Soy Glazed Salmon; A.C.E. Class “What’s for Breakfast” concludes October 22; A. C. E Bistro Lunch Class on October 30

Post Date: 27 October 2016

Soy Glazed Baked Salmon

Pictured above is this dish with Roasted Carrots with Lemon and Thyme and Baked Pommes Frites.  I am reluctant to call them French fries because they were done in the oven, not fried in oil.  I was testing them out for the Bistro Lunch class (see below) and had 3 batches seasoned with, respectively, Cumin, Paprika, and Smoked Paprika.  In a taste test, the smoked paprika won, so that is what we will be using in the class.

 
The Salmon recipe is one I saved from a Food Network Magazine from 2012.  The link to the recipe is below.  The glaze is made with Honey, Soy Sauce, and Corn Starch.  To start, you season the salmon with salt and pepper and brush on Sesame Oil.  After baking for 5 minutes in a 400 degree oven, you take the fish from the oven, brush on the Honey/Soy Glaze, then return to the oven for about 10 minutes.  I’ve made this recipe twice recently, and everyone really enjoyed it.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/soy-glazed-salmon-with-cucumber-avocado-salad-recipe.html

“What’s for Breakfast?” Class Concludes

 

The class concluded on Saturday, October 22.  Because of a scheduling conflict, the last session was moved from the Plum Center to Lake Braddock Secondary School in Burke, but everything went off without a hitch.  We made Cinnamon Banana Crepes, Breakfast Potatoes, and the featured item was a Vegetable Frittata, pictured above.

 

Bistro Lunch Class

 

This one session class meets this Sunday afternoon October 30 at 1:00 PM at the Plum Center in Springfield.  I have a very ambitious menu planned for our 3 hours, featuring Bistro Steaks with a Lemon Garlic Aioli (pictured above in a food processor) and Pommes Frites.  We will also be making a Goat Cheese and Pear Salad, a Quick Ratatouille, and a Strawberry Clafoutis.

 

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 fall term. 

 

October 30 – Sunday Afternoon – Bistro Lunch – Plum Center

 

November 6, 13, 20 – Sunday Afternoons – Cooking Basics 101 – Plum Center

 

December 6, 13, 20 – Tuesday Evenings – Quick Weeknight Dinners – 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                                                           

 

A.C.E. Class “What’s for Breakfast” concludes October 22; Drying Basil; A. C. E Bistro Lunch Class on October 30

Post Date: 20 October 2016

“What’s for Breakfast?” Class

The second session of this 2 session class meets this Saturday at 10:00 AM at Lake Braddock Secondary School in Burke, VA.  Pictured below are some of the dishes from the first session, a Blueberry Goat Cheese French Toast and a plate with Turkey Sausage Patties, Baked Peach Crumble, and Baked Poached and Scrambled Eggs.

This Saturday we will be making Banana Crepes, Breakfast Potatoes, a Vegetable Frittata, and an Egg Burrito Roll.  Pictured below are the Frittata and the Burrito Egg Roll.

Drying Basil

This year I tried two different type of Basil plants, shown below. 

I got them at Merrifield Garden Center and they did very well.  I decided to try drying the leaves and found some instructions at www.presevingyourharvest.com.  There are several methods recommended for drying – hanging bundles, solar drying using a rack, and oven drying, which is the one I used.  After rinsing and drying the basil leaves in a salad spinner, you place them in the oven on parchment paper on a baking sheet at lowest temperature the oven can be set to.  For my oven it was 170 degrees.  The recipe says it should take 2 -4 hours, but mine were done in 1 hour 45 minutes both times. 

 

Bistro Lunch Class

 

This one session class meets on Sunday afternoon October 30 at the Plum Center in Springfield.  In this class the featured dish will be Bistro Steaks with a Lemon Garlic Aioli (pictured below).  We will also be making a Goat Cheese and Pear Salad and a Strawberry Clafoutis.

 

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 fall term. 

 

October 30 – Sunday Afternoon – Bistro Lunch – Plum Center

 

November 6, 13, 20 – Sunday Afternoons – Cooking Basics 101 – Plum Center

 

December 6, 13, 20 – Tuesday Evenings – Quick Weeknight Dinners – 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                                                           

 

 

A.C.E. Class “What’s for Breakfast” begins October 15; What was Bad is Good Again; Slicing Goat Cheese

Post Date: 12 October 2016

"What's for Breakfast?" Class

This 2 session class starts this coming Saturday morning, October 15,  at 10:00 AM at the Plum Center in Springfield, VA.  Dishes to be prepared in the first session will include Scrambled/Poached Eggs, Peach Crumble (pictured above), and Blueberry Goat Cheese French Toast (pictured below).

IMPORTANT NOTE FOR ATTENDEES: The second session of this class, on Saturday October 22, will be held at Lake Braddock Secondary School, not the Plum Center.  Start time is still 10:00AM. 

What was Bad is Now Good, or As the Food World Turns

The Fall/Winter edition of the Johns Hopkins Health Review lists 10 items that used to be considered bad for you.  They are:

Eggs
Popcorn
Fat
Coffee
Virgin Coconut Oil
Soy
Dark Chocolate
Grains
Nuts and Seed Butters
Potatoes
 
You can find the full article at the link below:

http://www.johnshopkinshealthreview.com/issues/fall-winter-2016/articles/10-things-that-used-to-be-bad

 

Slicing Goat Cheese

 

Being a very soft cheese, goat cheese can be quite hard to work with if your recipe calls for nice crisp slices.  Often what happens is that it crumbles and you are left working with a lot of small pieces.  So here is a method for getting those nice slices you want.  All you need is a freezer and some dental floss.

First, place the goat cheese in the freezer for about 30 minutes.  Leaving it longer may result in a hard piece of cheese that is difficult to cut.  The take it out of the freezer and use a piece of dental floss, as shown below, to slice the goat cheese.

 

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 fall term.  The Fall 2016 catalogue is now out.  Note the 2 different locations for the What’s for Breakfast? Class.

October 15 and 22 – Saturday Morning – What’s for Breakfast? – Plum Center Session 1 and Lake Braddock Secondary School Session 2.

 
October 30 – Sunday Afternoon – Bistro Lunch – Plum Center
 
November 6, 13, 20 – Sunday Afternoons – Cooking Basics 101 – Plum Center
 
December 6, 13, 20 – Tuesday Evenings – Quick Weeknight Dinners – 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                                                           

 

 

 

 

End of Summer Desserts Project with Basil Ice Cream; Shakshuka; Cape May Dining; My Fall Cooking Classes with A.C.E.

Post Date : 28 September 2016

Basil Ice Cream

 

 

My basil plants did really well this year, so I decided to finish off my summer desserts project with Basil Ice Cream.  I checked out 4 different recipes before deciding on the one from the New York Times Cooking page.  The link to the recipe is below.  It is a very straightforward recipe, basil, sugar, milk, cream, salt, and egg yolks.  And it was excellent.  By substituting Mint leaves for Basil, you can make a mint ice cream as well.

 http://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1016617-mint-or-basil-ice-cream

 

More on Shakshuka

 

My basil plants did really well this year, so I decided to finish off my summer desserts project with Basil Ice Cream.  I checked out 4 different recipes before deciding on the one from the New York Times Cooking page.  The link to the recipe is below.  It is a very straightforward recipe, basil, sugar, milk, cream, salt, and egg yolks.  And it was excellent.  By substituting Mint leaves for Basil, you can make a mint ice cream as well.

http://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1016617-mint-or-basil-ice-cream

 

Cape May Dining

 

 

We went to Cape May, New Jersey, for a week earlier in September and had a great meal at Godmother’s Restaurant.  We have been going to Cape May for several years now and had passed the restaurant many times but never dined there.  This year we decided to go, and were really glad we did.  The food was excellent.  Our main dishes were Rigatoni with Blackened Broccoli, Crab Ravioli in a Lemon Cream Sauce, and a Baked Salmon.  And for dessert there was Chocolate Gelato with a Biscotti.  Our only regret is that we had not gone there sooner.

 

Besides the great meal, another highlight of the trip was watching the full moon rise over the Atlantic from the beach, pictured above.

 

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 fall term.  The Fall 2016 catalogue is now out.  Note the 2 different locations for the What’s for Breakfast? Class.

 

October 15 and 22 – Saturday Morning – What’s for Breakfast? – Plum Center Session 1 and Lake Braddock Secondary School Session 2.

 

October 30 – Sunday Afternoon – Bistro Lunch – Plum Center

 

November 6, 13, 20 – Sunday Afternoons – Cooking Basics 101 – Plum Center

 

December 6, 13, 20 – Tuesday Evenings – Quick Weeknight Dinners – 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                                                           

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cannoli Ice Cream Sandwiches; Baby Spinach and Watermelon Salad; My Fall Classes start in October.

Post Date: 2 September 2016

Happy Labor Day.  I hope everyone had a great summer and is ready for fall.  I was away on a bicycling trip in Massachusetts and New Hampshire, so I have not been trying many new recipes lately.  Picture above is from the Cheshire Trail in Keene, New Hampshire. But I have gotten back to my summer desserts project with Cannoli Ice Cream Sandwiches.  I have also been making a new summer salad for our week night dinners.  More on these below.

 

 

  Cannoli Ice Cream Sandwiches

 

 

For the ice cream recipe, I followed, with some modifications, a recipe from Bruce Weinstein’s The Ultimate Ice Cream Book, my go-to volume for all matters ice cream.  Like with regular Cannoli, the ice cream uses Ricotta Cheese.  However, I replaced the anise seeds in the recipe with orange zest.

 

For the Cannoli shells, I used a recipe from Ursula Ferrigno’s book Flavors of Sicily, which I mentioned in a previous post.  In her recipe the shells are baked instead of deep fried, then rolled around the cannoli tubes as soon as they come out of the oven.  However, instead of rolling them, I just let them cool flat on a rack to make the “bread” for the ice cream sandwiches. 

 

Baby Spinach and Watermelon Salad

 

 

This salad is my take on a dish from the SeaGrass Restaurant in Ocean Grove, New Jersey.  It is a wonderful summer salad, refreshing and very easy to make, with Just a few ingredients – Baby Spinach, Watermelon Chunks, Almond Slivers, and Crumbled Feta Cheese, topped with Olive Oil and Balsamic Vinegar Glaze.  Other greens may be substituted if you prefer.

My Fall 2016 Classes

 

My fall classes do not start until October 15, giving me plenty of time to decide on the recipes for the classes.  First up is “What’s for Breakfast?” a two session Saturday morning class.  One item I will definitely be including in this class is Brie and Blueberry French Toast.  While staying with my good friends the Abusamras (Laurel, Ilse, and David) in New Hampshire on the bike trip, they made an Israeli breakfast dish called Shakshuka, a 1 skillet dish that includes tomatoes, eggs, onions, feta cheese and a variety of spices.  It is an excellent breakfast dish.  However, it takes almost an hour to prepare and cook, so rather than make it in class it will have to be one of the supplemental recipes I always give out to try at home.  A Google search will give you several variations on this dish.

 

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 fall term.  The Fall 2016 catalogue is now out.

 

October 15 and 22 – Saturday Morning – What’s for Breakfast? – Plum Center

October 30 – Sunday Afternoon – Bistro Lunch – Plum Center

November 6, 13, 20 – Sunday Afternoons – Cooking Basics 101 – Plum Center

December 6, 13, 20 – Tuesday Evenings – Quick Weeknight Dinners – 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.

Chocolate Biscotti; Pork Chops with Peaches; Cooking Basics 101 concludes.

Post Date: 10 August 2016

Chocolate Biscotti

Although they are a dessert, I am not considering the chocolate biscotti I made yesterday part of my summer desserts project since I have made them so many times in the past.  They have proved to be a real favorite.  I made 4 dozen; some will go to friends I am visiting this coming weekend, some I took to my Sumi-e painting club last night, and the rest are to keep.

Another Quick Summer Weeknight Dinner – Pork Chops with Peaches

My neighbor went peach picking and gave me a bag of wonderful peaches.  First I made 2 Peach Clafoutis and gave her one.  Thinking about something else to make with them, I decided on Peaches with Pork Chops (and Peach Schnapps).

 
I started by cutting 2 peaches into ½ inch wedges, which I cooked in vegetable oil over medium heat for about 6 minutes.  I then removed the peaches to a plate, salted and peppered 2 pork chops, and placed them into the skillet. While the chops cooked over medium heat, I removed the skin from the peaches after they had cooled for a few minutes.  When the chops were done, I removed them from the pan and covered to keep warm.  I let the pan cool for a few minutes, then added a couple of tablespoons of Peach Schnapps to the skillet, then turned the heat to medium high to make a reduction sauce.  After the sauce thickened, I reduced the heat to low and returned the peaches to the skillet to warm them, then put in the pork chops and turned to coat both sides with the sauce.  It was delicious, and I will be adding this recipe to my repertoire for the Quick Weeknight Dinners class, but only if good peaches are available.  However, the next iteration of this class is December 6, 13, and 20, so maybe not this time.

Cooking Basics 101 Concludes

 

 

 

 

Pictured above are three of the Lemon Olive Oil Pound Cakes students made in last Sunday’s final session of Cooking Basics 101.  We had a lot of fun making these as well as a Tuscan Bean Salad, Vegetables in Parchment paper, and Salisbury Steaks.  The next Basics 101 class is on three Sundays in November, 6, 13, and 20.

 

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 fall term.  The Fall 2016 catalogue is now out.

October 15 and 22 – Saturday Morning – What’s for breakfast – Plum Center

October 30 – Sunday Afternoon – Bistro Lunch – Plum Center

November 6, 13, 20 – Sunday Afternoons – Cooking Basics 101 – Plum Center

December 6, 13, 20 – Tuesday Evenings – Quick Weeknight Dinners – 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                                                           

 

Cooking Basics 101 concludes; Brie Blueberry French Toast; Sautéed Peaches with Graham Cracker Crumble and Raspberry Lemon Sauce; Quick Weeknight Dinner with Orange Chicken, Quinoa, and Steamed Zucchini.

Post Date: 3 August 2016

Sautéed Peaches with Graham Crackers and Raspberry Lemon Sauce

My summer dessert project continues with this dessert from the latest Bon Appetit magazine (link is below).  The Peaches are cooked in butter with Lemon Juice and Brown Sugar, while the Graham Cracker Crumble is baked in the oven.  The sauce is made by simply crushing 1 cup of Raspberries in a bowl with a spoon, then Lemon Juice is mixed in.  Dish is best served warm, so the crumble should be made first, then the sauce while the peaches cool slightly.  It tasted really good.

http://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/peach-parfait-with-salted-graham-cracker-crumble

 

 

Cooking Basics 101 – Session 3

The third and final session of Cooking Basics 101 meets this Sunday afternoon at 1:00 PM at the Plum Center.  We will be making a Tuscan White Bean Salad (pictured above), Salisbury Steak, Vegetables in Parchment Paper, and a Lemon Olive Oil Pound Cake.

 
In the first class we cooked the main dish on the stovetop; in week two we used the oven.  This week we will be starting the Salisbury Steaks on the stovetop then finishing them in the oven.  While they finish, we will be using the skillet to make a reduction sauce to pour over the steaks.

French Toast with Brie and Blueberries

I got the idea for this dish from Kei Yamazaki, a Japanese chef I follow on Instagram whose specialty is breakfast.  For the French Toast I used King’s Hawaiian Bread dipped in the usual mixture of egg, milk, vanilla and cinnamon. Brioche would have worked just as well.  To prepare the Brie, I cut slices from a wedge, then trimmed off the rind.  The blueberries were simply rinsed.

 
As you can see from the photo above, each serving is a sandwich, so plan on 2 slices per serving.  When cooking the bread slices, cook one side to golden brown and the other to light brown, then remove from the skillet and place 4-5 Brie slices and some Blueberries on the golden brown side.  For the second slice, place it on the Brie with the golden brown side down.  Return the “sandwich” the skillet and cook until the cheese begins to melt and the outside is a golden brown.
 
Serve with Maple Syrup and spoon some more of the berries over the sandwiches.  For our dish I was lucky to have some excellent New Hampshire syrup given to me by my good friend from up there, David Abusamra.


Quick Summer Weeknight Dinner – Orange Soy Chicken with Quinoa and Steamed Zucchini for 2

I made this dinner the other night.  It came out really well so I thought I would share it here.  It is quick and easy to prepare.

 

Ingredients:

1 Medium/Large Zucchini

Salt

Pepper

Onion Powder

Red Pepper Flakes

Quinoa

2 Thin Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts

Chinese 5 Space

½ Cup Fresh Squeezed Orange Juice

3 Tablespoons Low Sodium Soy Sauce

 

Zucchini Prep – Cut the Zucchini into ¼ inch slices, sprinkle with salt, pepper, onion powder, and red pepper flakes.  Steam for 12-15 Minutes.

Quinoa – Prepare for 2 according to package directions.

Chicken Prep – Trim off any fat, then salt and pepper both sides; sprinkle Chinese 5 Spice on one side.  Cook the chicken over medium heat in a non- stick skillet for 2 minutes.  Flip the chicken and add the Orange Juice and Soy Sauce.  Cook the chicken for 2 more minutes, then remove from pan to a plate and cover to keep warm.   Increase the heat to high to bring the orange juice and soy sauce to a boil; cook until the liquid reduces until about ¼ cup and thickens.  Return the chicken to the pan and turn to cover with sauce.

Serve the Chicken on a bed of Quinoa, then pour the rest of the sauce over the chicken and quinoa.
 

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 fall term.  The catalogue will be out soon.

October 15 and 22 – Saturday Morning – What’s for breakfast – Plum Center

October 30 – Sunday Afternoon – Bistro Lunch – Plum Center

November 6, 13, 20 – Sunday Afternoons – Cooking Basics 101 – Plum Center

December 6, 13, 20 – Tuesday Evenings – Quick Weeknight Dinners – 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