Making Beignets and This Week’s A.C.E.Class – Dinner in Rome

Post Date: 24 February 2015

This week I will begin by discussing Beignets and then what we will be preparing in the Thursday’s Dinner in Rome A.C.E. class.  

Making Beignets

I had not made these in a long time, but with the snow starting on Presidents’ Day, I decided to try out my new deep fryer and make a batch.  I had a recipe I had received from L’Academie de Cuisine but decided to try one I got from a French culinary newsletter, 750 Grammes.  It made quite a lot of dough, so I only used half of it, then froze the rest to see if it could still be used.  The next day I thawed it out on the counter for a while, and made another batch which was just as good as the original one.  An interesting fact about French recipes, which you may have already observed.  The measurements are given by weight not by volume; e.g., 500 grams of flour vs 1 cup, or 10 centiliters of liquid vs 1 teaspoon.  This should not present a problem, though, as there are plenty of websites where you can perform the conversions easily.

A.C.E. Cooking Class - Dinner in Rome

We will be will be spending an evening at a trattoria on Rome’s Via Veneto to prepare and enjoy a three course meal.  Dress is casual, and I promise not to sing any opera.  We will be making a Minestrone, Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo, and a traditional Tiramisu.  The Minestrone will be vegetable based, but we will discuss ways to add meat to the soup.  On the flip side, the chicken can be omitted from the Fettuccine dish to make a meatless Fettuccine Alfredo.  We will divide into teams and each team will make the soup and the fettuccine.  However, each participant will make their own tiramisu.

 Upcoming Classes

I have one more class in the winter session, in March.

March 21 – Saturday Morning - No Bake Desserts- Plum Center

To register for this class, or any ACE cooking classes, please go to:

http://www.fcps.edu/is/ace/specialinterest.shtml and scroll down to the Culinary section

While there, be sure to check out the other culinary courses offered by ACE’s excellent chef instructors.

Till next time, keep cooking.

Contact Chef Kevin at: KJBrady@fcps.edu

Cooking in Packets and This Week's A.C.E. Class

Post Date: 11 February 2015

This week I will begin by discussing cooking in aluminum or parchment paper packets and then what we will be preparing in the final session of my Cooking Basics 101 class this coming weekend.  

 Cooking in Parchment Paper or Aluminum Packets

This is a technique I use on occasion.  It is easy to prepare, what with the vegetables and protein all cooked together in the packet; easy to clean up;  and makes a nice presentation as guests open the packets on their plates and get a whiff of what is inside.  There are many recipes, both in cookbooks and online, that use this technique.  I have used it with salmon and with chicken.  Food Network Magazine for April 2014 had a recipe for Packet Chicken Putanesca which I have made on two occasions and it was very well received.   I have also modified a recipe I have for Orange Balsamic Chicken into a packet version and hope to do it in a future class.  The chicken breasts are brushed with balsamic vinegar and the orange slices are placed against the chicken, and at the end you get a nice sauce at the bottom.

A.C.E. Cooking Basics 101 – Session 3

After making no bake desserts with ricotta and marscapone cheeses the first two sessions, this week we will be doing some baking.  We will make an Olive Oil pound cake with citrus flavoring.  Olive oil may not sound like the best ingredient for a dessert cake, but it is really nice.  We will be macerating some raspberries to serve over the cake.  We will also be getting back to salad as the first course, making a healthy take on the traditional Waldorf Salad, using plain nonfat Greek yogurt to replace mayonnaise and making it into a wrap with Bibb Lettuce, so it can also be served as finger food.  For the main event, we will be making a Salisbury Steak with onions and then a reduction sauce to go with it.

Upcoming Classes

The winter classes have begun, and I have one more class in February and one in March.

February 26 – Thursday Evening – Dinner in Rome – Plum Center

March 21 – Saturday Morning - No Bake Desserts- Plum Center

To register for this class, or any ACE cooking classes, please go to:

http://www.fcps.edu/is/ace/specialinterest.shtml and scroll down to the Culinary section

While there, be sure to check out the other culinary courses offered by ACE’s excellent chef instructors.

Till next time, keep cooking.

Contact Chef Kevin at: KJBrady@fcps.edu

This Week's A.C.E. Class

Post Date: 5 February 2015

Welcome to the latest edition of my blog.  This week I will be discussing what we will be preparing in my Cooking Basics 101 class this coming weekend.  We will also take up the topic of wet vs dry measuring cups.

 

Wet vs Dry Measuring Cups

This question came up in the last Cooking Basics 101 session, so I figured it may warrant a mention here.  What’s the difference?  Actually, none?  So why have them?  It basically has to do with handling your ingredients.

The dry measuring cups are designed to be filled to the top then leveled off with a knife.   They hold the exact amount specified.  Wet cups, on the other hand, are not.  There is some space above the top measurement line to allow for any jostling when carrying the cup, which you would not have with dry ingredients in a dry cup.

A.C.E. Cooking Basics 101

This week, instead of a salad we will be making a Minestrone soup, which is fitting for our winter weather and will give ample opportunity to practice knife skills.  On the dessert side, we will stay with no bake, creating a dessert with marscapone cheese and strawberries.  For the main event, we will be making pesto and baked Tilapia served on a bed of Quinoa.  For the Pesto, instead of basil and pine nuts we’ll be using baby spinach and walnuts, then spreading on the cooked tilapia before serving.  For the vegetable, we will be doing Broccoli with a Mustard Sauce.

Upcoming Classes

The winter classes have begun, and I have one more class in February and one in March.

February 26 – Thursday Evening – Dinner in Rome – Plum Center

March 21 – Saturday Morning - No Bake Desserts- Plum Center

To register for this class, or any ACE cooking classes, please go to:

http://www.fcps.edu/is/ace/specialinterest.shtml and scroll down to the Culinary section

While there, be sure to check out the other culinary courses offered by ACE’s excellent chef instructors.

Till next time, keep cooking.

Contact Chef Kevin at: KJBrady@fcps.edu