A.C.E. Class Quick Weeknight Dinners Class concludes; Miso Soup; Spiced Pork Chops with Maple Flavored Greens

Post Date: 17 December 2016

Happy Holidays

I hope everyone has a great holiday season and that all your cooking ventures are successful.

 

Quick Weeknight Dinners

 

The third and final session of this class meets this coming Tuesday, December 20, at 6:30 PM at the Plum Center in Springfield.   This week we will make the dish pictured above, Salmon with a Soy Honey Glaze, Curry Shrimp with Sautéed Vegetables, and Roasted Broccoli with either Sesame Oil or Balsamic Vinegar.

 

Making Miso Soup

 

In my last post I discussed making Dashi, the Japanese fish stock used as the basis for Miso Soup.  This week I used the Dashi to make a basic Miso Soup using red Miso Paste, Tofu, and Scallions.  I good some very good feedback so I will definitely be including this in my Soups and Stews class at the end of January.  I will take it up a notch by also including vegetables or meat.

 

Spiced Pork Chops with Maple Flavored Greens

 

I found this recipe in the December 2016 Food Network Magazine, and since I had a couple of nice Pork Chops I decided to try it out.  The pork chops were quite thick, so I butterflied then, then seasoned them with Paprika, Coriander, Salt, and Pepper.  For the greens I used Baby Spinach.  The recipe also calls for a sliced Onion, Maple Syrup, Apple Cider Vinegar, and White Beans.  When I told my wife Teresa what was in the dish she said, “So, basically, it’s Pork and Beans."

 

Here is the link:

 

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/spiced-pork-chops-with-maple-braised-greens.html

 

Reminder – Instagam

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

Upcoming Classes

Here are my classes for the rest of the winter term. 

January 22, 29 – Sunday Afternoon – Soup and Stew for a Snowy Day – Plum Center

February 3, 10 – Friday Evening - Just Desserts – Plum Center

February 23 – Thursday Evening – Introduction to Middle Eastern Cooking – Plum Center

February 25 – Saturday Morning – Dinner in Normandy – Plum Center

March 4, 11, 18 – Saturday Morning – Cooking Basics 101 – Lake Braddock Secondary School

March 10 – Friday Evening – Introduction to Middle Eastern Cooking – 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                          

 

 

A.C.E. Class Quick Weeknight Dinners Class continues; Making Cranberry Wine; Organizing; Organizing Your Kitchen; Making Dashi.

Post Date: 11 December 2016

Quick Weeknight Dinners

 

 

The second session of this class will meet this coming Tuesday, December 13, at 6:30 PM at the Plum Center in Springfield.   Pictured above are a couple of items we made in the first class: a Spinach Salad with Golden Raisins, Walnuts, and Stilton Cheese with a Maple Syrup and Mustard Vinaigrette; and a sautéed Orange Tarragon Chicken with blanched Asparagus.

 

This week we will make a quick dessert with Strawberries and Balsamic Vinegar so we will have something sweet with which to finish off our meals.  The salad will be an Italian one, Panzanella, featuring tomatoes, basil, and crusty bread.  For our main courses we will make Hamburgers Dijon with a Lemon Aioli and Pork Chops in an Apricot Sauce.  We will also roast mixed vegetables in parchment paper.

 

Cranberry Wine

 

This past week my good friend John Treacy invited me over to make Cranberry Wine with a recipe he found online.  We made 5 gallons, but it will not be ready until next December.  However, we did sample some that was 2 years old, and I left with 2 bottles for the holidays.  It is a light wine, perfect as a dessert wine.

 

Kitchen Arrangement

Trying to find an essential ingredient or piece of equipment at a crucial stage of your cooking can be aggravating, to say the least.  Below is a link to a Bon Appetite web page that has some great tips for organizing your kitchen.

http://www.bonappetit.com/story/insanely-organized-kitchen?mbid=nl_001_12072016_Daily&CNDID=30776540&spMailingID=13905804&spUserID=MTM3ODMwMzk2ODcyS0&spJobID=883192709&spReportId=ODgzMTkyNzA5S0

Making Dashi

 

 

In planning my Soups and Stews for the end of January, I am thinking of including a Japanese Miso soup, so this weekend I made Dashi, the starting point for Miso.  It is a fish stock using Kelp and Bonito Flakes, which I bought at H-Mart.  Tomorrow I will get the rest of the ingredients, Miso Paste, Tofu, and Scallions.

Reminder – Instagam

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

Upcoming Classes

 Here are my classes for the rest of the winter term. 

January 22, 29 – Sunday Afternoon – Soup and Stew for a Snowy Day – Plum Center

February 3, 10 – Friday Evening - Just Desserts – Plum Center

February 23 – Thursday Evening – Introduction to Middle Eastern Cooking – Plum Center

February 25 – Saturday Morning – Dinner in Normandy – Plum Center

March 4, 11, 18 – Saturday Morning – Cooking Basics 101 – Lake Braddock Secondary School

March 10 – Friday Evening – Introduction to Middle Eastern Cooking – 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                          

A.C.E. Class Quick Weeknight Dinners begins; Steak Diane; Christmas Bazaar Wrap Up; Winter Class Schedule Published.

Post Date: 3 December 2016

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving and is getting ready for some delicious culinary treats for the rest of the holiday season.  Our Thanksgiving had all the usual suspects, turkey, dressing, pumpkin pie, etc.  The one exception was a Fig/Wine/Cranberry Sauce which I made from a recipe that had been published in the Washington Post.  It also has orange Liqueur.  Below is the link to find it.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/food/give-cranberry-sauce-the-respect--and-recipe--it-deserves-at-thanksgiving/2016/11/13/94c63c62-9d30-11e6-b3c9-f662adaa0048_story.html?utm_term=.8745bc7d4f23

Quick Weeknight Dinners

The first meeting of this three session class will be on Tuesday night, December 6, at 6:30 PM at the Plum Center in Springfield. In this class we will be focusing on salads, vegetables, and main courses that can be made quickly upon returning home from work.  We usually do not do desserts unless the class decides they would like some included.  In the first session we will be making 2 salads, a Waldorf Salad and a Spinach Salad with Stilton Cheese.  The vegetable will be quickly Blanched Asparagus.  The main courses will be Orange Tarragon Chicken Breasts and Tilapia Italiana.  I will also be including a recipe for a quick Vegetable Soup which can be made on the weekend to be served throughout the week or taken for lunch, or both.

 

Steak Diane

 

 

 

I made this mid-twentieth century classic for the first time last week from a recipe in the December Cooking Light magazine.  The link to it is below.  The preparation of the steak itself is quite simple, salt and pepper on a strip steak and into the frying pan, then a 10 minute rest while you make the sauce, which is what makes the dish jump.  It starts with Shallots, Mushrooms, and Garlic in the pan the steak was cooked in, then Dijon Mustard, Brandy, Worcestershire Sauce, and Half & Half are added.  The steak is then sliced and topped with the sauce.  I served it with Blanched Asparagus.

http://www.cookinglight.com/recipes/steak-diane-1

Christmas Bazaar Recap

 

 

The Christmas Bazaar I took part in on November 19 was a great success.  I sold out all 3 items I had for sale, 7 double batches of Spezzatino, an Italian Chicken Stew; 9 Lemon Olive Oil Pound Cakes; and Cannoli whose filling was made from 6 batches of homemade Ricotta Cheese.  The Spezzatino had sold out by 1:00 PM, so next year I will make even more.

My Winter Classes

The A.C.E. Winter Catalogue is out. I have quite a variety of classes on my plate for this term, starting on Sunday, January 22 with a 2 session class called Soups and Stews for a Snowy Day.  Also on my schedule is Just Desserts (2 sessions), Dinner in Normandy (1 session), Cooking Basics 101, and two iterations on the 1 session class Introduction to Middle Eastern Cooking.  I hope to see you in one of these classes.

Reminder – Instagam

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

 

Upcoming Classes

Here are my classes and dates for the rest of the winter term. 

January 22, 29 – Sunday Afternoon – Soup and Stew for a Snowy Day – Plum Center

February 3, 10 – Friday Evening - Just Desserts – Plum Center

February 23 – Thursday Evening – Introduction to Middle Eastern Cooking – Plum Center

February 25 – Saturday Morning – Dinner in Normandy – Plum Center

March 4, 11, 18 – Saturday Morning – Cooking Basics 101 – Lake Braddock Secondary School

March 10 – Friday Evening – Introduction to Middle Eastern Cooking – Plum Center

 

To register for these or any 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