Cooking Classes at the Willows
Join
us for our Cooking classes, in which you will learn professional
techniques about how to prepare fresh ingredients from your own
landscape. We hold two classes each year, each with a celebrated nationally known chef, and each with a distinctly different style.
The May class is taught by noted Portland chef Robert Reynolds, who leads in the classical French tradition. You can learn more about Chef Robert Reynolds at www.RobertReynolds.com.
The October class is taught by well known chef and culinary writer Greg Atkinson, who leads in the "NorthWest" style of cooking. You can learn more about Chef Greg Atkinson at www.northwestessential.com.
Both chefs will demonstrate cooking techniques, discuss ideas and share
philosophies on food and eating that will inspire and delight. These classes are hands-on, intimate events that will be remembered your whole life.
Robert is founder of the Robert Reynolds Kitchen Studio, an 8 week synthesis of his annual classes held in France each spring. From 1982 to 1996 Robert owned a much beloved San Francisco restaurant called Le Trou. Prior to opening Le Trou, Chef Reynolds studied with Josephine Araldo, a Chef de Cuisine and Chef Patissiere certified from the Cordon Bleu in Paris. In Annecy, he trained professionally with Madeleine Kamman, a chef and professor of international reputation. Thus he passes on the French culinary tradition directly from the hands and minds of its past masters. He is the author of An Excuse to Be Together.
Greg hs been a chef and food writer for more than two decades. He was the executive chef at Seattle's Canlis restaurant, chef at the Friday Harbor House on San Juan Island, and director of the food program at IslandWood, an environmental learning center. Besides his weekly column in the Seattle Times, and his Wednesday radio column on KUOW radio in Seattle, Greg has written four cookbooks including his latest work, West Coast Cooking.
Prior
to each class we'll walk the fields of Nettles Farm collecting
eggs and harvesting produce. In the true "field to the table"
style, we'll prepare a spectacular dinner and sample fine wines,
and dine in the historic dining room of the Willows Inn surrounded
by unrestricted views of the magnificent San Juan Islands.
Wednesday, May 14 , 2008
3:30-9:00 pm
Chef Robert Reynolds
A day in (Lummi Island) Provence
Come and learn
from one of the Northwest's truly great French chefs! As he does
in France each spring, Portland's Robert Reynolds will teach a
class of 8 students how to take local fresh ingredients, and make
them into a magnificent meal. You will be treated to techniques
that Robert has acquired over a lifetime of learning from French
masters, and easily apply them in your own kitchen. We are honored
to have Chef Reynolds in our kitchen once again, and know that
you will be thrilled with your experience.
We select
dishes that include techniques that will be helpful for home cooks,
such as:
• sautéing fish
• blanching and sautéing vegetables
• slow cooked meat dish
• combining simple elements that yield flavorful
and interesting dishes
Menu
Appetizer:
Asparagus with orange hollandaise
First course:
savory tart of greens and olives
Principal
course: Halibut with a Marseilles pesto-like sauce of lettuce, tomato and olive oil, garnished with moussiline of fresh spot prawns
Dessert:
poached pear with caramel sauce flavored with olive oil
Paired wines with each course
Cost
is $150 per person for each class. Dinner
and wine are included. Spouses or friends are welcome to stay
for dinner, at a cost of $60.
Special Package overnight for an additional $120 in the main house, $140 for the cottage.
Arrive at
Gooseberry Point for the 3:10 pm ferry. Dinner will follow the
class. We will finish in time to board the 9 pm ferry to the mainland.
For reservations or more information, call 888-294-2620, or e-mail
us.
Monday, October 8, 2007
3:30-9pm
Chef Greg Atkinson
You may bring a book for signing, or buy one during the class.
A Fall Menu from
WEST COAST COOKING
by Greg Atkinson
The Menu
Kabocha Squash Soup
Breasts of Chicken Filled
with Spinach and Sun-Dried Tomatoes
Aligot or Garlic Mashed Potatoes with Cheese
Apples Baked in Pastry
Here is a sample of Greg's methodology:
Kabocha Squash Soup
(Makes 6 servings)
“Kabocha” is Japanese for “pumpkin” and Japanese pumpkins are dark green winter squash, very similar to “Buttercup” and “Sweet Mama” varieties. The squash has dense, sweet flesh, which makes a velvety-textured soup; if it is not available at your market, choose another variety that has similar qualities. Pumpkin seed oil is expensive, but a little goes a long way and if stored in the refrigerator, it will keep for a long time
For the Soup:
1 2-pound kabocha squash
1 medium yellow onion, peeled and thinly sliced (about 1 1/2 cups)
1/4 cup butter
4 cups chicken broth or vegetable broth
2 teaspoons kosher salt, or to taste
1 teaspoon ground white pepper
For the garnish:
1 cup pumpkin seeds
2 tablespoons soy sauce
pumpkin seed oil, optional
1.) Cut squash into wedges, scrape out the seeds, then cut away the peel. Cut the peeled and seeded squash into 1-inch dice. You should have about 5 cups of cubed squash.
2.) In a large soup pot with a thick base, melt the butter over medium-high heat and cook the onion 5 minutes, or until tender and golden brown, stirring often. Add squash and broth and bring the mixture to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to low. Let the squash simmer gently for 15 minutes, or until tender.
3.) In a blender, puree the soup in small batches. Cover the top of the machine with a kitchen towel and process using short pulses at first so that the hot mixture does not overflow when the machine is turned on.
4.) Toast the pumpkin seeds in a 350 degree oven for 5 minutes. Sprinkle the soy sauce over the hot seeds and stir to insure that the seeds are all evenly coated. Put them back in the oven for 2 minutes or so to dry out. Cool and store in an airtight container.
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