In the Kitchen

What's New at Paulding & Company

May 2008

Let me start by sending you to my new blog. I am having a lot of fun with this new medium--not daily entries, but hopefully interesting ones, with lots of pictures. It’s an easy, immediate means of communication and I am finding my way with it. You can even add questions and comments.

The monthly newsletter will continue of course, this will arrive directly in your in-box whereas the blog won’t, although you can subscribe to the rss feed, and be notified of new postings via your email program. Along with the blog I got a new camera, and am trying to train myself to take a lot of pictures--something I find especially hard during a class, where my attention is always needed by someone--so I hand it off a lot, and have gotten some great pics that way, as well as from students who come prepared to photograph whatever they are making and eating for their own use, and are willing to share the pictures with me.

I’m not taking the computer on vacation with me. But I will take a lot of pictures and update when I return. I suspect a mere photograph will not convey the majesty of what we will see in Alaska later this month, but I’ll no doubt post a few.

Classes

My Basic cooking class is winding up for the spring quarter, and I am trying something new this summer. I will delay starting the series until July 9th, and am offering a few different ways to sign up--you can join the class in 2 week segments, so that you can take some cooking classes and still have your summer vacation. I’ve had to raise prices rather a bit, since (a) I am no longer teaching a State subsidized class through Piedmont adult school, and (b) the cost of ingredients and transportation and just about everything else has risen so dramatically of late. So, much to my dismay, the cost of my classes has joined the (lower end of the) real world--still half the cost of the fancy cooking schools, still a great value, but no longer a steal. I hope you’ll still sign up, as I truly love to teach these basic classes, where the “supper club” atmosphere is friendly and relaxed, and the food is always excellent. Menus, as always, will be based on what’s in season and not published in advance.

We have both Knife Sharpening (May 12th) and Knife Skills (May 19th) on the calendar this month. These are GREAT classes, so if you are interested sign up today, as they are right around the corner. Learn the proper technique to keep your knives honed and your prep work a breeze, and then learn to use them correctly--with two great teachers, master sharpener Eric E. Weiss, and chef and dedicated knife skills teacher Charles Vollmar.

Shuna Fish Lydon has just added two classes to the calendar. Check out Shuna’s blog, eggbeater, for more info about her. She’s a pastry chef and restaurant consultant, and her classes are very popular--her single subject classes will be inspiring to all of you closet pasty chefs. She’s exploring chocolate on Saturday May 24th, and seasonal fruit desserts on Saturday the 31st.

Rosetta Costantino, as usual, has sold out her classes for this month and next. Skip to the end of July, for A Taste of Calabria--and sign up fast if you want a spot in this or any of the classes she’s listed through the fall.

Events

We have two events at the kitchen in the beginning of June. The AquaTerra convivium of Slow Food is hosting an Indian class with Ruta Kahane teaching, on Sunday, June 1st,. They’ve not yet posted a ticket site for this event, but you will shortly find one. Just search for the convivium online.

Last month, we had an evening class with Polly Legendre, outreach director and executive chef of Cleanfish, a fish broker dedicated to sustainable fishery practices. On June 2nd, Polly and I are teaming up to host a Women Chefs and Restauranteurs association (I’m a member of this group) tasting of fish and seafood at the kitchen. The WCR event is not open to the public, however we are serving a meal to go with the fish, and there is an opportunity for my students to help make and serve this meal. It will be a great opportunity to meet local chefs, and learn about fish--and to cook some excellent recipes for a hungry group. The menu includes a salad, homemade focaccia, and a chocolate dessert, as well as the various fish and seafood comparative tasting preparations. Email me if you are interested. This would be a chance to serve the people who usually serve you--an interesting twist!

In the Market

The crowds are coming back, and we’ve left the quiet markets of winter with their display of winter squash and kale (which is still wonderful) for more delicate spring fare. Behold the myriad of baby summer squash just arriving! Shell those English peas, or feast on edible pod varieties. Tender spring carrots, gorgeous purple asparagus, artichokes large and small, and fava beans abound. Little Gem lettuce has made a strong comeback, and in general the tender spring salad greens have supplanted sturdy winter varieties. Pea tendrils, fava greens--yes, there are still all the winter veggies too, and no, the hot weather crops, the tomatoes and peppers and eggplant of summer have not yet arrived, but I’m betting it won’t be long before the first green beans join the peas on the sale tables.

Fruits are about to burst into action too--there are only early, not very sweet varieties of cherries in the Oakland market for another week or so, but the strawberries are beyond wonderful right now. Better cherries are on their way, maybe 2 weeks out--and apricots too. Early peaches will not be far behind, and we expect to see the stone fruit and other berries in full swing in about a month. This is an exciting time in the market, so don’t miss out.

Recipe of the Month

Cooking class made fish stock last week. In it, we poached some excellent sea bass, Corvina from South America. You’ll find some pictures on my blog, so here’s the recipe to go along with them. Ask your fishmonger for flat fish bones--halibut, sole etc., to make this stock. It won’t take you very long, and you’ll be rewarded with enough to freeze and use some later. What better, than to take a container of gorgeous fish stock from the freezer, melt it in a small pan, and gently poach your next fish dinner in it? Of course I’m including the recipe we used to make the dinner, fish, spring peas and early corn, and a wonderful cilantro lime compound butter to melt over the fish. A meal in a bowl...and an impressive one, too!