Cooking Vacations

Rick Bayless at Food & Wine, 2010

2010-06-22T16:01:00.000-06:00

Rick Bayless Lordy, lordy. For someone who loves Mexican food this demo was a treat. It also was a bit thrilling. The thrill came from a woman who had a high priority badge, and was seated 8 rows back. She was furious because someone was saving rows of front row seats for her friends. And the saver of seats was not a high ticket badge holder, nor were the friends. Furious woman. Much

Masaharu Morimoto at Aspen Food and Wine 2010

2010-06-22T15:38:00.000-06:00

Masaharu Morimotogave a demo on knife skills. Ha. His hands moved so fast that I could hardly tell what he was doing, but he was very entertaining. I kept trying to take pictures of what he was doing. Just a blur. Morimoto's hands were a blur

Jacques Pepin and Claudine Pepin

2010-06-22T15:32:00.000-06:00

Jacques Pepin and his daughter did a demo on caviar. I don't use this ingredient (can I even call caviar an ingredient?), but figured that any time spent with the two of them would be worthwhile. The first thing they demoed was cabbage (sliced thin), chicken stock, garlic (added via a microplane), cream, white wine, shrimp and dijon mustard with fresh dill added at the end, with red caviar on

Mario Batali at 2010 Aspen Food & Wine

2010-06-22T14:51:00.000-06:00

After a thrilling hour with Thomas Keller I got to go to a demo by Mario Batali. He started off with a seafood salad. Not a wimpy one, it had shrimp (simmered for 1 minute), calamari (simmered for 30 sec) annd mussels (evoo, garlic, then mussels, then white wine). Once the seafood was cooked he added green pesto, red wine vinegar, papaer thin red (or Vidalia) onion, a pinch of salt, canned

Views of Aspen Food and Wine 2010

2010-06-22T14:35:00.000-06:00

Here are a few pictures from the 2010 Aspen Food and Wine event. a demo at 2010 Aspen Food & Wine Back stage at the 2010 Aspen Food and Wine Back stage at the 2010 Aspen Food and Wine Back stage at the 2010 Aspen Food and Wine This solar powered building houses the public restrooms in downtown Aspen Rick Bayless demo crowd at the 2010 Aspen Food and Wine

Aspen Food and Wine, 2010

2010-06-22T14:19:00.000-06:00

Thomas Keller Aspen's Food and Wine for 2010 started off with a bang. My first cooking demo was Thomas Keller talking, and showing, about preserves. I had been spending three months or more with preserved lemons. He showed us a way that took days. He called these preserves and conserves "life savers". He has jams, chutneys, flavored oils on shelves at "Ad Hoc" in Yountville, CA. He brought his

Home Cooking

2010-05-26T14:57:00.000-06:00

We are very lucky in Woody Creek not only to have the Woody Creek Tavern, but the WC3 (woody creek community center). Great food. I just had a bowl of Thai Curry soup, with toasted sourdough. Very good. You can see their lunch menu here. Their website has been re-done, and you can even get a membership on-line.

Aspen Food and Wine, 2010

2010-03-23T17:16:00.006-06:00

I have just signed up for the 2010 Aspen Food and Wine. The event starts off with Thomas Keller talking about preserves. Really? I cannot imagine. Then there is Mario Batali and Ligurian food. That should be entertaining and interesting. Then Morimoto will be demoing Japanese knife techniques. Would that I could have a knife and practice. Then the next day, June 19th, starts off with Jacques

Pastry class 4

2010-03-11T17:05:00.002-07:00

Sacristains, mille feuille, palmiers tarts. Phew. We has made the quick and classsic puff pastry dough yesterday, so all there was to do today was give the classic puff pastry another two turns, make some more pastry cream and figure out how to shape the doughs. Here is a picture of our day's schedule. The chef, Faith Drobbin, is great at demoing the specific steps to making everything. Then we

Pastry class 3

2010-03-10T19:52:00.001-07:00

Paris Brest (a pastry named for the bicycle race between Paris and Brest), èclairs, cream puffs, profiteroles and both classic and quick puff pastries. Chocolate glaze, chocolate pastry cream, coffee pastry cream. Wow. We rolled and beat and made all of these. It was exciting to fold and roll, stir and make all of these. I had never used a pastry tip and pastry bag, so that was and unusual thrill

Simple and Savory Fish

2010-03-10T05:38:00.001-07:00

I love fish and seafood, so this class could have been designed with me and my peeps in mind. And I felt very privileged to have Marge Perry as the instructor. I was thrilled when she started the class by talking about the Monterrey Aquarium list of acceptable (in terms of ecology)fish. She couldn't have known I have one of these in my wallet and consult it every time I shop for seafood. We got

Pastry class 2

2010-03-09T14:06:00.000-07:00

Today was apple day. We started off making crème patissiere. We began by taking 1 cup of milk from a quart and adding, with a whisk, 3 ounces of cornstarch. Broke 4 eggs and added 8 yolks to the cornstarch/milk mix. Beat them up. The remaining milk we added to 1.5 cups of sugar, then brought that combo to a boil. Then took it off the heat and added the egg/milk/cornstarch gradually, beating the

Pastry class 1

2010-03-08T14:52:00.001-07:00

Chef Faith Drobbin, who also teaches about cakes and chocolate, rocks as a knowledgeable teacher. I had no idea how to do the most basic of things dealing with dough. She had great hints ("Do not roll over the outer edges of the dough." High altitude? Eliminate the baking powder.) She was very specific. She demoed each step very slowly and specifically. We also had one of my favorite assistants,

Sicilian Cooking

2010-03-08T05:04:00.005-07:00

This class was a delight in many ways. The chef, Giovanna Bellia La Marca, was engaging and knowledgeable. We started off with the history of Sicily, the history of her cooking, and stories of her children and grandchildren. She, like many of the other chefs, has a cookbook called Sicilian Feasts. We cooked fried black olives, caponata, crostini with fresh tuna, a spinach pie, penne with

Asian Surf and Turf at ICE

2010-03-07T13:58:00.001-07:00

I loved this class. The teacher of this class was Wai Hon Chu. He has a book that I would love to look at,The Dumpling: A Seasonal Guide. He was wonderful at demoing all of the steps to all of the recipes. We started off prepping all of the ingredients for sushi, Vietnamese Summer Rolls , sauces, pad Thai and marinating the chicken and pork. We made the summer rolls first, and that was easier

French Country Cooking

2010-03-06T13:57:00.000-07:00

The chef for the French Country Cooking Course was Peter Berley who wrote Modern Vegetarian Kitchen and Fresh Food Fast and his latest is The Flexitarian Table. I took a look at the newest one, and it really spoke to me. I will be ordering when I get home.Thats him on the right.We did a bunch of cooking. Because of the time constraints I simmered cod (then flaked it), boiled potatoes, fried bacon

Pizza pizza pizza

2010-03-06T06:29:00.000-07:00

Oh, did we learn pizza. The teacher, Gerri Sarnataro, really knows her stuff. She first talked about the ingredients for the base... double zero flour, yeast, honey, warm water, kosher salt. Then the timing ... you need to start 24 hours ahead of when you plan to make the pizza, it needs time to ferment and relax. Then, after taking the dough out of the fridge it needs two hours to do some more

Day 5, Fine Cooking 1 at ICE

2010-03-05T13:31:00.001-07:00

I made mayonnaise. That really rocked my boat. We grilled vegetables, made a salad of raw beets and carrots, marinated flank steak (and cooked the marinade, then added creme fraiche and put it over the meat), flambeed bananas, had a great time. The picture on the right is of Yuki, one of my cooking mates, making mayonnaise. She is from Japan. On the left is Teca, from Brazil, and Michelle. These

Day 4, Fine Cooking 1 at ICE and 7 Moles, day 2

2010-03-05T06:55:00.001-07:00

The morning at Fine Cooking 1 was wrapped around eggs. We poached, boiled, made French omelets and souffles with dozens of eggs. We had a new teacher, who is a teacher in the professional classes (as opposed to the recreational division) and she inspected all of our eggs and made us do another if the first one didn't meet her standards. There were many failures, but we all passed inspection

7 Mexican Moles, Day 1 at ICE

2010-03-04T06:44:00.001-07:00

After the lamb shank class (from 9:30 to 3:30) I ran back to the hotel, flopped on the bed and then got up almost immediately for the evening class (6pm-11pm) on moles. As you can tell from the picture the kitchen for this class is similar to the Fine Cooking class. There were exceptions. There was a salamander to broil things under, there was a dishwasher (of the human kind), there were

Day 3, Fine Cooking 1 at ICE

2010-03-03T13:45:00.002-07:00

Today was focused on braising. The chef instructor, Sandra McLean, talked about the different temperature it takes to break down collagen, about the temps and times it takes to get meat tough and then tender. I am full of mussels, braised lamb shanks, leeks with bechemel sauce, endive salad and chocolate mousse. I am overwhelmed with cooking techniques, fun interactions with fellow students, and

Day 2, Fine Cooking 1 at ICE

2010-03-02T14:13:00.003-07:00

Here is a picture of the kitchen where we have lessons. The table to the left is where we start the lesson, then finish there by eating what we have prepared. We made chicken stock, then roasted trussed chickens, did several rice pilafs, arborio rice chicken soup with escarole, several salads, a baked tomato and several different clafouti. The trussing of the chickens was great. There were

Day 1, Fine Cooking 1 at ICE

2010-03-01T14:06:00.002-07:00

I managed to erase all of the pictures that I took during the first class. Here is a picture out of the hotel window. The class was full. 17 of us at a long table. We were handed out a "recipe" book, aprons and "side towels". Then the instructor, Sandra McLean began telling us about the class. Then we got up and took our places. There were 4 stainless steel tables, each with cutting boards,

arrived in NYC

2010-03-01T06:23:00.000-07:00

Arrived with very few problems last night around 7pm. Immediately went out and got lost walking around in the wet cold. Kept looking up at the lighted buildings, and got thoroughly turned around. Loved it. The hotel was kind enough to give me a "room with a view" on the 11th floor. Two tiny (2-3 people) elevators that creep up 11 floors. A tiny room with an expansive view. Will post pics tomorrow

dear friend (Jeanie Beanie) sends funds for splurge!

2010-02-22T16:47:00.000-07:00

A dear friend, who used to live in Manhattan, sent me some "splurge-on-yourself" funds. So the evening restaurant when I arrive will be Bocca Restaurant at 39 East 19th Street. It has very consistent high ranking reviews. About 10 minutes walk from the hotel. Appetizer (sounds like a whole meal ...) Polipo brasato con insalata di cannellini e soppressata (Olive oil braised portuguese wild

Après Strand

2010-02-15T07:49:00.006-07:00

Klong Restaurant 7 Saint Marks PlaceAlthough the Klong Restaurant was recommended (and dissed) as a good (horrible), cheap place to eat lunch near the Strand, I became a bit nervous while looking at their website. Something creepy about walking under a steel ribbon ... Upon arrival our customers enter under a curved, undulating, golden ribbon cast of smoothly polished steel.The English grammar

Getting closer to NYC and ICE

2010-02-14T09:20:00.002-07:00

2 weeks from today I fly out of Aspen and go to NYC. Excitement is building. I have found another restaurant to try out. Momofuku Ssam Bar sounds perfect ... here is their lunch menu ..and I am overwhelmed by the fun, exciting things to try. Hope the budget and the menu prices meet. prix fixesichuan beef tendon OR seasonal pickles OR buns crispy skate OR spicy rice cakes OR braised beef brisket

eating in NYC

2010-02-10T15:44:00.033-07:00

I will have 2 nights free and two lunches free during the two weeks of cooking classes. I am pasting the map so you can see what I have picked out. The fork and knife shows a possible spot. View New York ICE in a larger map The restaurant to the farthest north (by the NY public library) is the Szechuan Gourmet on 21 West 39 Street. This will probably be a miss, but a just in case spot. It gets

Books to read

2010-02-06T20:57:00.000-07:00

Before I went to Florence, Italy last year, I read about Florence. I also picked my hotel because it was near a used bookstore. There used to be lots of used bookstores in New York. Not so much now. Since there are only a few free hours between cooking classes I choose to go to the used bookstores within range of the hotel and the few hours I have. On March 7th I do not have a class until 6pm.

Gerri Sarnataro

2010-01-22T12:15:00.001-07:00

Teaching the Pizza in Rome course March 5th nightComments on Gerri Sarnataro: (from seriouseats ) Beginners thrive in a classroom with Gerri, as she demonstrates and then individually assists if necessary (she actually took my hands in hers to knead the dough so I could get the feel of it). ratemyteacher had these comments about GS: Amazing and inspiring! She is a wonderful chef! Ultra

International Cooking Education, Recreational Division

2010-01-19T16:22:00.001-07:00

I have been searching on the web for critical comments about ICE. Nothing. All but one of the comments were complimentary. So I took a closer look at some of my instructors. For the first 5 days I will be taking Fine Cooking 1 from Chef Richard Ruben. He is also teaching sushi, italian, Carribean, etc. One comment from a past student: In terms of instructors, you can't go wrong with Melanie

Be Still My Heart

2010-01-14T20:29:00.001-07:00

Yes. There will be a visit to I.C.E. Two weeks in Manhattan. Not til Feb 28, but I have already started packing. First let me tell you which courses are happening. The courses were chosen because that was when I was going to be there ... and Fine Cooking 1 was the course I really wanted. Pastry for 5 days? Who woulda thunk? March 1 10am-3:30pm Fine Cooking 1 6pm-9pm Knife Skills 1 (waitlisted)

Dreaming of ICE

2010-01-03T20:04:00.016-07:00

I simply can't help dreaming of I.C.E. (The Institute of Culinary Education). I am bordering on obsession. The latest fantasy dates of the dream time would be May 1 through May 9th. Fine Cooking Course to be offered 10am-3:00 pm May 3 through 7th. (January and February are all ready filled.) Many other courses are offered at night, from 6pm to 10:30pm. It is the Fine Cooking courses that I am

Ischia Island Cooking

2009-08-11T13:20:00.010-06:00

This looks do-able and interesting. Here is their blurb: Experience the culinary delights of traditional Ischian cuisine in our hands-on, cooking classes at the Augusto. The professional kitchen, led by our team of award-winning chefs, is the setting for your cooking experience. Traditional recipes are prepared with typical regional and island products. Coniglio all'ischitana, the island's most

Tuscan Cooking Vacation

2009-08-10T14:28:00.004-06:00

A great Tuscan Cooking and Wine vacation in the Heart of Tuscany with Chef Paolo Monti. In this comprehensive "Hands On" cooking and wine tour, you will learn the best of "Tuscan Cooking and living" with 4 exciting Italian cooking classes: traditional, Tuscan, pasta and fish Cooking Classes with effervescent Chef Paolo Monti, all together more than 45 recipes! Fish and vegetable market visits, 2

French Culinary Institute

2009-06-18T06:10:00.009-06:00

I am hankering for a basics course. I am self taught and poorly butcher a chicken. After working on web sites for ten years I went to school for two years and got a associates degree in Digital Media. I learned the basics of html, php, photoshop, illustrator, word, excel, java etc. Ah, what a difference in how I approached the art and craft of web design. Seems like with my cooking it would be

San Miguel de Allende Cooking Vacation

2009-05-19T12:02:00.005-06:00

As our Mexican Cooking Vacation student You will receive the following Complete Package: * FREE VAN or CAR TRANSPORTATION to and from Leon/Bajio BJX Airport (90 minute trip)! * 6 nights' accommodations at the school site, Arcos Del Atascadero Bed and Breakfast » (Sunday through Friday night) * 26 hours Mexican Cooking instruction from Patricia Merrill Marquez and native

France?

2009-05-19T10:44:00.010-06:00

Mas de l'Hermitage Cooking Vacation in Provence. This one looks good because it is near the ocean, has pleasant accomodations and plenty of cooking. A bit too much touring around for my taste, but sounds relaxed. In your first day, you’ll be picked up from Nice, Marseille or Toulon airports, or from our local high speed "TGV" Train station: "Les Arcs Draguignan". Arrival at the Mas

Other Chang Mai Schools

2009-05-05T08:56:00.009-06:00

This is a four day course in Thai cooking in Chang Mai.They provide the transportation to and from town. That would leave 8-10 days in Bangkok. Or more time in Chang Mai for other cooking schools. The reviews look good, the facilities look inviting, and it is, after all, in Thailand. 4 days of cooking lessons cost ~$30/day. Then there is a fancy one: The Cooking Class Enjoy 5-Star luxury

Aspen Food and Wine

2009-05-03T10:30:00.010-06:00

These pictures from last year's Food and Wine in Aspen. I get to see Jacques Pepin again. That alone makes me smile. The coamera isn't that great, but you can see the enthusiasm on their faces. Dana Cowin, editor of Food & Wine. Ming Tsai Jose Andres was wonderfully entertaining and informative. Jacques Pepin

El Masroig and Barcelona Spain Cooking

2009-04-19T12:12:00.016-06:00

OK. Here is the dream. Fly to Barcelona, Spain get picked up by the Catacurian Cooking School, leisurely driven to their location, cook like crazy for 6 days, return to Barcelona and cook more. The 6 day school school sounds intriguing, even though there are several "excursions". There is cooking every one of the six days. 6 - Day Gourmet Food & Wine Experience in El Priorat This culinary

Looking forward to next year

2009-04-14T14:32:00.000-06:00

I don't know if I will be able to get to go anywhere, but I can dream. Check out the dreamers blog, about cooking vacations.

An Italian Culinary Glossary

2009-04-06T18:40:00.014-06:00

The Italian Culinary Foundation saved my sanity with their Italian Culinary Glossary. I was trying to tag and label the pictures I took of the cooking courses in Florence and couldn't remember what the heck "faraona" was, and I had this picture of the market that I wanted to include. But how could I include it if I had no idea what that bird was. Not chicken ... what? Guinea hens. Thank you

Cooking in Mexico

2009-04-06T11:49:00.008-06:00

This was the view from my room for a one week course at Mexican Home Cooking. This was an ideal cooking vacation for me. There were extensive hands on cooking courses every day, no pressure to attend "excursions", no fanciness, plenty of details, tequila to drink. Ahhhh. I love Mexican food, from the Yucatan to the Tex/Mex of the border. The small town of Tlaxcala, where the classes were held,

Naples cooking

2009-04-05T12:42:00.013-06:00

Oh dear. I found another ideal one. In Sorrento, Italy. Mami Camillo's is a cooking school and B&B in Sorrento, Italy. They will pick you up and deliver you from the Naples airport. They have all kinds of cooking courses, including a whole week on pizza. "You learn about the wood stove and it's function, how to prepare the oven and obtain the correct temperature for the cooking of

Florence again?

2009-04-02T18:29:00.010-06:00

COOKING COURSE AT "ALLE MURATE" This exclusive one-to-one cooking course is recommended to those not looking for a classical cooking course but for a real full immersion cooking experience. The cooking course "Alle Murate" is very practical and provides the opportunity to get trained in the upperclass Italian cuisine by participating in the daily work of a professional kitchen team. The cooking

Corander Leaf Cooking School in Singapore

2009-04-01T17:39:00.007-06:00

"Cooking is like love, it should be entered into with abandon or not at all" - Harriet Van Horne That is the "tag line" for the Corainder Leaf Cooking School in Singapore. What a great melting point for Asian cooking. And that tag line says much about their food philosophy. Examples of different cuisines taught are - South Asian : Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi South East Asian : Thai,

Martha Sherpa's Cooking School in Hong Kong

2009-04-01T16:59:00.006-06:00

Full Day Hands-on Chinese Cooking Classes In this series of 1 to 8 days Chinese cookery course, you'll learn the genuine Chinese cooking technique which is different from those mentioned in the cookbooks or cooking shows. Class Schedule: From 10:30am to 6:00pm The cost would be about $3862 for flight and hotel, then another $1200 for the course. There could be two courses, one on Thai

Native American Cooking Schools and Alinea

2009-03-23T15:36:00.006-06:00

Looking around I found this link that has a list of culinary schools teaching Native American cooking.Most were for 1 day demo courses, and many of the links didn't work But still, how interesting. Talk about interesting ... I am addicted to Alinea at Home. She did the Keller French Laundry cookbook at home and wowed me, so I followed her to the Alinea. What chutzpah this woman has. What

Granada, Spain

2009-03-19T10:31:00.012-06:00

There is a two week "cooking vacation" in Granada, Spain that is emphasizing Mediterranean cooking. For a select time each year the Granada Cooking School in this historic centre of Andalusia opens its doors for invigorating cooking classes to a limited number of students eager to share in the food, wine, and gastronomic culture of one of Spain's most diverse and vibrant regions. Participants

Club Med

2009-03-11T15:23:00.002-06:00

Oooh. This looks tempting. The cost for two weeks, all food and transportation included (from Chicago) would be around $5000, booking ahead. Cancun Yucatan, November 15 - 22 November 15-22, 2008 the culinary weeks headed east to Club Med Cancun Yucatan. There, Five Star Diamond Award winner, Cindy Hutson

Learning on Line 2

2009-03-10T09:38:00.004-06:00

The Free Culinary School has great moments. He just put out a video on Knife Honing and Sharpening that is not professional in the cinematographer sense, but really is a wonderfully clear instruction. Hooray. Just what I was looking for. His technique for finding the proper angle was very useful for me. Each lesson is a podcast, but since I learn by reading or doing I haven't tried them yet.

I Could do New York for That

2009-03-08T08:48:00.006-06:00

The last entry talked about the high cost of the nice looking school in Spain . I realized that I could do NY for that amount. Really. Either ICE or CIA (added cost of a rental car and added stress of driving in New York ) would cost $3000, flight about $500, hotel for 2 weeks ... AGGH! Still undecided on a place to stay. First choice is the Chelsea International Hostel for the ICE. 14

Spain

2009-03-07T08:42:00.009-07:00

I typed in fish "cooking vacation" Spain for a Google search and came up with what looks like a winner. Here's what their website says: 6 nights in elegant boutique hotel in Madremanya 5 lunches, 5 dinners, all breakfasts 4 cooking classes with chef 1 cooking class in private home Winery and olive oil mill visits in Alt Empordà Catalan cava and wine tastings Catalan cuisine is

Leaning towards Italy

2009-02-25T13:11:00.016-07:00

This place (Ciaolaura) has a bunch of different cooking vacations, ranging from one day to eight. The eight day one caught my eye. It looked pretty good, but only available April through October (my emphasis) and only 4 cooking classes in 8 days. Eight-Day Package: Cooking Lessons + Accommodations April through October Eight-Day Package includes the following: Price per person is 1200 euro

Of Course there is Always Paris

2009-02-25T13:08:00.004-07:00

Whenever I think of food and cooking, France pops up first. But I don't speak French. If I could spend a few months in France I would feel more confident about navigating around. Getting off the plane and trying to get a taxi, find an address, buy stuff, AGGH. But we are taking France, the home of haute cuisine. Can i work up the courage to do it? Don't know, but dreaming is free. This school

Learning on Line

2009-02-25T12:46:00.012-07:00

Yes, you can learn about cooking in the wild web world. Try some Jacques Pepin videos. I made the chicken and dessert with one, learning not only about the recipe, but learning from Jacques Pepin's comments as he prepared the dish. I also have watched : I confess to watching this video several times before I tried pizza. A great person-to-person instructional, that was free. It enabled me to

Billingsgate

2009-02-25T12:40:00.002-07:00

My peeps love seafood. I have fished and prepared fish, but would love to have some real professional training. And I found BillingsgateOur free introductory events include 'Get into Fishmongering!' and 'Get into Fish frying!' We have recently produced an Introduction to Fishmongering developed in conjunction with the Sea Fish Industry Authority (Seafish). We work closely with Seafish, City &

ICE

2009-02-24T08:26:00.012-07:00

ICE and CIA I even hate to write about these two schools, as if by writing about them I might jinx going there. These schools are, for me, the epitome of learning the basics of cooking. Let me drool over ICE first. CIA will come on later posting. ICE (The Institute of Culinary Education) has Fine Cooking I and Fine Cooking II. Fine Cooking I: Each class culminates with a student-prepared meal.

James Beard semifinalists

2009-02-24T07:48:00.007-07:00

I love to eat out. I figure that this is another way of learning about food. I have fallen in love with D-19 in Aspen and have been casting around for my next trial. From the CulinaryColorado blog : the James Beard Foundation unveiled its preliminary list of semifinalist nominees for 2009 chef and restaurant honors. Colorado contenders are: * Outstanding Restaurateur: Frank Bonanno,

Links to Cooking Vacations and Books

2009-02-20T08:13:00.009-07:00

Most of the cooking vacations I have found have come from Shawguides . But I spend way too much time there looking for exactly what I want. Their search engine is sloppy or there is no oversight on how things are classified. I will put in January and hands-on and find places which have no hands-on courses available and they are closed in January. I have been spoiled by Google's advanced search. I

Cooking at the Escuela Irizar

2009-02-19T21:04:00.007-07:00

San Sebastion Spain Oh, the idea of cooking so close to the ocean, in beautiful San Sebastion, Spain. I found this course: Escuela de Cocina Luis Irizar c/ Mari, Mari Kalea 5 20003 Donostia-San Sebastian, Spain Program Description: 1-wk courses for professionals & amateurs (4 hrs/day). Instruction in Spanish, English-speaking courses available. Optional visits to markets & food producers,

Sydney Seafood School

2009-02-19T19:27:00.006-07:00

I love seafood and would love to immerse myself in a place that emphasises fish and shellfish. This school sounds great. sydney seafood school - Sydney's leading Cooking School Since 1989 Sydney Seafood School has pursued its mission of showing Sydney-siders just how easy it is to prepare a wide variety of seafood species at home. The School is now widely regarded as one of the country's

Aspen Food and Wine

2009-02-19T14:52:00.007-07:00

Aspen Food and Wine is my exception to hands-on learning cooking. Mainly because I live 7 miles from Aspen and two years ago Thomas Keller was here. As wonderful as he was, it was three years ago Jacques Pepin who sent me home with recipes and enthusiasm. I keep looking at his "Quick and Easy my Way" videos. Had a dinner party for 12 the other night with two of his concoctions. The first was a

Mexican Home Cooking

2009-02-19T14:30:00.006-07:00

I found Mexican Home Cooking. Really hands-on, visually stunning hacienda, and wonderful instruction. What a great experience. In a small town of Tlazcala, just outside of Puebla,was a “hacienda style” home of Dona Estela and her American husband Jon Jarvis. A comfortable family home filled with the routines of a Mexican family in its kitchen. My room had a small balcony overlooking the lake and

Cooking Vacation Istituto Galilei

2009-02-19T11:12:00.015-07:00

I went to Florence, Italy to go to cooking school for one week for Istituto Galilei's Cooking Course at "I 4 AMICI". This is what I was looking for. Hands-on. Intensive. Serious. The chef was funny, exacting, and professional. The restaurant was known throughout Florence as "the" place to have seafood. Their seafood is shipped in from the coast on a daily basis. I learned a lot of things that I

Cooking School vs Cooking Vacation

2009-02-16T08:28:00.011-07:00

There is a difference between a school and a vacation. Sometimes. What I am looking for is somewhere in between. I want hands-on cooking experience. I could care less about tours to local wineries, cheese makers and olive groves. I will go to the markets in the town. I do not need an escorted tour. You move too quickly and never ooh and aah over the same things that I like. I would like to

Another Thai school

2009-02-13T19:14:00.015-07:00

On the beach in Ko Lanta, Thailand. In a bungalow. Cooking hands on for 6 days. On the beach. Time for Lime its called. This is what I found out from their website: 1900 BHT ($54)/night in the bungalow (15% discount if you stay more that 14 days) and 8800 BHT ($250) for 6 cooking classes. 5,200BHT ($148) private transportation to and from Krabi airport. All Rooms Have FREE wireless ADSL

Artisan Bread

2009-02-13T11:43:00.007-07:00

This bread is something I picked up via eGullet, then bought the book, then had a brief moment in time to try it out. Funny. Trying out the bread I did everything wrong to start with.Mixed the yeast and salt to the flour then added water to the whole thing. Damn bread is very forgiving. Due to impatience I let it rest for only 1 hour, then shaped it, put it on the grits covered peel, waited only

Learning online

2009-02-13T08:18:00.008-07:00

It seems easy to learn cooking techniques from a person standing next to you, guiding you as you connect hands and eyes and smell and taste. As much as I love traveling and learning to cook, I have to satisfy my urges on the internet and in the kitchen. I read the blogs listed on the right. I have bookmarked sites that teach me how to mince, roast, tie, clean food items. I needed instructions on

If you go to Florence

2009-02-05T07:57:00.000-07:00

If you ever get the chance to go to Florence and want to learn some Italian cooking I can highly recommend the two cooking schools I attended and the bed and breakfast I stayed in.The first cooking school that took was Toscana Mia with Simonetta.You could be in their country home or in Florence at their apartment. They can help you with your Italian, as well as great lessons in cooking.

Last Cooking Course Day

2009-01-25T01:38:00.000-07:00

Well it all had to end. There were two people who wanted one day of cooking on Saturday, so they joined the class. I think that because they joined we had a day with some repeats. Not a bad idea, since the style of cooking was reinforced for me. Chef Alessio didn't measure anything. "Just important to look and listen and smell and taste," he said several times. "Only in baking important to

Squid and Octopus

2009-01-23T10:47:00.000-07:00

Started off the cooking day by cleaning 5 squid. If you have never cleaned squid it is a messy frustrating event. I was unlucky enough to puncture the ink sack on the first one I tried and the ink shot out all over my face, the chef's face and clothing. There was laughter from the chef's helper and me. The chef was not laughing. There is no picture of this event, but it is firm in my memory bank.

Calamari and octopus

2009-01-23T00:37:00.000-07:00

Another long, exciting day. I finally had the sandwich. It was " un panino de carne, bagnato, con due salse" ... a boiled beef sandwich, dipped in juice, with two sauces. One was a green sauce and the other was a spicy red sauce. It was killer delicious. And 2 euros. Here is a picture of the place I got it from, in the central market.The cooking class was perfect, once again. I cooked things I

Salmon Coooking Day

2009-01-21T10:36:00.000-07:00

OMG. What a fierce cooking lesson. We prepared salmon in 5 ways. The first was a salad of "lox" and fennel. It was wonderful. First, however, we started out by filleting the 20 pound salmon. The fatty pieces were cut off, a salmon steak was cut off and the scrappy pieces were saved for the salmon and pasta dish. Then we prepared the curing of 1/2 of the salmon. It was so big that it was going to

New Cooking School ... Shellfish soup

2009-01-20T00:37:00.000-07:00

I found more about the lard I had the other day. It is from Colonatta. It has been aged in basins in a cellar dug out of rock. High humidity. The insides of the basin are rubbed in garlic, the bottom is covered in sea salt and herbs and spices. Then they layer strips of the lard with salt to the top. After a week the basins are uncovered and salt water is poured on top. This sits for 8-10 months.

Florence wandering

2009-01-19T05:30:00.000-07:00

Walked over the Ponte Vecchio bridge this morning, in a drizzle. Have stopped getting lost. All I have to do is look up and find the Duomo and I am almost home. Getting ready for the new school, I walked around and found a great place to eat. It has a wood burning pizza and an extensive menu. The first thing that caught my eye was an appetizer of lard. Really? I had to try it. It was more than

Sunday wanderings

2009-01-18T11:05:00.000-07:00

Wandered around today, Sunday, in the rain. Ate my first gelato, saw huge statues that I had seen in art books all my life. There is something about seeing them in person that took my breath away. Had my first tripe sandwich. Found out where the next classes meet.There are more women here in fur coats than I ever thought possible.There are very few tourists here, so if I walk into a store or

easy day

2009-01-18T01:15:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, Saturday, I had no classes, so I went to the market to buy balsamic vinegar. There were some 100 year old bottles available ... for 495 Euros for 50 ml. That is $657.83. As much as I lusted after that there was no way. I ended up with a bottle of 100ml 25 year old vinegar. It came in a lovely box, like a fine piece of jewelry. And it tasted very different from the balsamic that I have

Pizza and panna cotta

2009-01-16T05:26:00.000-07:00

I wasn't going to do desserts, but had a panna cotta at a restaurant and fell in love. Well, who wouldn't. Cream and sugar. So, Simonetta taught me how to do pizza dough today and panna cotta and a great pasta sauce (with aromatic herbs) and turkey breast cooked in milk.The pizza dough was lots easier than I had imagined. It took only one rising, and the formula was a lot like the focaccia from

Foccacia and Balsamic Scallopini

2009-01-15T05:22:00.000-07:00

Another cooking day with Simonetta. Today we did focaccia, a balsamic scallopini (with turkey breast), beans and a bean/faro soup. The bread, because of the rising time, was the first to be made.It was made with cooked potatoes, flour and yeast. 2x the amount of flour as potato. The potatoes, already boiled and cooled, were peeled, then put through a ricer. The mixed with flour. The yeast (a

Chicken in Prosciutto

2009-01-14T12:24:00.000-07:00

My teacher, Simonetta, had a dentist appointment this morning, and our class was started at 4:30pm instead of 9:30am, so I had the morning off to wander and have lunch. And what a lunch. I went to I' Toscano Sas on Via Guelfa.They had a fixed price menu for 16Euros (that translates to $21 ... much for a lunch, but I get a free breakfast at the hotel, then eat what I cook at Simonetta's house)

Lost in Florence

2009-01-13T07:34:00.000-07:00

I knew that the hotel was somewhere near the dome, but had no idea exactly where, so I wandered and took pictures. check them out here

Cooking Pasta

2009-01-13T06:51:00.000-07:00

Today's cooking lesson was fennel, crostini, ravioli, and saltimboca.We began by preparing the fennel first. We cleaned the fennel by taking off the outer leaves of the root and cutting away all of the green and the fronds. The fennel was cut into quarters, then covered with salted water and allowed to boil for twenty minutes. While it was boiling we made a bechamel sauce. Then fried a bunch of

Market with Simonetta

2009-01-12T06:07:00.000-07:00

For the first day Simoneta took me to the big market (fish vendors closed on Mondays, open from 7:30am until 3pm Monday-Saturday). We shopped and wandered. I oohed and ahhhed at the selection and quantity. We bought some burrata .... a fresh cows milk cheese (oh, what a taste .. it was like solid cream. It should be outlawed or taxed), some anchovies and some bread. Here is just a tiny part of

Hotel

2009-01-12T05:53:00.000-07:00

Ah, what luxury. The room is spacious, the window opens, there is a smoking porch, the bathroom has amenities not found in the Holiday Inn. A bidet, for example, and a towel heater.

airports and hotel

2009-01-12T01:00:00.000-07:00

The flights were scheduled tightly, and it was strange. All of the airports were under construction, and there were multiple bus trips from the planes to the terminals, where there were more passport controls and baggage inspections. But, all lugage arrived to the next connection.I got to the hotel, and one of the the owners, Christelle, tried to explain how to get into the hotel, lock my room,

Oh no, another book decision

2009-01-09T12:51:00.000-07:00

Once again I have changed the books to take with me on the plane.The Gastronomica magazines will have to stay. The new book list is Brief Interviews with Hideous Men. Highly reccommended. There is also the newest Mother Jones. Tinly Norbu's Magical Dance went in the bag. And the blank book stays in the "purse" for the airplane rides. I just know that I will pick up a thriller in an airport.

Florence newspapers

2009-01-07T17:33:00.000-07:00

Looking for more info on the current interests by the citizens of Florence I visited assorted newspapers. They were all English language newspapers ... not geared towards the natives. A very mild, informative-for-tourists online paper. Lots of schedules, like this: The Art Exhibits in FlorencePalazzo Strozzi: Caterina and Maria de' Medici, Women in Power; October 24-February 8. In

Budget

2009-01-07T08:39:00.000-07:00

I have saved and been given a total of $700 to spend in Florence for the two weeks. So, how do I allocate this?I just found out that United charges $25 to check a bag. So there goes $50.Transportation to and from the Florence airport costs around $25. There goes another $50.So for meals and gifts that leaves $600. That translates to $300/week. That translates to ~$40/day. That seems like a lot. I

gifts for the trip

2009-01-07T08:21:00.000-07:00

Last night at dinner Jane and Bill Dinsmore gave me some Italian language notes and books with 2 Gastronomica magazines that I had loaned them. The magazine comes out 4 times a year, but as fast as I read I can't finish one before the next one comes. They are dense. Here is the editor in chief's welcome note to readers:Since 2001 we've been renewing the connection between sensual

Florence and art

2009-01-05T10:36:00.000-07:00

Florence looked overwhelming when it came to viewing the art. So I decided to narrow down my approach and just look for famous women artists. Ha. Only one was mentioned in all of the literature I could find. Artemisia Gentilesch.Here is her self portrait.This bio came from a websiteArtemisia Gentileschi (1593 - 1652/1653 was one of the first women artists to achieve recognition in the

Dining in Florence

2009-01-05T09:09:00.000-07:00

Ah, the problems with going to a great city filled with wonderful food. Here is my starting map. The references come from a variety of sources. All comments have been lifyted from the source. This dining map will change as interesting places appear. go to google map# 1. Bristol HotelVia de' Pescioni, 2, 50123 Firenze, Italyinteresting menu that is strong on fish. Not cheap# 2. Trattoria Za' Za'

airplane reading, again

2009-01-04T10:01:00.000-07:00

I still waver.

Airplane reading to Florence

2009-01-01T15:09:00.000-07:00

After much dithering and wavering the book list has been whittled down to 3 no,4 books for the trip to Florence. And thats not counting the magazines ... three issues of Gastronomica!Ross King's Brunelleschi's Dome The hotel has views to the dome, so why not pick one book that can tell you about one of the most prominent architectural wonder? I tried reading it ahead, but it is a tad dry, so the

Florence, Italy

2009-01-01T11:58:00.000-07:00

This is the hotel, the Tourist House Ghiberti. ... near Brunelleschi's dome, a block away from an English paperback exchange store, just blocks away from markets and wonderful eateries.cooking schools Toscana Miaand the Istituto Galilei

Thailand Dreaming

2009-01-01T06:53:00.010-07:00

Thailand has been on my mind even before Florence (see the blog on the two cooking schools in Florence). I love Bangkok, and the islands. Dear Terrell Vermont (she help write The Unofficial Guide to Ethnic Cuisine and Dining in America) used to practically live in Chang Mai, and I have never been there. So I started researching. The first place that drew my attention was the SITCA (Samui