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| HOME | CLASSES | ABOUT US | ECO FOCUS | COMMUNITY | PRODUCTS | ||
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| Series Classes Individual Classes Wine Education Class Photos Calendar | ||
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Series Hands-On Class Descriptions Each of our series of classes is described below. We are flexible on course content and menu depending upon the needs and interests of each specific class group.  Culinary Techniques Series 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. This class will include a full meal. 2. 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 glaces easily and cheaply, unlocking the door to a whole new world of flavor. Tonight we'll try some soups and sauces based on the stocks we've made. 3. Meat Identification; Grilling. 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 cut the most common pieces into portion sizes. We will utilize the cuts of meat we're working on to learn some new "Grill Skill" on the Viking grill; we'll practice grilling some vegetables, as well. 4. Fish Identification; Sautéing & Pan-frying. The same variety of available meat also applies to fish, and here you'll learn all about different cuts of fish. You'll learn to identify fresh fish at the market and fillet your own whole fish. Also, learn to get the most from sautéing and pan-frying, two oft-used, and -misused, techniques. 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. Culinary Essentials Series 1. Soups. Making delicious soups at home can be a breeze with good quality stock on hand. Learn to use great ingredients to make the best soups—everything from consommé to bisque to chicken noodle soup. 2. Sauces. The finishing touch to any great dish is the sauce. Sauce making can be the most challenging part of cooking but by far the most rewarding. Build a freezer full of amazing, versatile sauces for great food on the fly. 3. Hot Appetizers, Hors d'Oeuvres, and Garde Manger. This class will focus on a wide variety of hot and cold appetizers and first courses, from crab cakes to satay skewers, pâtè terrines, and more. We will also cover plating techniques and menu composition. 4. Grains, Legumes, and Starches. Tired of those boring old mashed potatoes? Add fiber and interest to your diet with new sides. We'll focus on polenta, risotto, quinoa, lentils, and other unique sides. 5. Perfect Vegetables. Ever wonder why your beans sometimes turn army green, artichokes go black, and cauliflower turns gray? Understanding vegetable cookery is heavily rooted in food chemistry. You will learn how to cook each type of vegetable in such a way to maximize flavor, color retention, and texture, using a variety of techniques. We'll learn new and interesting dishes and ways to use seasonal vegetable that will add interest and color to the plate. 6. Kitchen Desserts. In contrast to patisserie or pastry desserts such as cakes, kitchen desserts are those you'll be more likely to make for guests. We'll utilize seasonal produce to do a fruit dessert; learn the chemistry and delicacy of custards with a flan or crème brûlée; and possibly even play with fire. A very handy class which will add valuable tricks and recipes to your repertoire. American Regional Cuisine 1. Northwest. Truly understand the flavors of the Pacific Northwest by cooking with seasonal ingredients and learning local techniques such as plank-roasting. 2. Southwest. The Cuisine of the American Southwest is inspired by a mix of cultures and a very wide variety of local ingredients. We'll learn techniques, such as working with fresh and dried chiles, and flavor combinations in this fun and spicy class. 3. The South. Find out how the roots of Southern cooking affect its food today, how to make perfect fried chicken, and what makes grits good. 4. Californian Cuisine. Sample the chic and trendy with avocado everything, goat cheese pizza, and more as we discuss the influences and culinary evolution of California Cuisine. 5. Midwest. America's Bread Basket, the Midwest, is home to some of the most comforting and traditional food of our nation's diverse culinary styles. The Midwest is steeped in traditions of canning and preserving, baking, brewing, cheesemaking, and more—all plainly remnants of the area's homesteading past. We'll enjoy the fruits of these rich traditions in a complex and interesting seasonal menu. Last fall's selections included Bierocks (meat-filled pastries); Cheddar and Beer Soup with Cheddar Cheese Balls; Wild Rice Cakes; Chicken Fricasse with Farmhouse Dumplings; Roots and Greens; and Apple Fritters. This spring we enjoyed the deck and sunset as we learned a classic Midwestern skill: how to perfectly grill steaks! 6. New England. The Pilgrims and their descendents have shaped American cuisine in many ways, but nowhere so firmly as in New England, where the fusion of British traditions, New World ingredients, and Native American techniques are still apparent. We will look at classics of New England cuisine under this light and learn to make a number of delicious and significant dishes from the area. Our fall menu included New England Clam Chowder; Johnny Cakes; Harvard Beets; Broiled Haddock with Crab; and Boston Cream Pie. In spring we made the Clam Chowder, Lobster Thermidor, Red Flannel Hash, and Blueberry Buckle. Cuisine of Europe Series I 1. Northern France. The Culinary Mother of all western cuisine, French food is where it all begins. This class will cover the regions of Normandie, Burgundy, Loire, Alsace, Brittany and Lorraine. 2. Southern France. This class will cover the southern half of France: Gascony, the Rhône, Provence, Perigord and the Languedoc. 3. Italy I. If France is the Mother, then Italy is probably the dad. No Cuisine has influenced Modern American Cuisine in the last 20 years like Italy. This class will cover Northern Italian cooking. 4. Italy II. The Italian food we all grew up with: Pasta! You will learn all about southern Italian cuisine in this class, as well as Italian-American specialties. Follow this up with our Single-out class Pasta!. 5. Spain. The Iberian peninsula has a joyous culinary tradition with very exciting flavors. We'll explore Spain first, beginning with a few tapas and proceeding to other traditional dishes such as paella. 6. Portugal. As the home of Christopher Columbus, Portugal was the place where many New World foods first arrived in Europe, and their influence is felt in this delicious cuisine. In this class you will learn the fundamentals of Portuguese food with some fabulous dishes. For an appetizer we'll roast sausages on an asiador, a Portuguese terra-cotta tabletop sausage-roaster which uses brandy for fuel. Cuisine of Asia Series I 1. China I. Chinese cuisine is a vast topic. This class will cover the Hunan and Szechuan regions of China. You'll learn to make the authentic versions of several Chinese dishes you're probably already familiar with, as well as some of the common ingredients and traditional techniques of the areas. 2. China II: Dim Sum. Dim Sum means "heart's delight." This Chinese culinary tradition involves a great many small dishes brought to the table one after another. We'll learn to make quite a few different kinds of dim sum and then feast on them. 3. Japan I. This class will cover Japanese cuisine excepting sushi. The light, fresh flavors of Japanese cuisine come to life in this class as you learn how easy and delicious Japanese food can be. 4. Japan II: Sushi. Here we'll cover sushi exclusively, including making the rice, selecting and cutting the fish, and rolling the sushi. 5. Thailand. Moving into Southeast Asia, this class will cover the distinctive flavors of Thai food, including Pad Thai. 6. Vietnam. In this final class of the series, we'll discuss the critical flavor elements of Vietnamese cuisine, discussing Vietnam's unique French influence, and make fresh spring rolls along with Pho Bo and other dishes. Baking 1. Lean Doughs. Flour, water, yeast and salt are the components to make all of the basic breads. We will cover baguettes, pita bread, and ciabatta. 2. Enriched Doughs. Enriched doughs are breads and rolls that have tenderizers such as milk, butter, or eggs. We will expand our baking knowledge with brioche, kaiser rolls, and sandwich bread.. 3. Quick Breads. Quick breads are baked goods that use chemical leaveners such as baking powder. They follow completely different rules and are a very valuable part of a baker's repertoire. 4. Pastry. Make your own puff pastry, croissants, and pâté de choix. We will use the puff pastry to make Napoleons and palmiers. We will also make pastry cream. 5. Pies and Tarts. Here we will be focusing on the crust. We will learn basic pie crust, pate sucrée and pate brisée. We will also learn how to make a good pie filling. 6. Cakes and Tortes. We will learn the ratios necessary to make a cake without a mix, all about tortes, plus we will learn about frostings, meringues, and buttercreams. Healthy Cooking Classes are listed in no particular order. 1. Seasonal Vegetarian Cooking. In this class we will use whatever inspires us at the farmers' markets to creat incredible, fully vegetarian food. We will also learn how to make vegetable stock that tastes good and then use it as a foundation of flavor development. 2. Healthy Asian Cuisine. We'll explore both Japanese and Vietnamese cuisine in this class, seeking flavorful, fun, and most of all healthy dishes that we can add to our repertoire. 3. New American Fusion. Utilizing the bounty of the seasons and inspired by Californian cuisine, we will be making exciting vegetable and seafood -based dishes, drawing heavily on a global palate. 4. Vegan Cooking. Cooking entirely without animal products (not only meat but also dairy, eggs, and even honey) is an excellent way to ensure healthy eating. Vegan cooking is a good way to be creative and thoughtful about your food. 5. "Lightening" Recipe Favorites. In this class, we'll take students' favorite recipes and "lighten" them, removing fat and other unhealthy elements where possible and retaining excellent flavor and character. Students will be asked to bring several recipe suggestions to class a few weeks prior to this evening. 6. North African Cuisine. The food of Morocco and all of North Africa is delicious, inspiring, and exceptionally healthy. We'll learn some of the common flavors and ingredients of this delightful cuisine so that you can wrap them into your cooking whenever you like. An exciting and delicious class! The Fine Print Click here for important details about class registration. |
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