Yesterday I taught the first cooking class of Vegout Gourmet in my kitchen. I believe the ladies who attended had a great time and learned a lot. Instead of doing my scheduled Cooking with Grains class, the ladies requested a full dinner party menu so we could invite our spouses at the end and serve them a full 4-course meal. Yes, at times I do cook and eat seafood as demonstrated by the smoked trout salad we concocted. We worked hard for four hours beginning with the basics of making vegetable stock and ending with a delicious barley risotto. One of our biggest surprises was how delicious the smoked trout skin was after we crisped it in the oven. It was like sprinkling bacon bits on top of the salad.  The complete menu was as follows:

Fun with Risotto

• Tomato, Basil and Goat Cheese Bruschetta

• Smoked Trout, Avocado and Grapefruit Salad

• Wild Mushroom Barley Risotto

• Steamed Broccoli with Garlic, Walnut, Browned Butter Sauce

• Pear and Blueberry Cobbler with Cornmeal Biscuit Topping

Look for all of these recipes posted on the site. Read the rest of this entry »

I was guiding a gourmet market tour here in Denver recently with Culinary Connectors, and I learned something very interesting at the Truffle Cheese Shop. When you buy a hunk of fresh Parmesan cheese, you usually have a rind as part of that hunk that is inedible. So instead of throwing it away, throw the rind in stocks or sauces while they simmer to add a lovely Parmesan essence. What a great tip! I can’t wait to make my next tomato sauce and try it out.