Electrolux Cooking Class @ Fratelli Fresh, Waterloo

7 Danks St
A free class on Italian cooking
Call 02 9699 3161 on the third Tuesday of the month to book

Located on the trendy Danks St in Waterloo, this Fratelli Fresh fresh market is set up in a naturally lit warehouse space, exuding a rustic, minimalist and modern vibe. The focus is the food: fresh produce that's in season. Here you'll find your basic fruit, veg and meat staples, as well as luxuries such as pomegranates, figs (fresh and as a jam!), Italian oils, olives and cheeses (the gorgonzola is amazing!). Supplying to some of the finest restaurants in Sydney (Tetsuya's, Buon Ricordo, Marque) and to Cafe Sopra upstairs, Fratelli Fresh is the Mimco of grocery shopping.

The cooking class is geared towards beginners, but it's great fun for people of all levels. The class I took today was full of regulars and for good reason too. Just taking a glance at the menu for today got me excited. Stuffed field mushrooms with Roman beans (which had an unbelievable effort to yummyness ratio) and poached peaches with amaretto and mascarpone (poached fruit + moscato + mascarpone = yuuumm).

The class was very hands-on. We were shown quickly how to make each dish and then off to our stations to cook it ourselves. This is my best friend Justine stuffing the mushroom (yay, I knew you could cook!). I love learning by doing - you pick up so much more like how to tell when the peaches have been poached to perfection.

Stuffed field mushroom with Roman beans

Poached peach with amaretto biscuit and mascarpone

What can I say, the food was as delicious as it looks, and then some. The mushroom was buttery which went well with the intense flavour of the gorgonzola and the salad (dressed with a garlic-and-onion-infused mayonnaise). Somehow the peach was just the right sweetness to work perfectly with the mascarpone (if it was too sweet it could have brought out the sour in the mascarpone) and the amaretto gave it that crunch.

Electrolux classes are held every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Classes are taken in small groups so places are limited. Call on the third Tuesday of each month to secure a place a month in advance.