Chef Kevin's Cooking Classes: February 2017

Thursday, February 23, 2017

Dinner in Normandy Class on February 25; Lunch at Le Refuge Restaurant in Old Town Alexandria.

Post Date: 23 February 2017

I hope everyone is enjoying the spring-like weather. I took the picture above on a walk along the C&O Canal near Georgetown on President’s Day.

A.C.E Dinner in Normandy Class

This 1 session class meets on Saturday morning, February 25, at 10:00 AM at the Plum Center in Springfield. We will be making 5 dishes, from appetizer through dessert, with apples featuring in three of them. We will start off with a seasoned Baked Camembert Round spread on apple slices (pictured above) and a Green Salad with a traditional Vinaigrette with Shallots and Dijon Mustard. The featured dishes will be Chicken Normandy (pictured below), with apples of course, and a Roasted Vegetable Medley. To finish we will make a glazed Apple Tart. It will be a fun class.

Lunch at Le Refuge in Old Town Alexandria

I had lunch at Le Refuge last week with a friend who is helping me put together my cookbook. It is located on North Washington Street, about a half block up from King Street on the east side of the street. It was my first visit to the restaurant, and it certainly will not be the last. The food was wonderful, and the ambience made you feel as if you were in a small French town. For lunch and dinner the menu has both prix fixe (3 separate items for each course to pick from) and a la carte items; prices are in line with what you would expect for the location. I had the prix fixe with Celery Soup, Chicken Dijon with Dauphin Potatoes, and Peach Melba (pictured above). All were excellent, and I cannot wait to go back and try some of the other menu choices.

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. Spring catalogue will be out soon.

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

Thursday, February 16, 2017

Humus and Tabbouleh; Doraikare (Japanese Style Curry) and Chicken Teriyaki; Upcoming Class –Middle Eastern Cooking

Post Date: 16 February 2017

One of my culinary resolutions for 2017 is to learn more about Japanese cuisine (Washoku). We did Dashi and Miso Soup and the Soup and Stew class; recently I tried a Japanese curry called Doraikare and a Chicken Teriyaki. I have also been busy getting ready for next week's Introduction to MiddleEeastern Cooking class.

Humus and Tabbouleh/Middle Eastern Cooking Class

This 1 session class meets on Thursday evening, February 23, at 6:30 PM at the Plum Center in Springfield. We will begin by making a Hummus, pictured above. Thanks to Chef Alice Hanson for this recipe. We will also be making a Tomato and Coriander Salad, and Lebanese Shortbread Cookies. But the star of the show will be Shakshuka, a versatile tomato and egg dish that is a popular Israeli breakfast, but it can also be served at any meal. It is pictured below.

Because of the length of time it takes to prepare properly, we will not be making a Tabbouleh in class. However I will include a recipe in my Supplemental List handout for the class. The recipe used to create the Tabbouleh below was graciously provided by my good friend David Abusamra from his mother’s recipe collection, so I have named it Mrs. Abusamra’s Tabbouleh.

Doraikare (Curry) and Chicken Teriyaki

Both of these recipes come from the website for NHK, the Japanese Public Broadcasting Service. Links to find and download the recipes are below the pictures.

When I visited Japan in 2015 I was surprised at how popular a dish curry is there. This recipe uses Chicken, but the website also has one for beef, which I have yet to try. The recipe is easy to make and is a good one to try if you have a lot of rice left over from a previous meal. In addition to Chicken and Rice, the other main ingredients are Green Pepper, Onion, Raisins, and Soy Sauce. It calls for just 1 Teaspoon of Curry Powder, so it is a rather mild dish. Of course, you can add more if desired.

Chicken Curry

http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/radio/cooking/20150612.html

What I think appealed to me most about the Chicken Teriyaki recipe is that you make the Teriyaki Sauce on the fly. The chicken breasts are cut up, then sautéed in vegetable oil. When almost done, they are moved to the side of the skillet and the Teriyaki Sauce is made by adding Sake, Mirin (a sweet rice wine), Sugar, and Soy Sauce. For a vegetable I blanched some Broccoli, then immersed it in an ice bath. Just before the chicken was done, I added the Broccoli to the pan to reheat it before serving.

Chicken Teriyaki

https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/food/recipe/kyou_20522.html