January 2007

Happy New Year to one and all!

Ringing in the year 2007, I find myself thinking about (what else?) food…how to lose the holiday pounds, and still enjoy life. Who can resist all the rich foods we are plied with, candy, desserts, food at parties where you almost don't know what you have been eating, when bite after bite of delicious, innocent-seeming hors d'oeuvres get passed around? They say the "average" weight gain at the holidays is 5 pounds—the problem is, they are so easy to gain, yet so very difficult to lose. Studies show that dining at the table on food you've cooked yourself will help lose the pounds—and we have the means to help you with this. In the words of one of our Basic Cooking students from last term, "I can now say I enjoy cooking!! It's a minor miracle!"

I've found that full flavors and carefully prepared foods satisfy hunger in smaller quantities. I would rather have a few bites of something that fills all my senses with joy, than many bites of food that just fills my stomach. And of course, we have a number of great classes coming up that will set your taste buds a-tingle, hopefully without expanding your waistline too much further than it already is. The point of cooking classes, after all, is to develop in ones self, the skills to make food that pleases all the senses, and make it with confidence and ease.

My basic cooking class is full to the rafters (and we have very high rafters), with a waiting list. That's the bad news—I will let you know when registration for the next 6-week session starts for those of you who didn't get in—but the good news is, I have postponed my annual Crab Cioppino class for a few weeks, to January 29th, so that you can still sign up. Starting with great local Dungeness crab and other ultra-fresh seafood, we end up with a stunning "San Francisco treat"; this class packs a lot of flavor. We'll make a big salad, our wonderful cioppino, some easy yeasted bread sticks, and apple strudel for dessert, which you may still have room for (or take along "to go"). While it's not diet food, it is also not the biggest indulgence of the season, as the main dish is high protein, low fat, and a soup, and soup, which has high volume per calorie eaten, is good for weight loss…try it, you'll love it!

Our intrepid Japanese cooking teacher, Ayako Iino, has two wonderful classes scheduled. Her first, on Tuesday, January 23rd, is all about New Years food, steeped in tradition and yet keyed to the season and California ingredients. You won't find food like Ayako's in any Japanese restaurant around here, and attending the class will be a cultural lesson as well as a sensory delight. Her second class, a month later on February 21st, features Chawanmushi, a delicate savory steamed egg custard, this one laced with Dungeness crab. Not to belittle the other fine dishes on her menu by focusing on only one, but this custard is a prized treat, and with good reason. If you've ever watched the original Iron Chef series, you'll remember the delight among the judges, when this dish was served—and how the best flavors were always being compared to it. Now you get to make it yourself. Register for Ayako's classes on her web site, just follow the link on the class listing.

Rosetta Costantino is taking a break through January, to work on her upcoming (and eagerly anticipated) book, but will be back February 2nd with A Taste of Calabria, where you will learn to make gnocchi and a succulent rabbit dish, among others. Her annual Carnivale class, which is a rich meal in anticipation of Lent, follows on the 20th.

If you're thinking that a good New Years resolution would be to improve your knife skills or learn sharpening this year, we have classes for you. We're trying something new this time, because the feedback we've gotten is that many more people would sign up if we separated the two classes. So, we've scheduled our Knife Sharpening class with Eric Weiss by itself on February 12th, a short class from 6:30 PM to 8:30 PM, where you will receive your very own stone and oil, and spend a concentrated two hours learning how to use the stone to keep your own knives sharp. Also included in the class will be discussion of types and styles of knife, and advice for those of you wishing to purchase better knives to make your food prep easier.

Our Knife Skills class will be offered on Saturday, February 10th, from 10 AM to 2 PM. Charlie Vollmar, our skills teacher, has made life in the kitchen easier for many hundreds of people with his efficient techniques. Cut your preparation time in half, and have fun doing it, once you've learned these easy techniques. Just remember to bring a sharp chefs and paring knife to class with you, and eat a good breakfast—a light salad will be served during a short lunch break.

At the Market

The farmers markets have been a bit slow for the holidays, both because some of the farmers (and markets) have needed time off, and because the natural progression of the seasons means that the bounty of summer is no longer available. There are, however, wonderful things to be bought and faithful farmers, who make the long drive to market, to be supported. A kiss of frost makes kale and other dark leafy greens all the sweeter. Kale is an under-used vegetable, packed with nutrients. Strip the leaves from the stalks, wash them well, and braise with your choice of accompaniments—some garlic or sweet red onions and chili flakes, sautéed in good olive oil, are two of my favorites. Add some cooked beans for a nourishing meal, or combine with broth and other vegetables for a warming soup. See this month's recipe for the nutrient-packed soup I made for my fellow chef, to eat the day after her baby was born. Every ingredient came from that morning's farmers market, and the soup is fast and easy to prepare.

Besides the kale family, there are turnips, rutabagas, beets, chard, beautiful broccoli and cauliflower, all at their prime right now, as are sweet, frost-tinged artichokes. Look closely, and you'll see that the slight brown scarring on the outside is caused by frost, not because they are old. Don't buy artichokes with dead, brown leaves of course, but don't reject the frost-tinged ones, what you see hides a super-succulent interior.

Winter squashes of all shapes and flavors abound, and their flavor cousins, yams and sweet potatoes as well. While the bright orange persimmons that graced leafless trees in the neighborhood like Christmas ornaments are pretty much finished, pomegranates are everywhere, as is citrus of all sorts. Pomelos and Mandarin oranges are especially prized for the new year, and as the Asian new year approaches, you will see many of the mandarins with green leaves attached—a practical way to prune the trees, as well as a festive reminder of the new season on its way.

Other News

In other Kitchen news, we've made a further commitment towards Green business practices, by changing out our fluorescent light fixtures to energy efficient T8's. Paulding & Company is being honored along with the other new green businesses, including our Emeryville Chamber of Commerce, at the city council meeting on January 16th. Soon, we hope to do a bit more work on the kitchen, to continue to mitigate noise and also to light the front entry and other dark areas. We've already added sound-dampening ceiling tiles to the dining area, which has made group events much more sociable—you can hear conversations now. And, personally, it has probably saved my hearing. We have many group events scheduled in the kitchen in January, as companies that forewent holiday parties in favor of time off for their staff, enjoy a bit of camaraderie and a good meal that they cook together. We have our largest ever event coming up—with 70 cooks! Along with the events, we are planning summer wedding feasts with some of our clients, and wedding rehearsal dinners with others. What better way to get to know your future relatives than to cook a wonderful meal together!

Paulding & Company hosts many events, from parties to team building to private classes, and caters just as many, both private and corporate, and we always get rave reviews. Our food was pronounced "best we've had all holiday season" at one recent party by the happy guests. And, we're about to post pictures from a recent team-building event on the website, so check back at Paulding & Company soon. The folks from that company, Cambridge Systematics, were so happy they sent a disc of pictures for me to share with all of you.