Session 2 Cooking Basics 101 Classes at the Plum Center, Session 1 of Quick Weeknight Dinners at the Plum Center, Poached Salmon, and Girl Scout Cookie Cheesecake

Post Date: 24 February 2016

I have two classes coming up, Session 2 of Cooking Basics 101 at the Plum Center in Springfield on Friday evening February 26, and Session 1 of Quick Weeknight Dinner on Tuesday, March 1, also at the Plum Center.  Last weekend I tried out two new recipes – Poached Salmon with Ginger and Jalapeno and a No Bake Cheesecake made with Thin Mint Girl Scout cookies.



Cooking Basics 101 at the Plum Center – Session 2

This week’s menu will be my take on the Classic Waldorf Salad, Sautéed Broccoli, Baked Tilapia, and a no bake Strawberry Marscapone Dessert.  We will continue to practice knife skills.  The Waldorf Salad is a healthy version, featuring plain non-fat Greek yogurt instead of mayonnaise.  It is served as a wrap, so can double as finger food on your appetizer plate.  Last week our main course was cooked on the stove top; this week we will be using the oven.  For the dessert, we will use the technique called “macerating” to extract juice from our berries, and using Marscapone, another soft Italian cheese.  The handout will include a recipe for homemade Ricotta Cheese.

 

Quick Weeknight Dinners – Session 1

This 3 session class begins on Tuesday evening, March 1, at 6:30 PM at the Plum Center.  The class will feature quick nutritious salads and main courses with vegetables that can easily be prepared after a day at work.  In addition to the recipes done in class, each handout will include additional quick recipes to be tried at home.  Desserts, however, will not be covered.  For the first night we will be making 2 salads, a vegetable, a chicken dish, and a fish dish.  At the time of posting I am still deciding which recipes to start with.

 

Girl Scout Cookie Cheese Cake

One of the members of my Sumi-e painting group has a daughter in girl scouts, so I was able to stock up on thin mints.  I decided to modify my no bake cheesecake recipe to use the thin mints.  The crust was the same, Graham Crackers, melted butter, sugar, salt, and vanilla extract.  For the cake itself, I crushed up some of the cookies and mixed them in with the cream cheese, then covered the top with more crushed cookies.

Poached Salmon with Ginger and Jalapeno

 

I got this recipe from the January/February 2016 issue of Food Network Magazine.  The link to it is below.  It was quite easy to make, with the poaching taking only 5 minutes.  Ginger and jalapeno are in the poaching water. The sauce is made in the poaching liquid with Soy Sauce, Scallions, Lemon Juice, and Sesame Oil.  The recipe includes a side of Quinoa, also cooked with ginger and jalapeno.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emilia-cirker/salmon-with-sesame-ginger-quinoa.html

 

Reminder - Instagam

Follow me on Instagram at #senseichef.  I look forward to your comments on my posts.

Upcoming Classes

Here are my upcoming classes for the winter term.  Spring catalogue will be out soon.

March 1, 8, and 15 – Tuesday Evening – Quick Weeknight Dinners – 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 Basics 101 Classes at the Plum Center, Spaghetti Carbonara, and another “Cooking Live” Internet Cook-Along Show

Post Date: 17 February 2016

I have one class this week, Session 1 of Cooking Basics 101 at the Plum Center in Springfield on Friday evening.  Last Saturday afternoon I once again followed along with Cooking-Live.com internet cooking show, and I made a Spaghetti Carbonara for Sunday dinner.

Cooking Basics 101 at the Plum Center – Session 1

Currently the score stands: Winter 1, Cooking Basics 101 0.  However, we have a revised schedule.  Session one meets this Friday evening, February 19, with sessions 2 and 3 on the following 2 Fridays, February 26 and March 4.

As mentioned in my previous post, for the first night we will be making a meal of Caprese Salad, Fried Chicken Italiano with Blanched Asparagus, and a no bake dessert, Blueberry Ricotta Parfait.  Future entrees will include fish and beef.

One of the basics we will be covering in class is knife skills.  The January/February issue of Food Network Magazine has an excellent article on basic skills and cuts, including the ones we will be covering in class.  Here is the link to the article.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/how-to/articles/knife-skills-101.html

Spaghetti Carbonara

 

Like many Italian recipes, there are many variations on ways to prepare this dish, one of the constants being pork of some type.  Some call for bacon, some for ham, and others Pancetta.  I decided to go with Pancetta, cut into small strips and then sautéed in olive oil until crisp.  I drained the oil and grease from the Pancetta pan before adding the drained spaghetti and egg-Parmesan mixture.  I made enough for 4 people, so there was plenty left over.  Reheated it was still wonderful the next day;

Cooking-Live.com Dishes from February 13

 

Among other items, this week’s lesson with Chef Patrice Olivon had a Basil Aioli (pictured above) and Chocolate Soufflé.  I had just bought Asparagus, so I sautéed them in Olive Oil and spread the Aioli on top.  The Aioli was made with 1 egg yolk, garlic, basil, Dijon mustard, parmesan, both olive and vegetable oil, lemon juice, and salt and pepper, all together in a food processor.  It was quite easy to make.  I had some left over and it was still good the next day on a fresh batch of asparagus.

 

The soufflé above was a lot of fun to make and tasted great.  And it was not that hard to make.  As my colleague Fanny Gaston in the ACE cooking program says, “French cooking is not that hard.  You just need to make sure you follow all the steps exactly.”  What was particularly good about this recipe was the timing.  You can make the base of milk, eggs, sugar, and flour in advance and then set aside.  It takes about 14 minutes in a 425 degree oven, so you can time things so that they come warm out of the oven when you are ready for dessert.

Reminder - Instagam

Follow me on Instagram at #senseichef.  I look forward to your comments on my posts.

Upcoming Classes

Here is my upcoming class for the winter term.  Spring catalogue will be out soon.

March 1, 8, and 15 – Tuesday Evening – Quick Weeknight Dinners – 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 Basics 101 Classes at Herndon High and the Plum Center and “Cooking Live” Internet Cook-Along Show

Post Date: 9 February 2016

I will be giving 2 classes this week, the final session of Cooking Basics 101 at Herndon High School and the first session of Cooking Basics 101 at the Plum Center.  I will also be discussing the dish I made last Saturday while following along with a live cooking show.


Cooking-Live.com Live Cook Along Show

The above picture shows what we made in the show, Beef Stew with a side of Sautéed Brussels sprouts, which were first blanched then finished in a skillet.  The dessert was tiramisu.  The show is presented by renowned French chef Patrice Olivon on Cooking-Live.com from 4 to 6 PM n Saturdays.  The cost is $20.00.  Before the class you receive an equipment and ingredients list, so you can get your mise en place all set before the show starts.  It was a lot of fun, and the meal was delicious.  I look forward to the next show.

Cooking Basics 101 at Herndon High School – Session 3

Our third and final session will be this Thursday evening, February 11.  This week we will be making heavy use of the oven.  We will be baking for the first time, making a Lemon Olive Oil Pound Cake.  Our vegetable dish will be Broiled Zucchini with Tomatoes, and our main course will be Salisbury Steak with onions.  For this dish, we will start it on the stove top, then finish it in the oven.

Cooking Basics 101 at the Plum Center – Session 1

This three session class meets on Fridays February 12, 19, and 26 at Herndon High School at 6:30 pm at the Plum Center on Edsall Road in Springfield.  For the first night we will be making a meal of Caprese Salad, Fried Chicken Italiano with Blanched Asparagus, and a no bake dessert, Blueberry Ricotta Parfait.  Future entrees will include fish and beef.

One of the basics we will be covering in class is knife skills.  The January/February issue of Food Network Magazine has an excellent article on basic skills and cuts, including the ones we will be covering in class.  Here is the link to the article.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/how-to/articles/knife-skills-101.html

Reminder - Instagam

Follow me on Instagram at #senseichef.  I look forward to your comments on my posts.

Upcoming Classes

Here are my upcoming classes for the winter term.  Spring catalogue will be out soon.

March 1, 8, and 15 – Tuesday Evening – Quick Weeknight Dinners – Plum Center

March 4, 11, and 18 – Friday Evening – Cooking Basics: One Step Further – 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                                                           

Revised Schedule for Cooking Basics 101 and Personal Size Tortilla Pizza

Post Date: 2 February 2016

Happy Ground Hog Day.  I hope everyone is ready to pick up Cooking Basics 101 this Thursday evening.  The new schedule is below.  I have also been working on a recipe for a personal pizza.  Picture and information are also below.

Cooking Basics 101 at Herndon High School Continues – new schedule once again

Due to the school closings all last week, the rest of the class will be moved ahead one additional week.  The second session of this class meets this Thursday evening, February 4, at 6:30 and the final session will be on the following Thursday, February 11. 
This week we will be making a Waldorf Salad Wrap, a slightly different (and healthier) take on the traditional Waldorf salad; a baked Tilapia Italiana with Sautéed Broccoli; and a no bake Marscapone Strawberry Dessert.  We will be discussing how long to keep spices and the various types of salt.

Last week with knife skills we practiced chopping and a chiffonade.  This week we will be doing mincing and a rough chop.  We will also be hulling strawberries using a technique we did with tomatoes last week, as well as reviewing the Essential Kitchen Equipment and Spices lists, discussing different types of salt, and how long to keep dried spices and herbs.

Personal Sized Tortilla Pizza

 

I have been meaning for a long time to come up with quick and easy recipe for a personal pizza, one which would not involve prepping and rolling out dough.  I decided to use soft whole wheat tortillas.  For the toppings, I kept it pretty simple, but you can add pretty much whatever you want.  For the base I used Marinara Sauce that I had made earlier in the week.  Then I grated some Mozzarella and sprinkled on dried oregano flakes and some salt and black pepper.  I pre-heated the broiler to 450 degrees then put the pan with the pizza under the broiler on the second level from the top for about 3 minutes.

Reminder - Instagam

Follow me on Instagram at #senseichef.  I look forward to your comments on my posts.

Upcoming Classes

Here are my upcoming classes for the winter term.  Spring catalogue will be out soon.

February 12, 19, and 26 – Friday Evening – Cooking Basics 101 – Plum Center (Wait List)

March 1, 8, and 15 – Tuesday Evening – Quick Weeknight Dinners – Plum Center

March 4, 11, and 18 – Friday Evening – Cooking Basics: One Step Further – 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