Celebrating Summer’s End Harvest

Hello, friends and fellow food enthusiasts! Chef Valerie Hanson here, and I’m thrilled to welcome you to another flavorful installment from the Art of Cookery Cooking School. As the days grow shorter and that crisp autumn breeze starts to whisper through West Michigan, our local farms are bursting with a late-summer harvest that’s as colorful as it is delicious.  Below, find upcoming classes, two recipes, pairing tips and more.

The Magic of Summer’s End in West Michigan

There’s something special about this time of year in our neck of the woods. The farmers’ markets are overflowing with apples, pears, root vegetables, squash, and more. It’s the perfect time to gather up these treasures and create mouthwatering meals that celebrate the bounty of the season.

Here is a quick pairing some of the season’s produce:

Fruit/Vegetable

Wines

Cheeses

Herbs

Apples

Chardonnay, Riesling, Cider

Cheddar, Brie, Gouda

Rosemary, Thyme, Sage

Pears

Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio

Blue Cheese, Goat Cheese

Tarragon, Basil, Mint

Acorn Squash

Pinot Noir, Zinfandel

Gruyère, Parmesan

Sage, Thyme, Rosemary

Sweet Potatoes

Merlot, Syrah

Feta, Mozzarella, Cheddar

Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Thyme

Whether you’re a seasoned cook or just starting out, the abundance of fresh produce makes it easy to whip up something spectacular. Personally, I think there’s nothing quite like the crunch of a just-picked apple or the comforting aroma of cinnamon and caramel bubbling away in the kitchen.

Print Recipe

Caramel Apple Bread Pudding

ThisCaramel Apple Bread Pudding is warm, comforting, and perfect for sharing as summer fades into fall.
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time35 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Bread Pudding
Servings: 6

Equipment

  • 8x8 baking dish
  • 1 medium bowl
  • 1 whisk

Ingredients

  • 4 cups day-old bread, cubed anykind works, but I love a rustic sourdough
  • 3 large apples, peeled, cored, diced NOT red delicious
  • 2 cups milk
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 cup melted butter
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup caramel sauce see recipe below, or use store-bought
  • 1/8 tsp salt

Instructions

  • Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease an 8x8 inch baking dish.
  • Spread the cubed bread and diced apples evenly in the dish.
  • In a bowl, whisk together milk, eggs, sugar, cinnamon, melted butter, vanilla, and salt.
  • Pour the mixture over the bread and apples, pressing gently so everything absorbs the custard.
  • Drizzle caramel sauce over the top.
  • Bake for 35–40 minutes, until golden and set.
  • Serve warm, maybe with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for good measure!

Notes

Have an electric pressure cooker?  Make your own one ingredient caramel sauce. 

Easy Button 1-Ingredient Caramel Sauce:

Making caramel sauce using sweetened condensed milk in a pressure cooker is a simple and delicious method. Here's how you can do it:
  1. Prepare the Can: Remove the label from a can of sweetened condensed milk. Make sure the can is not dented or damaged.
  2. Place in Pressure Cooker: Place the can on its side in the pressure cooker. Add enough water to cover the can completely, ensuring there is at least an inch of water above the can.
  3. Seal and Cook: Seal the pressure cooker and set it to high pressure. Cook the can for about 40 minutes. If you prefer a darker, thicker caramel, you can cook it for up to 60 minutes.
  4. Release Pressure and Cool: After the cooking time is up, carefully release the pressure according to your pressure cooker's instructions. Allow the can to cool completely before opening it. This is very important to avoid any risk of burns or injury.
  5. Open and Enjoy: Once the can is completely cool, open it, and you'll have a rich, creamy caramel sauce ready to use!

Art of Cookery’s Upcoming Classes & Costs

Ready to sharpen your culinary skills or just have a deliciously good time? Here’s what’s coming up at Art of Cookery:

Class

Date

Time

Cost

Sweet Pickled Beets

09/24/2025

1:00 PM

$40

Sushi Sensation

09/22/2025

5:00 PM

$40

Tamale Making

09/29/2025

1:00 PM

$50

Veggie Burger

10/01/2025

2:00 PM

$30

Pumpkin Pie Perfection

10/14/2025

1:00 PM

$40              

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner

10/17/2025

5:00 PM

$39

Yaki Udon

10/19/2025

1:00 PM

$39

All classes are hands-on, fun, and designed for cooks of every level. You’ll leave with new skills, recipes, and maybe a few new friends!  Want a different topic?  Reach out and make a request.  Go to our website and scroll down to find our calendar of classes to see more of the upcoming schedule.

Join Us in the Kitchen!

If you’re inspired by the harvest and eager to learn, come join us at Art of Cookery in Whitehall. Our kitchen is always filled with laughter, learning, and lots of delicious food. I can’t wait to cook with you!

To sign up for classes, visit our website at https://artcookery.com or send an email to ICan@artcookery.com or text to 231.740.4065.  Let’s toast to the end of summer and the start of a mouthwatering autumn. Happy cooking!

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

Book Now

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

Click here

Sourdough Bread Regular and GF Recipe

Sourdough session Wheat and GF 

Click the text above to open the recipe pdf.

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 Start(er) to Finish

“If you really want to make a friend, go round someone’s house with a freshly baked loaf of sourdough bread!”
― Chris Geiger

Enjoy a little biology and chemistry while learning how to start your own sourdough “mother” and then continue learning the full process of breadmaking using the starter.

This class covers both gluten free and wheat breads.  PLEASE MAKE SURE TO INDICATE YOU DESIRE GF INSTRUCTION.

Our ancestors didn’t open a little envelope of yeast to make bread.  They made it using their own cultures. 

This class focuses on making bread without commercial yeast.  You can do this easily at home also. In this session, assemble the sourdough mother. Learn how to finish it in just a few minutes a day. It takes about a week of daily attention. Enjoy nibbling on sourdough bread, making friends and good times, and great artisan learning.

Bring a mason jar and ring or other container (up to 2 quarts), to take home your newly born starter.  You’ll also bring home a loaf of bread (as well as a new skill and recipe) home to enjoy.

Adult $45

Gluten Free. $48

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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

Book Now

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

I Have a Dutch Oven…What Can I Do With it?

I Have a Dutch Oven – What do I cook with it?

Do you have a Dutch Oven?  Do you know what one is?  If you only have one pot in your kitchen, the versatile Dutch Oven is the one to have.  Participants will learn how to bake bread, braise meat, bake a skillet cookie, and fry chicken.  WHEW.  Yes.  You can do this and so much more.  Ideally your Dutch Oven will be cast iron, but less durable ones work too.

Adult $60

Book Now