Last week we had the much-anticipated private cooking class with Eric Gower, local chef & author of The Breakaway Cook, among other books. He has a unique style of cooking that incorporates techniques that he learned while living in Japan for 15 years, combined with a sort of California-style cuisine, and his own never-ending ingenuity. He is big on world flavors, and giving simple recipes a lift from "flavor blasts" to make the ordinary extraordinary.What a great event! We decided to have it at Susan & Warren's house, since they have more than ample space, and a great kitchen. It was perfect for the 6 of us, plus Eric, to have room to move around and participate in the process.
We decided to do a wine pairing with each course, which of course was a great add and mood-enhancer, starting with Belgian beer and ending with some remarkably well-priced reds from K & L.
All of the food was fantastic, and seemed easy to make (after all of that wine, I kind of lost track a little...). Here is the menu from that evening, and the dishes that we made:
Japanese Cucumber with Miso and Pomegranate Molasses:
Soft Tofu with Ume Vinegar and Maccha Salt:
Toro Crostini with Avocado and Yuzu:
Fava Salad with Pickled Ginger and Roasted Almonds:
Plating dinner:
Roasted Hamachi with Miso and Apricot:
Roasted Hamachi with Winter Greens Ohitashi-Style, Beet "Tartare", Unplain Rice
Strawberries with Lavender, Lemon, and Greek Yogurt:
The best part was the easy camaraderie between all of us and Eric, from enjoying the food and telling stories at the table. And that is the point of all of this wonderful cooking anyway, to get it on the table with a minimum of effort, so that you can spend your time enjoying it and the company of your friends, both old and new.
