My friend Mei and I love to cook and have been to many cooking classes. We both were like we can do the same type of teaching and make it affordable for people to attend with good quality ingredients. We both decided to start cooking classes where people can do gourmet food in the comfort of your home for less than 45 min and less money than what you pay in restaurants. The name of our classes is called Everyday Good Eats.
For our first cooking class, we taught salmon cakes, seared scallops, salmon in parchment, restaurant style rib-eye steak, and molten chocolate cake. The class cost $40 with dinner included.
Everyone gathered around the kitchen to see how to prepare each dish. The first dish made was the salmon cakes. This is a very easy dish you can use leftover cooked salmon. There are two ways you can bind the salmon cakes so they do not fall apart--use either mayo or eggs. In my recipe below I use mayo because it gives the salmon cakes an added texture and flavor. I also use mustard for flavoring. I coat the salmon cakes in panko bread crumbs so it can have a crunchy outer texture.
For our other appetizer we made seared scallops. You use the big sea scallops for this dish. Very simple with just a little butter. This way you get to taste the natural flavor of the scallops. This dish is served with frisee salad and a balsamic reduction.
Next we made molten chocolate cake (also called lava cakes). These are individual cakes that have the chocolate center slightly underbaked so the center oozes out the chocolate. This dessert is very easy to make, can be done 1 day ahead, and cooks in less than 10 minutes so you can bake while people are eating the main dish. Recipe below.
For main dishes we had salmon in parchment and restaurant style rib-eye steak. For the salmon in parchment, you can use any vegetable you like. In my recipe below I use onions and red bell peppers. This dish is fast and easy to make and you can prepare the dish a day ahead up to the step of preparing the packets and put in fridge. This is also a versitile dish because you can use halibut, cod, or any firm fish instead of salmon and if you do not like dill you can use rosemary or thyme herbs. For the rib-eye steaks, get good quality USDA Choice steaks. simply salt and pepper and cook. Then add butter during last minutes of cooking. Comes out very juicy and tender.
Salmon Cakes with yogurt caper sauce
(serves 4, 2 patties each)
1 lb. of cooked salmon, flaked
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
3 tablespoons parsley, finely chopped
1 ½ cups panko breadcrumbs (Japanese breadcrumbs)
½ cup mayonnaise
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons mustard
½ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoons hot sauce (optional)
Directions:
- Heat skillet with 1 tablespoon of oil on medium-high heat. Add onions, cook until soft about 3 minutes. Add the parsley and stir to combine. Let it cool.
- Place the flaked salmon in a bowl. Add mayonnaise, ½ cup of the panko breadcrumbs, the onion parsley mix, mustard, lemon juice, and salt and pepper in the bowl. Gently fold mixture together. (add more salt and pepper to taste). Add the hot sauce at this point if using.
- Gently form the salmon mixture into 8 cakes. Each cake should be about 2 inches wide and ¼ inch thick. Put the rest of the panko breadcrumbs in a shallow bowl. Press each side of the salmon cakes with the panko breadcrumbs. Put in refrigerator for 30 min to firm up. At this step you can take the cakes and put on lined baking pan, cover with saran wrap and freeze.
- Heat remaining oil in skillet on medium high heat. Add 4 salmon cakes to the pan.Cook until the cakes are golden, about 3-4 minutes per side. Serve hot with the yogurt dill sauce (recipe below)
yogurt caper sauce
Approximately 1 cup
Ingredients:
1 cup plain Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon of lemon juice
1 tablespoon capers, drained and chopped
Salt and Pepper
Directions:
- In small bowl, mix yogurt, lemon juice, and capers. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve along side the salmon cakes. Put in fridge if not using right away. This can also be made a day ahead, just stir before serving.
Pan Seared Sea Scallops, with Vinaigrette Reduction
(Makes 4 servings)
Ingredients:
12 jumbo sea scallops.
2 tbsp of butter
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
- Towel pad try the scallops, melt the butter in the sauté pan in high, place in the scallops when the pan get hot, make sure that the pan is not crowed, drizzle a pinch of salt on top of the scallops (salt might not be needed if using salted butter, as sea scallop carries a hint of the sea). Cook about two minutes on one side, or when it becoming brown.
- Flip the scallops over. Spoon in the melted butter on top of the scallops, seared for another two minutes. Side of the scallops should becoming golden brown, or crack in the middle. Do not overcook.
- Serve immediately, over a bed of frisee or mixed spring salads with balsamic vinaigrette dressing, drizzle some vinaigrette reduction on top of the scallops.
Vinaigrette Reduction Sauce – poured in a cup of sweet vinegar from Modena in a saucepan, add in 1 tbsp sugar, when it become boil, reduce to simmer till liquid is reduce to half.
Salmon in Parchment
(serves 4)
Ingredients:
4-6oz. salmon filets with skin
1 lemon, sliced into 8 slices
¼ bunch dill, finely chopped
1 red bell pepper, cut into ½ inch strips lengthwise
1 medium onion, cut into ½ inch strips lengthwise
1 tablespoon capers, coarsely chopped (optional)
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
3 tablespoons olive oil
4 sheets of parchment paper, cut a half size larger than the salmon filet
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F
- Put red bell peppers and onions in a bowl and toss with salt, pepper and 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Place vegetables on parchment sheet.
- Drizzle remaining olive oil on the salmon filets. Place salmon on top of the vegetable mixture.
- Sprinkle salmon with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with the chopped dill, add capers if using. Place 2 lemon slices on top.
- Bring the 2 longer sides of parchment paper together and fold over the fish and cover completely. Take the shorter sides and fold each side to seal.
- Repeat steps 2 to 5 for the remaining salmon fillets.
- Place all 4 packages on the baking sheet. bake at 400 degrees F in the oven for about 15-20 minutes. Open package and serve.
Rib-Eye Steak
(Makes 2 servings)
Great steak begins with a good cut of USDA Choice Grade steak; weather if that is a rib-eye or Sirloin, is bound to satisfy.
Ingredients:
2 Rib-eye or Sirloin steak, about a pound each, bone in.
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tbsp of butter
Directions:
- Towel pad try the steak, season steak with salt and pepper on both sides, (pepper can be add toward the end of the cooking to avoid burning), heat the sauté pan high with a small amount of oil, sear in the steak when the pan get hot.
- Sear one side of the steak for about 5 minutes, or when it becomes brown, flip side, spoon in the butter and sear the other side for about the same time. Spoon in the melted butter on to the steak. (cooking time might be different depending on thickness and reference of the steak)
- Serve immediately over a warm plate, side with slices of beef steak tomato with Peter Luger Steak Sauce.
Molten chocolate cake
(Makes 6 servings)
This is a very easy dessert where you can make it a day ahead and bake while you are eating dinner so it comes out hot and the chocolate center oozes out.
Ingredients:
6 ounces of bittersweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
10 tablespoons of unsalted butter, cut into pieces
3 large eggs
3 large egg yolks
¼ cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 tablespoons of flour
6- 6 ounce ramekins
sprig of mint leaves or raspberries, for garnish
powdered sugar for dusting on top of cakes
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Butter and flour 6 ramekins. Shake out excess flour.
- In a bowl over a saucepan of simmering water, melt the butter and chocolate together, stirring occasionally. Cool slightly.
- In a separate bowl, beat the eggs, egg yolks, and sugar until pale yellow and thick, about 8 minutes. Add the vanilla extract. Reduce speed and add the flour. Pour the melted chocolate mixture into the egg mixture. Mix until just well incorporated.
- Divide the mixture among the ramekins. (can be made 1 day ahead. Covered and refrigerated). Just bring to room temperature before baking.
- Bake in the 400 degree F oven until just set around the edges and center still jiggles, about 8-10 minutes. Do not overcook or the lava center flow will not turn out. Run knife around cake to loosen and let it rest in ramekins for about 5 minutes.
- Turn onto a plate and dust with sifted powdered sugar. Add a spring of mint leaves or raspberries on top. Serve immediately.
