Essentials of Catering

The flavorful cuisine of Cuba reflects the country’s Spanish, African and Caribbean influences. From cooling ceviche to hearty ropa vieja, these influences manifest themselves in an array of seafood and meat preparations, not to mention unforgettable side dishes that will make you wonder why you didn't cook Cuban sooner. You will make ropa vieja (shredded flank steak in tomato sauce); pescado enchilado (sea bass in sofrito); frijoles negros (black beans Cuban-style); rice and tostones (savory fried plantains).

ICE’s Fine Cooking series are the classes on which our recreational program’s reputation was built. This intensive course expands on our Fine Cooking 1 series and takes a deeper dive into essential culinary techniques. These full-participation classes teach fundamental skills, not recipes. This course covers everything from fileting a fish, to properly sautéing, to cover poaching techniques and fundamental sauce making. As you advance through the series, you’ll gradually come to understand each cooking concept. You’ll have a firm grasp of ingredients and equipment; you’ll know why things happen; you'll learn how to avoid and correct mistakes. Most importantly, you’ll gain the experience you need to cook with confidence and pleasure - without relying strictly on recipes. Each class culminates with a student-prepared meal. Prerequisite: Fine Cooking 1.

The sauces you will learn to make in this class are not just for special-occasion dishes you'll prepare once a year. Relying on pantry ingredients and reflecting the contemporary cook's lifestyle, they are meant to easily take a grilled meat or poached fish from simple to superlative with a pan reduction, beurre blanc or a pesto. You will master these techniques by making sauteed steak with red wine reduction sauce; poached salmon with beurre blanc and pasta with pesto.

This class is for the serious food enthusiast! ICE Boot Camps give you the opportunity to learn how to cook like the pros. This four-day Boot Camp focuses on classic cooking techniques, to give you the foundations that will make you a better cook. On day one, you will learn how to properly sauté meats, vegetables and potatoes and look for the signs of "doneness." Pan sauces will also be covered. On day two, we will focus on grilling. You will learn the methods for grilling a variety of meats and why specific cuts and types of meat are best suited for this cooking method. Best practices for grilling various vegetables will also be taught, along with the art of marinades. On day three we will cover roasting techniques for various types of meats and veggies. You will also learn the simple pleasures of preparing reduction sauces. On the final day, we will cover moist-heat cooking methods. The topics will be braising as well as poaching and steaming to create delicious results. These gentle cooking methods result in moist and delicious meats as well as fish, shellfish and vegetables.