Classic Techniques I: Your 2011 Resolution
It’s almost here…an entirely new year! To kick things off right, we’re offering our popular Classic Techniques: Essentials I not once, but twice in the month of January. Here are ten reasons you should sign up now:
- It’s never too late to improve your cooking skills. This class offers the foundation you need for a lifetime of great cooking.
- It’s entirely experiential. You’ll cook each meal hands-on, then enjoy it with perfectly paired wines and great conversation with your classmates.
- It’s warm in here! Cook Street’s woodfired oven, warm brick interior, and welcoming atmosphere provide a delicious winter respite.
- It’s practical. With techniques like omelettes and roasting on the docket, you’ll be using your newfound skills forevermore.
- It’s impressive. One word: Flambé.
- It’s gotten great reviews…in fact, Smart Money Magazine recognized the class in its Best Of Everything Issue!
- It’s all about you…your knife skills, your presentational skills, your ability to season and store food. Invest in yourself.
- With dishes like fresh pasta, le grand aioli, romesco and mojo sauces, potato gratin and more, you’ll be ready to party all year long.
- It’s a prerequisite to Classic Techniques: Essentials II, which will require CT: I starting in 2011.
- It’s accepting reservations now! Click here for Monday and Thursday dates throughout January and quick registration. See you in the kitchen!
Give the Gift of Cook Street!
‘Tis the season to give the greatest gift of all…the gift of Cook Street classes! Available in all denominations, our Cook Street gift cards make perfect stocking stuffers, hostess gifts, and thoughtful gestures to the foodies in your life. Best of all, you can customize them to the foodie in your family! Click here to purchase a gift card today.
Please note: gift cards are non-refundable and are redeemable for classes and/or merchandise only. Gift cards are valid for one year from the date of purchase. Click here to see a course calendar for an idea of the variety of awesome classes offered by Cook Street!
This year, we’re offering great add-ons to make your card an even more impressive gift. Please note that these sets cannot be purchased online; if you’d like an add-on, please come to Cook Street during business hours or call the Café at (303) 308-9300. Add-ons include:
The Wine Savvy gift set includes The Wine Bible and a wine aerating spout.
The Spice gift set includes two Savory Spice blends as well as The Spice Bible.
The Pastry Perfection gift set includes one reusable pastry bag and five decorative pastry tips and a coppler attachmnet.
The Grilling Guru gift set includes Weber’s Big Book of Grilling and a Hells Handle grilling spatula.
The Food Lover’s Companion gift set includes The Food Lover’s Companion and a navy blue Cook Street Apron.
Gifts for all your foodie friends are just a click away! Click here to order, and Happy Holidays from Cook Street!
Fun on the Cutting Edge
Knife skills = boring. Right? Wrong. At least we don’t think so! Our upcoming Knife Skills course not only gives you the skills you need to build a solid foundation for your next meal, but affords plenty of interest in the process (and yields a delicious meal complete with wine pairings). Think knives are, well, dull? Here are some fun facts about knife skills:
Here’s a quick way to figure out if your knife is sharp enough: tomato and other fruit skins can be sliced without a problem.
Too dull? If you wrap your knife in newspaper and take it to your local grocery store, the butcher’s counter will tell you when to bring it in for a mobile sharpening at a low cost.
One knife to rule them all: Can’t afford an array of expensive knives? No worries…a modest chef’s knife will do. Look for a blade constructed of one piece of metal that sits well in your hand.
A common myth about knives is that sharp ones are more dangerous than dulled blades. Wrong! Sharper knives are easier to control and more likely to be respected by the user.
Get sharp with us! Join us for Knife Skills Monday, December 13…the perfect pre-holiday respite or date night! Click here for details.
Thanksgiving Cooking Crisis?
We know, we know…sometimes the hype surrounding America’s favorite food holiday can lead to a bit of paralysis. Not feeling up to the challenge? We’ve assembled our favorite sources of Turkey-Day solace. Now get out there and cook!
- Thanksgiving newbie? NPR to the rescue!
- Prefer your Turkey day high-tech? Try these Thanksgiving-oriented iPhone apps.
- Burnt turkey is preferable to a burnt kitchen…we promise. Get your kitchen safety tips here.
- Prefer what’s tried, and tried, and tried, and true? Cooks Illustrated has you covered.
- Confused about your (gasp!) Butterball turkey? Operators are standing by.
- Last-minute menus and plenty of cocktails are on tap at Epicurious.
- Need video tutorials and tips? Turn to CHOW for help.
- Sometimes it’s time to just give up. Westword lays out recommendations for five Front Range restaurants that stay open on Turkey Day.
Dare we ask if you have a hostess gift in mind for that fabulous fete? We can help. Drop by the Cook Street Café…we’ve got gift cards and plenty of gift-ready packages to make sure you don’t show up empty-handed!
Is It Worth All That?
If you’re anything like us, you’ve probably wondered what’s behind those extremely expensive bottles of wine. What factors go into wine pricing, anyway? Are there varieties that are worth more than others? What should you spend on wine?
Debunk those myths with Is It Worth All That?, a hands-on wine workshop that explores eight high-end wines and the price tags that go with them. Just look at this juicy (partial!) wine list:
- 2007 Cakebread Cellars Chardonnay, Napa Valley, California
- 2006 Chateau de la Maltroye Chassagne Montrachet, Monopole Premier Cru, Burgundy, France
- 2007 ZD Cabernet Sauvignon, Napa Valley, California
- 2006 Stags’ Leap Merlot, Napa Valley, California
- 2007 Domaine Lucien Barrot et Fils, Chateauneuf-du-Pape, Rhone Valley, France
A steal itself at only $69 for the class, you’ll love Is It Worth All That? and its savvy take on so-costly wine. Ready for a great date night, girls’ night out, or just ready to treat yourself? Join us Thursday, December 9. Learn more and register here.
This Week in Twitter
- Phew! A new record for most expensive bottle of wine ever sold at auction… http://ow.ly/32k1B #
- Think you like microbrews? What about (drumroll…) nanobrews? http://ow.ly/32Grv #
- Restaurant roll call time with @cafewestword for October…http://ow.ly/32Gt7 #
- Hmm…can Ichiban fill an unsavory address in downtown Denver? @cafewestword weighs in: http://ow.ly/339PG #
- Think winemaking is a bucolic ol' picnic? Yeah….might want to revise that one: http://ow.ly/339Tt #
- Ever wanted to learn to cook with the flair and finesse of the Romans? Learn it all (with wine!) at One Night In Rome: http://ow.ly/339YC #
- Hungry? Go to our Facebook album for pics of Chef John's mouthwatering biscotti and a recipe… http://ow.ly/33ahw #
- Tonight: Amanda Simpson signs her Food Porn Daily Cookbook http://ow.ly/33KQK via @cafewestword #
- Want holiday fun with the kids? There's still time to sign up for our fabulous gingerbread classes: http://ow.ly/33Mfy #
- Congrats to CO's newest Advanced Somms: Vilma Mazaite @TheLittleNell, Littleton’s Frank Seidl of Trinity Fine Wines! via @denveromnivore #
- RT @grampashoney: totally excited to do a proper honey tasting @tweetcookstreet in downtown Denver this Friday. Honey like wine! #
- RT @vinoluci: RT @thepeche: new post : s’mores cheesecake plus a double cookbook #giveaway from Rick Rodgers http://bit.ly/dAlacZ #
- Interesting profile on Adam Rapoport. Who's that, you say? Only the new editor of Bon Appétit: http://ow.ly/34zU5 #
- This is a great primer on stress-free wine pairing. Want more in-depth? Try a wine class at Cook Street! http://ow.ly/34FhF #
- Finally Friday and we're wondering what culinary adventures you're up to this weekend! #
- 150 years of cooking, 1,400 recipes tested, six years to write – great interview re The Essential NYTimes cookbook here; http://ow.ly/352cp #
- Seems like the internet is all about food hackery and sous vide this week. We explain the trend here: http://ow.ly/3536u #
- Brooding over the time change? Prepare yourself with a brooding red wine from…Provence? http://ow.ly/353BX #
Food Trend du Jour: Sous Vide and Food Hackery
As we cook, we also keep our fingers on the pulse of what’s happening in food trends (with our feet firmly planted in classic techniques that always trump the latest and greatest). This week, the Web is suddenly all about sous vide, a cooking technique much beloved by fancy molecular gastrologists and involving the very long slow-cookery of meat in a plastic bag via vacuum. Huh? Whether you want to try it yourself or just are hungry for some knowledge to share at your next cocktail party, here’s a quick rundown on sous vide:
What does it mean? The term “sous vide” means “under vacuum” in French. Translation: Low temperatures, long cooking times, vacuum-sealed environments.
Why cook sous vide? Perfection: proper use of the technique means that cuts of meat that might otherwise dry out or change flavor with long cookings can retain their texture and take on a moist yumminess seen only in more expensive cuts. Also, it’s fun to play with thermometers, gadgets, and science! Who’s not up for a foodie challenge every once in a while?
What can you cook sous vide? Steak is the ultimate example, but chicken, carrots, even eggs can benefit from the technique.
Where do I learn more? Here’s a great collection of sous vide madness:
- Hack a slow cooker for sous vide
- Poor man’s sous vide
- Sous vide 101
- A practice guide to sous vide – by a Colorado mathematician who has gotten this science down to an art
Proceed with caution…any cooking technique that relies on lots of fancy equipment might not last the test of time. Want to brush up on your cooking basics and get reacquainted with French and Italian classics? Click here to view a course calendar!
This Week in Twitter
- Charcuterie key to this restaurant's success: http://ow.ly/2Vd37 #
- Remember the dramatic Victorian meal of a few weeks ago? Chris Kimball chats about it at @tatteredcover tonight: http://ow.ly/2Vd9c #
- Low in fat, high in flavor: goat's popularity is on the rise – http://ow.ly/2Vddb #
- Is wine and cheese in Starbucks' future? http://ow.ly/2VdjE #
- RT @mcrosacci: I love Cook Street! Makes a great date night – YUMMY! #
- Sustainable seafood: not just a trend: http://ow.ly/2VFlf #
- Cook Street alum Swirlgirl selects five NZ reds…under $20! Her @cafewestword article here: http://ow.ly/2VY0O #
- Napa's the place for this latest street food feature: http://ow.ly/2VY3V #
- Thinking of hiring friends and family at your restaurant? Read this first: http://ow.ly/2VYcC #
- Decant or aerate? Interesting article on the difference: http://ow.ly/2WvUh #
- Don't like the bad breath and all that fat? Well, garlic bread's back and you need to get used to it: http://ow.ly/2WAnU #
- Caramels. Nougat. Nut brittle. Make all that and more at our Holiday Candy class 11/3! Fun candy facts here: http://ow.ly/2WGUI #
- Yum – we loved this rundown of pasta shapes from @denverpost http://ow.ly/2XakZ #
- Wow – did you know that up to 1/2 of the 591 billion pounds of food produced in the US goes to waste? http://ow.ly/2XeRj #
- Brush up on your bouillabaisse and coq au vin! More about our upcoming Classic Techniques – French class here: http://ow.ly/2Xjkp #
- Author of "Growing Roots" at @tatteredcover for Rocky Mnt Land series this Saturday at 2. (via @denveromnivore) #
- #ff kudos to @swirlgirldenver @cafewestword @denveromnivore @VinoLuci #
- Ever wonder why chefs pay up to $2,000 a pound for truffles? The answer here: http://ow.ly/2XtLV #
Embracing Fall Flavor
Sigh…it’s official. With leaves falling all over, there’s no more denying that autumn has arrived. But never fear: changing your eating habits with the seasons is easy. Here are a few of our favorite tips:
Incorporate fall colors. Bright orange. Deep red. Rich brown. If your food reflects any of these colors, chances are it’s a fabulous fall option. We’re talking butternut squash, pomegranate, and apples. Take a chance and cook a dish with deep color today.
Cook your veggies. It just doesn’t seem right to eat wilted and warmed greens or mashed carrots when it’s bright and summery outside. Fall is a perfect time to enjoy cooked vegetables, whether braised, poached, mashed, or baked.
Go heavier. You don’t have to go insane with the butter and olive oil, but fall is a natural friend to hearty breads, long-simmered meats, and heavier sauces and desserts. Go ahead…enjoy!
Want to learn more about seasonal eating? Cook Street’s menus change with the seasons…and upcoming classes like Classic Techniques: French (can we say coq au vin?) and Classic Techniques: Sauces will give you the skills you need to eat well all season long.
I Want Candy
Candy isn’t always something you think of when you think of recreational cooking classes at Cook Street. After all, isn’t it all about classic French and Italian techniques and soaked in plenty of wine? Well, all that changes around the holidays, when we offer one of our most popular (and most fun!) classes…Holiday Candy (November 3). In this class, you’ll learn to make Caramels, Nut Brittle, Pate de Fruit, Nougat and Hand Rolled Chocolate Truffles, all while gaining knowledge about the delicate world of sugar cookery. And don’t think that food and wine is completely forgotten…man cannot live on candy alone, so we’ll have a full meal with wine to tide you over.
In the meantime, here are some fun candy facts to get your sweeth tooth going:
It’s all about legacy: Over 60 percent of American candy brands have been around for over 50 years, and people have been eating rudimentary forms of candy (usually honeyed nuts or fruits) since the days of ancient Egypt.
Candy’s best eaten in quantity: Talk about a sweet tooth! Candy is big business — and chocolate manufacturers currently use forty (40) % of the world’s almonds and twenty (20) % of the world’s peanuts.
Chocolate mania: During Louis XIV’s reign, chocolate took the French court by storm. Widely thought to have aphrodisiac properties, chocolate was often combined with other stimulants to make life more interesting for fashionable Parisians.
Want to learn more about candy? Forget bringing mass-produced candy canes to that holiday party…impress your friends with your mouthwatering caramels, nougat, and more. You won’t want to miss Holiday Candy on November 3!
