This week at L’Academie de Cuisine, our class was all about potatoes. We made: Potatoes Gratin Dauphinois – amazing potatoes gratin from the Dauphinois region of France. Made with lots of cream and cheese (basically a swimming pool of creamy cheese). Made with higher starch potatoes such as Russet or Idaho. Baked until brown on … Continue reading
Maybe it is the warm weather around here, or all of this rich French food; but something has had me craving food that is a little lighter. I like to make a salad at the beginning of the week, to have around for a quick healthy lunch when things get busy. This millet salad is … Continue reading
One of the grains we prepared in cooking class at L’Academie de Cuisine last week was quinoa. Quinoa comes to us from South America, and was referred to as the “mother grain” by the Incans who used it as their main source of sustenance. Quinoa is loaded with manganese, magnesium, folate, phosphorus, tryptophan, and protein. As … Continue reading
One of the dishes we learned in our grains cooking class this week was Polenta. As “research”, I ordered the Creamy Mascarpone Polenta at Ozzie’s, Friday night. It was delicious, and makes me want to try making something similar such as Mario Batali’s Polenta con Mascarpone recipe. Polenta is made of ground corn. At the market you may be … Continue reading
This week in cooking class, one of the recipes we made was risotto. I was immediately excited about this one, because I love risotto, and I have many family members who do as well. Risotto is made with special rice- usually Arborio or Carnaroli rice from Italy, which have a high starch content and help … Continue reading
This was week 5 of my cooking classes at L’Academie de Cuisine. I can’t believe five weeks have gone by already! I am loving every minute of this class, and I am really trying to make the most of what I am learning, by practicing as many of the dishes we discuss in class as … Continue reading
Today, I attempted to try my own version of the Caesar Salad we learned in last week’s cooking class at L’Academie de Cuisine. I picked up some Baby Romaine Lettuce at the store over the weekend for my salad. In class we used the traditional heads of Romaine, but when I was shopping for my … Continue reading
I am labeling these post-cooking reviews as “Lessons Learned”, after a sweet gift my cousin Katherine gave my husband when I started my cooking classes. She gave him two of these personalized containers so he could take my cooking school homework to work for lunch. As planned, I made Vegetable Tempura on Friday night for … Continue reading
This weekend, I am hoping to try out two recipes from cooking class this week: Vegetable Tempura and Caesar Salad with Parmesan Lollipops. To accompany the Vegetable Tempura, I’ll be making Slow Roasted Salmon, Alton Brown’s Oven Baked Brown Rice (this is the easiest and most delicious way to cook brown rice, in my opinion), … Continue reading
Class #4 at L’Academie de Cuisine was probably the shortest class so far, but definitely not lacking in deliciousness. Our focus this time was on “Greens and Mushrooms”. We started with a demonstration of Watercress Tempura (or “Vegetable Funnel Cakes” according to Chef Brian). When frying, it is important to use an oil with a high … Continue reading
Cupful of Spoons 