Cooking Basics 101 concludes on March 25; Japanese Dinners – Oyako Donburi

Post Date: 21 March 2017

 

Happy Spring!  I am looking forward to getting my herb garden started for this year, maybe with some vegetables too, like tomatoes and peppers.  I already have some basil started in the kitchen.

 

Cooking Basics 101 at Lake Braddock continues This Weekend

 

                                                                   
                                                         Lemon Olive Oil Pound Cakes

The third and final session of this class meets this Saturday morning, March 25, at 10:00 AM.  This week we will be making heavy use of the oven.  We will start off by baking a Lemon Olive Oil Pound Cake.  Our vegetable dish will be Roasted Lemon Thyme Carrots and the main course will be Salisbury Steaks.  We will start these in a skillet, then finish them in the oven while using the pan to make a reduction sauce with onions.

Japanese Dinner – Oyako Donburi

                                                              

                                                           Oyako Donburi

 

This dish is from the cookbook My Japanese Table by Debra Samuels (Tuttle Publishing, Tokyo).  What is interesting about it is the way it is prepared – each of the three main ingredients, ground beef, scrambled eggs, and green vegetables (in this case, asparagus) are prepared sequentially in the same skillet.  First comes the beef, then the scrambled eggs, then the vegetable, wiping the pan clean with a paper towel after each iteration.  The trick is to keep the first 2 dishes warm while going through the sequence.  The entire dish is served on a bed of rice, cooked separately.  Sugar is a big ingredient here, being add to both the beef and the eggs.  The beef also has Mirin, a sweet sake, added, so it tends to be a bit sweet. Next time I make this I will leave out the sugar in the meat and just do the mirin.

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 spring term. 

April 8, 22, and 29 – Saturday Morning – Cooking Basics 101 – Lake Braddock Secondary School

May 4 – Thursday Evening – Introduction to Middle Eastern Cooking – Plum Center

 

May 31 – Wednesday Evening – Stuffed Jumbo Shells – Plum Center

 

June 3 – Saturday Morning – Beach House Brunch v2.0 – Plum Center

 

To register for this class, 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                          

 

 

 

 

Cooking Basics 101 continues on March 18; Japanese Dinners; Orange Cake

Post Date: 16 March 2017

I hope everyone got through the blizzard of 2017 in good shape.  I guess it was too much to expect to get through the winter completely unscathed by weather.  I have been trying some more Japanese recipes, two of which are discussed below.

Cooking Basics 101 at Lake Braddock continues This Weekend

 

                                                           

                                                         Baked Salmon

 

The second session of this class meets this Saturday morning, March 18, at 10:00 AM.  We will be making a French Vinaigrette with Salad Greens, Baked Salmon with Mustard and Panko Bread Crumbs, and a no bake dessert with Strawberries and Marscapone Cheese.  We will also be discussing how long to keep spices, different types of salt, and what really makes a vinaigrette. 

 

 

Japanese Dinners

 

 

Beef Teriyaki

I have been continuing my foray into Japanese cuisine with recipes from the NHK website, Japanese Public Broadcasting.  I recently made 2 beef recipes, a Beef Teriyaki and a Beef and Tomato Curry.  In both of them I went a little outside the box and served them on top of quinoa instead of rice.  For the Teriyaki, I used stew meat and cut the cubes up into smaller pieces.  For the Curry, I used ground beef.

 

 

                                                              Beef Curry

 

For the Curry (pictured above), I cooked the broccoli for 4 minutes in boiling water, then immersed them in an ice bath while the curry was prepared.  At the end I added the broccoli to the skillet to finish them off.  Their vibrant green color also helped make a nice presentation of the dish.  I hope to offer a Japanese cooking class on the A.C.E. calendar in the upcoming fall or winter terms.

Here is the link to the NHK website’s food section:

https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/food/

 

 

Orange Cake

 

This is truly a wonderful and delicious cake.  I learned to make it from Chef Patrice Olivon’s online cooking show, Cooking Live. (www.cooking-live.com). Pictured above is the cake when it came out of the oven.  I put confectioner’s sugar on when serving.  The recipe calls for 14 tablespoons of butter (yes, that is not a typo), 1 ¾ cups of confectioner’s sugar in the batter, 3 eggs, and the juice of 2 oranges as the main ingredients.  I am considering making this cake as the dessert in the third session of my current Cooking Basics 101 class on March 25.

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 spring term. 

April 8, 22, and 29 – Saturday Morning – Cooking Basics 101 – Lake Braddock Secondary School

May 4 – Thursday Evening – Introduction to Middle Eastern Cooking – Plum Center

May 31 – Wednesday Evening – Stuffed Jumbo Shells – Plum Center

June 3 – Saturday Morning – Beach House Brunch v2.0 – Plum Center

To register for this class, 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                          

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dinner in Normandy Class concludes; Cooking Basics 101 begins on March 4; Roasted Broccoli and Pasta.

Post Date: 1 March 2017

A.C.E Dinner in Normandy Class Concludes

                         
                                                               Chicken Normandy

                                                          
                                                                        Apple Tart

We had 11 participants for this 1 session class that met last Saturday morning and made 5 fun dishes: Baked Camembert with Apples, French Vinaigrette with Salad Greens, Chicken Normandy, a Vegetable Medley, and an Apple Tart.  Pictured above are the Chicken Normandy and the Tart made in the class by the students.


Cooking Basics 101 at Lake Braddock begins This Weekend

This 3 session class begins this Saturday morning at 10:00 AM at Lake Braddock Secondary School.  In our first session we will be making a Caprese Salad, Blanched Broccoli, Pan Fried Chicken Italiano, and a Blueberry Ricotta Parfait for our dessert.  We will also be discussing knife skills and safe food handling techniques.

Roasted Broccoli and Pasta Dinner

 

 

I made this recipe last night; it was in last Wednesday’s New York Times Cooking section and it is a delicious dish.  The link to the recipe is below. The Broccoli is roasted while the pasta (I used Rigatoni) is cooked to almost al dente, then added to the roasting pan with the Broccoli and topped with Ricotta and a Panko/Parmesan/Lemon Zest Mixture. The pan is then put back in the oven under the broiler for a few minutes and drizzled with Lemon Juice before serving.

 

https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1018580-spicy-roasted-broccoli-pasta

 

 

 

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 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                          

 

 

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                          

 

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

 

 

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. 

February 23 – Thursday Evening – Introduction to Middle Eastern Cooking – Plum Center

February 25 – Saturday Morning – Dinner in Normandy – Plum Center

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                          

 

 

 

 

 

 

A.C.E. Class Soups and Stews for a Snowy Day Concludes; A Dinner Party Menu; Desserts Class Coming Up; Some Soup Cookbooks

Post Date: 26 January 2017

January is National Soup Month, so I was lucky that my Soups and Stews class was scheduled for this month.  Below I discuss 2 soup cookbooks which are my go-to for all things soup.  In the concluding session of Soups and Stews for a Snowy Day, we’ll be visiting Italy, Japan, Manhattan, and Boston for our dishes.

 

A.C.E. Soups and Snows for a Snowy Day Concludes

 

This 2 session class concludes this Sunday afternoon January 29.  In this session we will make Pasta e Fagioli (sometimes pronounced Pasta Vazool), Dashi and a Miso Soup, and feature a Battle of the Chowders; half the class will make New England style and half Manhattan.  The New England one is pictured above.

 

Just Desserts Class

 

This 2 session class meets on Friday Evenings February 3 and 10 at the Plum Center, starting a 6:30 PM.  Desserts to be made over the 2 sessions include Tiramisu and Cannoli.

Cookbooks for National Soup Month

Two cookbooks I have and particularly like which are devoted exclusively to soups are Sunday Soup by Betty Rosbottom and New England Soup Factory Cookbook by Marjorie Drucker and Clara Silverstein.  Sunday Soup is divided into 4 sections, one for each season and includes instructions of making a variety of stocks.  The New England Soup Factory Cookbook features both chapters on ingredients, such as chicken, fish, and tomatoes, and chapters on the 4 seasons, and chapters on salads and sandwiches to accompany your soups.  Both are available from Amazon.

 

Dinner Party Menu

 

I did a dinner party the week of January 22 for 6 people, and I just thought I’d share the menu here.  It was an Italian meal that was won in a school auction last year.  The appetizer was Bruschetta on toasted Baguette Rounds, followed by Minestrone Soup and a Tuscan White Bean Salad (pictured above).  The main course was Spaghetti Carbonara with Roasted Lemon-Thyme Carrots.  Dessert was Cannoli, for which I made the Ricotta Cheese the day before.

 

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. 

February 3, 10 – Friday Evening - Just Desserts – Plum Center

February 23 – Thursday Evening – Introduction to Middle Eastern Cooking – Plum Center

February 25 – Saturday Morning – Dinner in Normandy – Plum Center

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                          

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A.C.E. Class Soups and Stews for a Snowy Day; Dashi and Miso; Dining in Florida; Robot Chef.

Post Date: 17 January 2017

Belated Happy New Year

I hope everyone had a great New Year’s and that 2017 is full of successful culinary adventures.  After our annual New Year’s Day Open House, we went to Florida for a week to visit a friend and help her paint her house.  We had some great food at Disney World and Cocoa Beach, more on that below.  There is also some information on a “Robot Chef” created by a company in Britain.  My next A.C.E. class, Soups and Stews for a Snowy Day, begins on Sunday, January 22, followed by a Dessert class on February 3 and 10.

A.C.E. Soups and Snows for a Snowy Day

This 2 session class begins on Sunday afternoon January 22 and concludes on the 29th. In the first class we will be making Chicken Spezzatino, an Italian Chicken Stew; a quick Tomato Clam soup; and a Chili made with Thai sweet chili sauce.  In the second session we will feature a Battle of the Chowders, half the class will make New England style and half Manhattan, along with other recipes.

Dashi Stock and Miso Soup

Pictured above are the ingredients for Dashi, the Japanese Fish Stock which is the basis for Miso Soup and other dishes.  I purchased them at H-Mart.  Although Dashi can be made apart from the Miso soup and stored in the fridge for a few days, in the Soups and Stews class we will go right from preparing the Dashi to making Miso.  However, there should be enough Dashi left for participants to take home and make miso on their own.

Dining in Florida

 

We had some great meals on our trip to Florida at restaurants I would not hesitate to recommend.  We went to EPCOT at Disney and ate at Yak and Yeti (Sweet and Sour Chicken) and at Chefs de France (a marvelous steak).  We took a day trip to Cocoa Beach and ate at our favorite Florida place, Coconuts on the Beach.  I had Grilled Mahi Tacos with Sweet Potato Fries, pictured above.

 

Robot Chef

 

The January 9-22 issue of New York Magazine has an interesting article on a Robot Chef created by an engineering firm in Britain.  It still has a long way to go before chefs need to be worried about it, if ever.  It can only make one thing, Crab Bisque, and all the prep work has to be done by hand.  In addition, price is estimated to be in the 6 figure range.

 

Here is the link to the article:

 

http://www.grubstreet.com/2017/01/the-limits-and-possibilities-of-a-robot-chef.html

 

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. 

January 22, 29 – Sunday Afternoon – Soup and Stew for a Snowy Day – Plum Center

February 3, 10 – Friday Evening - Just Desserts – Plum Center

February 23 – Thursday Evening – Introduction to Middle Eastern Cooking – Plum Center

February 25 – Saturday Morning – Dinner in Normandy – Plum Center

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