Last weekend I had dinner with a friend at Kelowna’s newest restaurant and bar, Smack DAB (formerly the Wild Apple Grill). The food was quite good, though not outstanding. We ordered a deli board that, with only two charcuterie choices, was a little lacklustre, and a prosciutto di Parma pizza with plenty of mouth-watering toppings. Unfortunately, it was soggy. The selection of craft beer, however, was truly inspiring; so much so that I had a hard time trying to choose one. Lucky for me I didn’t have to. Smack DAB sells beer by the flight ($12); a sampling of five different brews (5 x 3-oz glasses) to sip and compare. I chose four ales and one lager to taste, avoiding the heavier stouts and porters. I enjoyed each one, but the Peach Cream Ale from Tin Whistle Brewing Company was an absolute revelation. Beer with the taste and aroma of fresh ripe peaches? Oh yes please!
Fruit-flavoured beer wasn’t the only remarkable taste I enjoyed that night. The lemon curd ice cream I ordered for dessert blew me away. It was luscious, lemony, creamy and bright, but not so sour that it made your lips pucker. A single spoonful tasted like both the filling and the crust from a lemon meringue pie! It was truly amazing. The following morning I went online searching for lemon curd ice cream recipes and I found plenty to tempt me. Too bad I don’t have an ice cream maker. *
Time for Plan B – a frozen treat with an equally exhilarating flavour – no ice cream machine required.
I’m a little embarrassed to admit it but, when I sat down to write this post, I realized that I didn’t know the difference between sherbet and sorbet. Here’s a quick guide to the more popular frozen desserts (just in case I’m not the only one):
Ice Cream has a custard base made from cream, and typically includes milk, sugar and egg yolks.
Gelato is like ice cream but is churned at a higher temperature and a slower pace. The result is a denser, more intensely flavoured dessert.
Sorbet is dairy-free and egg-free. Its made from fruit purée, juice or simple syrup. It’s also churned (like ice cream) so it has a light, fluffy texture.
Sherbet is fruit-based like sorbet but it can also include milk, gelatin or egg whites.
Granita is the same as sorbet, but it’s not whipped or churned. Instead, its flaked with a fork which creates an icy, granular texture (like a snow cone).
* I’ve always assumed you needed an ice cream maker to make ice cream. Not so! I just found a recipe from David Lebovitz for The Easiest Chocolate Ice Cream Ever (no machine required). I can’t wait to test it out.
Pineapple Ginger Sherbet
2013-03-28 17:20:57
Take the sherbet out of the freezer about 20 minutes before serving to maximize its flavour.
Makes about 5 cups
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Ingredients
1 fresh pineapple
2 bananas
1/2 cup coconut milk
One-inch piece of fresh ginger, grated (about 1 tablespoon)
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 - 3 tablespoons extra-fine granulated sugar (also called caster sugar or berry sugar)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
Peel, core and slice the pineapple into one-inch chunks.
Peel the banana and slice into one-inch chunks.
Place fruit on a baking sheet in a single layer then freeze for at least two hours.
Once the fruit is frozen, combine all ingredients in your food processor's work bowl and blend, stopping to scrape the sides of the bowl if needed, until the texture is smooth and creamy. You're looking for a consistency similar to soft serve ice cream.
Pour the whipped sherbet into a metal pan or bowl and place in the freezer overnight.
Notes
The amount of sugar you'll need depends on the ripeness of your fruit. Start out with 2 tablespoons, blend the mixture until smooth, then give it a taste. If its not sweet enough, add another tablespoon and blend for another 30 seconds.
By Laura Leigh Goyer
An Uneducated Palate http://anuneducatedpalate.com/
“When you’ve got a proper hunger you can’t top a Triple Whopper®.”
At least that’s what the folks at Burger King would like you to think. Who’s so famished that they need to stuff ¾ of a pound of beef into their mouths to satisfy their hunger, proper or otherwise? It borders on obscene.
Fast food has had an unhealthy reputation for some time, as has red meat, but did you know that the risk of dying prematurely rises with red meat consumption? In other words, the more red meat you eat (especially processed red meat), the more likely you are to die young. So what is it about red meat that makes it so potentially harmful? Well, along with the high saturated fat content which can contribute to heart disease, charring red meat at high temperatures can produce carcinogens on the surface – and carcinogens cause cancer. The good news is that you don’t have to give up red meat entirely to cut the risk; just eat less of it.
I signed up for Chef Antonio Cerullo’s cooking class, The New Carnivore, at Choices Market, hoping to learn more about how to enjoy red meat as part of a (mostly) healthy diet.
Chef Antonio Cerullo, Choices Markets
The first recipe Chef Antonio demonstrated was Beef Salmonato; a riff on the classic Italian dish Vitello Tonnato. Instead of searing or grilling the beef, he chose to safeguard against carcinogens by simmering it in stock. Once the meat had chilled, he sliced it very thin and topped it with a heart-healthy salmon sauce.
Chef Antonio told us that he focuses entirely on taste without worrying about presentation. I’ve never heard a chef say that before. *
Next, he used some of the leftover stock to make a delicious soup.
The main course, Ginger and Tamari Marinated Rack of Lamb, highlighted several healthy cooking techniques. First, Chef Antonio marinated the racks of lamb overnight before he seared them over high heat. Studies have shown that the right marinade can reduce HCAs by as much as 96%. He also chose to load the marinade with powerful antioxidants - ginger, sesame oil, tamari soy sauce, lime juice, mint, and cilantro. These antioxidants help counteract any carbon that might form during cooking. Finally, he chose to cook with responsibly raised meat, Ovation Free Range New Zealand Lamb. For the healthiest option, look for terms like grass-fed-and-finished, certified organic, free range, certified humane, and natural on the package.
For dessert, Chef Antonio taught us how to make Bacon Rosemary Chocolate Fudge; a sweet and salty little slice of heaven. The crust is made from bacon, rice puffs and bacon fat. The top is a rosemary-scented ganache made with the standard 1:1 ratio of milk chocolate to whipping cream. The idea here is to use a small amount of intensely flavoured meat (like bacon, prosciutto, or pancetta) to deliver a huge hit of happiness.
The New Carnivores eat meat less often and in smaller portions, and are willing to spend more to get the best available. They also choose cooking methods that reduce carcinogens and deliver powerful antioxidants. Oh, and they don’t eat the sandwich Burger King describes as “the best threesome you’ve ever had”, the Triple Whopper®, for lunch.
* I confess I was really surprised to hear Chef Antonio say that as long as a dish tastes great, presentation doesn’t matter. What do you think? Do you agree?
Bacon Rosemary Chocolate Fudge
2013-03-27 00:05:02
Serves 12
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Ingredients
250 g bacon (all-natural if possible)
1-1/2 cups rice puffs
1-1/2 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons bacon fat
400 g milk chocolate
400 ml whipping cream
1 teaspoon fresh rosemary (chopped)
Instructions
Cook bacon on medium heat until crispy. Remove the bacon from the fat and place on a paper towel to cool. Reserve the bacon fat and keep warm (not hot).
Once bacon has fully cooled, place in a food processor and chop finely. Add in rice puffs and sugar and process on high until everything is well combined. Remove mixture from processor and place in a medium mixing bowl. Pour in the warm bacon fat and mix until well combined.
Preheat oven to 350 F. Line six 3-inch or one 8-inch cake ring cake molds with parchment paper. Divide bacon mixture between the rings and press down evenly. Bake for 20 minutes then remove from oven.
Place the chocolate and rosemary in a double boiler. When chocolate is completely melted, add whipping cream and stir until well blended. Divide chocolate mixture between the rings and spread evenly. Set overnight in the fridge.
Notes
Enjoy this treat simply as is or serve it with a side of custard or vanilla ice cream.
By Courtesy of Chef Antonio Cerullo
An Uneducated Palate http://anuneducatedpalate.com/
Choices Markets
1937 Harvey Avenue
Kelowna, British Columbia
Canada V1Y 6G5
The New Carnivore
Date: January 29, 2013
Cost: $25.00 CDN
Style: Demonstration, Dinner with Wine Pairing
Duration: 2 hours
Chef Instructor: Antonio Cerullo
Highlights: At only $25 per person, this class is a steal!
Registration fee includes an informative cooking demo, recipes,
generous portions of appetizer, soup, entrée, and dessert paired
with three exquisite wines from Summerhill Pyramid Organic Winery.
Improvement Opportunities: Add tables to the room setup so that
students don't need to juggle their plate, drink, utensils,
napkins, recipes, pen, purses, and in some instances, cameras all
in their laps.
“Good cooking is the foundation of true happiness.” ~ Auguste Escoffier
Last fall I went on an incredible 17-day adventure to Paris, and like most first-time visitors to the City of Light, I hit all the major attractions. I stood in line for hours to ride the elevator up to the second level of the Eiffel Tower, admired the spectacular view, and then took the stairs all the way back down. The famous women residing at the Louvre mesmerized me, the Venus de Milo and the Mona Lisa, and I was so overwhelmed by the museum’s vast collection that I went back again a few days later to spend more time there. I took a day-trip to Versailles where I marvelled at the excesses of Louis XIV and his Court. I made the pilgrimage to Notre Dame, Saint-Sulpice, Saint Eustache, Sacré Coeur, La Madeleine and Sainte-Chapelle where the spectacular stained glass windows left me dazzled. I smiled at the mimes in Montmartre before going to pay my respects at Jim Morrison’s grave and Napoleon’s tomb. I strolled along the banks of the Seine during the day, and at night I joined the throng of pedestrians parading down the Champs-Élysées. I climbed 284 steps to the top of the Arc de Triomphe, then gaped at the sight of the traffic below. I had never seen an aerial view of a traffic circle before, let alone one with eight-lanes, or one where the cars entering the roundabout have the right away – a scene I can only describe as complete chaos!
Notre Dame de Paris
I ate ice cream from Berthillon, falafel on Rue des Rosiers, macarons from Ladurée, and more pain au chocolate than I’d like to admit. I also ate the sweetest, juiciest slice of cantaloupe I’d ever tasted, directly from the knife blade of a burly vendor in the Bastille Market. But I didn’t have any of these things in mind when I booked my trip to Paris. All I could think about was indulging my fascination with the art of French culinary technique.
My first lesson took place at La Cuisine Paris where I got my feet wet learning how to cook duck confit from an English-speaking American chef. From there, I progressed to the venerable Le Cordon Bleu where I attended two wonderful culinary demonstrations, both taught by a French chef with full translation to English. In the first class at Le Cordon Bleu, we learned about pairing French food and wine, and in the second we learned how to use classic French culinary technique to transform seasonal market fresh food into an elegant feast. And finally, I graduated to the École Ritz Escoffier, the epitome of haute cuisine, for my last lesson.
Mural in the kitchen at the École Ritz Escoffier
The 4 hour culinary workshop took place on a Saturday afternoon in October, in the kitchens deep below the Hôtel Ritz Paris. Chef David Goulaze spoke only French as he guided the class through a menu of seasonal recipes. The chef’s assistant, Sophie, provided some translation but she had plenty of other responsibilities that kept her busy (setting the table, uncorking the wine, assisting Chef David) and she was often out of the kitchen. Even if she weren’t, it would have been impossible for her to translate verbatim since Chef David never stopped talking long enough to give her the chance. This wasn’t a problem for most of the students since the class was predominately French-speaking. Only myself and a young couple from London didn’t speak the language. If I were to take a guess, I would say that only about 20% of what the chef said was actually translated for the benefit of the English-speaking students.
We prepared the meal much like a kitchen brigade where each student assumed responsibility for certain tasks. Unbeknownst to me, the cutting board you positioned yourself behind at the beginning of the class determined which tasks you would inevitably be assigned. I had unwittingly volunteered for the role of garçon de cuisine (kitchen boy) when I chose to stand by a bowl of apples and a hotel pan filled with potatoes.
Having lived in the Okanagan Valley for the last twelve years, I was reasonably sure I knew my way around an apple, but I was wrong. Once I had removed the peel and sliced the apples in half, Chef David showed me how to use a cuillère Parisienne to spoon out the core. (In my life B.P.* I referred to this little tool as a melon baller.) The Parisienne spoon left a very small and tidy hole where the core had been.
I had also walked into the Ritz somewhat confident with my potato-peeling skills but Chef David still found a thing or two to teach me about spuds. In rapid-fire French, he explained how to trim the peeled potatoes into tournés. I didn’t understand a word he said but I watched spellbound as he carved a perfect barrel-shaped potato with seven sides and two evenly pointed ends. He demonstrated just once and then moved on to help the next student. Sophie explained that I should copy his potato so that all the vegetables were exactly the same size, ensuring even cooking while being aesthetically pleasing to the eye. It took me most of the afternoon to turn that pan of potatoes into little torpedoes.
While I whittled away, the students who had positioned themselves near the mushrooms focused on preparing the appetizer. At one point, we all stopped what we were doing to watch Chef David give a very lengthy lesson on the intricate folds and turns required to make puff pastry.
Chef David also demonstrated how to mince shallots…
And gave a lesson on butterflying Guinea Fowl breasts…
Déguste sur place (dine after cooking)…
Menu d’Automne
Tart with Wild Mushrooms, Goat Cheese and Walnuts
Stuffed Guinea Fowl with Yesteryear Vegetables
Roasted Apple with Prune Armagnac Ice Cream
Tart with Wild Mushrooms, Goat Cheese and Walnuts
We started off our Autumn feast with puff pastry tarts filled with a mixture of goat cheese, cream, eggs, chopped walnuts and nutmeg, topped with sautéed mushrooms, then baked until golden. We paired the tart with a teacup filled with creamy mushroom soup that the chef improvised from some of the leftover mushrooms. I imagine French children grow up eating this stuff, much like American kids eat canned tomato soup, but to me it tasted very French and very exotic. It was rich and satisfying beyond belief. I only wish the soup had actually been on the menu because then it would have also been included in the recipe booklet.
Stuffed Guinea Fowl and Yesteryear Vegetables
To make the main course, we prepared a farce of chicken meat, egg white, cream, brandy and finely chopped pistachios, and then used it to stuff butterflied Guinea Fowl breasts. Using a farce (also called forcemeat stuffing) is a classic French culinary technique where you basically stuff meat with meat (or in this case, poultry with poultry). Once stuffed, Chef browned the fowl in a sauté pan then braised it in ruby port, veal stock and aromatics.
The yesteryear vegetables fascinated me – a strange-looking collection of root vegetables including parsnip chervil, Jerusalem artichokes, Chinese artichokes, salsify and the more familiar carrots and potatoes – cooked using a method called blanc de cuisson, or white cooking. (If you look at the photo above at about 7:00 o’clock you can see my contribution to the dish, one of my ‘turned’ potatoes.)
Roasted Apple with Prune Armagnac Ice Cream
For dessert, we poached the apples I had prepped in simple syrup for about 5 minutes, then rolled them in warm honey and roasted them in the oven for another 8 minutes. We also made ice cream flavoured with Armagnac and dried prunes. Although this was a simple dessert, the taste was incredible! Back in the real world, I probably wouldn’t garnish each plate with an entire vanilla bean and a handmade chocolate, but on this day at least, we were dining at the Ritz!
After dinner, Chef David called each of us forward to present us with our Certificates. It was the only time in my life I’d heard my given name pronounced with three syllables, and I loved it!
My Saturday at the Ritz was as much a cultural experience as it was a culinary one. Julia Child once said that “in France, cooking is a serious art form and a national sport”, and that was certainly the case with this group. Every time Chef David asked for a volunteer, people clamoured over each other for the opportunity. When it came to cooking, there wasn’t a timid soul in the entire class. The students approached their tasks with confidence and seemed to feed off of the Chef’s exuberance, creating an atmosphere that was energetic and at times even a little chaotic. I was most surprised when we sat down to eat, and dinner genuinely felt like a family affair. Everyone ate with great gusto while they carried on animated conversations peppered with plenty of laughter. My dinner companions passed the bread basket often and kept my wine glass filled throughout the meal.
“Food is our common ground, a universal experience.” ~ James Beard
There were times during the day that I felt like I was in over my head, but that had more to do with my inability to understand French than my lack of culinary skill. I probably wouldn’t recommend this class to beginners and I would also hesitate to recommend it to anyone who doesn’t speak the language, but knowing now what I didn’t know then, would I do it again? Absolutely!
*B.P. = BEFORE PARIS
The Ritz Escoffier School of French Gastronomy
15, Place Vendôme
75001 Paris
Samedi Du Ritz ~ Menu d'Automne
Date: October 8, 2011
Cost: 150.00 €
Style: Déguste sur place (Dine after cooking)
Duration: 4 hours
Chef Instructor: David Goulaze
Highlights: The best meal I have ever eaten. Period.
Improvement Opportunities: I wish they would get rid of the music on
their website. If you visit their homepage with your speakers up,
don't say I didn't warn you.
So, an American expat walks into a Canadian winery where a German chef is teaching Italian cooking …
That might sound like the setup for one of those dreadful “a guy walks into a bar” jokes but it’s actually a true story, and a delectable one at that.
Earlier this Spring I attended a culinary workshop at Mission Hill Family Estate led by the always affable Chef Jan Dobbener. From Tuna Carpaccio to Polenta Cherry Cake, Chef Jan led us through a spectacular five-course meal that showcased the very best of regional Italian cooking. I didn’t think it was possible for him to surpass the wonderful recipes he demonstrated in his first Italian-themed workshop from the Winter program, La Cucina Italiana, but I was wrong.
Our Day in Italy started off with an appetizing plate of Tuna Carpaccio done two ways. First, Chef Jan demonstrated how to make aioli from egg yolks, mustard, lemon juice, grape seed oil and a whole bulb of roasted garlic. He taught us to start with a cold bowl when making aioli since it will help with the emulsification process. Once he made the aioli, he used a brush to paint a slash of it across the plate then sliced Albacore tuna very thin and arranged it over the aioli. Although the recipe called for raw tuna, he chose to use slices of raw tuna on one side of the plate and smoked tuna on the other. He then garnished the dish with toasted pine nuts, capers, lemon, arugula, shaved parmesan, celery hearts, fennel fronds, and a light dusting of fennel pollen. I enjoyed the smoked tuna more than the raw but both were delicious. After tasting this dish, I had no trouble picturing myself enjoying a chilled plate of Tuna Carpaccio on a sunny terrace in the Mediterranean.
The second recipe Chef Jan demonstrated was a hearty White Bean Soup – a tasty combination of white beans, Italian sausage, onion, carrot, leek, fennel, garlic, fennel seeds, coriander seeds, and chicken stock. He also cracked open his precious supply of saffron and added just a few threads. By weight, saffron actually costs more than gold!
For me, one of the essential components of a successful culinary workshop (especially a demonstration style workshop) is the reproducibility of the recipes. It doesn’t do me much good to learn how to make a dish that requires professional equipment or uses ingredients that aren’t readily available to the home cook (like demi-glacé). I’m happy to say that this recipe definitely passed the test! I’ve made it at home twice now – once almost exactly as written (but omitting the saffron), and the second time with turkey sausage, diced zucchini and a can of crushed tomatoes. Both versions made for a delicious, healthy, satisfying meal.
The next recipe Chef Jan demonstrated was Truffled Potato Gnocchi. This was, hands-down, the best dish of the night; comfort food taken up a notch; way up. Chef instructed us to start by baking Yukon Gold potatoes on a baking sheet that’s been sprinkled with salt. To make the gnocchi, you need a dry, fluffy potato and the salt on the tray helps to draw out some of the moisture. Cook the potatoes until they are very soft then remove them from the oven, cut them in half and leave the skins on. While the potatoes are still hot, push them through a tamis (the skins will stay behind). Wear a rubber glove to make the hot potatoes easier to handle. You could also mash them using a ricer or food mill. Add egg yolks to the mashed potatoes, then add flour, corn starch, salt, and nutmeg. Be careful not to over-mix. Flour the board lightly (as if you were feeding chickens). Place the potato mixture on the board and roll it out into long snake-like portions. Start in the middle and roll outwards. Cut into pieces, about one inch in length. Blanch the gnocchi in boiling water until they start to float. Place on a well oiled tray, then put them in the fridge to cool down. Fry them in butter and oil until golden brown. Pour off any excess butter and oil, then add heavy cream. Serve with chopped chives, truffle oil, and if you can get your hands on one, fresh summer truffle.
Once we had finished swooning over the gnocchi, Chef Jan invited us into the kitchen to have a look around.
You too can have a stove like this beauty – for a mere $100,000!
Oh my. Did we really drink all that?
After the break, we learned how to make Chicken Puttanesca – tender chicken thighs smothered in a classic spicy, tangy sauce. Along with the chicken, Chef Jan demonstrated how to make olive tapenade and shaved fennel salad. Did you know that puttanesca comes from the phrase “like a prostitute”? Presumably because its quick and easy.
Last but not least, we learned how to make a Polenta Cherry Cake with Mascarpone frosting, toasted pistachios and Oculus cherries, served with a side of preserved lemon sorbet. I bet you’re wondering where the photo is. Well, I suppose I should apologize. In my haste to taste, I completely forgot to take a picture. My bad…
“I did something bad, and I recognize that I did something bad, but there is nothing that can be done for it now, and there is technically no reason to apologize for that error, so let’s just assume that I won’t do it again, get over it, and move on with our lives.”
So yes, I forgot to take a picture of this divine dessert. And if you’re paying attention, you might have noticed that the same thing happened with the Tuna Carpaccio. My bad…
I hope Chef Jan is hard at work writing recipes for La Cucina Italiana III because this American expat just can’t seem to get enough of the tasty Italian cuisine this German chef delivers.
Mission Hill Family Estate
1730 Mission Hill Road
West Kelowna, Okanagan Valley
British Columbia, Canada V4T 2E4
The Dynamics of Wine and Food
Culinary Classics - Spring Program ~ La Cucina Italiana II
Date: March 15, 2012
Cost: $79.00 CDN
Style: Demonstration, Dinner with Wine Pairing
Duration: 3 hours
Chef Instructor: Jan Dobbener
Highlights: The Truffled Potato Gnocchi
Improvement Opportunities: A seating plan that is more friendly
to solo participants. If there are an odd number of people in the
class, the extra place is always set in the last row. Twice now
I've been asked to move to the back of the room so that couples
that arrived later could sit together.
I’ve never eaten in an Indian food restaurant and, unless you count the time I impulsively tossed a handful of currants and a sprinkle of curry powder into my chicken salad, I’ve never cooked Indian food.
I’m happy to say that after attending a cooking class at Poppadoms restaurant over the weekend, both of these statements are no longer true.
The Dosanj family emigrated from Britain to Canada in 2008 and, although no one in the family had any formal culinary training or restaurant industry experience, they decided to open Poppadoms, an Indian food restaurant, in their new hometown of Kelowna, B.C. Risky business, to say the least! According to Canadian Labour Congress President Ken Georgetti, “only 10% of new restaurants survive past their first year of operation. It’s a brutal business and despite the hopes and dreams of chefs, disaster awaits for 9 out of 10″. The odds were certainly stacked against them.
Fortunately, Poppadoms beat the odds and did more than just survive past its first year. It thrived! In 2011, the Kelowna Chamber of Commerce honoured it with the Business Excellence Rising Star award and just recently, Okanagan Life Magazine named it one of the healthiest places to eat in the Okanagan.
Indian food and healthy eating were two terms I hadn’t previously associated with each other. Now I know better. Poppadoms puts a healthy spin on traditional Indian food by using less salt, less oil, no ghee and, with the exception of the Butter Chicken, no butter. Their curries are sugar-free and 80 – 90% of the ingredients they use in their kitchen they source locally. They offer plenty of gluten-free and vegan options on the menu, and they even make their own yogurt and cheese.
Poppadoms imports all of their spices from India, then toasts and grinds them in-house. A few interesting notes about the spices used in Indian cooking…
Turmeric is known for its antiseptic properties. It can be applied to cuts and scrapes to speed healing, or added to a glass of warm milk to ease internal ailments. It’s the spice that gives so many Indian dishes their distinct mustard-yellow colour.
Because of their antibacterial and antioxidant properties, the spices in curry can actually help you recover more quickly from a cold or flu.
Garam masala isn’t a single spice. It’s a warm, aromatic blend of spices like cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, cumin, coriander, fennel, mace, black peppercorns and fenugreek seeds.
Red Chili is the only spice used in curry that actually delivers a kick of heat, and a little goes a long way. For a mild curry, use just ¼ tsp of red chilli (per four servings of curry). For medium heat, use ½ tsp and for a curry with some serious kick, use 1 full tsp of red chilli powder.
Jas Dosanj showed the class how to cook three different healthy Indian dishes.
First she showed us how to make Bombay Aloo, a dish that reminded me of a warm and spicy version of potato salad (pictured above). Jas also demonstrated how to make Punjabi Chicken Curry and Yellow Daal.
After the demonstration, the students each tried their hand at making roti – a light, whole wheat flatbread, very similar to a flour tortilla. The roti dough is made from flour, water and a drop of vegetable oil, then shaped into rounds. Within seconds of placing the rounds on the hot pan, the edges start to turn a light golden brown.
Once the edges start to brown, flip the roti over and watch as it begins to bubble up.
Once it starts bubbling, flip it again and watch it puff up like a pillow!
Lunch is served. Clockwise from top right – Punjabi Chicken Curry, Bombay Aloo, Basmati Rice, Roti and Yellow Daal.
After lunch, Jas invited the class into the kitchen to see the tandoor oven they use to bake naan and roast meat. In India, you can spot the men who bake the naan by their hairless forearms.
Cooking demonstrations at Poppadoms take place once a month and sell out fast. As of today, they are booking for July. These classes offer a great introduction to an ethnic cuisine known for its rich aromas and strong flavours. They’re also a lot of fun!
Note: Recipe cards aren’t given out until the end of the class, so bring a notepad and pen if you’d like to take notes during the demonstration.
Poppadoms Taste India!
118 - 948 McCurdy Road
Kelowna, Okanagan Valley
British Columbia, Canada V1X 2P7
Date: April 22, 2012
Cost: $65.00 CAD
Style: Demonstration, Make-Your-Own Roti, Lunch
Duration: 2½ hours
Instructor: Jas Dosanj
Highlights: Simple recipes perfect for someone like me who is new
to cooking East Indian food.
Improvement Opportunities: I wish the demonstration had included a
dessert so I would know the perfect way to end this meal when I
make it at home.
Whenever I’ve gone to Las Vegas I’ve made it a point to see at least one show. My favourites are the big Broadway-style musicals like Phantom, Spamalot, and The Lion King. I’ve also seen a few Cirque de Soleil shows and with the exception of the dreadful Criss Angel/Cirque de Soleil production Believe, I’ve enjoyed them all. I usually shy away from the headliners though since I’ve learned there is a strong correlation between my enjoyment and the proximity of my seat to the stage. Seeing Cher from the First Mezzanine at the Colosseum was not nearly as thrilling as seeing Elton John from a second row aisle seat in the Orchestra, despite the fact that my love for the first diva far outweighs my fondness for the second. But the best seats come at a steep price. As of today’s date, a single Elton John ticket in the Orchestra will cost you $527.50 USD.
On my last trip to Sin City, and with the variety of things to do in Las Vegas, I decided to spend my entertainment dollars a little differently. I used the money I would normally spend on a show to go to a cooking class. My first choice was one of the seasonal French Classics classes held at Mon Ami Gabi, but they are only offered four times a year (with nothing in February). That left me with my second choice – a MasterChef cooking class taught at Le Cordon Bleu Las Vegas. Although both places teach French cooking, Mon Ami Gabi is located center-strip at Paris Las Vegas while Le Cordon Bleu is out in the suburbs, about 15 miles off the Strip. If you’re thinking of attending one of their classes and you’ll be staying on the Strip without a vehicle (like I was), you should plan on spending about $45.00 each direction for a taxi.
The class I attended was part of Le Cordon Bleu’s Foundation series designed to teach the basic fundamentals of cooking. In classic French cooking technique, there are seven standard cooking methods that are universally recognized:
Rôtir ~ to roast
Griller ~ to grill
Poêler ~ to pan roast
Sauter ~ to pan-fry, sauté
Braiser ~ to braise
Frire ~ to deep-fry
Pocher ~ to poach
It was Chef Caroline Kelliher’s task to teach my class the last of these methods – the art of poaching.
The iconic Auguste Escoffier defined poaching as “boiled without boiling”, and according to the Le Cordon Bleu Cuisine Foundations textbook, the term “refers to gentle, slow cooking that requires the piece to be completely covered by a hot liquid”. Chef Caroline explained that when poaching delicate foods, it’s critical to keep the liquid just below the boiling point. It shouldn’t be boiling, simmering, or rolling and no bubbles should break the surface.
This was a hands-on class with each student having their own workstation and their own range. Chef Caroline would demonstrate a recipe and then we would go back to our stations and recreate it.
(I feel compelled to warn you now that I was far too busy cooking to worry about composing my photos, or my plates.)
The first lesson Chef Caroline gave was how to poach an egg. She demonstrated how to bring the water to just below the boiling point, crack a fresh room-temperature egg into a custard cup and slide it ever so gently into the water, then let it sit undisturbed until the centre no longer wobbled when she tilted the pot (about 2 minutes). It looked simple enough but, to my utter mortification, I managed to botch it. My egg stuck to the bottom of the pan.
There are a lot of different opinions on how to poach an egg. According to Bon Appétit and Chef Eli Kaimeh, the perfect poach starts off by putting the raw egg in vinegar to tighten up the white, then stirring a pot of boiling water to create a whirlpool, sliding the egg into the vortex, and allowing it to simmer for exactly two minutes. In Cooking Light’s Way to Cook (not to be confused with Julia Child’s magnum opus The Way to Cook), instructions for poaching an egg say to break it into a custard cup coated with cooking spray then place the custard cup in a pan of simmering water, cover the pan and let it cook for 6 minutes. This method sounds a lot more like steaming than poaching since the egg never actually comes in contact with the water. Even within the Le Cordon Bleu organization there are some differences of opinion. The Le Cordon Bleu Foundations textbook instructions differ from Chef Caroline’s where they include steps to add vinegar and salt to the water before adding the egg.
We moved on from poaching eggs to poaching seafood.
Not only did each student have their own workstation and range, we also had a brigade of kitchen assistants at our disposal. A half-dozen career-path culinary students had volunteered to come in on a Saturday morning and help us out. They had gathered the mise en place for each workstation, lent a hand where ever it was needed, and took care of all the cleanup. They also prepared some of the sauces and sides that accompanied the poached seafood. I really liked having them there. We enjoyed an easy camaraderie that had me imagining for just a few hours I was one of them, an honest-to-goodness full-time culinarian.
Before we could actually poach the seafood, we had to make the poaching liquids. From left to right: court bouillon for the salmon, a combination of water, lemon juice, onion, pickling spice and salt for the shrimp, and fumet for the sole.
Once the poaching liquids were simmering, we prepped the salmon, removing the skin and slicing it into 5 ounce portions.
Salmon poaching in court bouillon – notice how still the liquid is.
Poached salmon with rémoulade sauce, poached shrimp and rice pilaf.
The last dish we made was Poached Sole Vin Blanc – delicate paupiettes of seasoned sole poached in white wine and fumet, served with a cream sauce made from the poaching liquid.
I learned more in this class than in any other hands-on culinary workshop I’ve ever been to, primarily because I had my stove and my workstation (no sharing), and I cooked each recipe from start to finish. In other hands-on cooking classes I’ve attended, each student was responsible for just one dish on the menu and had no part in the rest of the recipes. I’ve also attended classes where people were assigned a single task, and the group then worked in an assembly line style. Last fall, I paid €150.00 to learn to cook at the École Ritz Escoffier in Paris. Imagine how disappointed I was to be given the jobs of peeling potatoes, and peeling and coring apples – two tasks I already had a pretty firm handle on.
The class format was one reason I learned so much in this class. The other was Chef Caroline. I just adored her! She was warm, genuine and an absolute pleasure to learn from. When she found out I had taken a taxi from the Strip out to the campus, she was so delighted she actually hugged me! There were only three other students in the class (all Las Vegas residents) so we received plenty of personal attention. The entire atmosphere was relaxed and friendly and I wouldn’t hesitate to go again the next time I’m in town. Having said that, I do have a few minor quibbles with the marketing and the administrative side of things.
First, I didn’t understand the relationship between the TV show MasterChef and this particular cooking class. According to Le Cordon Bleu’s website, these classes “bring together two culinary heavyweights – Le Cordon Bleu culinary schools and global reality TV hit MasterChef. If you’ve caught the show on Fox, then you’ve seen the contestants bake, roast and fry. If you want to turn up the heat on your passion and cook like a champion, now’s your chance to raise your game.” I’ve seen the show but I just didn’t get the connection.
Second, the website said that “along with a half-day of fun and trade secrets, you’ll receive an apron and a certificate of completion.” They even show photos of past students wearing custom aprons with the MasterChef logo across the chest. No one in my class received a MasterChef apron.
My third (and last) gripe is that my last name was spelled incorrectly on my Certificate of Completion. There’s not much chance I’ll be framing my little diploma when it says:
Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts
Las Vegas, Nevada
Hereby Acknowledges
Laura GOTER
with a Certificate of Participation in the
MasterChef Cooking Class, taught by Le Cordon Bleu Chefs
Culinary 101: Seafood Delicate Poaching
So, did I regret choosing a cooking class over a Las Vegas show? Well, I can’t really answer that question. Two days before my trip, I received an offer in the mail from the MLife players club that included two complimentary VIP tickets to the Cirque de Soleil show Viva Elvis!
Sometimes things just have a funny way of working out.
“Chase down your passion like it’s the last bus of the night.”
Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts
1451 Center Crossing Rd
Las Vegas, Nevada
USA 89144
MasterChef Cooking Classes
Culinary 101 - Seafood: Delicate Poaching Techniques
Date: February 25, 2012
Cost: $99.00 USD
Style: Hands On
Duration: 3 hours
Chef Instructor: Caroline Kelliher
Highlights: Small class with plenty of personal attention
Improvement Opportunities: Distance from the strip is a big
drawback for the tourist crowd. Partnering with one of the strip
hotels would be a smart move. (A partnership with Paris Las Vegas seems like a no-brainer.)
During her lifetime, Julia Child starred in thirteen different television series, authored seventeen cookbooks and painstakingly developed thousands of recipes. In fact, in just a single cookbook (the hugely successful Mastering the Art of French Cooking: Vol.1), there are 524 recipes! What a daunting task it must have been then for Mission Hill Family Estate Executive Winery Chef Matthew Batey to select just five recipes to represent The Best of Julia Child but last month he did just that and, with some help from Terrace Restaurant Chef Chris Stewart, presented a wonderful tribute to one of the world’s most beloved chefs.
Chef Matthew Batey giving a cooking demonstration at Mission Hill Family Estate in 2012.
Selecting just five of Julia’s recipes to present during the workshop wasn’t the only challenge Chef Batey faced. He also had the difficult task of staying true to the original recipe while still putting a bit of his own culinary magic on the plate.
The first dish Chef demonstrated was the classic fish soup Bouillabaisse. He started by preparing a traditional Provençal soup base but deviated just a bit by adding a healthy cupful of Mission Hill Family Estate Sauvignon Blanc (remember Mission Hill is a winery first). He also omitted the black pepper. Chef Batey explained that he doesn’t cook with black pepper very often since it tends to have a negative effect on the taste of the wines – especially the reds. Once the base was ready, he added clams and mussels to the pot to cook, then spooned raw tuna and scallops into each serving bowl. I admit this made me a little nervous but I need not have worried. The delicate seafood was actually cooked to perfection when Chef Batey ladled the boiling hot broth into the bowl. He finished the dish with croutons, chopped parsley and a generous drizzle of citrus olive oil. The flavour was very light, bright and, well, citrus-y.
The second dish Chef Batey demonstrated was a Mushroom Crêpe with Sauce Mornay, following Julia’s master crêpe recipe. He shared a few tips for making crêpes:
Always let the batter rest for about an hour in the refrigerator before cooking the crêpes.
The first few crêpes are for the garbage bin.
Flip the crêpes with your fingertips, gently and slowly, lifting them up bit by bit.
Once cooked, he filled the crêpes with a luscious mushroom duxelle, smothered them in a rich and creamy Mornay sauce and then put them in the oven to gratinée. This was my favourite dish of the evening. I wanted to pick up my plate and lick all that cheesy goodness off of it, but I managed to restrain myself.
Next up was a dish I’d been dreading – Timbale of Spinach and Chicken Liver, or as Chef Batey called it - Pâté 101. A timbale is a moulded custard. It’s also a shape, similar to a thimble or a shot glass. Chef Batey was true to Julia’s Chicken Liver Timbale recipe only altering it by adding some spinach, but his plating was a different story. By garnishing the timbale with paper-thin, Pinot noir-pickled beets, reducing the pickling liquid to create a thick glaze, and adding a quenelle of beet sorbet, he took an otherwise old-fashioned stodgy dish and turned it into a modern masterpiece.
I really didn’t expect to like the timbale, especially after seeing the chicken livers soaking in milk that had turned a very suspicious looking pink, but I kept an open mind. The pâté was creamy and rich and very tasty spread on the toasted brioche, and the beet sorbet was a culinary revelation.
The fourth dish that Chef Batey demonstrated was Roasted Goose with Apple Stuffing. Let me start by saying cooking a goose is no small task. First you need to make the prune and apple stuffing. Next, you peel and cut onion, celery, carrots and apples and layer them in the bottom of a roasting tray. Then wash, trim, season, stuff and truss the bird (and be sure to save the goose fat that you remove from inside the neck so you can use it to make delicious goose fat potatoes). Place the bird on top of the veggies in the roasting tray and put it in the oven. Cooking time for a 10 to 12 pound bird is about 4 ½ hours. During that time, you’ll need to adjust the cooking temperature several times and baste the goose with its own fat. In the meantime, you’ll need to make a stock for the gravy. Once the goose comes out of the oven, let it rest for half an hour while you use the stock to make the sauce. Remove the stuffing, carve the goose and serve.
Frankly, I didn’t enjoy this dish enough to make me want to try it at home. The crispy skin was delicious, as was the applesauce-thickened gravy, but the bird itself was just not that special. The beautiful pelican plates that Chef Batey chose to serve the goose, however, were absolutely gorgeous!
The last dish of the night was Cold Pumpkin Soufflé, a light fluffy cloud of a dessert flavoured with pumpkin, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, dark rum, vanilla extract and ginger marmalade, and topped with a fan of preserved pear slices. Chef Batey shared some general pointers for making a great soufflé:
Butter and flour the ramekins then put them in the refrigerator for 10 minutes to let the butter firm up.
Fill the ramekins with the soufflé batter then run your thumb around the inside edge to help the soufflé rise.
For a cold soufflé, make a collar out of parchment paper then over-fill the ramekins to mimic the rise of a classic baked soufflé.
The pumpkin soufflé paired with a 2009 Reserve Vidal Icewine was the perfect end to an enchanting evening. Chef Batey struck just the right balance between Julia Child’s classic French cooking and his own fresh, modern cuisine. Throughout the night he displayed an obvious affection and respect for this magnificent woman as he educated, entertained, and fed some of her biggest fans.
“Until I discovered cooking, I was never really interested in anything.” ~Julia Child
I couldn’t have said it better myself Julia.
Mission Hill Family Estate
1730 Mission Hill Road
West Kelowna, Okanagan Valley
British Columbia, Canada V4T 2E4
The Dynamics of Wine and Food
Culinary Classics - Winter Program ~ The Best of Julia Child
Date: February 7, 2012
Cost: $79.00 CDN
Style: Demonstration, Dinner with Wine Pairing
Duration: 3 hours
Chef Instructor: Matthew Batey (assisted by Chris Stewart)
Highlights: Seeing how skillfully Chef Batey combined classic
technique with contemporary presentation.
†DISCLOSURE: This post includes Amazon affiliate links and I receive a tiny commission on any sales they may generate.
The New Carnivores eat meat less often and in smaller portions, and are willing to spend more to get the best available. They also choose cooking methods that reduce carcinogens and deliver powerful antioxidants. Oh, and they don’t eat the sandwich 
