I took a cooking class and now .... What is a show stopper meal

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Sam
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I took a cooking class and now .... What is a show stopper meal

Post by Sam »

Got a cooking lesson for a Christmas gift, and took a class at Sur Le Table. Tuscan Italian night. Herb crusted Pork Tenderloin, shallot and basil bruschetta, wild mushroom and white bean ragout, and a poached pear with a sabigione sauce.

Chef told me I had good knife skills, and that was due to watching so many cooking channel shows.

Anyway, I have gotten recipes and done Chicken marsal (courtesy of Tyler Florence), creamed spinach (would love the version from Ruth's Chris or Flemings, lots of cheesy goodness), tomato and basil bruschett IGiada Laurentis recipe), and both a regular and a chocolate Creme Brulee. Did buy one of the small torches.

So, when you have a small dinner party, say 6 to 10 people, what do you pull out as a masterpiece show stopper? Beef Wellington? Prime Rib?

One of the things I did learn was when making creamed spinach, it helped to have all the ingredients already measured out. I guess that is why on alll the cooking shows I see all the herbs and wet ingredients in cups or ramekins. Trying to add the correct amount of heavy whipping cream and then the nutmeg made me char a bit too much my onions. When I measured it all out, it was much easier to pour in.

One thing I have to get down is timing. The spinach was done quickly and the chicken marsala had already been done for 10 minutes.
EL Alamein
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Re: I took a cooking class and now .... What is a show stopper meal

Post by EL Alamein »

Sam that is fantastic! Cooking is one if life's great pleasures. I wish you a lot of great times enjoying making great meals.

I have no formal training and I hope to take one of those classes you did at Sur La Table as we have one close. It will probably correct a lot of misconceptions and errors I may make.

I am partial to French cooking so I tend to make that when company comes. I do most of the cooking around here and mostly all of the cooking when we have company.

I've done steak au poivre, seven-hour leg of lamb, beef wellington, chicken breasts in aromatic vegetables and cream, roast turkey (Thanksgiving), glazed ham and so many others I can't remember. There is so much out there you can explore and it never ends and, to me, it's very exciting!

Because of my partiality to French cooking I tend to pick Sunday dinner type of meals that are traditional in France (according to the cookbooks I have) as they tend to yield the quantities and suggested sides to feed my guests. I often make everything from scratch including the traditional French baguette that accompanies most every meal.

I will say this, and it probably doesn't apply to most of us, as I perceive many members here are past child rearing, but French prepared vegetables can get most kids into vegetables. Our kids enjoy vegetable dishes that most other kids turn their noses up at. Just a thought if anyone might be preparing meals for folks that bring kids to dinner parties.

Are you partial to anything and if so, what? Anything you plan to make in the near future?

Chris
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Re: I took a cooking class and now .... What is a show stopper meal

Post by ShadowsDad »

I usually cook simple but satisfying fare. I sous vide some "cut with a fork" steaks and torch them right in front of them. Or I smoke grill steaks in the kamado. One gents wife tells me, and demonstrates, "I normally don't eat meat, but this is just fantastic.", as she finishes every bit of meat on her plate.
Brian

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Or find it here: Italian Barber, West Coast Shaving, Barclay Crocker, The Old Town Shaving Company at Stats, Maggard Razors; Leavitt & Peirce, Harvard Square
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fallingwickets
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Re: I took a cooking class and now .... What is a show stopper meal

Post by fallingwickets »

i dont even bother trying to get the timing right...a good thing im partial to warm and not hot food :D

i'm also a pure 100% recipe jockey. If a recipe calls for 1/2 spoon of parsley and i don't have any, then that recipe isnt getting made. All this to say that I am so envious of people that can look into a pantry and whip up a delicious meal with whatever is in there.

As a bonus comment; a recipe rant: I WISH recipe writers would use weight instead of volume

clive
de gustibus non est disputandum
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Re: I took a cooking class and now .... What is a show stopper meal

Post by ShadowsDad »

I'm with you on the weight thing. Or at least supply both weight and volume.
Brian

Maker of Kramperts Finest Bay Rum and Frostbite
Or find it here: Italian Barber, West Coast Shaving, Barclay Crocker, The Old Town Shaving Company at Stats, Maggard Razors; Leavitt & Peirce, Harvard Square
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Sam
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Re: I took a cooking class and now .... What is a show stopper meal

Post by Sam »

Brian, after Christmas we went to the beach (Destin area) and a guy did the sous vide. Made a couple of things. He did a pork tenderloin and seared it first in a cast iron with mustard and herbs and then in the sous vide
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Re: I took a cooking class and now .... What is a show stopper meal

Post by ShadowsDad »

Sous vide can be delicious, or really terrible. I've heard of folks sous viding a steak for instance and serving it straight out of the bag. A steak done that way would have all the flavor of boiled beef. My brother did that to his wife and she doesn't want any SV to this day.

FWIW, I never sear before the SV bath. That seems to me to be a recipe for bland food since the bag fills with juices and will wash away the flavor compounds.

It looks like your text was cut off. How did you like it?
Brian

Maker of Kramperts Finest Bay Rum and Frostbite
Or find it here: Italian Barber, West Coast Shaving, Barclay Crocker, The Old Town Shaving Company at Stats, Maggard Razors; Leavitt & Peirce, Harvard Square
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Sam
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Re: I took a cooking class and now .... What is a show stopper meal

Post by Sam »

It was good. We had two guys that loved to cook so we ate in every night. Steak and Lobster, burgers, pecan crusted chicken. And I tried raw oysters and loved them. Found a place that was highly rated by Yelp and others, dive bar, but $11 for a dozen raw, and heck $16 for Rockerfeller. Once I tried raw, forget the cooked ones. Four dozen and two pitchers of beer with tip and tax was $65
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