And by cake, I mean Russian salad, lamb and a pear dessert. I had the amazing opportunity to attend a cooking class on Monday night. It has been one of my favorite nights since we’ve been here, and I doubt I will ever have an experience as unique as this one.

We had instructions from IES to meet outside a Metro stop at 7:30 pm and wait for a man called Yves to come and pick us up in his van and take us back to his house, where we would do the cooking. … sketchy, no? Well after waiting in the dark on a park bench for 20 minutes (we were early, which never happens), Lauren and I finally saw Yves walking toward us. He came over and gave us the standard kiss on each cheek. This still takes me by surprise and I’m trying really hard to get used to it.

Eventually the first half of the group arrived and we walked with Yves to his van parked about two minutes away. As we were walking Lauren asked me, “Wait when he kissed us on both cheeks… did his face smell like sauce?”

Signs of a great chef. It was gonna be a good night.

Yves could not have been a nicer man and I am still in awe that he takes strangers into his home and allows them to cook in his personal kitchen. However, I still wasn’t 100 percent sure that I wasn’t starring in the opening scene of a horror movie, or Taken 4, until we walked into the front door. The house was absolutely beautiful. It was decorated in a way that seemed so effortless and classic with the perfect touch of quirkiness everyone wants when they try to make their home look “euro chic.”

The kitchen, in all its glory

The play area in the kitchen for the children of the house, two boys ages 4 and 2.

One of the cooking stations used to prepare the lamb and eggplant

After the rest of the group arrived, we had 12 cooks in the kitchen. We were each given a beer to kick off the night. I started off by peeling and cubing the potatoes and carrots and separating an entire bag of snap peas. The other section worked on the lamb, the pears and the eggplant.

The vegetables were put into a pot and then cooled down, as they would be making up the Russian salad. The lamb was made into a sort of stew with so many delicious spices and flavors that filled the whole house. And the pears simmered with sweet wine for dessert.

We went up to the roof of the house while everything was cooking and were treated to an amazing view of the city. The roof had an entire set up for outdoor cooking and I cannot even imagine what a night up there would be like during the summer.

When we were ready to plate everything, Yves showed us how to make homemade mayonnaise for the Russian salad’s dressing. This salad was basically a potato salad. It had potatoes, carrots, peas, egg whites, olives and tuna. Egg yolk and oil were sprinkled and drizzled on top. We each used a cutout to plate the salad, and naturally I stacked mine way too high.

We all sat down at a long table with 13 place settings and poured ourselves wine, ate our delicious bread with tomato spread and eagerly waited to dig in. We toasted to a great night and devoured our first course. Then, finally, it was time for the main course, and we were so excited.

Yves took a piece of eggplant, drizzled with a yogurt sauce made of delicious sweet spices including cinnamon on top and then put the lamb on top of that. I was the last one to be served and by the time I made it back to the table, people were already finishing up. It was that good.

At the table we got the chance to talk amongst ourselves about all of the trips we have planned and what we have seen so far. We got great tips for our trip to Madrid this weekend! It was such a nice environment and a great chance to experience an authentic Catalonian dinner, which can last for at least an hour and a half. It’s a social gathering and a meal.

Dessert

We left dinner extremely full and ready to sleep, the smells from the night already seeped into our clothes. Yves drove us back to the metro stop and we thanked him many times for such an amazing night. He taught himself to cook from the age of 9, and found a way to share his passion with people. It was an experience I will never forget.