Summer Favorites at ICE

Master some of the most fragrant and distinct dishes in this country's rich and varied cuisine, emphasizing a riot of toasted spices. You'll learn all about the vegetables, seafood and other featured ingredients, with a range of geographic and climatic origins, from hearty masalas to spicy curries to cooling raitas. We'll assemble a menu of: chana masala (chickpea curry); chicken tikka masala; palak paneer (spinach with paneer cheese); pulao (spiced basmati rice); and cucumber raita.

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.

Come join NYC’s longest running wine course. Over its 45+ year history, thousands of students, food and wine professionals and the wine interested public alike, have participated in this program. This six-session course, crafted by ICE director of wine studies Richard Vayda, uses grape varietals, as well as winemaking regions, as the keys to understanding the full wine spectrum. You will receive a thorough introduction to winemaking, tasting, laws and labeling as you learn about wine components and taste some of the world’s most celebrated wines. In these six sessions, you will sample up to 60 wines! Session 1: Winemaking and Wine-Tasting Basics. Session 2: France: The Wines and Grapes of Burgundy and Bordeaux. Session 3: The Major Wines and Grape Varieties of Italy. Session 4: Spanish and other Warm-Climate Wines. Session 5: Wine Tour of the US West Coast. Session 6: A Tour of Sparkling Wine from Around the World.