The Japanese are in love with presentation. Everything is precise there; dishes are beautiful and meticulously plated. During a cooking class at a culinary school in Tokyo, we got a first-hand lesson on how highly they pride accuracy. When making sushi, each individual piece should be very close to the same weight. The sushi rice [...]
Weekend before last, we attended one of Central Market’s hands-on cooking classes: Desserts Everyone Loves. It’s the second class so far that we’ve attended and just as the first time, we had a lovely experience. The class was a whirlwind of delicious tastes, cooking tips, and informative instructions. Our instructor was great and the people we met in our group even better.
The menu du jour was centered on classic desserts that are as impressive to serve as they are simple to make: crème brulée, molten chocolate cakes, caramel apple crisp, and cheesecake. They’re all essential desserts to have in your repertoire and ones that I have personally struggled with from time to time. (I can’t tell you how many crème brulée and cheesecake recipes I’ve dug up online looking for the perfect version). The class went wonderfully and the desserts were delicious, but the real moment of truth came when I went home and made the cheesecake for a birthday dinner.
True to the recipe we had tried in the class, the cheesecake turned out perfectly. It’s a classic, thick, New York style cheesecake that’s flavored with vanilla bean and lemon zest. The sour cream-based layer on top is the perfect finish. The recipe is a little choppy, so read it all the way through before you start. You’ll notice that you split the sugar and vanilla to use at separate stages. If you cook like me, you’re likely to dump it all in at once and then it’s too late! Also, the recipe calls for gum-free cream cheese. We didn’t use this in our class (just plain old Philadelphia), so I used that at home as well.
Since it’s a basic recipe, it can definitely be modified to make a lot of different flavors. For instance, in our class our chef-instructor swirled some dollops of raspberry preserves on top of the cake to make a berry version. So plain or with some special additions like chocolate sauce or fresh sliced strawberries, this is my new go-to recipe for cheesecake.
New York Cheesecake
From Garlic and Sapphires by Ruth Reichl, as adapted by the Central Market Cooking School
1 1/2 c. graham cracker crumbs (about 6 ounces)
1 c. sugar
1/2 c. melted unsalted butter
1 1/2 lbs. cream cheese, preferably without gum, at room temperature
4 eggs
3 tsp. vanilla
Grated zest of one lemon
2 c. sour cream
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Mix the graham crackers with 1/4 c. sugar and the melted butter. Press into bottom and sides of a 9-inch ungreased spring-form pan. Chill while preparing filling.
Beat the cream cheese, 1/2 c. sugar, eggs, 2 tsp. of the vanilla, and lemon zest until smooth. Pour into chilled crust and bake for approximately 50 minutes to an hour, or until the cheese is set and starting to turn golden in spots. Remove from the oven (leave oven on) and cool for about 15 minutes on a wire rack.
Stir together sour cream, remaining 1/4 c. of sugar, remaining 1 tsp. of vanilla, and spread over cooled cake. Return to the oven for 12 minutes until glossy and set.
Cool completely, cover and chill for at least 8 hours. Serves 8.
So two weeks ago, the little dish “staff” attended a cooking class at the Central Market off Lovers Lane in Dallas. It was the first cooking class that either of us had been to and the experience turned out to be an awesome one. Basically, now we want to go every weekend.
If you are unfamiliar with their classes, they usually range from $50-$70 dollars per person and are all themed to a specific culinary adventure. Our evening was a celebration of fresh herbs. We cooked a herb-encrusted beef tenderloin, herb and parmesan risotto, a vegetable casserole (ratatouille!!), a spring salad with a delicious vinaigrette, and for desert a rosemary bundt cake. Everything was delicious, but by far our favorite was the ratatouille. It was simple to make, and never has the combination of tomatoes, zucchini and fennel ever tasted so good. Overall it was a fabulous time and I couldn’t recommend it more. We met some super nice people and our instructor for the evening was a delight as well.
So, as a service to our readers we would like to inform you of an upcoming cooking class that you shouldn’t miss. Lidia Bastianich and Joe Bastianich, mother and son super Italian cooking combo, will be offering a class at Central Market, along with a book signing on May 2 at the Dallas location. I’ve watched Lidia’s various cooking shows on PBS (the original ‘Food Network’) for some time now and she always makes the most authentic and delicious Italian dishes around. Don’t miss this event, it should be a treat and you might even catch the little dish in attendance.