Making Beignets and This Week’s A.C.E.Class – Dinner in Rome

Post Date: 24 February 2015

This week I will begin by discussing Beignets and then what we will be preparing in the Thursday’s Dinner in Rome A.C.E. class.  

Making Beignets

I had not made these in a long time, but with the snow starting on Presidents’ Day, I decided to try out my new deep fryer and make a batch.  I had a recipe I had received from L’Academie de Cuisine but decided to try one I got from a French culinary newsletter, 750 Grammes.  It made quite a lot of dough, so I only used half of it, then froze the rest to see if it could still be used.  The next day I thawed it out on the counter for a while, and made another batch which was just as good as the original one.  An interesting fact about French recipes, which you may have already observed.  The measurements are given by weight not by volume; e.g., 500 grams of flour vs 1 cup, or 10 centiliters of liquid vs 1 teaspoon.  This should not present a problem, though, as there are plenty of websites where you can perform the conversions easily.

A.C.E. Cooking Class - Dinner in Rome

We will be will be spending an evening at a trattoria on Rome’s Via Veneto to prepare and enjoy a three course meal.  Dress is casual, and I promise not to sing any opera.  We will be making a Minestrone, Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo, and a traditional Tiramisu.  The Minestrone will be vegetable based, but we will discuss ways to add meat to the soup.  On the flip side, the chicken can be omitted from the Fettuccine dish to make a meatless Fettuccine Alfredo.  We will divide into teams and each team will make the soup and the fettuccine.  However, each participant will make their own tiramisu.

 Upcoming Classes

I have one more class in the winter session, in March.

March 21 – Saturday Morning - No Bake Desserts- 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 in Packets and This Week's A.C.E. Class

Post Date: 11 February 2015

This week I will begin by discussing cooking in aluminum or parchment paper packets and then what we will be preparing in the final session of my Cooking Basics 101 class this coming weekend.  

 Cooking in Parchment Paper or Aluminum Packets

This is a technique I use on occasion.  It is easy to prepare, what with the vegetables and protein all cooked together in the packet; easy to clean up;  and makes a nice presentation as guests open the packets on their plates and get a whiff of what is inside.  There are many recipes, both in cookbooks and online, that use this technique.  I have used it with salmon and with chicken.  Food Network Magazine for April 2014 had a recipe for Packet Chicken Putanesca which I have made on two occasions and it was very well received.   I have also modified a recipe I have for Orange Balsamic Chicken into a packet version and hope to do it in a future class.  The chicken breasts are brushed with balsamic vinegar and the orange slices are placed against the chicken, and at the end you get a nice sauce at the bottom.

A.C.E. Cooking Basics 101 – Session 3

After making no bake desserts with ricotta and marscapone cheeses the first two sessions, this week we will be doing some baking.  We will make an Olive Oil pound cake with citrus flavoring.  Olive oil may not sound like the best ingredient for a dessert cake, but it is really nice.  We will be macerating some raspberries to serve over the cake.  We will also be getting back to salad as the first course, making a healthy take on the traditional Waldorf Salad, using plain nonfat Greek yogurt to replace mayonnaise and making it into a wrap with Bibb Lettuce, so it can also be served as finger food.  For the main event, we will be making a Salisbury Steak with onions and then a reduction sauce to go with it.

Upcoming Classes

The winter classes have begun, and I have one more class in February and one in March.

February 26 – Thursday Evening – Dinner in Rome – Plum Center

March 21 – Saturday Morning - No Bake Desserts- 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

This Week's A.C.E. Class

Post Date: 5 February 2015

Welcome to the latest edition of my blog.  This week I will be discussing what we will be preparing in my Cooking Basics 101 class this coming weekend.  We will also take up the topic of wet vs dry measuring cups.

 

Wet vs Dry Measuring Cups

This question came up in the last Cooking Basics 101 session, so I figured it may warrant a mention here.  What’s the difference?  Actually, none?  So why have them?  It basically has to do with handling your ingredients.

The dry measuring cups are designed to be filled to the top then leveled off with a knife.   They hold the exact amount specified.  Wet cups, on the other hand, are not.  There is some space above the top measurement line to allow for any jostling when carrying the cup, which you would not have with dry ingredients in a dry cup.

A.C.E. Cooking Basics 101

This week, instead of a salad we will be making a Minestrone soup, which is fitting for our winter weather and will give ample opportunity to practice knife skills.  On the dessert side, we will stay with no bake, creating a dessert with marscapone cheese and strawberries.  For the main event, we will be making pesto and baked Tilapia served on a bed of Quinoa.  For the Pesto, instead of basil and pine nuts we’ll be using baby spinach and walnuts, then spreading on the cooked tilapia before serving.  For the vegetable, we will be doing Broccoli with a Mustard Sauce.

Upcoming Classes

The winter classes have begun, and I have one more class in February and one in March.

February 26 – Thursday Evening – Dinner in Rome – Plum Center

March 21 – Saturday Morning - No Bake Desserts- 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

 

Recent Dishes and Next A.C.E. Class

Post Date: 28 January 2015

Welcome to the latest edition of my cooking classes blog.   I will be discussing some recipes I have been working on in my kitchen the last few weeks and will preview the February 1, 8, 15 A.C.E. class, Cooking Basics for Novices.

Manhattan Clam Chowder

This is latest recipe I have been working on and plan to incorporate it into one of my classes soon.  Unlike New England Clam Chowder, which is cream based, the Manhattan version is tomato based.  I use diced tomatoes (no salt added) and an 8 ounce can of tomato sauce.  In researching this and reviewing lots of other recipes, I noticed that most used bacon or pancetta (Italian bacon).  However, I decided to leave out the bacon so it can be a vegetarian dish.  The entire dish is built on a traditional Mirepoix of onion, carrot, and celery.  As regards the clams, to save time in class we will use canned chopped clams and their juice and a small bottle of clam juice.  But of course fresh clams can be used instead.

Waldorf Salad Wraps

Staying with the New York theme, I have a little different take on this classic dish.  I use plain non-fat Greek yogurt in place of the mayonnaise and chopped hazelnuts instead of walnuts.  But the celery and apple are still used.  For the greens, I use 2 pieces of Bibb lettuce, spread the ingredients down the middle lengthwise, then fold into a wrap, making it a “finger food” salad. 

A.C.E. Cooking Basics for Novice Cooks Class – February 1, 8, 15

In this class participants will prepare a three course meal each session: a salad or soup, a main course with vegetable, and a dessert (both no bake and bake) using my P.O.F. method (Preparation, Organization, Focus).  We will also be discussing safe food handling and preparation and practicing knife skills throughout the three sessions.  The first session will have an Itailan flavor – Caprese Salad, Sauteed Chicken Italiano, and a fruit dessert with Ricotta Cheese.

 

Upcoming Classes

The winter classes have begun, and I have three classes in February and one in March.

February 1, 8, and 15 – Sunday Afternoons – Cooking Basics for Novices – Plum Center

February 7 – Saturday Morning – Romantic Valentine’s Dinner for Novices – Woodson High

February 26 – Thursday Evening – Dinner in Rome – Plum Center

March 21 – Saturday Morning - No Bake Desserts- 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

 

 

 

 

Happy New Year 2015

Post Date: 14 January 2015

Happy New Year to all.  I hope 2015 brings you all exciting and delicious culinary experiences.  This posting will discuss some of the dishes I made over the holidays and will also preview the January 22 A.C.E. class, Dinner in New York.

Holiday Cooking

On December 24^th I made our traditional Christmas Eve meal, Pasta e Fagioli, AKA Pasta Fazool.  This is a recipe from the Italian side of my family and as you can see from the picture it is much thicker than what is usually served in restaurants, which tend to be in a light thin-ish broth.  I used home made marinara sauce and then thinned it just a bit with water.

 

Pasta e Fagioli

 

For Christmas dinner, the main dish was roast beef.  For sides I made an Orange Couscous Salad (pictured below) as well as roasted Acorn Squash (also pictured below).  For the Acorn Squash, after scooping out the seeds, I cut them into individual slices and filled the cavities with maple syrup and some red pepper flakes.  Before placing the slices in the oven, I placed about ¼ inch of water in the pan, making a Bain Marie.  This was the first time I tried this with the squash and found it reduced the cooking time by about 30 minutes.

 

Orange Couscous Salad

 

Acorn Squash

 

I also made two kinds of pesto, one with spinach and one with asparagus.  I baked Tilapia filets with just salt, pepper, and olive oil, then spread one of the two pestos on each of the filets before serving, so that there were half of each type.  For a football game viewing party on the weekend between the holidays I made Chicken Spezzatino, an Italian Chicken Stew, and, in a salute to my Irish side, A Guinness Stout Chocolate Cake.

For a New Year’s Day afternoon party, among other items, I made and served Spicy Meatballs, Panzanella Salad, Jumbo Pasta Shells stuffed with Ricotta Cheese, Asparagus with Mustard Sauce, and a Lemon Apple Cake.  But the one item that guests talked about the most was my take on the Italian cookies called Brutti Ma Buoni (Ugly but Good), made with sugar, hazelnuts, egg whites, orange zest, and melted chocolate chips.  They disappeared in about a minute of their plate was put out.




A.C.E. Dinner in New York Class – January 22

I have begun to put together the menu for the class and to run through the recipes.  We will do a lighter take on the traditional Waldorf Salad, followed by a Manhattan Clam Chowder.  I am still deciding on the main dish, but the dessert will be a no-bake New York Cheesecake.  The allocated class time will probably not give the cheesecake enough time to set in the fridge, so this will be a dish that the students take home to enjoy later.  Registration information for this class is below.

 Upcoming Classes

The winter classes start in January, and I have one class in January and three in February.

January 22 - Thursday Evening – Dinner in New York – Woodson High

February 1, 8, and 15 – Sunday Afternoons – Cooking Basics for Novices – Plum Center

February 7 – Saturday Morning – Romantic Valentine’s Dinner for Novices – Woodson High

February 26 – Thursday Evening – Dinner in Rome – 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

 

Happy Holidays and Getting Past Pasta Class – Session 3

Post Date: 18 December 2014

Season’s Greetings to all.  I hope everyone has a great holiday season.  This will be the last blog post of the year.  I will be back in early January to report on what dishes we made over the holidays and to provide a preview of the “Dinner in Rome” class which runs on January 22 (please see below for more information).

Getting Past Pasta – Session 3

The third and final session of Getting Past Pasta is this Saturday, December 20, from 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM at the Plum Center.  This week, in preparation for the upcoming winter cold, we will be starting off with a Minestrone.   There are many different ways to make this; we will be doing it just with vegetables.  But like other recipes done in class, it can be used as a starting point to add meat, like pancetta, or different vegetables as desired.

We will also be making Spicy Meatballs, or not so spicy, depending on your taste preferences.  Now when we hear the word “meatballs,” we automatically place the words “spaghetti and” in front of it, which of course makes a fine dish.  However, what I am going for here is to prepare meatballs that can be enjoyed on their own, without any sauce.  They can be cooked in a frying pan or the oven.  We will be doing them in a frying pan.

Since we already did a pesto, and the technique is the same, instead of doing another one, one of the supplemental recipes will a bit outside of the box, an Asparagus Pesto.

 

Upcoming Classes

The winter classes start in January, and I have one class in January and two in February.

January 22 - Thursday Evening – Dinner in New York – Woodson High

February 1, 8, and 15 – Sunday Afternoons – Cooking Basics for Novices – Plum Center

February 26 – Thursday Evening – Dinner in Rome – 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

Recent Beta Test and Getting Past Pasta Class – Session 2

Post Date: 10 December 2014

Recent Beta Test

Last Sunday I conducted a final test of the Frittata recipe we will be doing this week (please see section below for more information).  The two testers each made one.  Picture above is one of the finished products.  The test was particularly helpful in getting the exact measurements of the ingredients set and in finalizing the final printed copy of the recipe.  The testers had a few twists and good ideas which have been incorporated into the final version.

Getting Past Pasta – Session 2

Second session of Getting Past Pasta is this Saturday, December 13, from 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM at the Plum Center.  This week we will be doing a Frittata and two fish dishes, one with salmon and one with tilapia.  The Tilapia dish is baked with Italian seasonings, and I’ve found that it works best if it is done in two steps.  In the first step we will season the fish then let it sit in the refrigerator for about 90 minutes while we prepare the other two dishes. This wait time allows the seasoning to sink in and really enhances the flavor of the finished product.

We will be doing a Vegetable Frittata.  A Frittata is an Italian dish that differs from an omelet in several ways.  Like an omelet, a frittata is started on the stove in a skillet, but the frittata is then finished in the oven.  An omelet is folded over whereas a frittata is not.  And an omelet is usually a single serving, whereas a frittata is cut into wedges and served to several people

In a previous blog I had referred to my recipe as a “Kitchen Sink Frittata,” and basically I put in whatever vegetables I had on hand; e.g., asparagus, broccoli, squash, onion, marinated artichoke hearts, etc.  However, in order to give some structure to the class recipe, we will be using specific items and measurements and it has been renamed to a “Vegetable Frittata.”  But the recipe can also be used as a starting point to add whatever other ingredients you wish, including sausage, pancetta, or other meats.

For the final dish, we will be doing a Sicilian Style Salmon with Citrus (Lemon and Orange), substituting White Grape Juice for White Wine due to school rules.  It will also have a little red pepper to give it a little kick.

 Upcoming Classes

The winter classes start in January, and I have one class in January and two in February.

January 22 - Thursday Evening – Dinner in New York – Woodson High

February 1, 8, and 15 – Sunday Afternoons – Cooking Basics for Novices – Plum Center

February 26 – Thursday Evening – Dinner in Rome – Plum Center

To register for thess 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