Brian Allen’s Place

I enjoyed another class at Williams-Sonoma with this one presented by Chef Jason Daniel from Sazio and Starfish. Jason prepared Oven-Baked Brown Rice with Roast Tomatoes, Salmon Baked in Paper (Salmone in Cartoccio), and Watercress, Pear and Goat Cheese Salad with Sherry Vinaigrette.

Due to the limited time and equipment limitations, the rice dish had to be altered from being oven baked to cooked in a pot on the stove as more of a pilaf. And, it was under cooked a great deal. You could tell that the dish had potential.

The salad was great and it allowed the class to prepare the pears and pick watercress away from their stems. This dish was very good. And, I learned that the Huntsville area is one of the largest producers of watercress due to all the cold springs in the area.

The salmon presented nicely with the parchment paper. The fish was very moist. Karen and I have done this technique and it is very easy to do.

Some items are copyrighted by Williams-Sonoma.

Owner/Chef James A. Hendricks of Le Bistro Du Soleil presented this class. Jay, as he called, prepared a Potato-Onion Tart, a Beef Bourguignonne, and Chateaubriand with Shiitake Mushroom Rub. All three were variations of recipes from Williams-Sonoma recipe site.

All of the recipes were great. The Potato-Onion Tart recipe made too much filling so you can increase the pastry or reduce the filling. With more pastry, you can make a larger tart or two tart in the called for tart pan.

The Chateaubriand with Shiitake Mushroom Rub was made with filet to speed up the cooking time.

The Beef Bourguignonne made with T-bones to speed up the cooking time.

Some items are copyrighted by Williams-Sonoma.

I tried out my first Williams-Sonoma Cooking Class. During the class, we had prepared for us Scrambled Eggs with Tomato, Cheddar, and Basil from Essentials of Healthful Cooking, Apple & Sausage Stir Fry, Monte Cristo Sandwiches from the Williams-Sonoma web site, Spiced Apple Coffee Cake, and a Orange Sherbet Orange.

The class was presented by Chef Maeola Hagerty of Sweet & Savory. Sweet and Savory is a catering company in Huntsville, AL.

The class was great, but the staff had not indicated the amount of food that would be provided so I had eaten before I arrived. Wow, I was stuffed.

The Orange Sherbet Orange was simply a orange half with fruit portion removed and orange Sherbet put in its place. Then, it is topped with chunks of fresh strawberry. It served in a parfait glass.

The Scrambled Eggs with Tomato, Cheddar, and Basil was super. I would have never thought of putting basil in eggs, but this dish provided yet again that I love basil. Drop me a comment for this recipe.

I will be attended a founders day cooking class Sunday, October 2nd.