Culinary Bootcamp Highlights!

First thing first let us send a big thanks to the fine men who attended this weekend's Culinary Bootcamp Just For Men! This weekend's bootcamp was a wonderful success filled with great food and a lot of laughs. Chef Judy Wood of "Meez: Fast Home Cuisine" instructed this all day event and the results were enough to make our staff salivate. On the menu we had a spicy roast chicken soup with jalapeno corn bread, braised beef & barley soup, sage stuffed pork chops, chicken & roasted butternut squash stew, seared halibut with corn salsa, and last but certainly not least a strawberry frangipane tart. After this amazing feast paired with some beautiful wines from our friends at Metrovino, we were all ready for a good nap! What a fantastic way to spend a Sunday! One of the highlights for this Cookbooker was the jalapeno corn bread. Not only was this recipe delicious, but also easy to make. Infact, I gave it a go myself the next day for 3 hungry men and it turned out exceptionally well. I especially like this recipe because it tastes great when served hot or cold, and in light of picnic season quickly approaching, I thought I should share it with all of you! We hope you enjoy it as much as we have.

Jalapeno Cornbread

1 c. yellow cornmeal
1 T. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
1⁄4 c. butter, melted
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 c. sour cream or yogurt
2 c. corn
1 c. cream
1 fresh jalapeno chile, seeded and finely chopped or 1 (4-ounce) can green
chiles
2 c. sharp cheddar cheese, grated

Preheat the oven to 350°.
Mix the cornmeal, baking powder, salt together.
In a blender place the corn and cream and blend until smooth. Place it into another bowl and mix in the melted butter, eggs, sour cream, chiles, and 1 1/4 cups of the cheese.
Add the dry and mix all ingredients thoroughly.
Generously butter a casserole or, 9 by 9-inch baking dish, or 10-inch heavy skillet. Spoon in the cornbread batter.
Sprinkle the top with the remaining 3/4 cup cheese. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes, until the cornbread turns golden and smells wonderful.

We're painting the roses red...!

We wanted to share with you a few pictures of a recent catering event we put on at the Alberta Ballet! This was a brunch put on for the media with a sneek peek at this year's productions, and the theme was an "Alice in Wonderland" inspired tea party. We could not have been more pleased to have the chance to put together such a creative event and of course we always love the opportunity to support the arts.
The tea-party brunch was complete with tea-pot bouquets with playing card accents, whimsical place settings that the Mad-Hatter would have been most proud of, as well as little "Eat Me" displays (to the best of our knowledge none of our guests grew any taller or smaller as a result!).
Our guests enjoyed mini-white chocolate scones with our amazing house-made rhubarb butter. The tartness of this creamy butter is an incredible compliment to the sweetness of the white chocolate, and was one of our favorites! We also served mini vegetable frittatas, assorted jams with clotted cream, as well as rose and pistachio puff pastry twists, just to name a few.
The event was a great success and a lot of fun. We can't wait to see what other exciting and creative catering events will pop up this spring! For now though, we must go, as we are late, we're late, for a very important date....

"Vosges" Love Goddess Chocolate Cake

Last night proved to be quite the treat in this Cookbooker's kitchen! Recently we have acquired some new "Vosges" products at The Cookbook Co. and I was the lucky one to test the "Love Goddess Chocolate Cake Mix". Vosges is a chocolate company based out of Chicago which is owned by the chocolatier Katrina Markoff.Thier products are based on an 'east meets west' theme which infuses rare spices and exciting, exotic combinations. Don't believe us? Check out the 'Amalfi bar' (just to name one) which is a mouthwatering mix of lemon zest, pink peppercorn, and 36% cocao butter white chocolate, and you will be a convert! Not only are Vosges products delicious but they are also manufactured in a facility that uses 100% renewable energy and is also approved as an organic facility... making this chocolate practically guilt free.
The cake mix required minimal effort, with just a few additional ingredients required to complete this beautiful dessert. Vosges directions provided insight into how to make your own ganache frosting, as well as a whipped cream frosting for the top. We opted to do both! Vosges also suggests you try using some of their many gourmet candy bars as your ganache base, however in our case we used Valrhona chocolate that we carry in the store. The box suggests organic rose petals for decorating which would be beautiful for a special or romantic occasion, we used fresh blackberries and raspberries for a little extra tartness.
The cake turned out perfectly! It was as simple as a mix should be, but no one would be any wiser as the texture and flavor have the sophistication of a professional bakery. Our guinea pigs were five hungry boys who are typically more biased to salty rather than sweet, that being said, when asked for their opinion, we got a big round of "Om nom nom", which I believe speaks for itself! We highly recommend this product for chocolate lovers anywhere and everywhere searching for that little extra something special for an incredible dessert!

Tagines, Grilling and Thanks!

First of all, a big thanks to all of you who were able to brave the zillion feet of snow and come to our Tagines class, as well as Ron Shewchuk's Grilling class and the Couples Classes! The weekend was a huge success despite the snow blindness!

I thought I would share with you a delicious recipe from Matthew's Tagines class. It's pretty darn easy and very yummy!

Beet Salad with Pistachio Dressing

Serves 4

Salad:
1/2 lb beets, peeled and very thinly sliced (use a mandoline if you have one)
1 small handful flat leaf parsley
2 Tbsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp olive oil

Dressing:
1 cup pistachios
2 Tbsp finely chopped parsley
1 tsp finely chopped mint
1 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp sugar
7 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp lemon zest
4 Tbsp water
1/2tsp orange blossom water

Finely chop the pistachios or grind them in a food processor. Mix with other dressing ingredients and season to taste.

Dress the beets with parsley, lemon juice and olive oil. Spread the beets out onto a serving platter and spoon the pistachio mixture overtop.

Eat!

This salad is a marvelous way to serve beets raw-and eat them of course!

You can find parsley, mint, olive oil and orange blossom water at the Cookbook Company!

Dee Hobsbawn-Smith

As many of you know, our beloved Dee moved to Saskatchewan for a different pace. Luckily for us, she still comes back to teach some classes every season. She will be here in the month of April teaching some of the most popular classes and some new ones.

GUEST INSTRUCTOR:
DEE HOBSBAWN-SMITH
QUICK CUISINE
APRIL 6 6:30-9PM $90
KNIFE SKILLS 1 (HANDS ON)
APRIL 9 9:30-12:30PM $90
APRIL 10 10:30-1:30PM $90
KNIFE SKILLS 2 (HANDS ON)
APRIL 9 2-5PM $90
APRIL 10 2:30-5:30PM $90
CONTEMPORARY BISTRO FARE
APRIL 11 6:30-9PM $90

Call 265.6066 to register today! Don't miss out on one of Calgary's favs!

Quinoa

I've been adventuring lately in the cookbook "Quinoa 365," which whenever we get it in the shop, we seem to sell out right away!
As someone who loves Quinoa but was desperate to find different ways to eat it, this cookbook seemed perfect to me.
I know some of you may be adverse to using a lot of quinoa, due to the difference in price between it and rice. However, did you know that quinoa triples in volume when cooked, whereas rice only doubles? That right there makes a huge difference in purchase power.
Secondly, if you didn't know that quinoa needs to be rinsed before cooked, then you were probably eating a lot of really bitter and yucky tasting quinoa. Dump quinoa in a sieve and give it a good rinse before you cook it.
Thirdly, quinoa is a great alternative for gluten free or alkaline diets. It is a versatile product that can be used in baking quite easily and has a lovely, nutty flavour. It is also more nutritious than using only rice flour as it carries a protein punch!
You can use the quinoa flour in recipes that call for regular flour-you may have to experiment a bit, but that's what cooking is all about!

You will want to try some of these recipes, as I have added them to my repertoire and my daughter loves them all!

Quinoa Pancakes
Pumpkin Quinoa pancakes
Moist Chocolate Cake (made with cooked quinoa!)
Berry Smoothies with Quinoa
Carrot Spice Quinoa Muffins

Check out their website for more ideas and information!
www.quinoa365.com

Same Classes, New Dates

A few of our classes this season have played musical chairs, so if the original dates didn't fit in your schedule, take a second look -

Sunday, March 6th finds Alex Good teaching On Your Game where guests will prepare recipes from Seared Golden Trout with Agria Potato Blini, Microgreens and a Crispy Caper Beurre Blanc; Wild Chukar Partridge and Bitter Green Salad with Wild Boar Lardons, Sourdough Croutons, Sylvan Star “Grizzly” Extra Aged Gouda, Brassica Mustard Vinaigrette, and a Poached Egg; Dry-Aged Bison Flatiron Steak with Matchstick Frites and Parsley Butter, Duo of Venison Chop and Handmade Elk Kefta Sausage with Roasted Sunchoke, Wilted Swiss Chard and Port Game Jus and, for dessert, Saskatoon Berry Sorbet.

Wednesday, March 9th is now host to Digging Deep: The Best of Roots & Tubers with Chef Pierre Lamielle who will serve - to start - beet ravioli with orange and fennel ricotta and a mixed carrot salad with “carrot caviar” and almond cumin crunchies. For the main event - mixed latkes benedict with hollandaise & crispy prosciutto, and a turnip and rutabaga pave with pork tenderloin in a dried plum & armagnac sauce. And to finish – batatatin with rough puff and a coconut tapioca pudding with candied galangal and red hot chile syrup.

Wednesday, March 30th you can Eat Raw with Valerie Andrews whose flavourful menu features Kale chips, Heirloom Tomato Soup, Sea Vegetable Salad with Sweet Miso Dressing, Flatbread Pizza with Hummus, Green Olives, Cherry Tomatoes and Za’atar, Black Mission Fig Tart with Walnut Cream, Date Almond Mylk.

Wednesday, April 20th Chef Chris Halpin is your guide through Hands-On Contemporary Antipasto where you will learn how to make (and enjoy!) Chipponi with Lemon Garlic Dip [battered white anchovies or Alici], Oyster and Zucchini Fritter with Herb Mayonnaise, Porcini and Truffle Salad with Arugula, Lemon Ricotta in Kataifi, Morels stewed with Fresh Walnuts and Cream, Bruschetta of Bresaola and Taleggio and Zabaglione Shooters with Gold Leaf.

Call 403-265-6066 to register today!