November has been a strange month, since Paulding & Company’s kitchen was taken over by aliens…I mean TV producers. With a different paint color, different equipment and new lighting, it took on the aura of a bland, generic studio, which hosted the up-coming TV show Top Chef, a Bravo reality show scheduled to air beginning next March.
The production company started transforming the kitchen to a “set” October 19th, and exactly a month later, the re-transformation was begun and the kitchen returned to normal in time for our Thanksgiving catering, not to mention all the holiday catering, classes and parties. Not that it feels like the holidays…can anyone remember a less wintry November?
I’m writing this Thanksgiving night, after a huge afternoon feast that my family deemed the best ever. I regret having had to cancel our annual Thanksgiving Dress Rehearsal dinner class—because of the TV production schedule it couldn’t be run—because I could have eaten the entire meal twice, with great pleasure. So, I’ll share a recipe from our Thanksgiving, a simple and wonderful side dish that graces our table every year, as the recipe of the month We didn’t have to cancel the Holiday Appetizers class—which was a bit stressful because the kitchen was in transition and kind of a mess—but it ended up being a great class, enjoyed very much by the participants. The food they made was also served the next night, at the Emeryville Chamber of Commerce mixer we hosted at the kitchen.
As the nights get longer and the holiday lights are lit all over town, we will also be celebrating with two great classes at the Kitchen. Our Holiday Indulgence Dinner is going to be stellar—with a super-luxurious menu, and all the dishes rather easy to prepare, from the blini with caviar to the rack of lamb, to the chocolate soufflés for dessert. We’ve still got plenty of space for more students, but will close registration on the 5th, so that all the food can be purchased—so don’t wait to sign up. You’ll end up with a meal worth repeating for your amazed and gratified guests, and nobody the wiser that the dishes all come together in record time.
Follow the link below to view the full menu and to register.
Holiday Indulgence Dinner
Wednesday, December 7th, 6:30 – 10 PM
$90
register now
We are also offering a new Holiday Baking Class—with Francisco Machado, one of the most knowledgeable baking teachers and all around good guys I know. The class members will make six different kinds of decorated cookies, and then package them so you will end up with instant gifts—and make holiday Stollen, too—the cool alternative to fruitcake. If you’re interested, let us know or register online as soon as possible—we really want to have this class fill, so we can run it (yes, I’m looking forward to learning a bit myself, and will be in attendance).
Holiday Baking, with Francisco Machado
Monday, December 12th, 6:30 - 10 PM
$85
register now
The rest of the holiday time will be devoted to many parties, both in-house and catered off site. But, registration for Piedmont Adult School’s Winter session will begin December 19th—and my Basic Cooking class starts January 11th, Wednesday nights this quarter. It’s the usual 6 week session, 6:30 to 9:45 PM, and will cost $260—a true bargain! Register at piedmontadultschool.org.
We are also working on a number of very exciting classes for the new year—Rosetta Costantino has announced her winter schedule, with all the classes through March up on the calendar. Her classes always sell out—but then, she can add another section if they do. Each class listing will link to her wonderful website, cookingwithrosetta.com, so you can register directly.
We are also going to hold a second knife skills class—the students who attended the first came away very, very happy—what I’m trying to do, is get Eric Weiss, master knife sharpener, and Charlie Vollmar, our terrific knife skills teacher, to join forces so you can get a two-for-one deal—learn how to sharpen, and how to cut, all at once. Stay tuned for the date on this one!
Cheryl Beere, our much-traveled vegetarian cooking teacher is back—and hopefully will have a few classes to announce as soon as she gets moved to her new home.
Another idea taking shape is to do some food and wine pairing classes—we have Periscope Winery opening in our building in January, a truly exciting event. It’s my hope to bring a favorite cheese expert in as well—these classes should be quite dynamic and exciting. Brendan Eliason, the winemaker and owner of Periscope, was featured in the November Diablo Magazine (btw, so was Paulding & Company—in the cooking classes section of this great Food issue, still available at bookstores & news stands)—Brendan is also wine program director for Va de Vie restaurant in Walnut Creek, as well as winemaker at Caffaro Winery in Sonoma county.
If all the things I’m trying to arrange come together, I will double up and send another newsletter later in the month—but you know you can always check the calendar for new classes.
January and February are great months for team building and kitchen parties—catering is quieter, and we will happily entertain work groups, party groups, private parties…so do get in touch if you are interested.
In the meantime, happy holidays!
Terry Paulding
This month’s recipe is for Cippolini Onions with Balsamic and Cream.