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subscribeWe Went to a Cooking Class…
January 19th, 2012
Ant and I attended our first cooking class together on Tuesday night. I say first because I see many more of these in our future. Here are a few photos I shared on Instagram as the class progressed:
What an amazing evening.
I’m going to get a little foodie/geeky here but at this point I just don’t think I can contain it! Food is something that Anthony and I are totally passionate about. If I ever get brave enough, I’ll share the way we eat and shop in our house…
For Christmas, Anthony bought two tickets to a cooking class hosted by Phoenix Public Market and Devour Phoenix. Part of the Winter Chef Series, our class last night was taught by Chef Jared Porter from The Parlor Pizzeria (one of our family’s very favorite restaurants).
He was a great host and had so much knowledge to share about food. Attending his class just confirmed our love of The Parlor and all the dishes they offer – clean, fresh, and local.
Our first course was goat cheese ravioli, made from fresh pasta. Chef Porter referred to goat cheese as “stank cheese” and never having tasted goat cheese before, I can safely say that I am now a fan of the stank cheese. Chef Porter showed us how to make the pasta dough, roll it out, fill it, and how to shape it into the bishop’s hat shape.
We were thrilled about this because this past weekend, we tried our hand at pasta from scratch for Sunday dinner. We mixed the dough, kneaded it, ran it through the pasta crank, cut it, cooked it and then – devoured it. It tasted amazing and was surprisingly easy to do! We decided that fresh pasta might need to be a staple in our weekly meal planning. I thought it was funny that we tried this just before learning about it in class that night. We definitely picked up a few tips for next time. I’d love to do a post about making fresh pasta sometime soon.
…Then they brought out our bowl and we all dined on goat cheese ravioli in a roasted beet sauce with arugula, walnuts, and roasted beets for garnish. This was my favorite dish of the night. It was incredible! The dish was served with a really nice wine – being a non-drinker, I didn’t retain the name. That being said, this non-drinker was a fan of that wine and pairing.
For the second course, we were treated to beef stufato (fancy for stew) and root vegetable ragu with house-made focaccia. He paired it with an Arizona brewed milk stout and the two together were amazing! I never ever drink alcohol but I figured, “When in Rome…” right? I had to try the pairing and I really appreciated the way the two complimented each other.
Then came dessert! Royal Coffee Bar (the shop located inside of Phoenix Public Market) provided drip coffee which was doctored up with a little Tuaca booze and Fall-spiced whipped cream. Chef Porter demonstrated how to make sweet potato bread pudding and before we knew it, there it was in front of us, topped with spiced mascarpone and pistachios.
All the fresh produce used in the class was organic, the beef in the stew was grass fed from a local farmer, and actually everything, even the beverages, came from farms and brewhouses around the valley. It’s really something to know you are supporting the hard workers that live right next to you as you’re enjoying a delicious meal.
By the time we left, Ant and I were so full of food and inspiration. This wasn’t just a cooking class. We came home with recipes but more so, we left there even more motivated to cook with fresh, local, healthy ingredients.
If you live in the Phoenix area and you want to eat amazing food and enjoy great talk about the philosophy of eating/buying/supporting local farmers, be sure to check out one (or more) of Phoenix Public Market’s Chef Series. There are a few more of the Winter Chef Series and there’s talk of a Summer Series starting up next season. Maybe we’ll see you there!!
If you’re not in Phoenix and this interests you, I really encourage you to look into some local cooking classes, maybe through your farmer’s markets or grow houses.
Links to check out from this post:
Phoenix Public Market
Devour Phoenix
Winter Chef Series
The Parlor Pizzeria
Royal Coffee Bar
Hope you’re having a great day! Right now I’m blogging from Ella’s old school desk her papa gave her for Christmas! It feels like I’m back in college and I feel pretty productive from here in the corner of our front room! Ella’s watching Dinosaur Train and Poppers is napping. I think we’ll venture out for lunch sometime soon. Up next, I’ve got another doodly outfit post lined up! Have a fabulous Thursday, friends!
