Comfort Foods with a 4-Star Chef

This four-session continuation of the Wine Essentials series offers in-depth exploration and tastings of some of the world’s more interesting and unusual wines. Studies will include an expanded array of lesser-known varietals and wines, as each class concentrates on one wine category and delves into the wines’ production, characteristics and uses, including discussions of food and wine pairing. Session 1: Advanced White Wines: Side-by-Side Tasting of Interesting Aromatic and Fruity Wines. Session 2: Advanced Red Wines: In-Depth Comparison of Selected Wines From Old and New World Regions. Session 3: Off-Dry to Sweet: Exploration of Elegant Rieslings to Cru Classé Sauternes. Session 4: Fortified and Aromatized Wines With Wine Service: Fascinating Wines, From Vermouths and Sherries to Madeiras and Portos.

Today's best French cooking combines time-tested techniques with classic French ingredients in modern flavor combinations. We’ll put all of these principles into practice as we assemble a banquet par excellence, consisting of: escargot (snails); magret de canard aux cerise (duck breast with cherries); rack of lamb Persillade; and sautéed carrots with quatre épices.

Master some of Thai cuisine's greatest hits. You and a loved one will learn all about this country's exciting dishes and fresh ingredients, with their distinctly complex spicy, sweet, sour and salty components. You and your loved one will make and enjoy: green papaya salad; pad thai; yellow chicken curry; and green shrimp curry.

Seafood, vegetables, whole grains, herbs and olive oil are among the ingredients most associated with countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea. They make for flavorful dishes that trigger memories of sunbathed vacations and leisurely meals. This class focuses on the cuisines of Southern France, Eastern Spain, Italy and Greece. You will cook your way through a menu-map that includes French olive tapenade on garlic toast; Greek briam; Spanish fideua Catalania; and Sicilian pesce spada.