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