cooksome

pasta pasta and more pasta

i have not been good about documenting my classes for the last month but here is a quick recap of the pasta primer.

a break in the action to savor the fruits of our labor...........

here we are enjoying our antipasti.  we prepared 4.  first, home made ricotta cheese which went on some grilled bruschetta along with some pesto.  second was simply roasted red and yellow peppers with capers, olive oil and balsamic syrup. next up, roasted shiitakes with basil oil and lastly, grilled shrimp.  

we washed all this down with banear proseco.  the lightly fruity flavors paired well with our starters.

next up we finished rolling out our fresh black pepper pasta

 we did 3 pastas, a pennette with tomato, basil and home made ricotta.  a penne with grape tomatoes, olives and capers and the star was our fresh black pepper pasta with bolognese ragu.  the silkiness of the egg enriched pasta and the richness of the sauce...wow  those italians know what they are doing and now, so do my students.

we enjoyed a pear and blue cheese salad with baby arugula and candied walnuts.  a great day, a lot of fun and some really great people.  boun appetito e grazie miele!

farmers market special

our farmers market special cooking class yesterday turned out to be sensational.  one of the things i like best about these classes is seeing how a diverse group of folks come together and really enjoy each other.  it happens almost instantly.  they walk in the door, there is a smile, an introduction and suddenly a joint purpose.  food does that.  it brings people togther.   

the menu for yestereday's class was based on using the very best of what was available at the farmers market. our menu was:

classic gazpacho

panzanella

nicoise salad with basic vinaigrette

caprese with a flavored vinegar and a flavored oil

pesto

 we brined two chickens and two pork tenderloins and later some shrimp.  i think everyone walked away from the class that day with a complete understanding and appreciation for that technique.  we put the pesto under the skin of the chicken and then we grilled everything.  the beauty of this menu was that everything could be mixed and matched.  you could serve any of the protiens with any of the dishes.  we tasted some great wines, my absolute favorite being the Pares Balta Blanc de Pacs.  it's a still cava.  it matched well with all the dishes.

duck duck quack quack cooking class

So I have finalized the menu for my cooking class on the 19th.  We are going to tackle 3  preparations of duck! 

The first course will be

seared duck breast in rice paper wrappers, mint, daikon, spinach and rice noodles with 

sweet hot chili sauce.

second course

salad of roasted kabocha squash, and stir fried vegetables with crispy duck

sesame, ginger, soy and chili dressing

third course

roasted duck legs with dried fruits and star anise served with

sticky rice

for dessert since I'm not much of a desert person, we will have simple Thai style coconut cake

accompanying beverages will probably be some sparkling wine, mimosas and either a Riesling or Gruner Veltliner.

                                    

First cooking class

Okay my first cooking class is history! Here are the highlights:

We tackled a a very challenging Thai menu

We saw the advent of possibly a new Food Network reality show called MaryLee Cooks!
These two pretty much stole the show with their advance skills and techniques.

Second place goes to Paul adean for his dismemberment of a pork leg. skills he says he learned while pre-med. One never knows where life will take you....

here are some food pics.

Next class sounds like it's going to be Italian. Did I hear Vicki say Sicily?