Culinary Crash Course

Are you a young adult just getting out on your own and need some kitchen skills?  Have you recently lost your spouse or partner and that person was the cook in the relationship?  This is the class for you!  Is your family on a budget and you need to to dine in/not out?

This class is for YOU.

Over the course of this 6 hour culinary bootcamp, participants learn a variety of foundation kitchen skills from basic to more in-depth.

Experience:

  • Sourdough bread making
  • Knife skills
  • Proper kitchen measuring technique
  • Electric pressure cooking
  • How to cook from your pantry

You will come away with a wealth of knowledge and hands-on experience (as well as recipes and notes provided for you.

You will be eating your way through the day.  Imagine that, eating your homework.

$200

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Sweet Breads

In this sweet class you’ll experience a bit of history while making two different styles of sweet bread.
Boston Brown Bread

This bread will be steamed in a can as done for generations. It is a dark bread rich with molasses and raisins.

Streusel Kuchen

This Germanic bread begins with a yeasted bread dough as a base and then a streusel is baked on it.  You’ll learn the options for adjusting it to have fruit and/or custard instead of streusel.

Adults: $32

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Youngest Chef Series Session 4 Ages 6-10

Designed for young people, aged 6 to 10.

This series of classes is designed for the youngest chefs who are interested in entering the world of cooking food.  This is a five-session series with each lasting 1 1/2 hours.  The classes must be taken in order, but do not need to be week to week.  Your young chef can experience session 1 this summer, session 2 the next time the series is offered, etc.

Session 4:  Ovens – Baking (Sweet & Savory)

This session provides an experience in foundation skills for baking (ingredient identification, measuring, folding, oven use, food safety regarding meat handling). Foods made in this session are mini-meatballs and cookies.

Students aged 6-10: $55

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It’s Almost Christmas…of 2021! How Did That Happen?

It feels like I lost two years.

I was just reflecting on 2020 and 2021 and have the weird feeling that those years got lost from my life timeline.  

Perhaps some of you can relate?  As we try to figure out if we can gather for Christmas for everyone’s comfort and safety, it is odd to realize we haven’t had a Christmas celebration in 2 years.

Are you gathering?  Are you changing plans or traditions?  Let me know in the comments?  I just don’t quite know how to navigate this continuing pandemic.

To give you all a bit of holiday cheer, scroll down to find a discount code that can be used online when booking a class.  You can save 10%!

 

Snow Farmers

Here’s a fun fact:  My husband, John, is one of the area’s new Snow Farmers.  The Snow Farmers are a group men (all Dads) who have gotten together to create snow when the conditions are right but Mother Nature got busy elsewhere and didn’t have time to put some out for area kids to sled and play on.

They are currently waiting for the Hanson Street hill in Whitehall to be closed so the kids will be safe.  If you see them out there, bring them a hot cup of joe and tell them thank you.  They are usually making snow in the nighttime or early morning.  They also assist with helping to keep Montague’s skating rink cleared of snow for skaters.

John, Rusty, and Elie. (Jimmy is absent the photo)

Upcoming Menu

Here is the menu for December 21 – 26.  Please note that I will not be making anything 12/24 or 12/25.  The foods on the menu will be fine in your fridge for a day or two if you really want something for meals those two days.  Just ask for your order to be made late in the day of 12/23.  You can pick up that evening, or the next day from the refrigerator we keep just inside the front entry to Art of Cookery.

Remember to let me know if you want a hot meal or refrigerated one when you pick up.

A Discount!

Book a class using our online registration and enter this code at check out to get a 10% discount.  The class can occur next year but must be booked by midnight 12/31/21.

CODE:  DEC2021

Don’t see a class you are interested in or can’t attend due to schedule?  Let me know via email what you want and some dates/times that work.

Last Post's Quiz

WOW!  You all really came through on that quiz I last posted.  I learned so much from you.  And your suggestions for posts were wonderful!

Look for something you suggested in upcoming posts.  I’ll be addressing pantry staples in my next post.  I will weave the topic together using a tried and true recipe.

Print Recipe

Pear Conserve

This delightful pear and almond conserve goes well with both savory and sweet treats.
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Resting Time1 hour
Course: Appetizer
Keyword: Conserve, Jam, Pear
Servings: 8 half pints
Author: vkhanson

Equipment

  • Waterbath Canner
  • Canning funnel
  • Dutch Oven
  • Small Saucepan
  • Cooling Rack
  • Jar grabber
  • Half-pint canning jars (about 8)
  • Lids and Rings for jars
  • Ladle

Ingredients

  • 3½ c Pears Peeled, cored, diced
  • 6 c Sugar
  • ½ c Lemon juice
  • ½ c Finely diced almonds unsalted is preferable
  • 2 t Dried citrus zest Any flavor works. Or, 2 T fresh
  • 1 t Minced ginger root
  • 3 oz Liquid pectin usually 1 pouch

Instructions

  • Mix pears, sugar, and lemon juice in Dutch oven. Let sit for 1 hour. Stir occasionally.
  • Fill canner half-way (up to the bottom of the raised rack) with hot water and place over burner to come to a boil.
  • Put new lids in small saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a slight boil and turn off burner.
  • Add almonds, zest, and ginger root to Dutch oven mixture.  Bring to a rolling boil.
  • Add pectin and return to a boil.  Boil 1 minute.
  • Remove from heat and, using funnel, ladle into jars.  Tighten lids on.  Place in canner and submerge. There should be at least 1 inch of water over the tops. Add more hot water if needed. Cover.
  • Once water in canner returns to a boil, set timer for 15 minutes.
  • After 15 minutes, pull up the canning rack, remove jars and place on cooling rack.

Notes

You don't have to can this fantastic little recipe, but the jars make great host/hostess gifts.
This pairs well with beer and cheese.  I make a sourdough bread using beer and rosemary.  To serve, slice the bread, spread with conserve, and place a slice of cheddar on it.  YUM!

Pate a Choux Class

There’s still room for 1 more person in next week’s Pate a Choux class.  Pate a Choux is french pastry and is normally used to make cream puffs in the US.

The class is December 21st at 12 noon.  It is $20.

Traditional Bread and Butter

Traditional Bread Baking/Butter Churning Combo

You don’t need a bread machine!

 

Bread baking is soul therapy. Make a beautifully soft white bread in the traditional ways. Be surprised that it is almost the same amount of on-hand time as bread machine baking, just minutes extra … and oh so much more satisfying.

While the bread is rising, CHURN BUTTER! Awesome. 

Bring home your own loaf and some fresh churned butter to serve with it. You may be mistaken for June Cleaver (who?)

The butter churning process is quite simple but does really have more steps than the unfinished butter your kids made by shaking the cartons, there actually is more to it and some great science.

Adult: $35

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Sourdough Bread – Not the Starter

Sourdough bread is another artisan skill.

So, you have a good sourdough starter, but do you know how to make bread from it with no added commercial yeast and with literally just minutes of active attention?

Chef Valerie has worked on this artisan bread technique for years and is still excited and amazed by it. 

Learn technique for making bread easily and without commercial yeast.  You can repeat this at home and be a hero to your friends and guests.  Best part?  You can keep the dough “at the ready” for baking when you want.  This is the follow-up session to Sourdough Starter.  

Adult On-Site $25

Adult Online $20

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Bread

In each box below, click on the name of the class you are interested in to see it’s description and schedule.  Remember you can request a class to be scheduled  for a date/time that suits your calendar.   When you see mention of Customer preference, it is an invitation to suggest a topic not listed that interests you.  Use the Select by Category box to jump around by various topics.

Sourdough

Sourdough Starter

Sourdough Bread

Sourdough Bread Start(er) to Finish

Select by Category

Traditional Yeast Bread

Traditional Bread and Butter Churning

Select by Category

Sweet Bread

Sweet Breads

Select by Category

Scones

Scones!

Love to nibble on a nice scone with coffee?

Have guests coming for the weekend? Here is a recipe that is sure to please! Enjoy some “down-time” and relax with friends or come meet new ones while spending time in the Art of Cookery kitchen. You will learn to make Country Scones.

Included are great tips and tricks for baking pastries…and scones in particular. Students will make and bake scones and take theirs home. 

This recipe is great for adapting to any seasonal fruit, dried fruit, chocolate chips.

Adult $29

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Pumpkin Pie Perfection

 

There truly is a difference in flavor when making a pumpkin pie from natural ingredients…and we mean the pumpkin too.  Learn how to easily make a pumpkin pie by opening ZERO cans of anything.

Upon arrival, participants will be putting a pie in the oven to bake while they learn all of the steps to getting to that point. 

Start by making the pastry and learn tips for keeping it from getting soggy under the wet custard.  Next, see how easy (and hands-off) it is to roast your own pumpkin, then.  Finally, make the pie filling using items normally on hand, as well as learn a few ways to adapt it to your tastes and bring it to another level.  At the end, get the pie from the oven while learning what it should look like when it is finished baking.   Bring a pie home with you. 

$35 per person or $60 for a team  of 2 making one pie.

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Pie Perfection

Want to learn how to make a great pie from scratch?

Does pie making challenge you?  Chef Valerie says it shouldn’t, and she should know, she was named one of the top 6 Pie Makers in Michigan!

Join us for a pastry session that will make you famous. Learn to make pie crusts and follow it up with baking a tasty pie using in-season fruit. You’ll take your pie home to enjoy (and brag about)!

Truly with a few good tips it is easy to get rid of store-bought and be the pie maker that is famous in your family. Bring your beverage of choice if you wish.

You will start by assembling a pie and getting it in the oven.  Then, while it is baking, learn all of the steps by making the pie pastry.  Examples would be tips on adapting the recipe to any fruit pie, how to finish a great pie with various top pastry adaptions (lattice crust, cut-outs, rustic), and finishing options (egg wash, cream wash, etc.)  Even learn about some tools that would be helpful.

Onsite:  $35 per person making 1 pie

Onsite: $60 for 2 people making 1 pie

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