Monday, September 29, 2008

Passion Is The Key Ingredient For A Gourmet Cooking Class

All across the country, people like you are considering taking part in a course this fall and winter. Whatever your motivation, a gourmet cooking class could be exactly what you're looking for.

Gourmet food is more than just filling a yawning belly. It satisfies more than just hunger. It is the cooking equivalent to art. If Ronald McDonald were a house painter, gourmet cooking would be Vincent Van Gogh.

Professional gourmet chefs can command excellent salaries. And though they work under pressure, often putting in long hours, the rewards can be high. You have the chance to make a mark in your local community. You can earn a certain notoriety - good restaurants get attention. They are written about in blogs and in the press. Famous people, or at least well-known locals, will show up if the reviews are good. You could move into becoming a restauranteur, running your own business, perhaps even owning a chain of restaurants.

But there's one requirement; one thing you absolutely must have. A passion for cooking.

You have to feel the intoxication of great ingredients. You have to catch your breath at the sight of a beautifully presented dish. And you have to want to go through everything it takes to be the best.

Even if your ambitions don't reach so high, you'll still get a lot out of a gourmet cooking course. The emphasis will be on quality over quantity - and with over 35% of the US population declared officially obese, that can't be a bad thing.

You'll learn how to present food to have your dinner guests reaching for their cameras. Your meals will become sensuous experiences shared with a chosen few of friends and loved ones. But most of all, your moments in the kitchen will be transformed into stimulating explorations, assaults on the senses that make life so worth living.

In short, attend a gourmet cooking class, and you won't just be enriching your diet. Your life will be enriched.

Saturday, September 27, 2008

Masses of Cooking Classes

cooking class

Whether you are a seasoned pro when it comes to the fine art of cooking or an utter novice, there should be some cooking schools or resources in your area that can help you learn and improve your existing skills. Surprisingly few people manage to utilize the many wonderful opportunities that are available to them when it comes to cooking classes.

If you are considering a cooking class you should be glad to know that many communities offer them for a nominal fee at night and sometimes on the weekend. These classes are rather basic and often designed to help women learn the basics of a few economical and healthy meals to prepare for their beginning families. If this is for you, visit the library for the available classes in your area locally. Even if they do not have the information available it is quite likely that they can point you in the right direction. If for some reason you're tight for time, there is also an option in taking cooking online classes. It will be easy to learn such skills as cooking rice, pastas, fish, and any other tantalizing dish.

If you are looking for cooking classes that you can take with your children, check out your library once again for the first resource. There are also many gourmet food shops that offer cooking classes for parents to take with their children. This is a great opportunity to bond with your child while you both learn to prepare a new dish or two together. It is quite likely that you will be quite surprised by the things you can learn from your child as well as the things you can learn by simply taking the class.

For those among us who are seeking culinary experience with very specific cuisines you will have to search a little more for the perfect cooking classes in which you can achieve your goal. They do exist however, though your chances of learning Thai cooking are much greater in a larger city than in smaller towns throughout the country. If you are really interested in learning some exotic cooking techniques perhaps you should consider a vacation in which you can try out a few new cooking classes while you are there. If you prefer other things on your vacation to cooking you could make a point of attempting one basic class in the cuisine of your choice for each vacation you take. This will give you a little more than the same old souvenir to bring back from your trip and an experience that in many cases is quite memorable.

Finally, if you are looking for a romantic idea, how about signing up to take a couples cooking class? Believe it or not, these classes are often offered in both big and smaller cities. They seem to be all the rage around Valentine's day, perhaps the hint is that the other partner in a relationship can share some of the cooking responsibility or perhaps the idea is that there is more than one way to steam up the kitchen.

Regardless of the reason for taking cooking classes they can bring not only a great deal of enjoyment to your dining room, but also increase your ease in your kitchen. If you've never taken a cooking class, there is no time like the present to do so. No matter how skilled you are in the kitchen there is always something that can be learned.

Wednesday, September 3, 2008

Quail In Peppercorn Sauce With Pasta And Asparagus

Here's another original recipe to please your family.

INGREDIENTS

4 quail (packaged frozen)
10 ounce jar or can sliced mushrooms
1/2 cup Chablis 1/2 pint heavy cream
Dash of turmeric 4 tblsp. butter
1/4 tsp. marjoram 2 small cans cut asparagus
Pinch of parsley 8 ounces angel hair pasta
Pinch of tarragon 1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar
Pinch of chives 1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack
1/2 tsp. garlic powder 1 tblsp. grated parmesan
2 tblsp. green peppercorns 1 tblsp. dill weed
Flour

Defrost quail.

Pre heat oven to 350 degrees.

In a baking dish, place the defrosted quail. Add wine and 1/2 cup water. Then add mushrooms, turmeric, marjoram, parsley, chives, tarragon, garlic powder and peppercorns. Bake for 30 minutes, making sure to baste the quail frequently, since the meat is easily dried out.

While the quail are baking, boil pasta. Combine cheeses and 1/4 pint heavy cream in a saucepan. Heat until cheeses are thoroughly melted.

Remove quail from oven and pour remaining liquid into a saucepan.

Replace baking dish with the quail in oven for another 10 minutes to crisp, watching regularly to avoid drying.

Meanwhile, heat asparagus in a small saucepan. Add the butter and dill weed and stir. Keep warm.

To the saucepan containing the mushrooms and peppercorns, add the remaining cream. Over medium heat, add flour to thicken, stirring constantly.

To serve, place quail 2 per plate, and pour mushroom/peppercorn sauce over. Place asparagus on plate and pour butter dill sauce sparingly.

Add melted cheese and cream to drained pasta, mix thoroughly and serve.

Enjoy!

copyright 2008 Jim Nettleton



**Get a money-making mall FREE! Click here:
http://www.mypowermall.com/Biz/Home/30831