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A favorite dine-out cuisine, Thai food is within reach of any home cook with a little bit of culinary curiosity. A fusion of historical influences, Thai food is distinctive and rich in flavor by design. Balancing spicy, sweet, sour, salty, and bitter harmoniously is a hallmark of Thai cuisine.
IN THIS ISSUE, we expand the Asian side of our kitchen with a try at Thai food using Quick & Easy Thai by Nancie McDermott as our guide. Key ingredients are explained, indispensable tools defined, and recipes shared. Like us, we think you'll realize success the first time around.
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Ken's Notes:
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For some reason, our classes have been an awful lot of fun lately.
Cupcake Camp Marietta was a complete sugar overload. Sara Rosenstock's White Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough cupcakes took top prize by popular vote. Overall the variety of baked goods was amazing and the flavor combinations incredibly inventive.
We made a little money for a local charity, everyone took home a variety of cupcakes for their families and we brought three trays of leftovers to the Marietta Fire Department where they were accepted with wide-eyed wonder. |
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Cooking Classes at The Cook's Shop!
|  Korean Cuisine Saturday, Mar 12, 2011 - 2:00 pm, $45
Mike Frank - Former Chef, Sales Rep. for Michaels Finer Meats and Seafood
Korean cuisine has a long history and is highly influenced by the diverse regions of the county. Mike is highly influenced, and inspired, by his wife and her Korean ancestry. He'll be cooking some of his Mother-in-law's favorites, including Seafood Pancakes stuffed with shrimp, calamari, scallions and mushrooms. Kalbi short ribs, Korean glass noodles with beef and vegetables along with Kim Chi cabbage, one of Korea's most popular dishes, will be demonstrated in detail.
 A Taste Of The Blarney
Tuesday, Mar 15, 2011 - 6:30 pm, $45
Gayle Shank - In-house Chef
Irish food (you can't really call it cuisine) always gets a bad rap. It's time to change all that! We've spent time finding regional variations on traditional favorites that we think add a lot of flavor and interest to your St. Patty's Day dinner. Join Gayle and learn to make Irish Soda Bread, Guinness Stew, Colcannon and a Bailey's Irish Trifle desert
Pâte À Choux (Choux Pastry) Wednesday, Mar 23, 2011 - 6:30 pm, $35
Gayle Shank - In-house Chef
Pâte À Choux, also known as Gougrères, Eclairs and Beignets, is a pastry dough made of butter, water, flour and eggs. Sounds simple, but the end result is divine! Gayle will make both sweet and savory Choux pastries including Cream Puffs, Eclairs and Canapes with spinach and crab filling.
The King Is Back In The Kitchen! Wednesday, Mar 30, 2011 - 6:30 pm, $50
Dave Rudy - Chef, Parkersburg Country Club
Dave will be joining us once more, and as usual, we can't pin him down for a menu selection yet. He's hinting at seafood, lobster bisque..... but we won't know for sure until a week or two before the class. Come on, take a chance!
 East Indian Cuisine
Tuesday, April 5, 2011 - 6:30 pm, $45
Heidi Riley - Chef
Do you love the smell of Garam Masala but just aren't sure where or how to use it? Join Heidi for an introduction to East Indian Cuisine and she'll teach you the intricacies of classic Indian spices. Start the evening with a Mango Lasse smoothy drink and then dive straight into Murgh Makhani or Butter Chicken. For desert you'll learn to make Gulab Jamun, baked or fried dough balls that are soaked in a cardamom-infused syrup.
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Quick & Easy Thai, 70 Everyday Recipes by Nancie McDermott. Photographs by Alison Miksch. Copyright © 2004. Published by Chronicle Books, San Francisco, CA. 
This cookbook is the perfect introduction to Thai cooking for the novice and contains plenty of inspiration for your skills as they grow. Many ethnic cuisine cookbooks quickly become confusing and daunting to the Western cook. This is not the case here. Ms. McDermott gained her training in Thai cooking first-hand as a Peace Corp volunteer in Thailand. In this, her second Thai cookbook, the recipes are intended for everyday use. The presentation simplifies the dishes, but without compromise. The book is organized by Appetizers, Soups, Curries, Chicken, Meats, Seafood, Rice & Noodles, Vegetables, Sweets & Drinks. We are further enabled with a section on Menus for Thai meals, tools for cooking Thai, various preparation techniques, and setting up a Thai pantry. The directions were instructive and led us to first time success with each of the recipes we tried. We can't wait to try more! |
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| Take a trip around the world right from your own kitchen with the fresh taste of Thai food! |
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