Beau-Coup Winner Plus a Recent Cooking Class
Thanks so much everyone for the comments you left on the last post…you are too kind! I am so glad that you all enjoyed Beau-Coup and I loved reading about your favorite finds! The winner of the $50 gift certificate is Landa from the All-Purpose Blog!!! Congratulations…hope you buy something fun!
Well, two days before that huge cookie order was due I actually had a cooking class scheduled that I would be teaching at Prep Kitchen Essentials. The class had been scheduled a while back and while at first it didn’t sound like I would be able to make it through it with a smile on my face (since my legs were about to go out on me) I ended up meeting a lot of great people, cooking some fabulous food, and enjoying the night. Here are some photos from the class and of course I have to share at least one recipe with you too!
The class was titled: Romantic Italian Date Night for Two and the menu was…
Here is the Pork Tenderloin and Mint Pesto.
And finally here are the Ricotta Beignets with Chocolate Dipping Sauce.
We definitely had a great time at the class!
Well, as promised here is one recipe from the class…enjoy! Also if you are interested in coming to some of my classes you can check out Prep Kitchen Essentials new class list and sign-up!
Ricotta Beignets with Chocolate Dipping Sauce
adapted from Fiamma by Elizabeth Katz
(makes 6-8 servings)
1 cup whole milk ricotta cheese
2 large eggs
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup all- purpose flour
3/4 t. baking powder
1/2 cup finely crushed amaretti cookies (about 16 cookies)
1 cup chopped bittersweet chocolate (5 ounces)
1 cup heavy cream
vegetable oil for frying
powdered sugar for garnish
Whisk the ricotta and eggs together in a medium-size bowl until
smooth. Add the sugar, flour, baking powder, and amaretti and stir
until well blended. Cover and chill for at least 1 hour.
While batter is chilling, put the chopped chocolate in a bowl. In a
small saucepan, bring the cream to a bowl and then pour the hot cream
over the chocolate. Let it stir for a couple minutes and then stir
until smooth. Keep warm or re-warm in microwave for a few seconds in
needed.
Fill a medium-size pot with at least 3 inches of oil and heat until
the oil reaches 360 degrees. Carefully drop the crochette batter by
the heaping tablespoon into the hot oil and cook, turning once, until
brown on all sides, about 3 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to remove
them and then place them on a paper towel to drain. Dust them with
powdered sugar and serve immediately with chocolate sauce.
HI, congrats to your winner! I so wish I could take your classes. How do you feel about the Sunshine State? Central Florida, in particular? Gas is cheaper here! Can’t blame me for trying!
Your food looks so good! Did you make the tapenade? I think my children would really like that as well as the soup. Will you be posting the recipes? Believe it or not my children are not your typical kids. They will not eat out of a box or can! They have very mature taste and enjoy trying new foods.
Seriously, will you think about Floirda? Ha-ha!
Ingrid
First of all, THanks! And secondly, OMG this food looks amazing. So hating Weight Watchers right now. Everything looks so yummy.
How fun these classes look, I’m too far away.
that is some gorgeous, gorgeous food. i find the roasted tomatoes to be particularly beautiful and delicious, but i wouldn’t say no to any of it.
DELICIOUS!
wow you made me drool
Beautiful spread! Those ricotta beignets sound amazing!
You have the coolest cooking classes! I wish I was close by, I’d be signing up for sure. Looks like fun, not to mention your recipes look terrific!
Everything looks soooo good! All stuff that I would definitely eat. My favorite are the Ricotta Beignets though.
thanks for the recipe, and beautiful website
Lucky people that went to that class, Melody! Everything looks so good, but the crostini are my favourite!
Your food ALWAYS looks divine!! LOVE the beignets!
Oh how fun, and how delicious! Mmmmmmm!
Crostinis look so very yummy! Oh, how I wish I was there…
That dinner would give any marriage a romantic boost. It sounds (and looks) lovely.
I wish I lived closer! I could have attended your classes!. You have a lovely blog here!
Why do I look at this in the afternoon when I’m starving??? Gorgeous!
Wonderful photos. Each dish looks as yummy as the last. Must stop browsing now because it’s making my tummy growl-lol.
Have a nice day!
I could down a tray of those crostini in a flash. Bookmarked for my next party. Love the colors on them. The whole menu is fantastic–do you have Italian roots?
Thanks for the recipe! They sound sooo good, I think I will give them a try. Is there a secret or a really good tip to keeping the oil at a constant temperature when you use a pot?
Melody, this looked like a fun class, and what a meal to try out. It has been ages since I made beignets and they are so good. Enjoyed catching up on some of your other posts.
That soup looks delicious…and so does everything else!
I haven’t been to your blog for awhile, and I’ve missed some great stuff! I’ve just been reading back through some posts – I’m gonna have to remember to visit more often!
I wish that there were some good cooking classes where I live. I only know of one place, and they charge an arm and a leg for each class, and it’s not hands on or even very informative. All of this food looks fantastic!
Aimee – Yes, I do have Italian roots…my grandfather was full Italian!
Leslie – The trick is not to overcrowd the pot. Only put in 4 or 5 at a time, depending on the size of the pot. This way the oil will stay at a constant temperature…good luck baking!
Ingrid – Florida is tempting…thanks for the offer. As for the tapenade recipe, go to http://www.epicurious.com and type in tapenade and you will find it there. They have great recipes and reviews on that sight.
Just look at of of that tasty food! I really like those crostini!
Thanks! Your site is amazing!
Those Ricotta Beignets look great. Looks like the class was a great success! I wish I could attend but I live in the middle of nowhere