Essentials of Chinese Cooking

The South is quite possibly the most delicious region in the country. It's hard not to love its fried...well, its fried everything, plus its braised vegetables and its mile-high pies and cakes. In the land of biscuits and sweet tea, life centers around mealtimes. Come learn a few of those Southern favorites, including: pimento cheese; Southern fried chicken; slow-roasted barbecue ribs; biscuits with honey butter; and braised collard greens. You will sip on sweet tea to complete your feast.

You want to make great food in a minimum amount of time, but don't have a clue how to go about it. Or you're on your own for the first time and have discovered that eating out is expensive and takeout is tiresome! You need a small repertoire of dishes for daily dining, but you can barely manage instant coffee. Does this sound like you? Then this is the course to take. We assume you know nothing --- absolutely nothing --- about cooking and take it from there. In three relaxed, fun-filled classes, we'll get you on your cooking feet, teaching you how to prepare simple, healthful, delicious food. You'll learn about basic cooking equipment and menu planning; knife skills, including vegetable chopping and paring; how to make salad, vinaigrette, and other easy no-cook dishes; how to roast garlic and root vegetables; how to prepare delicious pasta; how to sauté and roast meats and more; and how to make desserts in minutes. You will learn to make three complete meals in three easy lessons, including: guacamole and chips, make-your-own taco bar, tres leches cake; classic Caesar salad, roast Cornish hens with root vegetables, and blueberry crisp; shrimp cocktail and garlic bread, classic fettuccini alfredo, arugula and radicchio salad with apples and glazed walnuts, and ice cream tiramisu

The lush, green Pacific Northwest is famous for its wild salmon, oysters and beers, but that's just the tip of the gastronomic iceberg. Its forests are home to mushrooms and berries that turn up in countless recipes. Cedar planks become grilling beds for fish, meat and vegetables, imparting them with the unmistakable flavor of the Northwest. You will learn how to use these techniques and ingredients to make: Pacific oysters with mignonette; pan seared salmon with crispy skin and blackberry sauce; sautéed mushrooms and herbs; salt-and-vinegar potatoes; and kale, hazelnut and goat cheese salad. You will enjoy those with a selection of wines from the region.

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.