Cooking Fundamentals

Week One - Knife Skills: In our first lesson, learn to use cutlery safely and properly as the chef leads you through practice using a variety of vegetables and fruits. The lesson teaches how to sharpen and maintain your knives along with techniques for cutting, slicing and chopping. Each student will practice with a chef knife and paring knife. We will finish the lesson by cooking an Orzo Vegetable Salad with Chicken using the produce we chopped.

If you want to learn some of the basics of cooking, this series is for you. This 6- week course introduces cooking principles, methods and procedures to anyone wanting to be able to cook for themselves. Each lesson begins with a lecture and an overview of the recipes to be prepared. Next students are invited into the kitchen for the hands-on portion of the lesson. When the cooking is finished students have a meal of the food prepared. Please see each class description by date, Lessons by week are: Week One (Apr. 7) - Knife Skills, Week Two (Apr. 14) - Appetizers, Week Three (Apr. 21) - Sauté, Pan Fry and Roasting, Week Four (Apr. 28) - Fish Cookery, Week Five (May 5) - Grilling, Week Six (May 12) - Desserts

Week-Two: Appetizers In the second lesson of our series, the class will learn about appetizers – how to plan a menu, determine how much to prepare for any size group and cook a menu using a delicious assortment of foods. The lesson is Dirty Martini Deviled Eggs; Pissaladière Tartlets (flaky Puff pastry rounds topped with Caramelized Onions, Olives, and Thyme); Bruschetta with whipped Feta and Roasted Peppers; Boursin Mushroom Puffs (sautéed Mushrooms and Onions mixed with Garlic and Herb Boursin Cheese and wrapped into little Puff Pastry bites); Cóctel de Camarón (Mexican Shrimp Cocktail); easy Salmon Cakes with homemade Tartar Sauce, and Asian Meatballs with Korean Cilantro Sauce.

Week Three: Meats In the third lesson of our series, the class will learn about cooking Meats – including the methods to roast, sauté and pan-fry. Students will learn about timing, temperatures and flavorings for each recipe. Join us to cook Roasted Pork Tenderloin with dried Cherry-Port Sauce (Seared Pork and oven-roasted with an easy Pan Sauce); Sautéed Chicken and Green Beans with Lemon and Thyme; Balsamic Steak with Roasted Tomato Salad; Mustard-Roasted Fish (Roasted Red Snapper or Rockfish seasoned with a Sauce of Crème Fraiche, Dijon Mustard, Whole-grain Mustard, minced Shallots, and Capers); Spanish-Style Garlic Shrimp; Cheddar and Scallion Mashed Potato Cakes, and Sautéed Mushrooms with Garlic, Parmesan, and Breadcrumbs.

Week Four – Fish: The fourth lesson in this series introduces Fish cookery. In this class you will learn about the qualities of each Fish, the best cooking methods, timing, temperature and an accompaniment best suited for each Fish. Come for a great lesson to prepare Baked Salmon with Lemon Thyme (Salmon fillets baked with a Parmesan, Lemon and Thyme Bread topping); French-style Shrimp Salad (Sautéed Shrimp with Green Beans, Red Bell Pepper, Artichoke Hearts, & Olives in a Lemon-Tarragon Vinaigrette); Sautéed Flounder and Roasted Tomatoes (Mild White Fish with a fresh Herb and Panko crust served with roasted Tomatoes and Capers); Butter-basted Fish Fillets with Garlic and Thyme; Mediterranean Fish (Mild White Fish fillets cooked in a broth of diced Tomatoes, Capers, White Wine, Oregano, Basil, & Parsley); Mahi Mahi with Bacon-Tomato Butter, and Butter-Poached Shrimp with Dill Mayonnaise.

Week Five – Grilling: In the fifth lesson of this series, you will learn about Grilling. This lesson teaches about the advantages of high heat cooking, timing, and placement of food on the grill. Cooking preparations include Marinades, Rubs and Sauces. You should become comfortable using your grill cooking a variety of foods. Come have fun and learn to grill Portobello Mushroom Bruschetta; Chicken Kebabs; Shrimp Skewers with Lemon-Garlic Sauce; Pork Medallions with Rosemary and Red Wine Vinegar; Sweet and Saucy Salmon with Orange-Sesame Glaze; Strip Steaks with Argentinian Chimichurri Sauce, and Cabbage Wedges. (See April 7 for information on the series.)

Week Six – Baking: In the sixth and final class of the series, we saved the sweetest part for last - Baking. In this lesson you will learn about measuring, baking techniques and methods, baking temperatures and timing. Come for a great class & add baking to your knowledge of cooking. Our lessons will be Dried Cherry Scones; The Best Easy Chocolate Cake; Lemon Olive Oil Cake; Potato Biscuits with Chives; Cast Iron Beer-Batter Cheese Bread; Banana Chocolate Bread, and Orange-Cranberry Soda Bread with White Chocolate Chunks. (See April 7 for information on the series.)