Class Acts

A couple of quick announcements of upcoming classes that are guaranteed to be epic. How do I know? Because the women giving them are stunningly talented and never disappoint!

Cheesemaking with Mary Rosenblum, including Cheese Sampling and Lunch

Master cheesemaker and renowned science fiction author Mary Rosenblum teaches how to make your own Monterey jack cheese at home. Taught in Sasha Kaplan's "And She Cooks" home kitchen, you'll also sample some of Mary's feta cheese and have a late lunch prepared by Sasha of a pasta and salad dish using the cheese you create.

Details: Cheesemaking with Mary Rosenblum with Cheese Sampling and Lunch. Sat., April 9, 1-4 pm; $50, preregistration required. And She Cooks, 2335 NE 41st Ave. 503-288-8196 or 503-317-4823.

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Superb Spring Holiday Dinner with Chef Kathryn LaSusa Yeomans

Find out how easy it is to prepare an astonishing spring holiday meal with ingredients bought at the farmers' market. The class starts with a tour of the Hillsdale Farmers' Market where you'll meet many of the market's farmers, ranchers and producers as you gather the ingredients for the meal. Then it's a short walk to Sweetwares kitchen in the Hillsdale Shopping Center where Chef Kathryn will demonstrate how to stuff and tie a lamb leg roast, complement it with savory sauces, condiments and seasonal market vegetable side dishes. A tasting will follow the demonstration and include suggested wine pairings and a dessert recipe.

Details: Superb Spring Holiday Dinner with Chef Kathryn LaSusa Yeomans. Sun., April 17, 9:30 am-12:30 pm; $60, reservation required. Sign up on the market website.

Photo of Mary Rosenblum by Sarah Gilbert. Farmers' market photo by Kathryn LaSusa Yeomans. 

The Gift That Keeps On Giving

It must be what winning the lottery feels like. Or finding a hundred-dollar bill laying on the sidewalk. So when a small amount of unexpected cash fell into my lap recently, I decided to treat myself to what, to me, is a luxury.

Mango lassi sprinkled with ground cardamom.

No, not a spa day or a shopping trip at Nordstrom. I'd been pining to take a cooking class, and I knew that Sasha Kaplan of And She Cooks had invited her friend Sophie Rahman to teach a two-part class on Indian cooking. It's a cuisine I'd dabbled in but didn't know well, and its complexity and richness had always been a draw, so I signed up.

Sophie Rahman, instructor extraordinaire.

I arrived on Sasha's doorstep in the Hollywood district and was ushered into her kitchen, where Sophie was busy toasting pappadums in the broiler. I was handed a mango lassi sprinkled with fresh-ground garam masala as the evening's other students trickled in, then we gathered around the table as she took us on a tour of the regions and spices of India and its neighbor, Pakistan.

Spices for garam masala ready to grind.

From there it was on to the hands-on portion of the evening where we watched and helped to measure, toast and stir the spices that would be going into the meal of lentils with spinach and ginger and a classic aromatic yellow rice. Sophie bustled around the kitchen, offering a technique tip here, a hand with stirring there. As we sat around the table together with the food we'd made, she added stories from her childhood and more insight into the dishes we'd prepared.

The aromatic basmati rice, ready to cook.

The second class was focused on the history of Indian cooking and was more technique-oriented, with a discussion various spice combinations and how to sweat the onions properly so they would not only sweeten but thicken the main dish of Badaami Murgh, chicken smothered in aromatic herbs and almonds.

The Baadami Murgh (too bad you can't smell it!).

We also stir-fried a cauliflower dish called Gobhi Kari, which used fresh kari leaves and small split gram beans as well as scallions for flavor and color. Also shared were local sources where we could find the various ingredients along with a little bag of packaged spices to take home to try with probably the most valuable takeaway of all, the recipes for the spice mixes and dishes we'd prepared.

So adding it up, with two classes, two dinners and many good recipes, even though it felt like an indulgence in the beginning, this was going to pay off big-time for making some impressive dinners in the future. And I hear that there might be a class on samosas coming up soon. Hmmmm...

Details: And She Cooks Cooking Classes with Sasha Kaplan. E-mail or phone 503-288-8196 for information or to inquire about upcoming classes.