October 17th - Fall & Holiday Cooking Classes @ PCI October 17, 2009

Basic Culinary Skills III (3rd of 3-Part Series) with Chef Peter Maguire
10:00am-2:30pm - $450 per person
Saturday, September 26th, October 3rd & October 17th
Offered only as an entire series! This series will help you to be more confident in the kitchen, develop your palate and help create a new sense of cooking enjoyment. We will cover knife skills, soups, stocks, sauces and methods of cookery including: sauté, braising, roasting, grilling, frying, en paillote and en croute. You’ll learn the fundamentals of herbs and spices, complex sauces, garnishing, plate presentation, side dishes and of course food and wine pairing. Each class will cover necessary knife skills, each building on the last, and of course a touch on dessert each day. Your tuition includes the hands-on production of the dishes to enjoy in a family style buffet at the end of each class, the recipes to take home a replicate with loved ones, and a new friend to call on to ask for cooking advice.
Chef Peter, a full time instructor at PCI, has worked and taught in the culinary industry for over 25 years; he has won many awards and accolades in hot food competitions as well as ice carving.
Due to the popularity, the entire series is non-refundable after 12pm on Wednesday September 23rd, no discounts apply towards the Basic Skills Series.
These classes are not a prerequisite for any of our other hands-on Hobby Classes; we hope to see you in the kitchen soon!

Cajun / Creole Cuisine with Chef Jeremy MacVeigh
10:00am-2:30pm - $150 per person
Fall and Winter are great times to bring out the warm, hearty, and spicy dishes that we all love from the deep south. Join us while we explore the history and flavors of one of our countries most celebrated culinary regions. You will enjoy professional demonstrations as well as your hands-on preparation of some of the classics from the region. You will receive recipes for and prepare dishes that include Gumbo, Etouffee, Jambalaya, and more. We will also take a look into the more contemporary applications of the regions flavors. Chef Jeremy is a fulltime instructor at PCI and has recently published a cooking text called “International Cuisine”.

Cookies and Yummy Bars Galore – FOR KIDS with Chef Michelle Encarnacion
10:00am-3:00pm - $100 per child
We will teach your child the ins and outs of the kitchen. This class will explore the fundamentals of making that perfect and absolutely delicious cookie. Your child will create and bake all-time classics cookies such as chewy chocolate chip and tasty oatmeal-raisin, as well as venture into baking more advanced cookies like the heavenly six-layer cookie bars and more. And what’s a cookie class without learning some basic decorating techniques? They will learn how to turn these wonderful delights into beautiful works of art. The children will leave with a huge sense of accomplishment and the basic skills to feel comfortable in any kitchen, all with an emphasis on proper safety and sanitation. Chef Michelle Encarnacion is a professional teacher who also graduated from PCI’s professional Baking and Pastry Arts program. Bringing her two passions together makes her a great instructor for these and other types of classes. We will also provide a healthy lunch for the kids of fresh sandwiches, vegetables and fruit.

Seasonal Desserts– New Perspective on the Pumpkin with Chef Stephany Buswell, CMB
10:00am-2:30pm - $125 per person
You will learn how to use this seasonal vegetable to create some alternative desserts for your holiday celebrations. Recipes you will create and take home will include pumpkin crème brulee, pumpkin chiffon pie, and pumpkin souffle roulade with rum cream, and more. Some of these desserts will hold up nicely in the freezer if you want get a jump-start on your Thanksgiving Day feast. Chef Stephany is a Certified Master Baker and has worked in the baking industry for over 30 years. During this time she perfected the art of cake decorating, pastry baking, wedding cakes, and bread baking, and is currently a fulltime instructor at PCI.

For class availability and to enroll call (408) 370-9190

Official Website: http://www.pcichef.com/hobbyschedule.html