Series of Cooking Classes: Hands-On in Seattle

	Just wanted you to know how much I enjoyed the European Series. I really appreciate the effort that you put into each class, from the menus/recipes to the background pages. It really helps to have the historical reasons behind the cuisine.
—Student of our Summer Cuisine of Europe Series

Series Classes Individual Classes Wine Education Class Photos Calendar

Culinary Techniques Series
New Series Begin in April 2008!
Culinary Communion emphasizes comfort and confidence in the kitchen by focusing first on skills and techniques. We want you to feel comfortable following any recipe, and likewise cooking without recipes. To build a solid foundation of the knowledge essential to any cook, we've created the Culinary Techniques Series of six classes:

1. Knife Skills: Learn all basic knife skills and achieve a high level of competency in dicing, brunoise, julienne, and chiffonade. Learn to cut quickly and effortlessly and how to maintain a quality knife.

2. Meats & Pan-Frying: The variety of cuts of meat available make it easy to make a poor choice for dinner when shopping by price alone. This class will teach you how to recognize all of the primary cuts of beef, lamb, poultry, and pork; how each cut should be cooked for optimum flavor and texture; and how to work with some common cuts—you'll learn to cut up a chicken without cutting through any bones, trim a tenderloin, and more. We will utilize the cuts of meat we're working on to learn about the technique of pan-frying, too.

3. Stocks: Stock, the foundation of all western cuisine, remains the most under-utilized part of a home cook's repertoire. Learn to make stocks and glace ("gloss") easily and cheaply, unlocking the door to a whole new world of flavor. We will use bones from last week's class to make high-quality chicken stock—you'll know how to utilize a whole chicken so you can save money at the grocery store from now on.

4. Fish & Sauté: The same variety of available meat also applies to fish, and here you'll learn all about different cuts of fish and types of shellfish and crustaceans. You'll learn to identify fresh fish at the market and fillet your own whole fish. Also, learn to get the most from sautéing, an oft-used, and -misused, technique. Achieve the greatest amount of flavor with the least amount of fat.

5. Roasting & Braising: Learn to really use your oven. This class will teach how to roast (everything from rabbit to oxtails) and braise (everything from lamb shanks to endive) by focusing on techniques instead of on recipes.

6. Steaming & Poaching: Healthy eating must be balanced with flavor. Steaming and poaching, if done properly, can be the perfect solution. Too often, these techniques are abused to yield flavorless, boring food. This class will teach you how to knock the socks off of your guests without adding any fat. Tonight's menu usually includes potstickers, fish steamed en papillote (in a parchment envelope), and other fun dishes.

Registration Information, April Series:
Where: CC House, Beacon Hill.
Who: Taught by Chef Zach Millican.
When: Six consecutive Wednesdays, 6-9pm, beginning April 30: Class dates are 4/30, 5/7, 5/14, 5/21, 5/28, and 6/4.
How Much: $420 for six classes. Each class includes a full meal. Registration is limited to 12 students. If you need to miss a class, you can make it up when the series is next offered.
How: This series is full; to be placed on the waiting list, please email us. Check out "The Fine Print" for registration details including information about our very flexible makeup policy in case you need to miss a class.

Back to Series Page