Cooking Classes

25.11.11

Market Day Tomorrow!

  

The days go by so quickly and I expect it will remain this way until after the New Year.  It is already Market Day again.
This week I have 'Death by Chocolate' Pate with Raspberry Coulis, White Chocolate Bark with Dried Cranberries & Pistachios, and Chocolate 'Salami'.
On the savoury side, I have Ancho Chile Duck & Wild Mushroom Tamales, Chicken B'Stilla, Roasted Garlic Hummus, Sundried Tomato Hummus, Spanakopita and a few types of crackers.
My bread includes Blue Cheese & Walnut, Dried Cranberry & Almond, Pumpernickel, Maritime Brown Bread, Red Fife, Multigrain and Cornbread.
Hope to see you there!

22.11.11

Cheddar Crisps

 I love these tasty morsels!  Thank you Nana at La Table de Nana!  I used your version of the recipe and it is perfect.  We made these in my Crackers and Crisps Cooking Class and now I am making them to sell at the Christmas Market.  Very successful!


Cheddar Cheese Crisps


1/2 cup butter softened
1 cup strong cheddar..or parmigiana.. whatever you love
1 cup flour
1/4 tsp of salt
a pinch of cayenne
chopped fresh rosemary to taste or sage.. any herb you enjoy
11/4 cups Rice Krispies


Cream butter and cheese until well blended. Add flour, salt and pepper and cayenne and herbs.. Blend well. Add Rice Krispies. Make logs that are about 2 inches in diameter and chill thoroughly or freeze until you are ready to slice and bake them.

Place on ungreased cookie sheet and press down with fork. Bake in preheated oven at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes.  Store in airtight container.
 


10.11.11

The Christmas Market Opens

On Saturday, November 19, I will return to the market every Saturday until Christmas (except for Dec 3 when I have my French Farmhouse Christmas cooking class).

I will be back with my full array of breads.  Also, in anticipation of all the socializing between now and Christmas, I will be making my healthy dips.  I will also have some savoury cocktail foods such as savoury cheddar shortbread, gougeres, breadsticks, spanakopita, tamales, b'stilla, herbed olives and an array of special preserves.  Everything will be gift packaged.

And for teacher gifts, I have Cinnamon Oatmeal Raisin 'Cookies in a Jar' for $12.  I have vintage quart jars with all the rings and lids.  They are really nice and decorated with ribbons and Christmas balls or apples with pine cones.

In addition to the usual breads, I will have bread made with candied fruits and nuts.  I will have some lovely nut tarts, pound cakes, chocolate salami, chocolate pate, bourbon balls (like rum balls) and Crepes Suzette.

The market is open from 9am until 4pm.  I hope to see you there!

And that brings me to baking bread over the winter!  It has been a difficult decision and what I have finally decided is that I will make bread once a week until all the flour I have in stock is used.  I will bake on Friday afternoons/evenings.  The bread can be picked up from my house after 7pm and on Saturday mornings.  As each type of flour is depleted, there will be fewer and fewer choices.  Then I will not bake bread until the market opens again after Easter.   You can call me at 773-2890 to place an order.  This will begin on January 13 and go until my flour runs out.  I expect that I will have multigrain, red fyfe and hard white flour after Christmas.  With the hard white I can make cheese bread, raisin bread or citrus peel & nut bread or just 70% hard white bread.

2.11.11

White Chocolate Bark with Dried Cranberries and Pistachio

 
This is my first bit of Christmas baking.  Well, it is so easy.  I used couverture white chocolate, melted it gently and folded in chopped dried cranberries and chopped salted pistachio nuts.  You don't have to be too exact on the measurements.  I felt that I had way too many cranberries and nuts so I just added another layer of melted white chocolate.  It takes a long time to set up.  I left it over night.  It looks delicious and also tastes delicious.

I have packaged it for the Christmas Market.