In the Kitchen

What's New at Paulding & Company

July 2008

Hot off the press: Paulding & Company is featured in a front-page article in the July issue of Bay Area Businesswoman, a free paper distributed all over the bay area. This month's issue has a food theme--and many other interesting articles, as well as recipes from some local women who run high-powered restaurant kitchens. The paper doesn't have an online version, so you'll have to check your local street corner rack for a copy.

The 4th of July, at least around my neighborhood, means block parties. Lots of kids, lots of grilling--although this year that part may be curtailed a bit due to the smoky skies. There's always a need for great side dishes, so I thought I'd share a new one I made up for a recent event. The Recipe of the Month is a wonderful orzo and summer vegetable salad, made in enough quantity to bring to a party. You also get a lesson in making herb oil to dress it. There's a picture of the salad in the blog--look at the collage of pics in the Summer Fruit entry, all about the 50th anniversary party we just catered in a castle (yup, there IS a castle in Berkeley!).

Reminder: the "what's new" section of my website has all the old newsletters archived, and more importantly, ALL the recipes of the month. Follow through these to find great, seasonal recipes. For instance, if you need to bring dessert to the party, consider the Pavlova recipe--easy, amazingly wonderful, and guaranteed to be the favorite dessert at any party.

Classes

Registration for my summer Basic Cooking classes couldn't be easier--the six week session starts July 9th, and you can register for one or more weeks, so you can work a few classes in around your other summer plans. I hope you'll start with the first class, and decide to come back for the rest--these are classes where you'll learn skills that will help you become a better cook, and make friends that will enrich your life--and of course, where you will eat a really good dinner one night a week. Check the calendar, compare it to yours, and plan on coming to the kitchen for some fun. These will be small, personalized classes. The menus are not set in advance, so that I can take advantage of what's great in the farmers market the day before--and so that student requests to learn dishes can be considered, as well.

New Classes! Wine and cheese pairing classes, with Laura Martinez, author of The Everything Cheese Book. Laura's tremendous knowledge of her subject matter will make these compelling evenings! The first is July 31st, and will explore terroir, pairing wine, cheese and spirits from different regions. The second class, August 15th, will focus in on California wines and cheeses, and will feature both an intimate glimpse into the future of artisan cheesemaking, and a lesson in making a great cheese platter.

Rosetta Costantino is taking a bit of time off this summer, but will be back with great classes for the rest of the year. Some still have space--but don't wait too long or they will be sold out. Her pizza class has been such a success that she's run it multiple times and sold out every time. Check the calendar for her monthly classes, and register on her website.

Knife Skills and Knife Sharpening classes: We have not put these two back on the calendar yet, so email me if you are interested in either one. As soon as we have enough students interested, the classes will be scheduled.

In the Market

Just about everything you could want. Young, tender green beans including Romano and yellow waxed, little eggplants, Brentwood corn, big, juicy heirloom and Shady Lady tomatoes plus wonderful tiny cherry tomatoes, the first of the summer peppers, squash of all sorts including some wild looking, bright green and yellow scalloped squash that I paired recently with sea scallops (see the blog entry for a picture)--and stone fruit and berries to make the Pavlova or just about anything else. There are wonderful pluots and apriums, hybrids of plum and apricot. Nectarines, peaches, including donut shaped ones. Figs for their brief early season, to be followed by a longer one in the fall. I found sour cherries at Lagier's stand at Grand Lake on Saturday, and after getting some husbandly pitting help (they are not much bigger than blueberries), made a cherry pie--with an experimental almond crust, that tasted great but stuck to the pie pan. Definitely a recipe to be refined a bit, but great tasting. Sour cherries were a rare find; not sure if they will have more next week. Cherry season, at least locally, is soon to be over--but there will be great cherries from farther north in the store for the next month or so. The upcoming issue of the Emeryville Connection newspaper (which does have an online version) features a story I wrote about cherries, with a recipe pairing them with duck.

Events, Team Building, Parties, Rehearsal Dinners

I spend a lot of time in this newsletter talking about classes, but the bulk of my business is the groups that come in. Every group gets special treatment, with great food, instruction, and a fun time. Our rehearsal dinners are legendary, offering a chance to have the families cook together, then dine on a sumptuous feast. What a great way to get to know one another! We often pair up with Periscope Cellars, our neighbor and friend, for a wine tasting as part of kitchen events. You only need to watch the enthusiasm shown in the Disney/Pixar video about the making of Ratatouille to know that being the "Company" in our kitchen is great fun. Or look at the slide show in the photos section, of a big work group having a great time, including a special cake decorating contest we devised for them.

Now is the time to book events for the holidays, too--before your preferred date is taken! Consider having a rollickingly fun party at the kitchen, where all the food is wonderful, and the clean-up is done for you. To have all your questions answered, simply contact me today!

Ps., feel free to add to the great reviews of Paulding & Company on Yelp and Yahoo Local!