Cooking Basics 101 Class concludes July 29; Ginger Peach Chicken; Versatile Mozzarella Pasta with Pesto

Post Date: 26 July 2017

ACE Class Cooking Basics 101 concludes on Saturday July 29

 

The third and final session of this class meets this coming Saturday, July 29, at the Plum Center in Springfield, VA.  Pictured above is the student prepared main dish from session 2, Baked Salon with Mustard, Garlic, and Panko Bread Crumbs and Sautéed Asparagus with grated Parmesan and Lemon Juice.

 

After making no bake desserts for the first 2 weeks, we will be baking this week, Lemon Olive Oil Pound Cake.  We will also be discussing baking techniques and the roles of baking powder and baking soda in the process.  We will also be reviewing food safety practices and “The Danger Zone.”

 

Our salad will be Orange Couscous with Mint, Cucumber, and Golden Raisins.  For our main dish we will be preparing Salisbury Steaks with a reduction sauce made with Onions and Beef Broth, and Roasted Lemon Thyme Carrots.

 

Ginger Peach Chicken

 

 

This is another recipe I made from the Food Section of The Washington Post.  This recipe takes a bit longer to prepare than some others I have discussed because the peaches need to be peeled and the chicken breasts pounded out to a uniform thickness. But the results are well worth the effort.

After salt and pepper but before baking, the chicken is topped with Ginger, Light Brown Sugar, Ginger, and Nutmeg.  To kick things up a bit, I added a bit of Peach Schnapps before baking.  I served the dish with Blanched Broccoli which added to the pan for the last 5 minutes of baking.  Any leftovers can be used for a nice Chicken Salad. 

Here is the link to the recipe: 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/recipes/baked-chicken-peaches/15961/?utm_term=.710f9f7d44de
 

Versatile Mozzarella Pasta with Pesto

 

This recipe is from The New York Times Food Section of July 19.  I am a calling it “versatile” because although it is designed to be served warm, any leftovers can be served cold the next day as a pasta salad. 

The recipe first calls for making a pesto-like sauce to be placed over the warm pasta.  I say pesto-like because, unlike traditional pesto, Pine Nuts are not added to the sauce; they are added to the dish when serving.  A nice touch is with the Mozzarella prep.  Using bocconcini sized mozzarella cut into ½ inch pieces, you place them in a bowl, then add tablespoons of the sauce and cover and marinate at room temperature, adding them into the bowl of warm pasta when tossing. The end result is a nice summer dinner. 

Here is the link to the recipe: 

https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1018835-pasta-with-mint-basil-and-fresh-mozzarella

 

Reminder – Instagam 

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Upcoming Classes

Here are my classes for the summer and fall terms. 

 

August 2, 3, 4 – Wed, Thurs, Fri Evenings - Cooking Basics for Young Adults – Plum Center 

September 21, 28, October 5 – Thursday Evening- Quick Weeknight Dinners - Plum Center 

September 30 – Saturday Morning – Dinner in Milano – Plum Center 

October 12 – Thursday Evening – Intro to Middle Eastern Cooking - Plum Center 

October 15, 22, 29 – Sunday Afternoon – Cooking Basics 101 – Plum Center 

November 4, 11 – Saturday Morning – Italian Desserts – Woodson High School 

 

To register for these classes, or any ACE cooking classes, please go to: 

http://www.fcps.edu/is/ace/

 

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