Delicious Eats with Ricotta Cheese Class Concludes; Cooking Basics 101 Class begins on July 15; Chicken Recipe from The Washington Post.; July 4th Menu.

Post Date: 11 July 2017

I hope everyone had a great July 4^th, in both the general and culinary sense.  Looking forward to get some fresh tomatoes from my garden soon.

ACE Class – Ricotta Cheese Class Concludes

This one session class met on Sunday afternoon, June 25, at the Plum Center in Springfield.  We began with each team making a batch of Ricotta Cheese.  We then made Cannoli Filling, Ricotta Pancakes (pictured above) , and Ricotta Gnocchi, using a food processor.  The students took home their cheese.  I brought in some I had made at home for them to use in the Gnocchi, and they used store bought Ricotta for the pancakes and the Cannoli.  It was a fun class.

 

ACE Class Cooking Basics 101 begins July 15

 

 

This 3 session class begins this coming Saturday, July 15, at the Plum Center in Springfield, VA.  Sessions 2 and 3 meet on the following 2 Saturdays, July 22 and 29.  In each session we will be preparing a 3 course meal which will include a Salad, Main Course with vegetable, a dessert.  This Saturday we will make a Caprese Salad, Pan Fried Chicken Italiano with Blanched Broccoli, and a Blueberry Ricotta Parfait for dessert.  In session 1 we will also be covering basic knife techniques and safe food handling practices.

 

July 4^th Menu

The summer issue of Food Network Magazine has some interesting recipes, so we tried 2 as part of our July 4^th party.  Links to the recipes are below.

 

First we made a Tortellini Caprese Salad (pictured above) which is quickly becoming my go-to salad for this summer.  It does involve a bit of cutting, especially if you cannot find pearl sized fresh mozzarella, but the results are well worth it.

 

The second one we made was a broiled Flank Steak marinated in Tequila, Lime Juice, Soy Sauce, and a cup of chopped garlic and chopped cilantro.  We served it with Roasted Red Skin Potatoes and Roasted Broccoli.  You could really taste the Lime/Tequila Marinade.

 

One caveat with the Flank Steak – the instructions say to boil the marinade after removing the steak, then strain it, and reserve it for serving.  Mine came out extremely [KB1] bitter, I may have done something wrong, but as always, taste first.

 

Here are the links to the recipes:

 

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/guy-fieri/grilled-tequila-garlic-lime-flank-steak-recipe-1946880

 

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchen/tortellini-caprese-salad-3764783

Washington Post Recipe for the Grill

 

Continuing my summer journey with recipes from the Wednesday Washington Post Food section, I made Spiced Chicken and Grapes on a Skewer.  I made it on my counter top griddle, but it works just as well outside on the grill.  The spices had just enough kick in them and balanced well with the grapes.

 

Here is a link to the recipe:

 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/recipes/spiced-chicken-skewers-grapes/15909/?utm_term=.3bc9ff6b09e0

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 summer and fall terms.

 

July 15, 22, 29 – Saturday Morning – Cooking Basics 101 – Plum Center

 

August 2, 3, 4 – Wed, Thurs, Fri Evenings - Cooking Basics for Young Adults – Plum Center

 

September 21, 28, October 5 – Thursday Evening- Quick Weeknight Dinners - Plum Center

 

September 30 – Saturday Morning – Dinner in Milano – Plum Center

 

October 12 – Thursday Evening – Intro to Middle Eastern Cooking - Plum Center

 

October 15, 22, 29 – Sunday Afternoon – Cooking Basics 101 – Plum Center

 

November 4, 11 – Saturday Morning – Italian Desserts – Woodson High School

 

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                          

 

---

 [KB1]

 

 

Upcoming A.C.E. Class – Delicious Eats with Ricotta Cheese; Beach House Brunch Class concludes; Some Recipes from The Washington Post and The New York Times.

Post Date: 14 June 2017

ACE Class – Ricotta Cheese

This one session class meets on Sunday afternoon, June 25, at the Plum Center in Springfield.  We will begin by making a batch of Ricotta Cheese.  I will also be bringing in some from the grocery store so we can compare.  We will then use both to make Cannoli filling (but use store bought shells), Ricotta Gnocchi, and Lasagne for 2.  I will bring in the prepared sauces for these dishes (a Pesto and a Marinara Sauce) but will provide the recipes for prep at home.  A recipe for Ricotta Pancakes will also be provided.

 

ACE Class – Beach House Brunch v2.0

 

This one session class met on Saturday morning, June 3.  We had a great time preparing Baked Poached Eggs (pictured above), a Strawberry/Marscapone/Basil starter, Shakshuka, and a Sausage Frittata (pictured below).  I hope to repeat this class every year or 2 with all new recipes for your summer vacations.

 

Recent Recipes from The Washington Post and The New York Times

 

 

Recent Wednesday Food sections of the Post and the Times have had some interesting recipes that I tried and found quite good, so I thought I‘d pass the information along.  Links to the recipes are below.  There are a few more I have queued up, and I will report of them in future posts.

 

The first one, from the Times of May 26, was a Syrup-Soaked Semolina Cake called Namoura (pictured above).  Preparation has 3 distinct steps.  First you prepare a sauce with Sugar, Lemon Juice, and Vanilla extract, Rose Water, or Lavender Extract.  This is poured over the cake when it comes out of the oven.  Next, Baking Soda is added to Plain Yogurt and stirred to combine (I used non-fat Greek Yogurt).  In 10 minutes, or less, the mixture will have doubled in size.  The last step is mixing the batter and the yogurt mixture, then baking in a 400 degree oven for 25-30 minutes.  The finished product is wonderfully sweet.

 

The second one I tried, from the Post of June 7, was called Emilia Burgers, which was also excellent.  The burger part is fairly straightforward, mix your chopped meat with Kosher Salt, Black Pepper, and freshly grated Parmesan.  The magic happens with condiments.  First on the bun is a sauce of mayonnaise and balsamic vinegar.  Then comes the burger, which is topped with a Salsa Verde whose green color comes from Flat Leaf Parsley.  Since I am not a big anchovy fan, I opted to leave them out of the Salsa, but still the flavor combination was excellent.  And instead of cooing the burgers on the stovetop, as the recipe suggested, I did them outside on the grill.

 

Namoura:

 

https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1018776-namoura-syrup-soaked-semolina-cake

 

Emilia Burgers:

 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/recipes/emilia-burgers/15907/?utm_term=.d1fa01caf6ef

 

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 summer term.  Fall schedule is already being finalized.

June 25 – Sunday Afternoon – Delicious Eats with Ricotta Cheese – Plum Center

 

July 6, 13, 20 – Thursday Evening – Quick Weeknight Dinners, International – Plum Center

July 15, 22, 29 – Saturday Morning – Cooking Basics 101 – Plum Center

August 2, 3, 4 – Wed, Thurs, Fri Evenings - Cooking Basics for Young Adults – 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                          

 

 

Upcoming A.C.E. Classes – Jumbo Shells and Beach House Brunch v2.0; Cape May Eateries; Moroccan Shakshuka

Post Date: 25 May 2017

ACE Class - Jumbo Shells

This one session class meets on Wednesday evening, May 31, at 6:30 PM at the Plum Center in Springfield.  We will start off by making a quick Marinara Sauce and cooking the jumbo shells.  We will then prepare 3 different fillings for our shells, one with Ground Beef; one with Ricotta, Mozzarella, and Parmesan Cheeses; and one with a vegetable Medley of Yellow Squash, Zucchini, Red Onion, and Italian seasonings.  After stuffing the shells, we will bake them before enjoying.

ACE Class – Beach House Brunch v2.0

This one session class meets on Saturday morning, June 3, at 10:00 AM at the Plum Center in Springfield.  The summer 2015 iteration of this course sold out, so I decided to run an updated version this year. We will be starting out with a Strawberry Marscapone Basil cup, a recipe a friend of mine recently brought back from a trip to Italy.  The featured items will be a Sausage Frittata and Shakshula, a popular North African and Israeli breakfast dish which can really be part of any meal.

Eating in Cape May, New Jersey

This past weekend my wife Teresa and I went to Cape May and ate at a couple of our favorite places – the Sea Salt Restaurant in the Ocean Club Hotel for breakfast and the Blue Pig in the Congress Hall Hotel for dinner.  As I wrote about these in an earlier post about a Cape May visit, this time I would like to focus on a couple of “joints” which we also frequent and enjoy.

 

For a quick breakfast we go to the Bagel Time Café at the corner of Stockton and Beach Avenues, on the ground floor of the Hotel Macomber.  They feature a wide variety of breakfast items at a good price, with inside and outside seating.  We save the Sea Salt for breakfast on our last morning and eat here other days.

 

For any years our first night tradition has been to have pizza at Brothers II in West Cape May, and the corner of Broadway and Sunset Boulevard.  This place is the epitome of a pizza joint.  It offers eat in, take out, and delivery, but liquor license, like many places in Cape May.  The pizza is delicious and the ambience is what you would expect.

 

Shakshuka on Steroids – Moroccan Style

 

In the New York Times Food section of May 24 there is an article and recipe on Moroccan Shakshuka which is different from other versions I have made and read about.  Since I have been writing about Shakshuka and it is on the menu for next week’s brunch class, I thought I would share the link here.  This version takes 2 hours to make and uses beef and lamb in addition to the usual vegetables and eggs.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/22/dining/chef-mourad-lahlou-shakshuka.html?ref=todayspaper&_r=0

 

 

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 is now out.

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:

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 concludes; Upcoming ACE class – An Introduction to Middle Eastern Cooking

Post Date: 2 May 2017

Cooking Basics 101 Concludes

 

The third and final session of this class met last Saturday morning. Pictured above are the dishes made by one of the teams – Orange Couscous Salad; Salisbury Steak and Onions; Roasted Carrots with Lemon and Thyme; and Mini Lemon Olive Oil Pound Cakes.

 

There are 2 more iterations of the class on the summer schedule.  The first one meets on Saturdays July 15, 22, and 29 at the Plum Center in Springfield.  The second one, targeted to young adults, meets on three consecutive evenings in August, Wednesday the 2^nd, Thursday the 3^rd, and Friday the 4^th.  The target audience for this class is recent high school and college graduates as well as those still in college, giving them confidence in the kitchen and allowing them to break free of the cycle of microwave and prepackaged meals.

ACE Class – An Introduction to Middle Eastern Cooking

 

This one session class meets on Thursday evening May 4^th at 6:30 at the Plum Center in Springfield.  In this class we will be making Hummus, a Tomato Coriander Salad (pictured above), Lebanese Shortbread Cookies, and Shakshuka, a tomato based Israeli breakfast dish.  In addition, recipes will be give out for students to try at home, which will include Tabbouleh and an Arabian Spice Mix.

 

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:

 

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 concludes on April 29; Cinnamon Ice Cream; Upcoming ACE class – An Introduction to Middle Eastern Cooking

Post Date: 26 April 2017

Cooking Basics 101 Concludes This Weekend

                                                            Lemon Olive Oil Pound Cakes

The third and final session of this class will meet this Saturday morning, April 29, at 10:00 AM at Lake Braddock Secondary School.  On this week’s menu is an Orange Couscous Salad, Salisbury Steak and Onions with Roasted Carrots with Lemon and Thyme, and Lemon Olive Oil Pound Cake (pictured above).  And since we are doing baking we will be discussing the roles of Baking Soda and Baking Powder in baking.

 

Cinnamon Ice Cream

 

Although summer is still a ways off, when I saw this recipe in the May issue of Food Network Magazine, I felt I should try it right away and get a head start on this year’s summer ice cream project.  It is a quick and simple recipe to make, and the best part is that it does not require an ice cream maker. You simply combine sweetened condensed milk and cinnamon in a bowl, whip 2 cups of heavy cream until peaks form, fold the cream into the cinnamon/milk mixture, and freeze in a 9 x 13 inch glass pan.

Here is the link to the recipe:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/marcela-valladolid/cinnamon-ice-cream

 

ACE Class – An Introduction to Middle Eastern Cooking

 

This one session class meets on Thursday evening May 4^th at 6:30 at the Plum Center in Springfield.  In this class we will be making Hummus, a Tomato Coriander Salad, Lebanese Shortbread Cookies, and Shakshuka, a tomato based Israeli breakfast 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 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:

 

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 April 22; Japanese Inspired Pork Chops; Ricotta Gnocchi

Post Date: 20 April 2017

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:

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                          

 

 

New Cooking Basics 101 begins on April 8; Steaming Salon in the Oven; Japanese Meals – Yakitori

Post Date: 5 April 2017

 

Well, it looks like the spring weather is here to stay, complete with April showers.  Pretty soon it will be time to take the basil plants outside to my new garden.  I hope everyone has a successful growing season.

 

Cooking Basics 101 begins at Lake Braddock This Weekend

                                Caprese Salad and Chicken Italiano with Blanched Broccoli

This 3 session class begins this Saturday morning, April 8, 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 no-bake Blueberry Ricotta Parfait for our dessert.  We will also be discussing knife skills, safe food handling techniques, and proper cooking temperatures.  Additional recipes will be given out to try at home.

Steaming Salon in the Oven

I found this technique discussed in a recent New York Times Wednesday food section article, so I decided to try it.  Link to the article is below.  To make an analogy with traditional steaming methods, in this case the entire oven serves as your pot. For the actual cooking, you use the upper and lower levels of your oven.  On the lower level you place a pan of water you have just boiled.  The pan with your salmon goes on the upper level.  The recommended cooking temperature is relatively low, between 225 and 275, according to the recipe.  I went with the high number, 275.   I cooked 3 x 5 ounce filets; it took 25 minutes.

https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1018664-oven-steamed-salmon

 

Japanese Dinner – Yakitori

 

Continuing my foray into Japanese cooking, this past week I made Yakitori, chicken cubes on skewers with green onion.  I consulted several recipes, including the cookbook My Japanese Table by Debra Samuels (Tuttle Publishing, Tokyo), www.japanesecooking101.com, and the food section of the NHK website, Japanese Public Broadcasting.  Most recipes call for chicken thighs, but I used skinless boneless breasts and cooked them on a counter top griddle instead of over charcoal.  For a vegetable, I blanched some Broccoli then placed it in an ice bath. Just before the Yakitori was done, I drained the Broccoli and arranged it on the griddle around the skewers to heat it up before serving.  This will be a nice dish to do outside on a grill when the weather gets warmer.

 

Here is the link to the NHK version:

 

http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/radio/cooking/20130614.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 spring term.  Summer catalogue will be out soon.

 

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 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