Knife Skills Cooking Class – June 14, 2012

Knife Skills are the single most important cooking class I have ever taken. Years ago when I was in Culinary School, this class changed everything about the way I cooked, since I could accomplish all my food prep in half the time or even less!

Come hone your knife skills and learn why the Kingly Knife is your best friend in the kitchen on Thursday, June 14, 6:00 – 9:00 at the Holy Nativity Community Hall in Westchester.  Here’s what you will learn in class:

• You will have a hands-on knife skills experience.
• The importance of keeping your knives sharp.  Bring your knives for sharpening!
• Experience the difference between slicing and dicing with a dull knife vs a sharp one.
• The Bridge and Chiffonade techniques.
• How to mince herbs and garlic – quickly and finely.
• How to Julienne a carrot or zucchini.
• One knife has three uses – the tip, the center and the heel – learn what each is used for.

Since the focus will be on slicing and dicing, our recipes will be very simplistic – code for easy to make at home in a FLASH!  I have had requests for learning how to make bread, so we will be taking our caramelized onions that we will be cutting and topping them on our one-minute bread dough to make a simple focaccia bread, which I promise you will be able to make at home in 30 Minutes!

I was planning to make simple Chicken/Fish/Veggie Parchment Packets in Knife Skills class that will incorporate our sliced veggies, so I was pleased to see that I was given two boxes of PaperChef Culinary Parchment paper at Camp Blogaway. I have an extra box that a student will get to take home.

You will also learn to slice a mango for our Mango Ginger Chili Cobbler. I was inspired to create this new dessert when we tasted these flavor combinations at Camp Blogaway presented to us from the Mango Board.

Once we complete the cooking, sit down and enjoy a meal you and your new friends made together with a glass of wine.   For this class, bring a Chef’s Knife and a Cutting Board along with your apron so you can practice.  I will have a few Pampered Chef Knives available that you can purchase.

Cooking Class fee $40 when you reserve by April 9, $45 at the door.   To reserve your spot, email Patricia@FreshFoodinaFlash.com.  Then write a check to “Fresh Food in a Flash”; mail it to Holy Nativity Episcopal Church, Cooking Class, 6700 West  83^rd Street, Westchester, CA  90045.