Sunday, December 11, 2016

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.
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                          

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