Beef Tenderloin Workshop : Nov 21, 2013
(P)
Beef tenderloin is always a favorite, especially at the holidays when it’s usually on sale. While it can be an expensive cut of meat to buy already cleaned and filleted, it’s much cheaper to buy uncleaned, but this scares many people. Each student will bring an uncleaned beef tenderloin and a small cooler to class. They will clean and portion their tenderloin, then wrap and take home for later use. We’ll then cook with the tenderloin cleaned by Catherine. Beef stroganoff served over buttered noodles (using the trim); grilled Korean beef kabobs (using the chain meat); classic beef Wellington with a quick puff pastry and bearnaise sauce.
Instructor: Catherine St. John Time: 6:30-9:30pm Cost: 85
Comfort Foods: New York City : Nov 20, 2013
Join chef Tom Johnson for this fun and exciting new series. We all love comfort foods, especially on a cold winters day. All these menus are prefect for a casual dinner party with friends and family. You will also learn a little history about these areas of the world as well.
New York City (D/P):
We will finish this series back in our own backyard with a classic menu inspired by the Big Apple. This menu will include Oven-braised short ribs of beef in rich gravy, mashed turnips with crisply fried shallots, Sauteed broccoli rabe with garlic and sweet red bell pepper, Junior’s famous cheesecake.
Other Comfort Foods classes:
New Orleans: Wednesday, October 30
China: Wednesday, November 6
Germany: Wednesday, November 13
Comfort Foods Series
Instructor: Tom Johnson Time: 6:30-9:30pm Cost: 75
Techniques & Theory III – Braising and Poaching : Nov 19, 2013
Techniques & Theory of Cooking
Catherine has long been looking for a text book for this 3-part series (12 classes) and she has found it. Cleveland based cookbook author, Michael Ruhlman, has come out with just such a book. Ruhlman’s Twenty: 20 Techniques, 100 Recipes, A Cook’s Manifesto, has it all. Everyone who loves to cook should read and learn from this book. We will break down his 20 must-know techniques into a 12 class series. Whether you are a novice cook, an experienced home cook or a professional cook, these are all techniques you should know and understand. These classes will be technique driven, not menu driven. Recipes were chosen because of the lessons they teach us about each technique. The classes will build on each other and can be taken as a whole series or you can take a class that interests you. Our hope is that you become hooked on learning more and take more than one class. While it is not required that you have Ruhlman’s Twenty as a textbook for taking the classes, it is recommended.
Techniques & Theory of Cooking Part III – (D)
Now that we have covered many of the basic ingredients in the kitchen we will delve into cooking techniques. In this series of four classes we will look into soups (yes, it is a technique), sautéing, roasting, braising, poaching, pan grilling (although outdoor grilling with be discussed) and frying. All of the techniques are used in the professional kitchen on a daily basis and can easily be translated to the home. Diploma awarded for series.
Braising and Poaching – Moist Heat/Gentle Heat (D)
Both braising and poaching are moist heat environment methods of cooking.Braising is primarily used for tougher cuts of meat (short ribs, pork shoulder, pot roasts), while poaching is usually reserved for more delicate types of foods (eggs, fish and vegetables). Braised boneless beef short ribs with hoisin glaze; braised chicken thighs with bacon, onions and beer; spinach salad with warm bacon dressing and the perfect poached egg and poached salmon in court bouillon.
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Other Techniques & Theory III classes:
Soups:Tuesday, November 5
Sautéing and Roasting – In the Hot Seat:Tuesday, November 12
Grilling and Frying:Tuesday, December 3
Techniques & Theory III Series
Instructor: Catherine St. John Time: 6:30pm-9:30pm Cost: $65
Thanksgiving Side Dishes : Nov 18, 2013
These side dishes will be sure to impress and give you a change to the normal side dish line up. We will talk organization, timing, shopping and prep. Roasted Brussels sprouts with brown butter and pecans; lime spiked sweet potato puree with shallot vinaigrette; roasted garlic mashed potatoes with herbal gravy and cornbread, sausage and apple stuffing.
Instructor: Catherine St. John Time: 6:30-9:30pm Cost: 75
An Aristocratic Chesapeake Bay Thanksgiving Dinner : Nov 17, 2013
(P/D)
Chef Tom continues his Thanksgiving tradition with a classic Maryland cream of crab soup; brined and roasted breast of turkey au jus, served as a Baltimore tradition with sauerkraut: Tom makes a light version, well rinsed and braised with Riesling wine; sauteed parsnip cakes with creamed peas; and to finish, a chestnut mousse with chocolate sauce.
Instructor: Tom Johnson Time: 12:30-4:30pm Cost: 85
Girls’ Night Out – Fondue Party : Nov 16, 2013
Join WRSOC Owner Catherine St. John for four fun-filled Saturday nights out with the girls. We will visit different cuisines during this tour of the world. Get your girlfriends together and come have a fun night of cooking. You may bring your favorite bottle of wine to enjoy with your meal. .
Fondue Party:(P) Get ready to entertain with one of the most popular retro foods to come back in years. We all (well most of us) remember the fondue parties from the ’70s. We’re now putting a new-age twist on fondue. Come join in on the fun with Abbe Turner of Lucky Penny Creamy and Catherine St. John, owner of WRSOC as they help you create cheesy madness. Lucky Penny goat cheese fondue with apples and pears; classic Swiss fondue, Irish cheddar and beer fondue and a decadent chocolate fondue with fresh fruit and pound cake. We will have a variety of breads, vegetables and meat for dipping. Abbe will discuss beer and wine pairings to go with all fondue.
Other Girls’ Night Out classes
South of the Border: September 28 Girl’s Night Oktoberfest Feast: October 26 Gluten Free Holiday Appetizer Party: December 7
Girls’ Night Out Series
Knife Skills : Nov 14, 2013
Nothing separates the pros from the rookies like good knife skills. Find out how to buy, sharpen, hold and use the most important tool in your kitchen arsenal. Learn to chop and dice with the best of them while your instructor cooks up your freshly cut vegetables into roasted vegetable pizza; Chinese chicken salad; French onion soup with melted cheese and crusty French bread and fall vegetable soup with fresh herbs.
BRING: an 8˝ or 10˝ chef’s knife.
Comfort Foods: Germany : Nov 13, 2013
Germany (D/P):
German food is the king of comfort food. Chef Tom will make a twist on some classic German dishes. In this class you will enjoy a new-age sauerbratten, beef braised with root vegetables in a light, clean sauce laced with Jagermeister, old-fashioned potato pancakes, and steamed chocolate-almond pudding “mit schlag” (whipped cream).
New York City: Wednesday, November 20
Techniques & Theory III – Sauteing and Roasting : Nov 12, 2013
Sautéing and Roasting – In the Hot Seat (D)
The word sauté means “to jump”, or having your pan hot enough so that the food jumps in the pan. It is a dry heat method of cooking. To sauté is a rapid a’la minute cooking technique. It is the most popular of the restaurant cooking techniques. Roasting is also a dry heat method of cooking. While sautéing is done on the stove top, roasting is done in the oven. You can roast at a high heat or you can slow roast at a low heat – it just depends upon what you are cooking. Roasting is great for meats, fish and vegetables. Sauté of chicken breast with tarragon butter sauce; sautéed wild mushroom medley; roasted butternut squash with sage butter; roasted cauliflower purée with roasted garlic and Greek yogurt, and to finish a slow roasted rib roast with horseradish cream sauce.
Braising and Poaching – Moist Heat/Gentle Heat:Tuesday, November 19
Friday Night Date Night – Tuscany : Nov 8, 2013
Looking for something new to do on a Friday night? Come join us for this popular series and share good food and learning with new friends. Everyone will get a great hands-on experience cooking with Chef Anne Haynam and then sit down to enjoy the fruits of their labor. You may even get some great ideas for your own entertaining at home. You may bring beer or wine to enjoy with your meal.
Tuscany:(P)
Northern regions of Italy emphasize polenta, hearty soups and pasta dishes that use the wonderful cheeses produced in the region. This menu is full of fall warmth and welcomes a Tuscan red wine. Ribollita (a traditional heal-all soup); terrine of polenta, peppers, sausage and mozzarella; red wine braised chicken zucchini and cheese filled freshly made ravioli and dulce of gorgonzola, roasted pears and spiced nuts.
Other Friday Date Night classes:
Southern Italy – October 11 Northern India:Friday, December 13
Friday Night Date Night Series
Instructor: Anne Haynam Time: 6:30-9:30pm Cost: 170
Comfort Foods: China : Nov 6, 2013
China (D/P):
We’ll now travel to China to discover what they consider to be comfort foods. You’ll learn stir fry techniques and well as a lesson in Asian ingredients that you may not be familiar with. Extra-spicy dan dan noodles, egg drop soup with homemade chicken broth, Uncle Tai’s Hunan style shrimp, sliced duck with young ginger, and steamed rice.
Techniques & Theory III – Soups : Nov 5, 2013
Soups (D)
Soup is one of the easiest meals to make. You can make it with chicken stock, vegetable stock, beef stock or plain water if that is all you have. It is a great way to use up leftovers and a wonderful lesson in how to season. Soup can be made from almost anything. In this class we will be revisiting some of the ingredients in earlier classes and be tasting the soups at different stages of seasoning to drive home just how important salt, herbs, spices and acids are in your cooking. Soupebomme femme (easy potato soup); cream of celery soup with Irish cheese; sausage and kale soup; and we will finish with pantry soup (soup made from everyday things found in most pantries). An overview of stock making will be covered as well.
Mediterranean Diet – Seafood Supper : Nov 3, 2013
The Mediterranean Diet: Tasty & Healthful The results of long-term medical research released recently regarding the effects of a Mediterranean diet on lifestyle related illness stated rates of heart attack and stroke lowest in the group who ate olive oil and nuts along with a standard Mediterranean diet of vegetables, whole grains, legumes and fish. Though not a license to up your fat intake, the study shows us that a balanced, unprocessed, and colorful diet is best. This approach seems to be a pretty good prescription for just about anything that ails you, including diabetes (high fiber) and hypertension (essentially the same as the DASH Diet). Come explore how to expand your working knowledge of this easy and delicious way of eating, cooking, and living.
Seafood Supper:(P)
Cooking fish is easy once you master the fresh, on-the-spot pan sauce to go with it. We’ll also make a healthier version of risotto by using barley, roast the newly popular broccolini, and make a cake out of olive oil and wine. Almond crusted tilapia with classic Mediterranean pan sauce; barley and fresh herb risotto; oven roasted broccolini and orange cornmeal cake.
Other Mediterranean Diet classes:
Hearty Salads: September 15
Small Plates: September 29
Vegetarian Supper: October 20
Mediterranean Diet Series
Instructor: Betty Shewmon Time: 1:30-4:30pm Cost: 75
Duck Workshop : Nov 2, 2013
So you love duck, but only have it in a restaurant because it seems too complicated to prepare at home. In this hands-on workshop we will walk you through all the parts of the duck and the best way to prep each part of this tasty bird. Duck confit; potatoes and onions fried in duck fat; Chinese-style roast duck served in Chinese pancakes with hoisin sauce and scallions; seared duck breast with a balsamic orange reduction sauce.
Instructor: Catherine St. John Time: 11:00am-2:00pm Cost: 80
Carla Snyder : Nov 1, 2013
Carla Snyder
Carla has spent the past 30 years in the food world as a caterer, artisan baker, cooking school teacher, culinary team building company owner, freelance food writer and co-author of six cook books including the 2007 James Beard nominated The Big Book of Appetizers (Chronicle Books 2006) and Good Morning America’s top ten pick of 2008, 300 Sensational Soups (Robert Rose, 2008), Carla’s newest book is titled One Pan, Two Plates: More Than 70 Complete One Pan Dinners for Two (Chronicle Books). Look for Carla on Facebook, Twitter (carlacooks), Pinterest and at ravenouskitchen.com where she blogs about everything from cooking for two to easy weekend entertaining for a crowd.
One Pan, Two Plates: More Than 70 Complete Weeknight Meals for Two (D)
Carla can’t help you with your laundry or bills, but her latest book, One Pan, Two Plates: More Than 70 Complete Weeknight Meals for Two, can help you get a healthy meal on the table in less time and with less clean-up. All the dishes in One Pan, Two Plates are complete made-from-scratch-meals, with one pan clean-up and ready to eat in 45 minutes or less. How is this possible? Carla has condensed 25 years of knowledge as a cooking school instructor, caterer and recipe developer and paired courses with similar cooking techniques, to make a complete meal in one pan. Learn to make lamb kebabs with harissa, chick peas and summer squash, herbed chicken paillards with zucchini pancakes and cherry tomato pan sauce, pad Thai, panko fried crab cakes with heirloom tomato, nectarine and avocado salad. Join us early for a book signing from 5:45 p.m.-6:30 p.m.
Instructor: Carla Snyder Time: 6:30-9:30pm Cost: 80
Technique & Theory III – Series : Nov 5,
Techniques & Theory of Cooking Part III - (D)
Now that we have covered many of the basic ingredients in the kitchen we will delve into cooking techniques. In this series of four classes we will look into soups (yes, it is a technique), sautéing, roasting, braising, poaching, pan grilling (although outdoor grilling with be discussed) and frying. All of the techniques are used in the professional kitchen on a daily basis and can easily be translated to the home. Catherine St. John, 6:30 p.m.-9:30 p.m., Diploma awarded for series, $65 single class/$252 for series.
Soups:Tuesday, November 5 (D)
Sautéing and Roasting – In the Hot Seat:Tuesday, November 12 (D)
Braising and Poaching – Moist Heat/Gentle Heat:Tuesday, November 19 (D)
Grilling and Frying:Tuesday, December 3 (D)
Fire is king when it comes to imparting great flavor to meats, seafood and vegetables. While this class will not be able to provide an outdoor grilling experience, we will take some of the techniques and apply them to the indoor grill and grill pan. Most people are afraid to deep fry, feeling that it makes a mess and producing greasy food. While we should not be eating fried foods on a daily basis, it is a good and valid technique to know. Pan grilled flat iron steak with grilled onions and chimmichuri sauce served in a grilled flat bread; grilled and marinated vegetables for a vegetable and goat cheese wrap; brined buttermilk fried chicken and shoestring pomme frits with slow roasted tomato aioli.
Instructor: Catherine St. John Time: 6:30pm-9:30pm Cost: 252
