Cooking in France Continued – Chickpea Salad; Upcoming A.C.E. Cooking Class – Italian Desserts; Cooking Basics 101 Continues.

Post Date: 18 October 2018

                                                     Evening in the village Square in Uzes

Continuing the discussion of my recent culinary adventures in France, in this post I will be discussing a delicious, easy to make Chickpea Salad from my friend Marie-Christine Blight.

Chickpea Salad

 

 

This salad is best if assembled before making dinner so the ingredients have a chance to sit before serving.  You start with salt, pepper, and red wine vinegar, then add Olive Oil, chopped Shallots, cut up Tomato, Kalamata Olives and drained and rinsed canned Chickpeas, then mix to combine.  In addition, you can include Anchovies (packed in oil, not in salt) and a broken up hard-boiled egg.

 Any leftovers can be stored I the fridge for lunch the next day.

 

Cacio e Pepe with Peas

 

I was looking for something quick last Friday night, so I decided on a Cacio e Pepe with frozen Peas, which I put in boiling water, then drained before adding to the Cacio e Pepe.  I used thin spaghetti, which did not take long to get to al dente, or just below it, since you want to finish the spaghetti in the pan with some of the reserved spaghetti water.  I used Parmesan Cheese, and the addition of the Peas made a nice complement to the pepper and saltiness of the Parmesan.

ACE Class Cooking Basics 101 Continues

 

 

Pictured above is Pan Fried Chicken Italiano with Blanched Broccoli, the main dish from Session 1.

 
The second session of this class meets this Sunday afternoon Sunday, October 22, at the Plum Center in Springfield.  This week we will make a traditional French Vinaigrette and a no bake dessert featuring strawberries.  The main course will be cooked in the oven, Baked Salmon, while the vegetable dish will be Sautéed Asparagus.

We will also be discussing the spice profiles from several popular cuisines, how long to store spices, and the most common types of salt.

Upcoming ACE Class: Italian Desserts

 

This 2 session class meets on Saturday mornings November 4 and 11 at 10:00 AM at Woodson High School.  In this class we will be making baked and no baked desserts.  Items to be made include Cannoli, Tiramisu, Brutti Ma Buoni (ugly but good) Cookies and Olive Oil Pound Cake.

 

 

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 remaining class for the fall term.  Winter catalogue will be out soon.

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

 

 

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Cooking in France Continued – Leek and Salmon Quiche; Upcoming A.C.E. Cooking Classes; Preview of my Winter ACE Classes

Post Date: 4 October 2017

                                                                  Sunset near Marseille

Continuing the discussion of my recent culinary adventures in France, in this post I will be discussing an excellent, easy to make Leek and Salon Quiche which I have made twice since returning.

Leek and Salmon Quiche

 

Pictured above is the Leek and Salmon Quiche which my friend Christine Blight taught me how to make while visiting in Provence.  For the crust, we both used store ought ones. Three leeks were chopped then sautéed in vegetable oil.  Two eggs were beaten with a fork, the grated Emmenthaler Cheese and 3 tablespoons of Crème Fraiche (see note below) were added to the eggs and mixed to combine.  For the Salmon, a 4-5 ounce fillet was cut into small pieces. 

Before assembling the quiche, the crust was poked with a fork, the heated in a 375 degree oven for 5–7 minutes.  It was then removed from the oven and the Leeks and Salmon were added.  The egg mixture was poured in, the more grated Emmenthaler was sprinkled on top.

 It was cooked in a 400 degree oven for about 20 minutes.  For the last 2-3 minutes, I turned the broiled to get some browning on the top.

 NOTE on Crème Fraiche:  If you cannot find Crème Fraiche at your store, here is an easy recipe from epicurious.com.  You simply combine 1 cup of whipping cream with 2 tablespoons of buttermilk and let sit until thick.

 https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/creme-fraiche-106036

 

Upcoming ACE Class: Cooking Basics 101

The next iteration of this popular 3 session class starts on Sunday, October 15, at the Plum Center in Springfield. Each class will feature a salad, a main course with vegetables, and a dessert.  Each session we will use a different cooking method for the main course- the first week on the stove top, the second in the oven, and the third started on the stovetop and finished in the oven. 

 

The first 2 sessions we will be making no bake desserts, then bake in the third.

 

We will also be covering knife skills and safe food handling in each session with the ultimate goal of building confidence in the kitchen.

 

Upcoming ACE Class: Middle Eastern Cooking

 

This 1 session class meets on Thursday evening October 12 at the Plum Center in Springfield.  In class we will make a Tabbouleh, Hummus, Shakshuka, an Israeli breakfast dish, and Lebanese Shortbread Cookies.

 

 

ACE Class: Winter Classes Preview

 

I have 4 classes scheduled for the winter 2018 term.  In January I will be doing a 2 session class on Italian Sauces and the best pasta to serve with them.  In February we will be going to Japan for a 2 session class on Japanese Cooking in an American Kitchen (no sushi though).  Also in February is a reprise of last winter’s Soups and Stews for a Snowy Day class with all new recipes.  And in March I will be doing another Cooking Basics 101 class.

 

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 terms.  Winter catalogue will be out soon.

 

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

 

 

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Cooking in France and Jardinière; A.C.E. Cooking Class Dinner in Milan

Post Date: 20 September 2017

 

We just returned from a 2 ½ week vacation in the south of France where I had the opportunity to cook with my good friend Marie-Christine Blight. I learned a lot of new recipes and tried some dishes that got me out of my comfort zone, like a Sardine Tatin.  I will begin incorporating some of them in my next classes.  I will also be writing more about our culinary adventures in future posts, starting with Jardinière below.

 

Jardinière

 

Pictured above is Jardinière, a vegetable side dish that is quite easy to make. It is prepared on the stove top with Butter, Ham, Shallots, Potato, Carrots, a Bouquet Garni of Bay Leaf, Rosemary, and Thyme, and Small Peas (Petits Pois).  I also added a small eggplant from my garden.

 

ACE Class: Dinner in Milan

This one session class meets on Saturday morning, September 30, at the Plum Center in Springfield.  As mentioned in a previous post, the featured item will be the traditional Milanese dish, Cotoletta (pictured above).  This is a sautéed veal cutlet which we will be serving atop a small salad made from Baby Spinach, Tomato, Basil, and Red Onion. Risotto is another classis Milanese dish; in class we will be making a Sweet Corn Risotto.  The dessert still to be decided.

 

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 terms.

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 (almost full)

 

November 4, 11 – Saturday Morning – Italian Desserts – Woodson High School (almost full)

 

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

 

 

 

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Baked Miso Salmon; Hache Steaks; Cotoletta

Post Date: 23 August 2017

Baked Salmon with Miso Glaze

This is a Japanese take on my Baked Salmon with Mustard dish, suggested by a student in one of my recent Cooking Basics Classes.  I made a glaze of Red Miso Paste, Sake, Soy Sauce, and Mirin (a sweetened sake).  As the Miso Paste is thick, you really have to whisk vigorously to get it spreadable.  The Salmon is seasoned with salt and pepper, then the paste is spread on, and topped with minced Garlic and Panko bread crumbs.  It is baked at 375 for 15-20 minutes.

Hache – Quick Weeknight Dinners International

In my last post I wrote about Sole Meuniere, one of the dishes we will be making on the French night in the Quick Weeknight International dinners session.  That night we will also be making Hache, a French version of Salisbury Steak and a bistro staple.  We will cook it in a pan, then using the pan juices to make a sauce with Shallots, Beef Broth, and Cream.

ACE Class: Dinner in Milan

This one session class meets on Saturday morning, September 30, at the Plum Center in Springfield.  The featured item will be the traditional Milanese dish, Cotoletta (pictured above).  This is a sautéed veal cutlet which we will be serving atop a small salad made from Baby Spinach, Tomato, Basil, and Red Onion.  We will also be making a quick Minestrone, plus a dessert still to be decided.

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 terms.  The fall catalogue is now out.

 

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

 

 

 

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Two Cooking Basics Classes conclude; Tilapia Meuniere.

Post Date: 9 August 2017

ACE Class Cooking Basics Classes Conclude

 

I recently concluded 2 Cooking Basics classes at the Plum Center.  Pictured above is a student’s full menu from Session 3 – Orange Couscous Salad, Salisbury Steak with Onions, Roasted Lemon Thyme Carrots, and Lemon Olive Oil Pound Cake.

 

One class followed the usual format, once session a week for 3 weeks.  The other, entitled Cooking Basics for Young Adults, was given on three consecutive nights.  This is the second summer I have taught this class, and once again it was a lot of fun.  The target audience is recent high school and college graduates who want to up their cooking game, but of course it is open to anyone.

 

Tilapia Meuniere – Quick Weeknight Dinners International

 

 

 

This three session class begins on Thursday evening September 21.  For the first session I decided to do French recipes, and what better way to start than with Sole Meuniere, the iconic French dish that got Julia Child started on her culinary career.  However, Filet of Sole is both hard to find and quite expensive, so I looked for an alternative.  A Google search turned up quite a few recipes which suggested Tilapia as an alternative, so I tried it twice.  The recipe is basically the same as with Sole, using butter, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and parsley.  A big difference is the cooking time.  As Sole filets are quite thin, they only need a minute or 2 in the hot butter.  However, the Tilapia is thick and can require up to 5 minutes per side to fully cook.

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 terms.  The fall catalogue is now out.

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                          

 

 

 

Cooking Basics 101 Class concludes July 29; Ginger Peach Chicken; Versatile Mozzarella Pasta with Pesto

Post Date: 26 July 2017

ACE Class Cooking Basics 101 concludes on Saturday July 29

 

The third and final session of this class meets this coming Saturday, July 29, at the Plum Center in Springfield, VA.  Pictured above is the student prepared main dish from session 2, Baked Salon with Mustard, Garlic, and Panko Bread Crumbs and Sautéed Asparagus with grated Parmesan and Lemon Juice.

 

After making no bake desserts for the first 2 weeks, we will be baking this week, Lemon Olive Oil Pound Cake.  We will also be discussing baking techniques and the roles of baking powder and baking soda in the process.  We will also be reviewing food safety practices and “The Danger Zone.”

 

Our salad will be Orange Couscous with Mint, Cucumber, and Golden Raisins.  For our main dish we will be preparing Salisbury Steaks with a reduction sauce made with Onions and Beef Broth, and Roasted Lemon Thyme Carrots.

 

Ginger Peach Chicken

 

 

This is another recipe I made from the Food Section of The Washington Post.  This recipe takes a bit longer to prepare than some others I have discussed because the peaches need to be peeled and the chicken breasts pounded out to a uniform thickness. But the results are well worth the effort.

After salt and pepper but before baking, the chicken is topped with Ginger, Light Brown Sugar, Ginger, and Nutmeg.  To kick things up a bit, I added a bit of Peach Schnapps before baking.  I served the dish with Blanched Broccoli which added to the pan for the last 5 minutes of baking.  Any leftovers can be used for a nice Chicken Salad. 

Here is the link to the recipe: 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/recipes/baked-chicken-peaches/15961/?utm_term=.710f9f7d44de
 

Versatile Mozzarella Pasta with Pesto

 

This recipe is from The New York Times Food Section of July 19.  I am a calling it “versatile” because although it is designed to be served warm, any leftovers can be served cold the next day as a pasta salad. 

The recipe first calls for making a pesto-like sauce to be placed over the warm pasta.  I say pesto-like because, unlike traditional pesto, Pine Nuts are not added to the sauce; they are added to the dish when serving.  A nice touch is with the Mozzarella prep.  Using bocconcini sized mozzarella cut into ½ inch pieces, you place them in a bowl, then add tablespoons of the sauce and cover and marinate at room temperature, adding them into the bowl of warm pasta when tossing. The end result is a nice summer dinner. 

Here is the link to the recipe: 

https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1018835-pasta-with-mint-basil-and-fresh-mozzarella

 

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. 

 

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                          

 

 

 

Cooking Basics 101 Class continues on July 22; Bastille Day Dinner; Japanese Dish – Fried Salmon

Post Date: 19 July 2017

ACE Class Cooking Basics 101 continues on July 22

This second session of this class meets this coming Saturday, July 22, at the Plum Center in Springfield, VA.  Last week’s main course was Pan Fried Chicken Italiano with Blanched Broccoli.  Three of the student meals are shown above.  This week we will be using the oven for our main course, Baked Mustard Salmon with Panko, Garlic, and Thyme, served with Sautéed Asparagus.  For our Salad we will make a classic French Vinaigrette, and for dessert we will again make a no bake one with Strawberries and Marscapone Cheese. (Baking will be in Session 3.)

We will also be looking at various kinds of salts and their uses and discussing how long to keep dried herbs and spices.

 

 

Bastille Day Dinner

 

To celebrate Bastille Day on the 14^th, I made a classic French dish, Sole Meuniere (pictured above). Sole is not a fish you usually find at the supermarket, so I ordered some from the Organic Butcher in McLean.  The fillets were excellent, 4 nice pieces all the same size.

Since this dish is a classic, it is very easy to find a recipe, either on line or in a cookbook.  For this dinner I used a recipe from Melissa Clark in the New York Times special section on classic French cuisine of February 19, 2017.  Besides the sole, the ingredients are flour, butter, lemons, and flat leaf parsley for garnish.  If sole is hard to find, there are many recipes online for making the dish with Tilapia or a similar fish.

 

Fried Salmon – Sake no tatsuta-age

Continuing my foray in Washoku (Japanese Cuisine), I made this dish I found in the food section the Japanese Public Television website:

 

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

 

It is a delicious dish that is easy to make with just a few ingredients – Salmon, ginger juice, sake, soy sauce, flour, starch, and vegetable oil.  The recipe did not call for salt or pepper, but I sprinkled the salmon, before marinating in sake, soy sauce, and ginger juice.  I could not find ginger juice, so I grated some fresh ginger.  After marinating for 10-15 minutes, you coat the salmon with the flour/starch mixture, then cook in 170-180 C vegetable oil.  Depending on the size of the salmon pieces, it can take from 5 to 10 minutes to cook.  They come out nice and crispy.  I served it on a bed of white rice with Blanched Broccoli.

 

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.

 

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