Cooking Classes

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  • Global Cuisine

Steak Tacos

When we think “beef” tacos, typically the ground-beef kind comes to mind. But steak tacos made on the grill—elevate beef tacos to a new level. Authentic Mexican carne asada requires thin cuts of beef, typically skirt or flank steak, that are marinated and then grilled, cut into pieces, and served in a soft corn tortilla with simple garnishes. Done properly, the meat has rich, grilled flavor and the tacos themselves are very simple to throw together. Our goal was to bring these ultimate steak tacos indoors.

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  • Global Cuisine

Chinese Noodle Dishes

In this cooking class, we will show you how to make Chinese takeout favorites in less time than it would take to get them delivered. Chinese noodles are different than Italian pasta noodles, and in this class you will learn how to cook them, by boiling and soaking. (Slightly dry and curly egg noodles can be boiled, but delicate rice vermicelli noodles must be soaked.) The instructional videos cover how to shop for Chinese noodles and how to prepare common Chinese ingredients, such as ginger, as well as the basics of velveting, a Chinese cooking technique that uses cornstarch and oil to keep meat tender. The class also includes information on the different types of Chinese noodles and our step-by-step recipes for three takeout dishes you should make at home: Pad See Ew, Singapore Noodles, and Pork Lo Mein.

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  • Global Cuisine

Tandoori Chicken

The best renditions of this famous Indian specialty feature lightly charred pieces of juicy chicken infused with smoke, garlic, ginger, and spices for a dish that manages to be exotic and homey at the same time. Authentic versions call for a 24-hour marinade and a tandoor, the traditional beehive-shaped clay oven that heats up to 900 degrees—requirements that keep the dish mainly in the realm of restaurants, even in India. We found that you don’t need either of these things to create great-tasting chicken full of the same robust flavors.

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  • Global Cuisine

Classic Fish Meunière

With its name half in French, you may wonder: what is fish meunière? This classic dish starts with white flat fish, like flounder or sole, that is lightly dredged in flour (the term meunière refers to the “miller’s wife,” a nod to the flour in the recipe), and then sautéed. It is then finished with browned butter, lemon, and fresh herbs. If it sounds like a simple recipe it’s because it is! In this online course you will learn how to pan fry white fish to perfection, and achieve a golden crust. Learn when it is the right time to remove browned butter from the heat, and when the butter has gone too far. And finally, discover how a little lemon, butter, and herbs can transform a simple piece of fish into an elegant meal.

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  • Global Cuisine

Spicy Stir-Fried Sesame Chicken

Chicken stir-fries are well liked, but not because they feature moist, tender, perfectly cooked pieces of flavorful chicken. In fact, the chicken in a chicken stir-fry is usually just a vehicle for the sauce or a filler that bulks up the dish—more often than not, the expectation is that the chicken in a stir-fry will be dry, tough, and tasteless. We knew we could do better and fix chicken's bad stir-fry rap: the key is giving the chicken special treatment before heading to the stove. This recipe employs the techniques that we covered earlier in the lesson: marinating and then velveting the chicken, cooking it over high heat in batches, cooking the vegetables over high heat, and, finally, finishing with the aromatics and sauce. The result is a stir-fry with plump, tasty slices of chicken and tender-crisp vegetables in a spicy sauce that strikes a perfect savory-sweet balance. Once you understand this basic recipe, you can substitute other vegetables and other sauces. Serve the stir-fry with steamed rice.

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  • Vegetarian

All About Winter Squash

Generally, squash is divided into two categories: winter squash and summer squash. In this course, we will focus on winter squash, named for their ability to last through the winter months. These squash can be intimidating at first glance, since they are often large and usually have thicker skin. However, with just a little work, you can get to the sweet flesh inside of them and incorporate the sweetness and color of winter squash into many dishes. As a bonus, all of the dishes in this course are vegetarian!

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  • Vegetarian

Asparagus 101

Course Overview As vegetables go, asparagus really has it all—a complex, earthy flavor, a vibrant green freshness, and a relatively short cooking time. It comes in a variety of sizes and, depending on which cooking method you choose, you can give it all manner of textures. The key is its versatility: asparagus is equally suited to roasting, braising, broiling, blanching, steaming, and eating raw. You can even sous vide asparagus for the perfect holiday or dinner party side dish. This course will take you through each technique to make a wide range of delicious dishes with a variety of easy toppings and sauces. We’ll also cover shopping and storage, prepping, and some science on what makes asparagus work.

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  • Vegetarian

Vegan Dinners

Eating vegan is no longer the polarizing concept it once was, and more and more people are interested in incorporating more vegan meals into their repertoire. But there are still a lot of misconceptions surrounding the vegan diet—that it’s limiting; that it’s expensive and requires its adherents to purchase a slew of specialty (and often processed) ingredients, like vegan cheese; that it’s all raw vegetables and bland tofu; the list goes on. Don’t let those myths deter you! In this course, you will learn how to work with common vegan ingredients, such as tofu, but also how to utilize ingredients you probably already have in your kitchen. We rely on flavor boosters such as soy sauce and dried mushrooms to add umami flavor to many of our vegan dishes. You will also learn how to make a hearty vegetable broth base to keep on hand for any vegan and vegetarian dishes. We've also found that store-bought vegan cheeses taste overly processed and grainy, so we'll show how to make your own vegan parmesan and cashew ricotta. Cooking vegan challenged us to rethink the way we look at mealtime, reinventing rather than replicating dishes. However, we were able to create some of our most interesting and unique recipes to date—like Baja-Style Cauliflower Tacos, which feature crispy coconut-coated cauliflower paired with spicy mango slaw and cilantro cream. In our Vegan Mushroom Bolognese, porcini mushrooms mimic the savory flavor and hearty texture of ground beef. For our Black Bean Burgers, the liquid in a can of black beans binds the burgers together, which means they have more bean flavor and you won't have to use an egg substitute.

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  • Vegetarian

Mushroom Bolognese

A good Bolognese sauce is savory, lush, and decadent. Traditional Bolognese gets its rich flavor from a combination of several types of meat. To mimic the meat sauce's long-cooked richness and create a satisfying vegan meal, we turned to the mighty mushroom. Two types of mushrooms helped us replicate that complexity. Dried porcini delivered depth of flavor while 2 pounds of fresh cremini gave the sauce a satisfying, substantial texture. To further round out the sauce's savory flavor, we added two umami-rich ingredients: soy sauce and tomato paste. Red wine lent richness and depth and a little sugar balanced the dish. Bolognese often includes a pour of cream; we found that some soy creamer—just 3 tablespoons—stirred in at the end rounded out the sauce and made it silky. We strongly prefer our favorite vegetable broths, Orrington Farms Vegan Chicken Broth or our homemade Vegetable Broth Base. Serve with our Vegan Parmesan Substitute.

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  • Vegetarian

Falafel Dinner

Course Overview You don't have to go to a restaurant to get great falafel with all the fixings. In this course, you'll learn how to make our easy, foolproof recipe with a smooth, creamy tahini sauce so you can enjoy hot, crisp falafel fresh from the fryer any night of the week and in the comfort of your own home. And if you're going to take on making your own falafel, why not try your hand at homemade pita too? Better than store bought, homemade pita is fun and easy to make. Our recipe creates tender, chewy pitas with perfect pockets, every time. Falafel can be served as a sandwich or as an appetizer with pita on the side. We'll show you how to make different accompaniments for your pita and falafel including ultracreamy hummus, quick pickled vegetables, baba ghanoush, and a tomato-chile sauce. Mix and match or make them all for the falafel dinner of your dreams.

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  • Vegetarian

Mushrooms 101

In this course, we’ll identify different mushrooms and their best uses, as well as providing tips for cleaning and storage. You'll learn how to prepare recipes for Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms with Spinach and Goat Cheese, Wild Rice and Mushroom Soup, Mushroom Bourguignon, and Sauteed Mushrooms with Red Wine and Rosemary.

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  • Vegetarian

Corn 101

In this class, you'll learn that corn is one of the more versatile vegetables out there, which is surprising, considering most of us enjoy it solely in the summertime slathered in butter, salt, and pepper. We'll show you various techniques for getting the most out of this nutty, sweet vegetable, as well as tried and true recipes for transforming corn into memorable dishes. First, you'll follow along as we make Corn and Poblano Chowder and see how a few simple tricks helped us coax satisfying flavor from sweet fresh corn and spicy poblano chiles. If you haven't tried it before, it's time to make spoonbread, a Southern specialty made from a combination of fresh corn and cornmeal, with a texture somewhere on the line between a rich cornbread and a true souffle. Finally, you'll learn a surprising technique for boiling corn, a method so easy you can literally walk away from it while cooking. The trick is...not boiling it at all.

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