For my best friend’s bachelorette party, we decided to book a cooking class because she has always been a bit of a gourmand! While most cooking classes are a bit of a splurge money-wise, I think they’re really fun to do with friends since you get to stay busy, chat a little, and eat something yummy at the end.

• 400g All-purpose flour
• 1 Whole egg
• 12-14 Egg yolks
• Pinch of salt
• Pasta roller
• Dough cutter

Recipe by Awn Kitchen

I know it sounds like a ridiculous amount of egg yolks, but I actually think we ended up using even more egg yolks than the recommended 14, so definitely get the whole Costco sized flat if you intend to try something similar at home. The nice thing about having an instructor is that they can provide you with that feedback about dough consistency and whether or not you need the extra egg. For an absolute beginner, I think that would be a trickier call to make.

My favourite part was using the pasta roller to crank out the dough, but I was caught off guard by how much strength you need for the first few passes. There were definitely a few oopsie moments where I might’ve separated the handle from the roller out of my enthusiasm, but it all worked out in the end. We actually ended up using the same pasta dough for three different dishes: tagliatelle with pesto; tagliatelle with tomato sauce; and a ravioli with sage butter. The only difference was how we rolled the dough out and cut it.

Full disclosure, due to time constraints, the instructors made the sauces while we were rolling out the pasta, so it wasn’t like we personally did the wholeee dish from scratch, but we contributed. I was blown away by how good these “simple” sauces tasted with fresh pasta. My favourite dish was definitely the ravioli with sage butter though, I wanted to keep eating it and eating it.

While I thoroughly enjoyed the class and experience, I was a little disappointed at the end when the staff told us that we weren’t allowed to take home the leftovers. It seemed so wasteful since there were still mountains of pasta and salad leftover, and it seemed destined for the garbage afterward. They said it was due to their licensing through Alberta Health Services for food service, but it seemed strange since we had already been served the food and eaten it on site, but what do I know?

One of the reasons why I’ve always liked workshops or studio classes is because it lets me try things that I would never have access to otherwise. For example, I don’t think that I would tackle fresh pasta on my own just because of how labour intensive it is, but I sure loved trying it and eating it. Are there classes that you’ve taken or want to take? What would you want to learn if you could?

Until next time, happy crafting!