Tuscan Cooking Class & Perfect Pizza... August 9 & 13 ONLY
Don't miss two of the year's best hands-on cooking classes: our Tuscan Cooking Class on August 9 and our Pizza Workshop on August 13!
I've been teaching Italian cooking for years, and the thing that seems to scare people off more than anything is working with yeast. Maybe it's the fear that, left to its own devices, yeast will take over the kitchen--just think of dough ballooning out of the oven in that episode of "I Love Lucy". But I've found that once people get their hands into the dough and get familiar with how yeast works, the fear disappears. All it takes is understanding a few rules, getting comfortable with basic techniques such as kneading and shaping the dough, and a reliable recipe. Whether you're making bread, focaccia, pizza, or any other yeast-risen dough, the principles are the same. It's all about temperature, ingredients, and technique. If you've ever wanted to bake crisp, thin-crust pizzas, our hands-on Pizza Class on August 13 is for you: I'll take you through the essential techniques of kneading, rolling, topping, and baking pizza dough and demystify the process of working with yeast. We'll bake Italy's most famous pizzas, starting with the classic tomato- and Mozzarella-topped Pizza Margherita, then set our imaginations free and combine various toppings for a true pizza-lover's fantasy. We'll even make a sweet pizza with chocolate and apricots... delicious with a glass of sweet wine at meal's end!
On the Menu, August 13 at 6PM:
- Classic Pizza Margherita
- Pizza Rosa with Truffle Oil and Mascarpone
- Pizza with Artichoke Hearts, Goat Cheese, and Olives
- Pizza Dolce with Apricot and Chocolate
This one time-only cooking class lasts from 6PM to 9PM and is limited to 22 participants. The cost is $95 per person and includes dinner paired with 3 wines. You can sign up here.
Space is limited, so reserve soon... this class ALWAYS sells out!
And if you've always wanted to vist Tuscany, take a virtual journey in a new Tuscan hands-on cooking class on August 9 featuring a sumptuous line-up of 5 classic Tuscan dishes. Our Tuscan summer menu features tomatoes, asparagus, lamb, and peppery Pecorino cheese, cooked in true Tuscan form and served with three fabulous wines. We'll begin by kneading and baking rosemary-scented focaccia (known as schiacciata in Tuscany); once you master this recipe, you'll find yourself making it time and again, with various herb combinations, topped with cheese, or flavored with olives. Next, we'll prepare a deceptively simple summer soup of ripe tomatoes, bread, onions, and basil, topped with a deliciously addictive Pecorino cheese crisp. Tuscans are quite fond of lamb, and we'll roast ours after marinating it with plenty of rosemary and garlic; the meat will emerge from the oven so succulent and rosy that it requires no sauce, perhaps just a splash of fruity olive oil and a squeeze of lemon. Since asparagus has an amazing affinity for tarragon, we'll roast our tender asparagus with a shower of fresh tarragon leaves and a shower of Pecorino. For dessert, we'll whip up a light, ethereal crème caramel subtly scented with vanilla; I prefer this luscious spoon sweet to panna cotta, and once you learn the technique for making crème caramel, you can play with flavor variations at home (add a bit of almond extract or Grand Marnier, stir in some chopped bittersweet chocolate, infuse the custard with espresso beans… the possibilities are endless, and endlessly delicious).
On the Menu, August 9 at 6PM:
- Rosemary-Scented Focaccia
- Pappa al Pomodoro (Basil-Scented Summer Bread & Tomato Soup with Pecorino Crisp)
- Herb-Rubbed Rack of Lamb
- Tarragon-Roasted Asparagus
- Vanilla Crème Caramel
This one time-only cooking class lasts from 6PM to 9PM and is limited to 22 participants. The cost is $95 per person and includes dinner paired with 3 wines. You can sign up here.
Space is limited, so reserve before class sells out!
We look forward to cooking with you soon!
Micol Negrin & Dino De Angelis
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