Friday, April 25, 2008

Wining and Dining - April 25, 2008 - Cooking Class

This Wednesday's Cooking Class was entitled "Wining & Dining" - The ABC's and D's of Food & Wine.

The night was six courses of food and wine with Jason and Chef Drew giving cooking tips and tricks while Kelly Costello explained about the wines we chose for tonight's dinner. Kelly Costello is a local wine consultant who works with us often and her idea was to come up with unlikely pairings that really work well together.
The first course was a spicy scallop make roll with wasabi and pickled ginger. Chef Drew showed everyone how easy an unintimidating sushi can be to create. The pairing was with the slightly dry and flavorful Kenwood Yulupa Cuvee Brut. Champagne pairing is something that is more popular in Europe but is finally making headway here in the United States.
Next we went with a crisp spinach and raspberry salad with whole grain pepper bacon vinaigrette (accented with Maytag blue cheese and candied pecans). The pairing was a rare Italian blush, Centine Rose.
The third course was a wild Alaskan sockeye salmon topped with sun-dried cherry gastrique served with grilled carrot puree. The wine chosen to be had with the salmon was Cloudline Pinot Noir. Many attending found it surprising how this red wine went so well with this fish.
The fourth course was a spicy barbeque braised flank steak accompanied by scalloped potato and Creole slaw. The pairing with this dish was a natural, Bulletin Place Shiraz.
The fifth course was an Eggplant Napoleon with fresh ricotta, mint, basil, and marinara. With all the dishes before this, the lightness of this plate was welcome! The pairing chosen for this dish was a very interesting and complex Spanish wine, Campo Viejo Crizanza.
The night ended with fresh grilled fruit and dry aged cheese accompanied by Sandeman Tawny Port.
We're taking a week off from cooking classes while Jason is at the New York City Food Show.

No comments: