Dining in Cumberland, Maryland; ACE Cooking Class – Cooking Basics 101 concludes; Next ACE Class – Dolci Italiani II/Italian Desserts; Juicy Orange Cake

Post Date: 30 May 2018

 

Last week 3 friends and I went on our annual bike trip, this year along the Great Allegany Passage bike trail that runs from Pittsburgh to Cumberland, Maryland, staying in Cumberland for 2 nights.  The highlights of the trip were crossing the Eastern Continental Divide (who knew?) and the Mason-Dixon Line. And while in Cumberland we ate dinner at 2 great restaurants, the Crabby Pig and the Baltimore Street Grill.

 

The Crabby Pig is located right at the stat of the C&O Bike Trail, which runs 184 miles to Washington, DC.  We all had sandwiches, a Pulled Pork, a Grouper, and a Crab Cake.  Prices were reasonable.

 

The Baltimore Street Grill located in the pedestrian mall along (surprise) Baltimore Street was a bit more upscale than the Cabby pig, with prices to match and a more extensive menu.  I would not hesitate to recommend either one.

 

 

ACE Class – Cooking Basics 101 Concluded

The third and final session of this class was on Saturday morning May 19.   We made a Quick Vegetable Soup, a Classic French Vinaigrette, Salisbury Streaks with Onions in a Pan Sauce, Sautéed Sesame and Soy Asparagus, and personal size Lemon Olive Oil Pound Cakes.

 

 

There are 2 iterations of this class on the summer schedule; one geared for young adults, such as college students and recent graduates, which runs for 3 straight nights, August 1, 2, and 3.  The other, for the general audience, runs on Friday evenings July 7, 13, and 20.

 

 

Next ACE Class – Dolci Italiani II/Italian Desserts

 

This 2 session class is a follow up to one I did last November.  It meets on Saturday mornings June 23 and 30 at Woodson High School.  I plan it as a follow up to the November class.  The full menu is not yet set, but so far I plan to do an Italian Style Banana Pudding (pictured above) using Marscapone Cheese and Amaretto Cookies.  We will also do Cannoli again, but this time we will be making the shells as well as the filling.  We will bake the shells instead of deep frying them, a much more civilized way to go.

 

Juicy Orange Cake

 

I love desserts with oranges in them, so when I saw this recipe in The New York Times Food Section a few weeks ago I had to try it.  I have made it twice since then, once as dessert for a dinner party last weekend.  It was a big hit.  Here is the link to the recipe:

 

https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1019287-juicy-orange-cake

 The same week this recipe was published The Washington Post Food Section had one for Orange Dreamsicle Cookies.  I plan to make them in the next week or so and will write about them in a future post.

 

 

Reminder – Instagam

 

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Upcoming Classes

 

Here is my schedule for the rest of the spring and summer terms.

June 23 and 30 – Saturday Morning – Dolci Italiani II/Italian Desserts – Woodson High School

July 7, 13, and 20 – Friday Evening – Cooking Basics 101 – Plum Center

 

July 21 and 28 – Saturday Morning – Summer Soups - Plum Center

 

August 1, 2, and 3 – Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday Evening – Cooking Basics for Young Adults – Plum Center

 

August 8 and 15 – Wednesday Evening – Japanese Cooking in Your American Kitchen v2.0 – Plum Center

 

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