Join me in unraveling the secrets behind cooking three iconic Italian pasta dishes and their exquisite sauces: aglio e olio (garlic and olive oil), carbonara (guanciale and egg sauce), and cacio e pepe (cheese and pepper). While these recipes boast simplicity with their few, but high-quality ingredients, mastering the proper cooking techniques are often a challenge home cooks have trouble with. Fear not! We'll delve into understanding how to prevent these sauces from splitting or curdling and the proper way to cook, sauce, and serve these insanely delectable and comforting dishes.
A popular class awaits! Dust off those expensive stainless-steel pans that have been hiding in the back of your cupboard, because this class will transform how you cook cuts of chicken and pork in a pan. Having food stick is a major setback and frustration for many when using this cooking method. Aside from learning the chef tricks to proper pan-frying, you'll also learn how to test for doneness so there's no more guessing when the proteins you cook are 'done.' You'll create juicy on the inside and golden on the outside results and be introduced to pan sauces—your new best flavor friend. Once you get the hang of this valuable cooking technique, you'll be able to craft quick and creative restaurant-quality mains any night of the week.
Dive into the savory world of vibrant tomato-based pasta dishes such as Penne all'Arrabbiata, Puttanesca, and Penne Alla Vodka. Learn the basics, from choosing quality, dried pasta to the best canned tomatoes for your budget. You'll master a simple - yet delicious - basic tomato sauce and ways to change it up to create a variety of different sauces with ease. Learn the skill of cooking dried pasta to perfection, along with the art of plating and serving, so you can impress your guests with both taste and presentation. This class promises a fun and tasty experience that will have you feeling like a pasta pro in no time.
Channel your inner nonna and learn to make delicious stuffed pastas from scratch. We'll make fresh egg pasta dough and learn how to form agnolotti, ravioli, and tortellini. Along with two fillings of choice, you'll also learn how to make a basic tomato sauce and ways to vary it - allowing you to kick overly salty and expensive jarred sauces to the curb. Those $25+ pasta dishes that you order out, you will now be able to make like a pro and savour at home. Best of all, you will learn how to make these items in advance, so you can enjoy beautiful pasta dishes anytime.
Rich stock is an invaluable asset in the kitchen. With it, chefs know how to enhance the flavor in much of their cooking - from exquisite soups and stews to rich sauces and more. Commercially boxed or jarred concentrates often fall short. They either lack flavor, are overly salty or simply don't have enough gelatin - all which leads to the home cook's frustration when aiming for specific results. Learn to think like a chef and don't discard those leftover chicken bones - they are gold! Understanding the technique of proper stock making and how to use it will help boost the flavor in much of your cooking - guaranteed!