Dinner in Rome Class vs WInter, Pavlovas, and Pi(e) Day

Post Date: 8 March 2015

Dinner in Rome Class vs Winter

Winter is currently winning, 2-0.  Class was cancelled due to snow on the original date, February 26^th, and moved ahead a week to March 5^th.  An even bigger snow storm on March 5^th has moved the class to the following week, Thursday, March 12^th. Here’s hoping the third time is the charm.  Fortunately I was holding off on buying the perishables until the morning of the class, so I did not have any ahead of time to worry about.  Menu remains the same, Minestrone, Fettuccine Chicken Alfredo, and Tiramisu.

Pavlovas

I made this dessert for the first time last week.  A photo of it leads off this post.  It is named for the Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova and it was created in Australia or New Zealand in honor of one of her tours there (or at least according to Wikipedia). 

It is basically a baked meringue ring topped with whipped cream and strawberries.  I got the recipe from Food Network Magazine for January/February 2015.  Here is the link:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/chocolate-pavlova-with-strawberries-and-cream.html

You need a lot of time to make this, as the meringue bakes in the oven at a very low temperature for 2 hours, then cools off in the oven for 3 more hours, with the door slightly ajar.  The low temperature is needed so that the meringue does not burn while the moisture is slowly baked out.

Happy Pi(e) Day

My mathematician friends tell me they celebrate March 14^th (3-14) by eating pie.  And this year is a very special one, as the date is 3-14-15, and 3.1415 represents the first five digits of Pi, so it is being called the “Pi Day of the Century.”  To celebrate I plan to make a Shepherd’s Pie, a fruit pie, and maybe a quiche (I know, not technically a pie, but it has a crust, so what the heck.)  And in case you really want to get your geek on, here is a link to Pi carried out to 1 million digits:

www.piday.org/million/

 

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