Culinary adventures

Garrett and I had our first of four cooking classes on Monday at Café Mosaic. I know everyone is breathing a sigh of relief that we are finally going to learn to cook! The class, titled “Stocks, Soups, and Sauces with Chef Mike” is taught through the adult school. We only got into the third section because, as regulars at the restaurant, we were given preferential treatment (thanks, Mike!)

Our freezer here at home provides ample evidence that we regularly make our own stock: chicken (white and brown), turkey, beef, and ham stocks fill the shelves now. But it was still valuable get some tips from a real chef about making stock. Even better were the quick ways to use the stock (after only 45 minutes of simmering, it already had enough flavor to use, which was a surprise). Chef Pete made a delicious broccoli and cheddar soup, which we replicated tonight and it came out great.

We continued our culinary adventures on Tuesday, when we were treated to dinner at Green Hills Inn in Reading, along with many of Garrett’s colleagues who have been working day and night over the past few weeks to get a project done. The dinner, a reward for their hard work, was wonderful, from the delicious hors d’oeuvres and drinks ahead of time, though the main course, and finishing up with luscious desserts. The service was top-notch and the restaurant itself is lovely. I had a delicious entrée of sauteed scallops of veal with fresh basil and tomatoes. The veal was tender and the sauce light but full of flavor. Dessert was a show-stopper: warm Valrhona chocolate soufflé with Tahitian vanilla ice cream.

Green Hills is definitely worth a trip to the Reading area: Zagat’s gives it a 27 for food, which is the same rating they give to Morimoto’s!

Here's how we made the soup:
Saute 3 large shallots, chopped, in some olive oil until softened
Add about 2 cups coarsely chopped broccoli and 1 quart chicken stock.
Simmer until the broccoli is tender
Puree in a blender or with an immersion blender
Back in the pot, thicken with about 1-2 Tbsp roux*
Then, add about 1-2 cups (to taste) of grated sharp cheddar cheese. Continue to simmer and stir until the cheese is melted. Add salt and pepper to taste.

To make roux, melt butter and then blend in an equal amount of flour. Cook over low-medium heat for a few minutes to cook the flour, but do not brown. Store in the refrigerator until needed (Chef Mike said you can keep it up to 6 months in the fridge). A tip he gave us: always add cold roux to hot liquid for thickening.