What is this gadget?

On Saturday, after my pasta class was over, I went to see DH in his class, The Art of Artisan Bread, Part 2, at Johnson and Wales. I noticed the above apparatus on one of the benches and picked it up. DH asked me if I had any idea what it was. I was completely puzzled. He gave me a clue: it can only be purchased in Mexico. I still didn't know. He told me to think of pan dulce (pastries). Then I realized it is a press for making the distinctive designs on conchas, a very common pastry made in Mexico.

His class made conchas! What a splendid surprise! DH had been talking to the Chef about Mexican pastries, and it turns out that the Chef worked in a bakery in Mexico for a while. So, the Chef gave the students the option of using some of the batch of brioche dough they had made to form some conchas, using the presses he had purchased in Mexico. Everyone in the class decided to try making conchas.

They were quite a hit with the class! One student jumped at the chance to get some cafe con leche (coffee with milk) to drink with his concha. Great idea! Conchas are also excellent with hot chocolate.

The topping is a mixture of flour, sugar and fat. It is definitely decadent. Often the sugar is colored bright yellow or bright pink. The topping is also sometimes flavored with chocolate.

The crispy, crumbly topping crunches a bit in your mouth but soon melts. And the pastry itself, when made well, is moist and soft. The topping adds the sweetness, and the bread is buttery.

Chef's Choice Pasta Class, part 2

Here are more photos from the Chef's Choice Pastabilities class at Johnson & Wales this weekend. When I enrolled in the class, I wasn't sure if it would be vegetarian friendly but took a chance. It didn't turn out to be a problem at all. In fact, there were others in the class who also did not want meat in their sauces, so we teamed up to make our own pomodoro sauce and vegetarian lasagna. We received so many compliments on them! Above you can see a plate of the food we made in class, which we ate for lunch. There is a vegetable salad with house-made balsamic vinaigrette, wild mushroom filled ravioli and vegetarian lasagna. The next time I make the mushroom filled ravioli I will put a simple butter sauce on them so that I can taste the mushroom flavor better. We used such excellent mushrooms in the class, and I was disappointed that I didn't get to fully experience their flavors. Below are some of the gorgeous mushrooms we used.

Here is a plate of tomato flavored pasta topped with Salsa di Creme E Formaggio, Parmesan Cheese Cream Sauce. Different groups assembled different combinations of the ingredients, so it was possible to try different variations.

Here are the pots of sauces simmering in a water bath. Our vegetarian Sugo di Pomodoro is the one of the far right, it is darker red than the Bolognese Ragu sauces that the other groups made. One of the groups also made a pesto.

For our vegetarian lasagna, we alternated layers of tomato flavored pasta and regular semolina pasta. The dollops are cream cheese.

Chef's Choice Pasta Class, part 1

At Johnson and Wales in Charlotte NC, as a part of their Chef's Choice series, I took the Pastabilities class this weekend. Previously I have taken bread baking classes there. We learned to make pasta dough (including flavored pasta), how to roll it out using a hand-cranked pasta rolling machine, and how to shape a few different stuffed pastas. We also learned how to make a few sauces, which I will write about in part 2.

Above, the instructor has rolled out the dough to a long length and is about to pass it through the machine another time.

Here the instructor is passing the dough through a fettuccine attachment. In the foreground you can see the ravioli moulds and a few ravioli.

Below are some fettuccine, ravioli and tortellini awaiting being boiled.

Making Fruit-Filled Ciabatta

One of the breads we made at The Art of Artisan Bread Class at Johnson & Wales was Cranberry Raisin Pecan Ciabatta. Here are some photos showing some of the steps in making it. Above is the very wet ciabatta dough, just as it has begun to hold together.

Here the fruit and nuts have been mixed into the dough. Notice how densely packed it is!

Here the dough is shaped and ready to go into the oven.

The bread is being loaded into the oven. We have been enjoying it with butter for breakfast for the last few days.

When the artisan breads come out of the oven the crusts have a beautiful crunchiness. Eventually though, the crusts will soften. We prefer to eat the bread when the crusts are crisp.

To revive and re-crisp the crusts of artisan breads:

preheat oven with a pizza stone inside to 350 degrees F. Place the bread on the pizza stone and bake for about 8 to 10 minutes. The inside of the bread will stay soft while the outside will crisp. Enjoy!

Artisan Bread Class at Johnson & Wales

For the second weekend in a row, DH and I have attended a bread baking class offered through the Chef's Choice program at Johnson & Wales in Charlotte, NC. This class was The Art of Artisan Bread which lasted eight hours, over two days. It was taught by Chef Harry Peemoeller. Pictured above are a sampling of the fabulous breads we made during the class. At the top is Ciabatta with Cranberries Raisins and Pecans. Below that is Sourdough with Onions. Below that from left to right: Ciabatta with Shitake Mushrooms, Ciabatta with Black Olives, a Sourdough Boule and three Baguettes with three different shapes. At the bottom are Multi-Grain breads, one shaped in a boule, and the other in a loaf.

Above is a tray of freshly baked sourdough and fruit-filled ciabatta. The sourdough was made with 100% wild yeast. The focus of the class was on the slow fermentation method of baking bread. We prepared the doughs the first day and left them in the refrigerator overnight to develop. The dough was shaped and baked the second day.

Here are slices of fruit-filled ciabatta and multi-grain. Everything was so delicious! The classes we took were exceptional. We wish we had signed up for more!

Making Country Miche Boules

Here I am showing some of the steps involved in making the High Extraction Flour Country Miche Boules we baked in the Wheat to Eat class at Johnson & Wales. After making the dough and letting it rise for its first rise, the dough is formed into the boule (round loaf) shape and is placed in a highly floured banneton (a basket made of willow), where it rises a final time.

Above we have flipped four of the boules out of their bannetons onto a floured peel (wooden board). The reason for placing them on the peel is that it makes it easy to slide them into the oven. Before going into the oven, the tops of the loaves are scored. Note, due to the time limitations of the class, we couldn't wait for them to rise to their prime. They would have benefited from about fifteen more minutes of rising time. But they still turned out plenty beautifully.

Here we have placed several dozen loaves of bread into the oven. During the first five minutes, steam is produced by the special ovens. On the racks in front are loaves (shaped into batards) that are ready to enter the ovens. They are not waiting on peels, but rather on parchment lined sheet pans, an alternative. Chef Reinhart gave us tips on how to adapt the baking methods to home ovens.

The boules are shown baking in the oven above. They have risen slightly more in the oven, and the score marks have become quite expanded. I like how the flour from the bannetons leaves pretty white flour stripes on the top of the bread.

Chef's Choice Baking Class

This weekend, DH and I attended a bread baking class at Johnson & Wales in Charlotte, NC. The class was called "From Wheat to Eat: Flavorful Whole Grain Breads" and was taught by Peter Reinhart, the author of several baking books. We loved the class and had a great time. Above Pedro is standing next to Chef Reinhart as he is signing our copies of some of his books.

Here I am standing near Chef Reinhart as he is explaining the process of creating a soaker and its role in whole grain bread baking.

Here we are rolling out dough for whole grain crackers.

This is the bounty of bread we brought home from the class. Clockwise from top left, Spent Grain Loaf, Vollkornbrot Loaf, High Extraction Flour Country Miche Boule, Whole Wheat Mash Batard, and in the bowl are Three Seed Crackers. I can't even come close to picking out my favorite. I love them all! And a bonus, not pictured, is that we were able to bring home some 100% whole wheat starter and some 100% rye starter.

Sea Vegetable Class at the Natural Gourmet Institute

On Monday evening, Pedro and I attended a class called "A Deep Sea Adventure" at the Natural Gourmet Institute for Food and Health. We hadn't planned to attend, but we stopped by the Institute earlier that day to purchase a Japanese vegetable knife and books, and discovered there was still room in that evening's class. So, we signed up. The class was taught by Jill Gusman, author of the book Vegetables of the Sea: Everyday Cooking with Sea Greens.

As a side note: the culinary classes I took at Conscious Gourmet in April were the core basic program (Basics I through IV) of the Natural Gourmet Institute. So, I was very happy to be able to attend another class.

At the class Gusman demonstrated preparing five dishes containing various sea vegetables. She explained their health benefits and shared much information throughout the evening. Then we ate the dishes as a fully balanced dinner. Pictured on the plate above, from top clockwise: Braised Mushroom Medley with Toasted Nori, Citrus Marinated Blackeyed Peas and Wakame Salad, Pan Fried Tempeh with Hiziki and Shallots, and Bulgar Pilaf with Toasted Dulse and Pine Nuts.

For dessert we had Vanilla Tapioca Pudding with Raspberry Puree. The sea vegetable in the dish was agar agar. In the photo below, the tapioca pearls are visible.

We thoroughly enjoyed the class and the very tasty meal.

Lemon Celery Soup, Tempeh Scallopini, Spinach and Swiss Chard and Cucumber Wakame Salad

I decided to share another photo from my cooking class at Conscious Gourmet. I've been having technical difficulties with my camera lately, and so I haven't been able to take photos the last couple of days. In any event, this meal was scrumptious, and I plan to make it this week. So, at least I have a photo to share from the class. The meal was Lemon Celery Soup, Tempeh Scallopini, Spinach with Swiss Chard, and Cucumber Wakame Salad with Carrot Ginger dressing. I had never had tempeh prepared like this before. It was marinated, then breaded in flour and lightly fried with fresh herbs and shitake mushrooms. It reminded me of France. I was an exchange student, and my host family would cook meat in this manner, with the same herbs. It never occurred to me that I could cook vegetarian dishes that way. In any event, it brought back memories from many years ago!

Conscious Gourmet Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Fudge Frosting and Raspberry Coulis

In the classes I took at Conscious Gourmet we learned how to make desserts without refined sugars that are also free of wheat, dairy and eggs and use only whole natural ingredients. This Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Fudge Frosting and Raspberry Coulis is one of the desserts we made. It uses ingredients such as spelt flour, agar agar, kuzu, coconut oil, and maple syrup. It was delicious and satisfying and this small slice was more than enough for me. In the past, I would have eaten a much larger slice of cake, and the leftover cake in the fridge would have been calling my name all night long. One of the big lessons that I learned was that I was addicted to refined sugars. With my new knowledge I know how to make desserts that will be tasty and satisfying without relying on refined sugars or refined ingredients. And, I also know ways to alter my diet if I find I am craving sugar. So far, I have not been craving sugar at all.

Below was my attempt to make at home the dish I featured yesterday. Instead of making the croquettes we made in class, I made one of the variations of that recipe that we learned, which was to add red lentils to the Red Bhutanese and basmati rices and to eat it as a simple lentil and rice dish. I made the cilantro sauce as a garnish. Since I couldn't find arugula, I made my salad with mixed greens, oranges, red onion and the orange-based dressing we learned how to make.

Asparagus Soup, Croquettes with Smokey Black Beans and Arugula Red-Onion and Orange Salad

I haven't posted since last week, as I had been out-of-town at the most amazing vegetarian cooking class, the Conscious Gourmet Culinary Retreat. I learned so much! I will share bits and pieces of my experiences from my class. This is one of the meals we prepared and enjoyed. It was Cream of Asparagus Soup, Smokey Black Beans with Croquettes and Cilantro Sauce, and Arugula Red-Onion and Orange Salad. For dessert, we had Spiced Pears with Caramel Sauce and Almond Praline. It was outstanding. Everything we ate was delicious. Anyway, I'm very excited about what I learned, and I'll be sharing more photos in upcoming posts.