Cooking Basics 101, Session 2; Blanched Broccoli Florets; No Bake Cheesecake

Post Date: 17 April 2016

 Cooking Basics 101 – Session 2

Session 2 of this class meets on Tuesday, April 19, at 6:30 PM at the Plum Center in Springfield.  We will be getting a lot of knife skills practice when we hull strawberries for our Strawberry Marscapone Dessert and our Vegetable Soup.  For the main course we be using the oven this week making Baked Salmon with Mustard Sauce.  Our vegetable dish will be Sautéed Broccoli Florets.

Blanched Balsamic Broccoli

I cut up the broccoli florets into small pieces so they would cook more quickly and evenly.  The rest of the blanching was the usual procedure – 4 minutes in boiling water, then into an ice bath for about 20 minutes, then into a skillet with olive oil over medium heat for 7-8 minutes.  For the last 2 minutes I added 2 tablespoons of Balsamic Vinegar to the pan so it formed a glaze on the bottom, coating the florets.

No Bake Cheesecake

I usually use fruit preserves in this recipe, but for this iteration I decided to use fresh strawberries.  After hulling the berries, I put them in a bowl, poured some sugar on top, then covered and left in the fridge for 90 minutes to draw out some juice.  I made the usual Graham Cracker crust.  For the filling, I whipped a cup of heavy cream until soft peaks formed, then folded the cream into the cream cheese and poured the strawberry juice into the mix.  For the strawberries on top, I mixed some in a bowl of Balsamic Vinegar.  They are the darker ones in the photo above.

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Upcoming Classes

Spring schedule and catalogue is out.  Here are my classes for the spring term.  Summer schedule will be out soon.

May 10 – Tuesday Evening – Holiday in Sicily – Woodson High School

May 19, 26, June 2 – Thursday Evening – Cooking Basics 101 – Herndon High School

May 22 – Sunday Afternoon – Cooking Demo at A.C.E. 60^th Anniversary Celebration – Plum Center

May 27 – Friday Evening – Date Night Cooking for Novice Cooks – 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