ACE Class – Dolci Italiani/Italian Desserts II Concludes; Upcoming ACE Classes – Summer Soups; Two More Ice Creams – Rum and Basil Flavors; Cedar Plank Salmon

Post Date: 11 July 2018

 

The above picture has nothing to do with food, but it was one of the coolest things I have seen in a long while, so I decided to start off with it.  It is a Catalonian Human Tower which was part of the Folk life Festival on the Mall in Washington, DC.

 

 

ACE Class – Dolci Italiani II/Italian Desserts Concludes

 

Pictures in this section are courtesy of and used with permission of Leti Labell, one of the class participants.

 

This class finished on Saturday, June 30.  Ricotta cheese seemed to be the theme of the day.  We started off by making batches of fresh Ricotta, then made Ricotta Cheese Cakes.  I brought in cannoli shells, and we made the filling.  Each of the 2 teams made biscotti, one made chocolate and the other orange/cranberry, then did a swap so everyone had some of each kind to take home.  In addition, as an offshoot of my summer ice cream project, I had made Strawberry-Raspberry Italian Ice which I brought in and shared with the class.

 

Pictured below is another dessert which I had made earlier and brought in to share with the class, even though, geographically speaking, is half the world away from Italy.  They are called Mount Fuji, a riff on the Mint Blanc dessert, and I got the recipe from Kimiko Barber’s Japanese cookbook, Cook Japanese at Home.

 

To make them, you fist make meringues shaped like a volcanic crater, then when done top with sweet red bean paste and a mixture of marscapone cheese (so maybe a bit of Italian here), plain Geek non-fat yogurt and some sugar.  Matcha (Green Tea Powder) is then sprinkled on top just before serving.

 

Upcoming ACE Classes

 

I have one more ACE class on my July calendar; on Saturday mornings July 21 and 28 I will be doing Summer Soups.  This class will feature both cold and warm soups, with the final menu still to be decided. Session 1 meets at Woodson High School and Session 2 meets at the Plum Center 10 AM both days.

 

 

Cedar Plank Salmon

I bought some salmon fillets for dinner last Saturday, and my wife Teresa reminded me that I had cedar planks for grilling which she had given me a while back.  So I did a very simple prep, salt and pepper, then a glaze of honey and low sodium soy sauce.  They tasted great and better than baking them on a hot day.

 

Summer 2018 Ice Cream Project Continues – 2 New Flavors

 

I made 2 new ice creams since my last post. The first, pictured above, is rum flavored.  As you can see from the picture, I used Myers Dark Jamaica Rum, the same I use in my tiramisu.  The rum flavor is quite prevalent.  In fact, I would not recommend driving after having a second bowl.

 

For the basil ice cream, pictured below, I used the leaves of 4 different varieties which I have growing in my garden – Lemon, African, Purple, and Greek Columnar.  The flavor is unique and a bit surprising, as this is not a form one usually associates with basil, but it is quite good.

Reminder – Instagam

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

 

Upcoming Classes

 Here is my schedule for the rest of the summer term.

 

July 21 and 28 – Saturday Morning – Summer Soups – Session 1 at Woodson High School; Session2 at the 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