This weekend was my last cooking class at the Dirty Apron (DA) before we head back to LA, and I really wanted to share what a great class it was!! I rocked it out in the kitchen, learned some great cooking factoids, and met some really cool people- again! Even Eric confessed he was a little jealous at the unbelievable meal I whipped up (in like 5 1/2 hours). An amazing experience I can't wait to share with you! This is perfect because it all ties in with the farmer's market I really wanted to chat about next post! Grab a snack, b'cuse this is go'na make ya hungry!
I love the head chef David, he keeps the pace of the class moving perfectly so you don't feel rushed nor bored. Should you finish a few minutes early, he has fresh french bread, house made hummus and amazing salamies and pepperonis to munch on- I was never done early (shocker).
The recipes were inspired from their sister restaurant called Chambar, a hot spot in Vancouver that is touted as one of the best menus for foodies alike - kind of a moroccan flavor. The most popular recipes on the menu were chosen for the class, here is what we tackled:
First Course: Cucumber tomato salad and harissa prawns
Main: Moroccan lamb shank toped with zaalouk (tomatoes and eggplant sauce) on a bed of moroccan couscous finished with a dollop of raita (spicy yogurt)
Dessert: Rose water pistachio créme brulée
I mean, YUM!
SO the the stand out thing I learned making the first course is how to de-vain a shrimp. Pretty unappetizing concept, but you are removing their digestive track (an even more unappetizing concept), so I decide the latter is less gross. Unfortunately I did it wrong, so not only did I de-vain something, but I also ate a dirty shrimp - it was still amazing. I did go back and practice later and I think I've got it! It is located along the back and you have to run your knife about 1/4 inch deep to get to it. So not only are you cleaning the shrimp, but it also butterflies it so it stands pretty on a plate for presentation (mine were flat and curled). SO we marinated the prawns in Harissa (spicy paste) cumin, garlic and olive oil. Then, we sauteed them on medium heat until they turned a redish color on both sides, squeezed lemon juice, pinch of salt and place over the cucumber and tomato salad (olive oil, lemon, salt, pepper).
See how they are curled up - thats not exactly what we're looking for,
they should be puffy and standing out - luckily it doesn't effect the tasteThe main course was 2 steps: searing the lamb shanks, then putting them in the oven for 2 hours. The shanks were pepaired in an Osso-Bucco type way which left them to fall off the bone, oh-so-delish.
So, first we salt and pepper them and sear on medium to high heat 'till both sides are browned. Add onions, garlic, ginger and water- (pour till water is just under the meat). Let water begin to simmer and then add honey, crushed chillies, turmeric, coriander seed and one cinnamon stick. Put on the top and let it simmer for approx 2 minutes then pop in the oven at 425. The most difficult part is getting all the spices (and thats really not difficult).
I added even more water than was here
So, while that's happening you can start to cook the delicious chunks of eggplant and tomato (zaalouk) that you are going to use to top off the meat:
sauté the garlic, cumin, and paprika, then add the chunks of tomato and sauté for a minute.
add sherry vinegar, roasted eggplant, and cook for one more minute. Finally add parsley & green onion and remove from heat - crazy easy and I'd eat this alone all day long.
The next thing to make while the main dish cooks away, is the side dish - we made couscous, but if I was going to do it again, I would sub it with quinoa or brown rice, as the lamb is heavy enough without adding a starchy starch. With that said, the couscous was crazy good, maybe the best I have ever had, so here we go:
Place couscous, salt, olive oil and turmeric into a bowl. Bring a separate pot of water to a boil and add water to bowl.
Mix and cover bowl with cellophane wrap and leave it for 5-10 minutes... thats it!
After 10 minutes get a fork and scrape the top of the couscous until it's lose. Add sliced almonds, dried apricots, raisins, sunflower seeds, green onion, mint, a little olive oil and salt. Mix and refrigerate (or leave out).
So, after you have everything prepared, grab a plate, a big scoop of couscous, place the lamb shank on top, and spoon the zaalouk on top of that. Drizzle a spoon full of the juice from the lamb stew (including the onions) over the top, and finished with a dollop of Raita (yogurt lemon, cumin seed and crushed chillies) on top.
FINALLY, what would dinner be without dessert... less calories, yes, but less fun too! So Créme brulée is what's on the menu!
Easy , easy, easy! Egg yolk, sugar, heavy cream- mix it (add your punch of choice). mine was rose water and pistachio-you can do: white chocolate, espresso, vanilla, cinnamon, sage, lavender or whatever! Beat it, pour it into a brulee cup and place that into a tall baking pan. Pour hot tap water into pan until it reaches half way up the sides of molds. Bake for 35-40 minutes (over baking = rubbery).
Remove and allow them to cool.
The Crazy part (but fun) is the caramelized top that we love so much. A spoon full of sugar is smoothed over the top evenly and you grab a blow torch and rotate the cup in your hand while you are torching it. It starts to bubble, brown and melt around and you just keep rotating so you can move it around evenly. kind of scary, but really satisfying once done!
Side note: I think next time I would do the shell a bit thinner, but it was cream and sugar... even if it's wrong, it's right
Alright, so that was my cooking grand finale! It was thrilling and good, I must say. I can't wait to start practicing at home with all the new spices I used - they really bring out the region you are cooking from, weather it's middle eastern, moroccan, indian, italian or french, just a pinch of something transports the dish across the globe - so cool. It's like if you get a perm, your look is instantly transported to south Jersey- or something to that effect. So if anyone wants specific recipes, please e-mail me and I will send them to you!
Ciao,
Katy
yummy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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