A
few months ago I took a cooking class at the Astor Center. The topic was A
World of Spice: HOT!! It was the first edition of a three part series,
highlighting seasonings that share a flavor profile. The first on hot, the
second on sweet, and the third on savory.
We
started the day off with a tutorial from Michael Krondl. We learned that heat
comes in many forms, some spices give off a searing sensation like hot
Hungarian paprika, some offer a fast kick of heat like the Sichuan pepper, and
others provide a dull burn like green
peppercorns. We smelled and sampled different varieties of dried capsicums
(Spanish pimentón, Aleppo pepper, chili powder, cayenne and others) as well as
peppercorns (black, white, green, red, Sichuan and Melegueta)
Once
we had a good understanding of each ingredient we broke into teams and created
one huge and deliciously spicy meal!
Michael Krondl
The fist appetizer we made was...
Goat Cheese with Piment d'Espelette and Herbs
The second was...
Romesco Dip
The romesco dip & goat cheese with french bread & raw fennel
For a salad course we made...
Daikon Salad with Sichuan Peppercorns and Chilies
Dressing for our salad - vinegars, peanut oil, sugar, salt, dried Thai chilies, fresh red chilies, Sichuan peppercorns, and fresh ginger! SPICY!!!!
We also cooked two entrees! The first was...
Pan-Roasted Duck Breast with Melegueta Pepper and Spicy Plums
The second entree was...
Le Bifteck Aphrodisiaque
Last but certainly not least was dessert!
Balsamic-Roasted Pears with Pepper, Honey, & Roquefort
yummy wine pairings...
I
had so much fun at this class! Michael was a great teacher, we learned a lot about
spicy spices and had a great time cooking and eating together!
The only bad news is that the Astor Center has stopped doing hands on cooking classes :(
They do offer cooking
demos with wine pairings so maybe I’ll check one of those out sometime, but I’m
sure I’ll miss doing the cooking myself.
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