indian Feast," to be held 6 to 9 p.m. next Thursday, Aug. 28. Using Viking's high-end kitchen gadgetry—think Goldfinger's lair with a stockpile of cilantro—students will prepare and devour a multi-course meal of vegetable samosas, raita (cucumber yogurt dip), basmati rice, dhal (split pea curry), and dakshini murgh (chicken with roasted coriander in coconut curry sauce). According to Viking's site, the slots for the class are almost filled, but a few are still available for $79.
Several courses are already sold out, but among the enticing classes still open are "Foods of Italy" (6 p.m. Aug. 19), "Date Night: Candlelight Dinner" (6 p.m. Aug. 29) and "Thai Dinner Party" (10 a.m. Aug. 30). The Viking Store is located in The Factory at Franklin, 230 Franklin Road, Building 13. Call 599-9617 for more information.
