Mixology 101

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.

As a natural extension of its expansive pastures, renowned ranches and roaming cattle, Texas has a longstanding steakhouse tradition. There, juicy steaks are often served with a hot and rich chile sauce, which mashed potatoes or cornbread greedily sop up. Enjoy these dishes and more as you celebrate the Lone Star State by making and dining on: homemade chips and guacamole; skirt steak with tomatillo-serrano chile sauce; jalapeño creamed corn; and buttermilk mashed potatoes

Any time is the right time to brush up on your chocolate skills! In this part hands-on and part demonstration-based class, students will review the basics of chocolate tempering and formulating chocolate centers, with an array of fillings and confections for use in truffles, molded chocolates, and candies. It features recipes you’ll want to make year-round – and will make you everybody’s favorite holiday house guest!

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.