Frosted & Filled Cupcakes

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.

These delightful cupcakes come in a range of flavors and frostings, not to mention some well-matched fillings. As we make the cakes, fillings and frostings from scratch, we'll pair strawberry with vanilla, chocolate with white chocolate ganache, peanut butter with chocolate icing, and even birthday cupcakes with a piñata surprise of sprinkles inside. Your cupcake menu: strawberry shortcake with vanilla bean cake and whipped vanilla bean buttercream; chocolate trio with dark chocolate cake, white chocolate ganache and milk chocolate frosting; birthday "piñata" cupcakes with sprinkle buttercream; and peanut butter and chocolate cupcakes with peanut butter frosting.

Japanese cuisine is a sophisticated affair, where the aesthetics of the final dish are as important as its taste. Sushi, tempura and shabu-shabu are among its most common exports, but only offer a small glimpse at the richness and variety of dishes found throughout the country. This class will offer you an overview of the foods of Japan, along with a discussion of ingredients and equipment. You will make dashi broth and miso soup; beef negimaki; pork katsudon with rice; and shrimp and vegetable tempura.

Learn how to make scrumptious dumplings from a wide range of Asian traditions --- all hands-on. We'll also create perfect dipping sauces in each tradition. Together, you'll make and dine on: steamed shrimp shao mai with orange dipping sauce; deep-fried chicken wontons; vegetable gyoza with spicy dipping sauce; and pork and chive dumplings.