Delectable Danish : Sep 30, 2013
(P)
Danish of all shapes and flavors made easy by using a quick puff pastry dough! The dough will be demonstrated at the beginning of class. You will learn how to make fillings such as nut, lemon, cheese, and pastry cream. By the time you leave class you will be able to make the classic sweet roll, an envelope, bear claw, pinwheel, and the snail roll.
BRING: a container to take home your Danish.
Instructor: Jennifer Brush Time: 6:30-9:30pm Cost: 75
Mediterranean Diet – Small Plates : Sep 29, 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.
Small Plates:
As a grouping, these recipes are suitable for a dinner party buffet, but you could expand each into an entire meal. Glazed shrimp with curried tomato sauce and red quinoa; winter panzanella with squash and Brussels sprouts; roasted ratatouille over creamy polenta and rustic iron skillet pizzas.
Other Mediterranean Diet classes:
Hearty Salads: September 15
Vegetarian Supper: October 20
Seafood Supper: November 3
Mediterranean Diet Series
Instructor: Betty Shewmon Time: 1:30-4:30pm Cost: 75
Girls’ Night Out – South of the Border : Sep 28, 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.
South of the Border: (P) Take a trip South of the border for this fun twist on Mexican cuisine. We may even sample one of Catherine’s homemade margarita’s. This dinner will be served family style. Menu to include: chicken and corn empanadas; homemade gucamole with a variety of toppings to make a special gucamole bar; spicy black bean soup with cumin cream; mahi mahi soft tacos with pineapple salsa, Mexican rice and beans and finish with fresh fruit quesadillas topped with cinnamon sugar.
Other Girls’ Night Out classes:
Girl’s Night Oktoberfest Feast: October 26 Fondue Party: November 16 Gluten Free Holiday Appetizer Party: December 7
Girls’ Night Out Series
Instructor: Catherine St. John Time: 6:30-9:30pm Cost: 85
Crepe Workshop : Sep 26, 2013
Learn the art of making crêpes. We will go through techniques for making just a few or for a crowd. Savory fillings and sweet fillings. You will need a seasoned 8 or 9 inch crêpe pan. We do sell these in the store so please order one at the time of sign up and receive your 10% discount. Please make sure your pan is seasoned before you bring it to class. Crêpes Floretine (creamed spinach and chicken filling); manicotti made with crêpes; French apple crêpes with caramel sauce and cheese blintz’s with a fruit topping.BRING: a container to take home some crêpes.
Instructor: Catherine St. John Time: 6:30-9:30pm Cost: 75
Cake Decorating Workshop (1 of 4) : Sep 25, 2013
CAKE DECORATING WORKSHOP WITH SynDee Bergen
Each beginner student will be able have the basic skills to assemble and decorate a cake using basic techniques in butter cream and fondant, building a foundation to cake decorating. This class will run for four Wednesday nights.
6:30 p.m.-9:30 p.m. (You must sign up for all four classes.) $395 for all 4 classes.
Week One:Wednesday, September 25
Swiss buttercream and royal frositng, basic piping skills and decorating techniques using buttercream including buttercream flowers.
Week Two:Wednesday, October 2
Assembling cakes, leveling, filling, crumb coating, and finishing cakes, decorating techniques with buttercream with a traditional style.
Week Three:Wednesday, October 9
Stacking cakes and using structural techniques for larger projects, and additional buttercream piping skills using modern styles.Basic fondant techniques and covering cakes with fondant.
Week Four:Wednesday, October 16
Fondant decorations, 3-D animals, flowers, fondant and basic fondant decoration.
Week One Bring: 3-4 pastry bags, a flower nail, assorted pastry tips and couplers.
Weeks Two, Three and Four Bring: A cake stand and both small and large offset spatulas. Additional items may be added per class upon review by SynDee.
Instructor: SynDee Bergen Time: 6:30pm-9:30pm Cost: 395
Techniques & Theory I – Sauces : Sep 24, 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 I – (D)
We will start this series by taking a look at some basic ingredients we all have in our kitchens. Water, salt, onions and acid are all part of our everyday kitchen, but what do they really do for us in our cooking? We will look beyond the recipe and delve into the power of each of these ingredients and how they are the workhorse of our cooking. We will finish the series by using many of these same ingredients to make sauces that will elevate your cooking to a new level. Catherine St. John, 6:30 p.m.-9:30 p.m., Diploma awarded for series. $60 single class/$232 for series (Register for all 4 classes and we will apply the discount).
Sauces: Not On The Side:Tuesday, February 26 (D)
Some restaurants have chefs that do nothing but make the sauces. The Saucier is the heart of the kitchen. A sauce can make or break a dish. Don’t get the balance right or break the sauce and the dish is ruined. In this class we will look at some of the mother sauces and how simple additions can turn them into a new sauce. The focus of this class is not so much the protein or vegetable in which they are served, but the sauce. Roasted chicken with a herb velouté sauce; asparagus with hollandaise sauce; pan grilled steak with two sauces (sauce bordelaise and sauce béarnaise), penne pasta with homemade marinara sauce; and pan seared salmon with a white wine herb beurreblanc sauce (white wine butter sauce).
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Other Techniques & Theory Part I classes:
Salt and Water:Tuesday, September 3
The Power of the Onion:Tuesday, September 10
Acid and Vinaigrettes:Tuesday, September 17
Techniques & Theory I Series
Instructor: Catherine St. John Time: 6:30 p.m.-9:30 p.m. Cost: $60
Brandt Evans : Sep 23, 2013
Brandt Evans Executive Chef/Partner, Blue Canyon Kitchen and Tavern
Chef Brandt Evans is one of Ohio’s top chefs. He has received numerous accolades since 2002 following the opening of his first restaurant, Blue Canyon Kitchen and Tavern in Twinsburg, Ohio. His love for the culinary arts began at age 16, as he entered into his first job at Starboard Tack. He went on to train at the Culinary Institute of America, and with a fresh diploma, tackled the stove at Charlie Palmer’s Manhattan restaurant, Alva. There he perfected his technique and waited for the perfect opportunity to break free from convention. Returning home to Cleveland, Evans began creating the menu for Kosta’s, a newly opened restaurant, where he combined the ethnic flavors of Manhattan with the cold winter comfort foods of Northeast Ohio. Following Kosta’s he opened Blue Canyon Kitchen and Tavern where his new signature Creative American Cuisine grew exponentially. Evans currently owns restaurants in Twinsburg, Ohio, and Missoula and Kalispell, Montana. He was recently one of eight chefs nationwide chosen to be a Chef Ambassador for The Wisconsin Cheese Board. In 2009 and 2010, he won Grand Champion, Akron Canton Super Bowl Chef, which allowed him to showcase his recipes as the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s representative at the 2010 and 2011 Taste of the NFL event. In addition, Evans was acknowledged as being the “Top Chef” at St John West Shore Festival of the Arts 2008 and 2009. He launched his new company, BKM Hospitality LLC, in June of 2010. This restaurant management company launched its first of many projects in downtown Cleveland in the former May Co. Building. Opened in June of 2011, named Pura Vida, (translates to Pure Life, the motto of the restaurant) and ready to introduce Public Square to gourmet breakfast, distinctive lunch and coining the name “Urban Picnic” which introduced a new style of dining for Northeast Ohio.
Fall Favorites from the Blue Canyon Kitchen and Tavern (D)
Join Chef Evans as he cooks his way through some of his favorite dishes. Brandt will demonstrate all the techniques needed to pull off this great fall menu from his restaurant. Fall winter drink; wheat berry, black kale chili; acorn squash and crispy mushroom risotto; milk braised pork shoulder with popcorn grits.
Instructor: Brandt Evans Time: 6:30-9:30pm Cost: 80
Pasta Workshop : Sep 22, 2013
There is no comparison between store bought and homemade pasta when it comes to taste and texture. Learn how to make fresh pasta by hand and machine. Hand-cut noodles with a wild mushroom ragout and fettuccine with pesto sauce.
BRING: a sheet pan to take home any extra pasta.
Instructor: Catherine St. John Time: 11:00am-2:00pm Cost: 75
Essential Knife Skills : Sep 21, 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.
Techniques & Theory I – Acids : Sep 17, 2013
Techniques & Theory of Cooking Part I - (D)
Acid and Vinaigrettes:Tuesday, September 17 (D)
While it is a given that acid will be used in the vinaigrettes, we will also be demonstrating the power of acid in other dishes. Not only do we balance acids with oils for salad dressings and marinades, but we use acid for cooking (ceviche) and for brightening the flavors of soups, stews, sauces and other dishes. Vinaigrettes are the fifth mother sauce. Not only are they used for salads but they make a great sauce for grilled fish and meats.Seafood ceviche with chilies and lime; pulled pork with North Carolina barbeque sauce; creamy tomato soup with balsamic vinegar; caprese salad with a simple vinaigrette and roasted cod with chorizo vinaigrette.
Other Techniques & Theory I classes:
Sauces: Not On The Side:Tuesday, September 24
Teqhniques & Theory I Series
Read More
Instructor: Catherine St. John Time: 6:30pm - 9:30pm Cost: $60
Beginning Pastry : Sep 16, 2013 - Sep 20, 2013
No prerequisites. Students will learn basic pastry principles; bread dough, yeast dough, fillings, toppings, quick breads, pies, tarts, cookies, cake mixing, and baking.
Bring: chef’s jacket, pastry bags and tips, cake wheel, pastry brushes, serrated knife, offset and regular spatulas, whisk, rolling pin, pastry scraper and gram scale.
(Note: most items are available for purchase in our store, The Cookery.) $150 deposit 4-WEEK CANCELLATION NOTICE REQUIRED FOR CREDIT.
Instructor: Christina Korting Time: 9:30 am - 4:00 pm Cost: $595
Mediterranean Diet – Hearty Salads : Sep 15, 2013
Hearty Salads:
Add a grain, a legume, some seafood, maybe additional vegetables or fruit and soon you will end up with a salad that is more of a meal than a side dish. Summer panzanella with heirloom tomatoes; warm lentil and kale salad; salmon, potato, and asparagus salad; and bulgur salad with chickpeas and cherries.
Small Plates: September 29
Bread Baking – French Bread Workshop : Sep 14, 2013
Join one of the countries foremost authorities on bread baking. Kathy Lehr has been teaching bread baking at WRSOC for over 25 years and now teaches all over the country. In this series you will learn the basics of classic French bread, to-die-for pizza and clazones, Ciabatta bread, and so much more. You will never want to buy store bought bread again.
French Bread Workshop: (P) This class will give you a formula to create any bread you desire! Follow Kathy Lehr through the basic chemistry of what happens when you combine yeast, flour, water, and salt. Once these are mastered, you should be producing beautiful and tasty breads! You’ll also learn about various grains and how they react to yeast. There are many tips for the busy, working person and how to eliminate many of your fears and misconceptions. You will have the opportunity to shape and bake a perfect French loaf (a batard) as well as make the dough to take home and bake in your own oven. To accompany our chewy French loaves you will see how to make a Caesar salad using your leftover (if there ever is any!) stale bread.
BRING: a plastic bench scraper, gallon sized Ziplock bags or medium bowl, apron and lunch sized brown paper bags to take home your doughs and baked breads.
Other Bread Baking classes: Pizza, Calzone and Focaccia: Saturday, October 5 A Taste of Italy: Saturday, October 26 Beyond the Baguette: Saturday, December 7 Bread Baking Series
Instructor: Kathy Lehr Time: 10:00am-1:30pm Cost: 75
Richard Bennett : Sep 11, 2013
Richard Bennett Executive Chef, Downtown 140
Rick got his start working in kitchens washing dishes at the age of 14. His working experience is quite eclectic, having worked in fast food, casual dining, and fine dining settings. His training has been extensive having schooled under Jim Mucciarone and worked under such renowned chefs as Ben Erjavec, Brandt Evans, Shawn Monday, Derek Clayton, Michael Symon, Cory Barret, and Joe Swan. He claims that the abundance of his knowledge has been amassed by working with an amazing array of line cooks throughout the years that are too innumerable to list. He describes his culinary style as Minimalist New American with a penchant for surprises.
The Art of Making Sausage:(D)
Chef Bennett brings years of experience of sausage making to the table. Learn the secrets of making great sausage at home or in a professional kitchen. Chef Bennett with review ingredients and equipment needed to turn out your own homemade sausage. While the focus is on the sausage making, we will be using the sausage to make some great dishes as well. Merguez (lamb sausage) used in a Moroccan chick pea stew; boudinblanc (white sausage) served with French bread, pickled onions and mustard; sweet Italian sausage (pork) served with pasta and seasonal greens.
Instructor: Richard Bennett Time: 6:30-9:30pm Cost: 70
Techniques & Theory I – Onions : Sep 10, 2013
The Power of the Onion:Tuesday, September 10 (D)
The onion is a chef’s secret weapon. This is another ingredient that is always there and should be a kitchen staple. Most recipes call for them, but what do they really do? What kind of onions do we use and when? All these questions will be answered and more. French onion soup with French bread and gruyère cheese; roasted shallot dressing with a simple mixed green salad; leek and potato tart, and macaroni and cheese with sauce soubise (white sauce with onions).
Pierogi Workshop : Sep 9, 2013
Autumn Johnston began cooking at the age of 5 in her grandmother’s kitchen. Her grandmothers taught her how to make Polish classics such as pierogies, dumplings and pagash, along with classic American cooking. At the age of 16 she began working in several Ohio restaurants. She attended culinary school in Las Vegas and worked for years in “the front of the house” managing corporate and family restaurants. In 2009 Autumn opened Posh Pierogies and then The Pierogi Lady. The Pierogi Lady now offers over 50 varieties of pierogies, 16 varieties of vegan pierogies and other ethnic meals such as cabbage rolls, chicken paprikash, halushki, a variety of soups, as well as a full catering menu. You have probably seen the Pierogi Lady at the local farmers market including the Hudson Farmer’s Market. Now you can learn all you need to know to make your own creative fillings and the secrets to a great dough. You will cover all of these important areas: Fillings – what is good in a pierogi? Are your fillings the right consistency? Will fillings leak out of the pierogi? Dough – is dough soft yet elastic? How do you make vegan dough? Rolling dough – how to use a dough roller or rolling pin to get dough thin but not too thin. Filling pierogies – how to keep the filling inside and how to pinch them. Autumn will also cover how to combat such problems as pierogies that explode in the pot or stick to the bottom. She will also show you how to sautée and will describe how to steam, bake, deep fry and boil pierogies.
BRING: a container to take home any pierogies you do not eat.
Instructor: Autumn Johnston Time: 6:30-9:30pm Cost: 75
Foundations I – Basic : Sep 4, 2013 - Sep 8, 2013
Sept 4-8
Introduction to stocks, sauces, sautés, dry and moist heat methods, soups, frying, and knife skills using classic French based techniques. We will focus on recipe development, shopping, menu planning, plate presentations, and organization.
Bring: chef’s jacket, 10″ chef’s knife, paring and boning knives (Note: most items are available for purchase in our store, The Cookery.) $150 deposit 4-WEEK CANCELLATION NOTICE REQUIRED FOR CREDIT.
Instructor: Catherine St. John Time: 9:30 am - 4:00 pm Cost: 595
Techniques & Theory I – Salt and Water : Sep 3, 2013
Salt and Water:Tuesday, September 3 (D)
Sounds simple! Why is salt and water so important in cooking? These are two ingredients we take for granted. They are always there, as much as we need. But, do we really understand the important roll they play in cooking? In this class you will learn how to use these two important yet simple ingredients. The menu will include: brined roasted chicken with preserved lemons; classic chicken stock; home-cured bacon used for a killer BLT; raw zucchini salad and easy potato soup.
Instructor: Catherine St. John Time: 6:30 p.m.-9:30 p.m. Cost: 60
Techniques & Theory I – Series : Sep 3,
Techniques & Theory of Cooking Part I – Series (D)
We will start this series by taking a look at some basic ingredients we all have in our kitchens. Water, salt, onions and acid are all part of our everyday kitchen, but what do they really do for us in our cooking? We will look beyond the recipe and delve into the power of each of these ingredients and how they are the workhorse of our cooking. We will finish the series by using many of these same ingredients to make sauces that will elevate your cooking to a new level.
While it is a given that acid will be used in the vinaigrettes, we will also be demonstrating the power of acid in other dishes. Not only do we balance acids with oils for salad dressings and marinades, but we use acid for cooking (ceviche) and for brightening the flavors of soups, stews, sauces and other dishes. Vinaigrettes are the fifth mother sauce. Not only are they used for salads but they make a great sauce for grilled fish and meats. Seafood ceviche with chilies and lime; pulled pork with North Carolina barbeque sauce; creamy tomato soup with balsamic vinegar; caprese salad with a simple vinaigrette and roasted cod with chorizo vinaigrette.
Sauces: Not On The Side:Tuesday, September 24 (D)
Some restaurants have chefs that do nothing but make the sauces. The Saucier is the heart of the kitchen. A sauce can make or break a dish. Don’t get the balance right or break the sauce and the dish is ruined. In this class we will look at some of the mother sauces and how simple additions can turn them into a new sauce. The focus of this class is not so much the protein or vegetable in which they are served, but the sauce. Roasted chicken with a herb velouté sauce; asparagus with hollandaise sauce; pan grilled steak with two sauces (sauce bordelaise and sauce béarnaise), penne pasta with homemade marinara sauce; and pan seared salmon with a white wine herb beurre blanc sauce (white wine butter sauce).
Instructor: Catherine St. John Time: 6:30pm-9:30pm Cost: 232
Cake Decorating Workshop : Sep 25,
Cake Decorating Workshop With SynDee Bergen
Each beginner student will be able to have the basic skills to assemble and decorate a cake using techniques in buttercream and fondant, building a foundation to cake decorating. This class will run for four Wednesday evenings.
SynDee Bergen, 6:30 p.m.-9:30 p.m., $395
Week One: Wednesday, September 25
Swiss buttercream and royal frosting, basic piping skills and decorating techniques using buttercream including buttercream flowers.
Week Two: Wednesday, October 2
Assembling, leveling, filling, crumb coating, and finishing cakes. Decorating techniques with buttercream with a traditional style.
Week Three: Wednesday, October 9
Stacking cakes and using structural techniques for larger projects. Additional buttercream piping skills using modern styles. Basic fondant techniques and covering cakes with fondant.
Week Four: Wednesday, October 16
Basic fondant decorations, 3-D animals and flowers.
Week One Bring:
3-4 pastry bags, a flower nail, assorted pastry tips and couplers.
Weeks Two, Three and Four Bring:
A cake stand and both small and large offset spatulas. Additional items may be added per class upon review by SynDee.
