Class Schedule done for this term

I was able to finalize the classes and schedules for my cooking classes from not until May. June classes will be posted near the end of May.
They will be added to the website soon. In the meantime I'm posting it here on my blog. If you are interested in any, please email me directly. carla@savourfood.ca

1. Friday, February 12 6-10pm - $85 per person

Couples Cooking Class; Love is a many splendid thing

Menu : Caesar Salad with Homemade Croutons

Filet Mignon with Wild Mushroom and Red Wine Sauce

Steamed New Potatoes with Parsley

Cream Puff Tower drizzled with Chocolate and filled with

Chocolate Dipped Strawberries

2. Wednesday, February 24 6-9:30pm $55

My Big Fat Greek Appetizer Night

Menu: Greek Style Meatballs in Pita

Spanakopita

Greek Salad Sampler

Marinated Eggplant w/Capers and Mint

3. Friday, March 5, 6:30-10 $75

Tapas Night (includes wine)

Menu: Stuffed Tomatoes

Spanish Meatballs

Cucumber Salad

Avocado Toast

Bacon Wraps

Artichokes with lemon

4. Wednesday, March 17, 6:00-9:30 $65

Simple Brunch

Menu: Brie wrapped in Pastry w/Apple Chutney

Potato and Pancetta Hash

Cambonzola & Caramelized Walnuts on Endive

Smoked Salmon & Herbed Bilinis w/Lemon Yogurt

5. Wednesday, April 7, 6:00-9:30 $75

Julie and Julia (includes wine)

Menu: This class will be focusing on cooking out of the pages from the movie. A wonderful evening of even greater food. 3 recipes

6. Wednesday, April 21, 6:00-9:30 $65

To Taste; Cooking without a recipe

Menu: We'll be taking one specific ingredient, and using that ingredient to prepare a meal without a recipe. The best way to cook. TO TASTE.

7. Wednesday, May 5, 6:00-9:30 $65

Deconstructing Traditional Food

Menu: Caesar Salad

Spaghetti

Apple Pie

A term that has been used in Chef's kitchens and some restaurants is Deconstructing. Learn how to take this food, deconstruct it, revamp it, and plate it in a very non-traditional way.

8. Wednesday, May 19, 6:00-9:30 $65

No Place Like Home

Menu: In this class we'll be taking locally grown alberta ingredients to create a menu anyone would be pleased to serve at their dinner table. 3 course meal. Menu to be announced

I am very excited to be offering these classes and menu's.

I look forward to seeing you and your friends in one of my classes.

Until we cook again :)

News, News, News...

PERSONAL CHEF SERVICES!!!

New Year, New Additions to my company :)
As part of Savour the Art of Food's Catering, Cooking Classes, Private Cooking Classes, Private Functions, Birthday Parties, Wedding's, and Corporate Lunches, I am now adding Personal Chef Services to it.
I am truly excited about this new addition to the company.
What will this include :), and What does this mean :)
It means you can now hire me to be your personal cook so to speak. After meeting with you in your home, and getting a feel for the things you and your family like to eat, your diet restrictions, likes and dislikes, I will put a menu together for you, tailored especially for you. In addition to that, you can hire me to cook homemade freezer meals labelled and ready to put in your refrigerator and freezer. This is especially handy on those busy nights when you really don't want another take out meal. :) The groceries will be purchased by me, meals prepared by me and hand delivered to your home...by you guessed it...me :)
I am hoping to have the ability to order some meals on the website through paypal...that part may take me a bit longer to organize. But in the meantime, if you are running out of time, running out of ideas, and would like a healthier option than take out...look no further.
Until we cook again:)

Preserves - Lots of Work, but so Worth it

Anyone who knows me, knows how much I love fall. Besides all of the wonderful colors, gorgeous trees, it's because it's my time to do some canning. Okay, so some is a bit of an understatement, I do tons of it!! :)

The Farmer's Market's have so much to offer at this time of year. I am amazed every time I go, at the gorgeous new produce they have. And that is exactly what get's me so excited every time I go. The ideas just don't stop coming and I can't wait to get home and play.

So this past fall, I spent another couple of month's canning and preserving. I realize it's taken me a long time to finally post the pictures I promised, but here they are.

Just after I finished roasting my peppers in the oven waiting for me to can them.

Canned Roasted Peppers.

i love having these on hand. to use as garnish, for dips and delicious soups.

those are just a few ideas of where to use them.

This year I thought of trying something different. I'd purchased hot chillies in cans before, so I roasted some jalepeno peppers and then canned them as I would my red peppers.

They turned out great!

Preserved Lemon's

I was so excited to do these this year.

First time doing them and it was so EASY! It blew me away.

Great for lots of Mediterranean dishes. Unbelievable at the ways I've found to use them.

And they look gorgeous to boot :)

Mandarin Oranges.

Again a first for me. Wasn't sure that they would turn out, but they did.
Delicious :)

Apple Sauce and Pear Butter.

Delicious on toast, pancakes, waffles, english muffins, crumpet's and ice-cream.

I can't wait until this coming fall to start the process all over again and fill my shelves with beautiful clear jars filled with delicious produce and sweets.

Until we cook again :)

My Chili Lime Shrimp Recipe

With a bit of reluctance, I am sharing my famous shrimp recipe. It was going to be in my cookbook, but it's become a fan favorite and so many people have asked me for it.

I am only reluctant because now that a lot of people will have the recipe, I'll have to come up with another signature Carla dish to bring to parties. They won't need me to bring it anymore. :)
Okay, so with all of that said, and without further ado, here is the recipe.

25-35 bag large shrimp, deveined, uncooked and peeled (note: it's hard to find uncooked peeled shrimp sometimes, so purchasing a bag of uncooked un-peeled will do. just more work to peel the shrimp)

2 tbsp finely minced garlic

1/4 c butter

1 tbsp crushed dried chili flakes (more or less depending on the heat you like)

Zest of one whole lime

Juice of whole lime

Juice of half a lemon

Approx. 1/4 cup of fresh chopped Cilantro

1 Large French Baguette

Various Cream Cheese Flavours (herb and garlic, chives, onion and garlic or plain)

In a large hot skillet, combine garlic and butter until combined and the smell of garlic fills your kitchen. (the best part...YUM!!)

Add the peeled shrimp, and chili flakes. Combine

Add the lime zest, lime juice and lemon juice and cook until the shrimp are no longer pink. May take up to 6 mins. (check the shrimp, do not over cook) As soon as they are all no longer pink, they are done.

Remove from heat and stir in chopped fresh Cilantro

Cut french baguette in 1 inch slices on an angle. (I like to make crostini out of the baguette. Take sliced baguette, brush with a little olive oil on both sides, place on baking sheet and bake in a 375 degree oven until lightly brown)

Take fresh baguette slices or crostini, spread desired cream cheese flavour and top with two shrimp. Make sure to drizzle some of the delicious juice from the pan over the shrimp and crostini.

Then...fall in love with this appetizer as you bite into it and the flavours explode in your mouth!!!

Quick and easy appetizer great for the sharing with family and friends over the holidays. They will fall in love with your cooking skills with this one. I promise!!!!

We love it so much, we don't only have it for special occasions.

Other ideas for serving the shrimp, other than on crostini:

-make the shrimp following recipe, and toss or serve on top of your favorite pasta

-serve over a spanish or plain rice

-serve just as is as a side dish to any choice of protein (chicken, pork, beef, lamb)

-let the shrimp slightly cool, and top a green salad

-toss in couscous or orzo

-before cooking the shrimp, let marinade in the melted butter, garlic, chili flakes, and lime zest. Skewer alternating with mushrooms, protein and place on the grill. Finish it off by combining the lime juice, lemon juice and cilantro, and drizzling it over the finished skewers as they come off the grill. (delicious)

So many things to do with this wonderful dish. Have fun experimenting!!! The ideas are endless.

Until we cook again :)

Butter

Ingredient of the Day: BUTTER
How many of us like butter? Come on. Let's be totally honest. Butter is so good. We can cook with it, bake with it, and finish things off with it, and let's not forget spreading it over some fresh out of the oven buns. DELARSHIOUS!!!! (i know...not a real word, but it is in my book) Moving on...and back to the topic at hand BUTTER.
I am going to be honest and say that I try really hard not to add a ton of fat into my recipes, but there are certain things substituting margarine or low fat for butter, well...it just doesn't cut it.

Since Christmas is just around the corner, and baking is at an all time high, and all kinds of veggies will be gracing many dinner tables, I thought it would be fitting to post about this deliciously, very obviously fattening, yet so tempting lovely pale of yellow yumminess.

That brings me to COMPOUND BUTTER.What is compound butter? To put it plainly, it is plain ole butter, softened (not melted) that is fancied up by putting varying ingredients into it. Mixing it up, and then placing back into the refrigerator to set up again. When I make my compound butters, I like to roll them up into cylinder shapes making it easier to cut and serve on top of a warm steak, veggies, or to finish of a sauce. The varying ingredients are and can be endless.Some examples: Lemon/Lime Zest, any herb of your liking, chili flakes, garlic, pepper, cinnamon, brown sugar, sea salts, and any spice blends you can dream of. Making the butter savoury or sweet.

Now let's take a simple vegetable side dish. One that will more than likely be at more than a handful of tables this holiday season.CORN. Corn is one of those vegetables that tastes great with butter, salt and pepper, but is even better when you COMPOUND BUTTER it UP!!!!I came up with this recipe last summer. It was a hit. Since then, I've served it many different places and have had rave reviews on it, so since I am in the giving spirit....(thanks to Christmas) I thought I would share it with my faithful blog followers.So simple...yet everyone will wonder what you did with the old staple stand by side dish of corn. Here's the facelift.

Lime Compound Butter
1 lb butter (softened at room temperature and placed in a small mixing bowl)Zest of 3 LimesJuice of 1 1/2 limesSea Salt to tasteCracked Pepper to taste1/4 tsp garlic or less if you wish

Place all ingredients in the bowl with softened butter and mix well. Take a good size piece of cling wrap or wax paper and place the mixed butter in the center of the paper. Using one of the outer edges of the paper, form the butter into a log and roll. Store in the refrigerator until ready for use.

Corn:
Corn Cobs, Kernals, Fresh or Frozen. Once your corn has been cooked, take desired amount of lime compound butter and mix into warm corn. Serve and Enjoy!!!!

You can do so much with compound butter. Try it next time a vegetable, meat dish, or dinner roll could use a little pick me up or facelift. Take some of your favourite flavours and create your own compound butter. You'll be surprised with the results and how little effort it takes to transform a simple dish.
Until we cook again :)

Tomato Base for the Freezer

A while back I promised I'd post the recipe for my tomato base that keeps in the freezer really well and one I use often.

This is a very rough recipe because I often cook without a recipe. Hopefully it makes sense. Just trust your taste buds as you combine.

When ever a recipe calls for tomatoes, I often like to use Roma or Plum tomatoes. I find they are meatier. Now keep in mind that I do this recipe in a huge amount. But it is very easy to cut down.

Approx. 20-25lbs Roma Tomatoes (seeded) and chopped (leave the skins on)
Garlic Head (peeled and chopped)
2 large White Onions finely chopped
1/4 cup dried basil
1/3 cup dried oregano
Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper to taste

Tip: the measurements on the dried herbs are very rough. that is approx. what i used. you can use more of one and less than the other, depending on the flavor you prefer.

Saute the onions and garlic in a pot with some olive oil. Once they are soft and transparent, add your chopped and seeded roma tomatoes. Note: you may have to do this in a few stages to fit all the tomatoes depending on the size of your pot. Add the dried oregano, basil, salt, pepper, and stir to combine. Simmer until tomatoes are soft and broken down, stirring often. At this point remove from stove and take a hand blender and blend everything together to a thick consistency. Place back on the stove and simmer until desired thickness of sauce has been reached. I usually simmer it down by about half. Stir often.

Remove from heat. Let cool, and then place in freezer bags, or freezer containers. When I use the freezer bags, I make sure to lay them flat in the freezer. Makes it easier to store bags on top of each other making more room.

Freezer for up to 3 months.

I use it as a tomatoe sauce for pasta, a tomatoe base for soups or chowders, just as a sauce over c chicken, pork and seafood, and even as a marinade in some cases.

The possiblities are endless. It really doesn't take a lot of time, but can save you time when you need a quick base for your meal.

Try adding different herbs and even chili flakes to change the background flavor when cooking.

Hope this will come in handy in your kitchen. It's a must in mine.

Until we cook again :)

My Kitchen Must Have's Part 1

Whenever I cater, or have a dinner party, often I am asked what are "my kitchen essentials". You know those simple tools, that don't cost a fortune, but make a huge difference in my kitchen and prep time.

So I decided to do a little write up (Part 1) on the few things I couldn't live without in preparing any dish. Whether it's for hundreds, smaller groups or my family and friends, these are "those things" I use on a regular basis.

Mini Spatulas

I love using these little guys. I find they are perfect for stirring small quantities of sauces, mixtures, scraping measuring cups and even measuring spoons out, and well...pretty much anything that is "small". Now if only I could keep them away from little hands and keep them in my gadget drawer long enough...I would literally use them every single day. They make the best stocking stuffers for anyone who enjoys cooking or baking.

Mini Whisks

Another one of those must have's. I use these about as much as my mini spatula's or come to think of it...maybe even more. I am big on making my own marinades, basting sauces etc especially when it comes to BBQin'. These mini whisks come in handy for mixing in smaller bowls. Another great stocking stuffer for Christmas and they won't break the bank. Quite often you can find them in a set of two just like in the picture.

Mini Prep Bowls w/Lids

I love love love these bowls. Not only am I fascinated by all things mini right now...I've always liked using prep bowls when I am gathering my ingredients. These particular ones are the Pampered Chef Prep bowls that come in a set of six w/lids. I tend to like these the best. I like that they have measures on them. Each bowl holds one cup, with a 1/2 cup and 3/4 cup measure on it too. When I zest, mince, chop, slice, or measure liquids in smaller amounts, these come in very handy. Ready to place all needed ingredients in order into my recipe. Keeps things neat and organized while cooking. Again...nothing that will break the bank but essential in my cooking kitchen!

Garlic Press

Speaking of mincing into my cute little prep bowls...another staple. Not only have I always loved using garlic, I love it that much more now that I have added this kitchen must have. I've actually been using it for years. As a matter of fact, I have about 3 of them. I love them that much. For all you garlic lovers, who don't like to peel those pesky little cloves and try finely mincing it with a knife, this gadget is for you. NO NEED TO PEEL!!! Place the whole garlic clove into the press, press and it comes out ready and finely minced! I've only ever used the Pampered Chef Garlic Press. Probably because at one point I used to sell it. That's not the only reason I love using it. It really is that good. Try it! :) You'll end of loving it too and before long it will become a staple in your kitchen if it hasn't already.

Microplane (Fine Zester)



I am big into adding freshly grated zest of any kind of citrus to many of my dishes and sauces. It really adds to the flavor. You can spend lots of money on a really good one, but honestly, I've gone through a few myself and have found that they all do a pretty good job. The microplane is easy to use. Zest directly into your dishes. Remember when zesting anything, to only use the colored rind. Never use the white flesh of the peel as it is bitter and will add bitterness to your dish or sauce.

Mortar & Pestle

Because I am big into preparing most of my own sauce, spices, etc, I find I can not live without this piece of added heaven in my kitchen. As a matter of fact...I collect them because I find them so beautiful. There is nothing better then throwing a few peeled cloves of garlic, some fresh herbs, a little olive oil and course salt to make your own herb spread for the best topping on crostini. So simple...yet so mouth watering, it's unbelievable. Even more than that, once you start to combine things together in your mortar, the aroma and fresh pungency of what you are creating will have you hooked forever. There really isn't anything like it!!

There you have it. Some of my favorite kitchen must have's. All serve a different purpose. All beautiful in their own right because of that purpose. Especially when so many ingredients serve as your pallet in creating your very own masterpiece in the kitchen. It's nice to have some of those little extra's that help you enjoy what you create that much more!

Until we cook again!

Stay tuned for My Kitchen Must Have's Part 2 where I'll talk specifically about knives. A must in any kitchen :)