Couples: Fire & ICE

ICE's resident sommelier, Richard Vayda, pulls out all the stops for this very special holiday class. Too many people are intimidated by champagne, tending to tiptoe around it instead of enjoying and serving it with food. No longer! In this class, you will dine on beautiful hors d'oeuvres along with a select group of sparkling wines. Your evening begins with a discussion of the origin and making of sparkling wine, while tasting various examples---from non-vintage to vintage to rosé. The highlight of the tasting will feature a Prestige Cuvée Champagne paired with an American challenger. The class rounds out with students enjoying a buffet of classic luxury food matches while indulging in additional bubbly, making for a sparkling winter evening to remember! We'll taste at least nine wines, plus foods.

Throughout Italy, Christmas Eve is the occasion to sit down to a feast of fish and seafood dishes. In this holiday class, we will cover five classic dishes. We will make baccala mantecato; linguine with clams, grilled calamari with aioli and arugula; baked branzino with fennel and olives and zuppa di pesce.

These desserts are perfect for winter, not just because of their wintry flavors of ginger, peppermint and more, but because of their clever use of fruits that are easily available in winter. And, naturally, you can't forget the chocolate. We'll make: peppermint chocolate truffles; gingerbread cake with chai-spiced frosting; and cranberry and pear crisp.

Learn to make fresh handmade pasta, as well as a variety of simple sauces. You will work in a small group in our state-of-the-art kitchens to create from scratch the following menu: fresh, handmade pasta dough; spicy puttanesca; easy and classic Alfredo.