Fun in Class

My recent cooking classes have all been a lot of fun. So much fun in fact, that I can’t help but think about culinary school as a future option. It’s really enjoybale learning more about something I like. Cooking class never seems tedious (unlike several college classes I’ve taken) and can be incredibly eye opening at times. It’s always fun and interesting to me to be introduced to new ways of manipulating many of the foods we think we are so familiar with, and finding combinations that are both comforting and brand new at the same time.

I took a class on “steak and eggs” this past Saturday with the Ideas in Food team and really had an amazing time. Not only was it a very small class (only four people) but it was very hands on. We also were exposed to a lot of different techniques that we normally wouldn’t be able to employ in our home kitchens. While a lot of amateur classes taken through cooking schools are for people who might be interested in cooking and would like to have some recipes, this class was more about exchanging ideas and inspiring the students to be able to create on their own. It was really a treat.

For more on the cooking class, including pictures, please click HERE (Please click on the link.) They also provide a run down of everything we cooked and ate during the class. By the time I headed back to Manhattan I was so happy and full that I passed out on the train for the first time since High School. The pork and apples is as good as it looks in the picture. I look forward to the pasta class I’m taking with them next month.

Cooking Classes

As I continue to toy with the idea of trying to find a food related job, I have been trying to expand my food world knowledge by reading, dining out and taking classes. I haven’t taken too many classes yet but there was the Masters in French cooking class over the summer and most recently, my class on how to roast suckling pig.

Last Friday I went to the Inn on West 23rd to take a 4 hour course on Roasting suckling pig and cooking some of the traditional suckling pig meal accompaniments. The class was fun but I wish I would have been able to be a bit more hands on with the pig. Time constraints mean that the instructor pretty much dealt with the pig (which seems fairly easy) while the students prepared the sides. This was, however, the first time that I’ve been able to experience the joy of suckling pig in its whole form, and yes, the head was still attached (it’s a good think too.) I managed to try suckling pig trotter, cheek, rib, loin, ear, tongue and brain. My favorite part was actually the tongue, it was incredibly tender, piggy and flavorful and once it’s cut out of the mouth, you kind of forget that you’re eating a tongue!

Anyway, I’m taking a class next Saturday taught by the Ideas in Food tandem on “steak and eggs” in which we will investigate and prepare steak and eggs in various forms. If it’s anything like what their pig and apple class looked like I’m in for a treat. (Click on link for something bizarrely awesome.)


In relation to yesterday’s post, here is a meal composed of ingredients solely from the farmers market:


It’s Mako on top of cranberry beans with bacon and sage in a spicy tomato broth. Simple and delicious and I have enough left over for lunch tomorrow.


On a final note…The 2008 Michelin guide to New York was released. You can see the starred restaurants here. The starrings seem to be completely arbitrary (almost as if the Michelin people skipped half of the restaurants in New York) and are not to be trusted. I have no idea how accurate Michelin is in Europe but their New York guide is of no use to me at all.

Time to get going again

I have been in a creative rut for the last couple of weeks. Every time I tried to cook something new not only was my end product something I was unhappy with, but I also felt like my food was completely unoriginal and somewhat boring. Every time I tried to write I felt like my sentences didn’t make sense and that there was something more purposeful that I should be doing. Essentially I was feeling restless and frustrated and needed something to get the creative juices flowing again.

Lucky for me, I was fortunate enough to be invited to Alex and Aki’s (of IDEAS IN FOOD) house for dinner this past Friday. Not only was the meal (menu here) incredibly enjoyable and inspiring, but I found that their kindness and their enthusiasm for food helped me to re-focus. Sometimes the proper motivation is attained simply by being around people who have accomplished more than you (in whatever creative outlet you choose) whom you respect, to get you kick started again.


The dinner on Friday helped motivate me to cook for 6 guests on Saturday night and to play around a little and create a new dish which I’ll post tomorrow (maple marinated flounder baked in a brioche crust with apples, berries and a bacon-sage vinaigrette) on Sunday.

Before I finish up I’d also like to credit Alex and Aki for reintroducing me to pop rocks, something that until recently I didn’t know how much I missed. We were served a ‘sparkling’ salt with pop rocks that gave the beet dish it was paired with a magnificent and incredibly different texture. We were also served parts of a candy bar that was made of crushed butterfingers, crushed butter cookies and pop rocks. The candy bar was one of the most amazing and memorable things I’ve tasted in a while and I really can’t stop thinking about it. The best part about eating the pop rocks was that there was nothing I could do to stop myself from smiling, which at the end of the day is what cooking she be all about.

IDEAS IN FOOD

In case you haven't clicked on the links on the side of my blog, I thought I would introduce you all to one of my favorite websites: Ideas in Food. I feature this site today, not only because it is one of my favorite sites and a daily read, but also because I am lucky enough to have been selected at random to taste some of their food on Friday night. (Also featuring someone else's site means significantly less thought and writing in what has been a very busy work week.)

Anyway, if you have some time, I fully encourage you to read some of their posts and learn from some of their innovative take on the creative process and their discussion and genuine love of food.

I also encourage you to look at the pictures and be extremely jealous of the meal I will be having on Friday.