Cooking Basics 101
begins at Lake Braddock This Weekend
After
skipping last weekend due to the Fairfax County Public Schools spring break,
Session 2 will meet this Saturday morning, April 22, at 10:00 AM at Lake
Braddock Secondary School. On this
week’s menu is a traditional French Vinaigrette, Baked Salmon with Mustard (pictured above) and
Sautéed Asparagus, and a no bake Marscapone Strawberry Cup for dessert. We will also be discussing how long to store
spices and the uses of different kinds of salt.
The why and how of pounding meat will be covered as well as further
discussion on safe food temperatures.
Japanese Inspired
Pork Chops with Asparagus
For
my most recent foray into Japanese cooking, I decided to try something
different. Instead of trying a recipe
from a cookbook or online, I made a Japanese style sauce for pork chops and
asparagus. First I blanched the
asparagus spears by boiling then for 4 minutes then putting them in an ice bath
until needed. For the sauce, I used Soy Sauce, Mirin, Sake, and freshly Grated
Ginger. I brought these 4 ingredients to a boil, then simmered while the sauce thickened. I seasoned the Pork Chops with salt and
pepper, then sautéed for 4 minutes per side in vegetable oil. I removed them from the pan, let the pan cool
for a few minutes, then wiped the pan clean with paper towels. I returned the Pork Chops to the pan, then
drained the Asparagus and added them to the pan. I set the heat to medium-low and poured the
sauce over the Pork Chops and Asparagus and let them warm for 3-5 minutes
before serving.
Ricotta Gnocchi
I
saw two recipes for this dish recently, one in The New York Times and one in
Food and Wine magazine. Since in the
summer term I will be doing a Ricotta class, I thought this would be a good
time to try this dish out. I followed
the recipe from Food and Wine, the link to it is below.
The
main ingredients here are Ricotta, Flour, Egg and Parmesan cheese. Since the Ricotta, etc., mixture is too soft
to roll out into the traditional logs used in potato gnocchi, Chef Justin
Chapple, the author of the recipe, uses a cool and unique to get the gnocchi,
shown in the photo above. A piece of
string is tied tightly across the top of you pot around each of the handles,
then the water is brought to a simmer.
The gnocchi mixture is placed into a piping or zip lock bag and an opening
of ½ to ¾ inch cut from a corner. You
then squeeze out a length of mixture for you gnocchi, about ¾ inch, then use
the string to cut it free so it will fall into the simmering pot.
If
you try this recipe, there is one thing to be aware of. Chef Chapple says to make the gnocchi in 3
batches, using a slotted spoon to remove the done pieces to a lightly oiled
baking sheet. However, by the tie I
finished the second and third batch the first two had gotten cold. So I would suggest keeping the baking sheet
in a warming oven as you add the done items to keep it hot for serving. But it was fun to make and tasted great.
http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/ricotta-gnocchi-summer-herbs
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. Summer
catalogue will be out soon.
May
4 – Thursday Evening – Introduction to Middle Eastern Cooking – Plum Center
May
31 – Wednesday Evening – Stuffed Jumbo Sells – Plum Center
June
3 – Saturday Morning – Beach House Brunch v2.0 – Plum Center
To
register for these classes, or any ACE cooking classes, please go to:
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
