Tons of Upcoming Classes- for March and April

For more information about Chef Jenn; her recipes and her classes go to www.chefjenncooks.com For any other questions or to set up private classes; please contact Chef Jenn at (858) 212- 9054 or jlfelm@yahoo.com

Vegan St. Patrick's Day: hands-on pop-up cooking class at Sea Rocket Bistro-Wednesday March 14 from 6 to 9 pm $57

Vegan 3-course meal using all of the great local ingredients Sea Rocket is known for, along with a local craft beer pairing. Menu: "Luck of The Irish" Green Pea Soup with Coconut Cream Drizzle, Vegan "Sheppard's Pie" with Tempe, seasonal vegetables and mashed potato crust, Whiskey Glazed Carrots, and Chocolate Pudding. Served with a local Stout Beer

Vegan or not, this class will teach you how to make some amazing dishes!

Students will prepare the meal entirely themselves under the expert direction of Chef Jenn, as well as enjoying the meal! Come eat, drink and learn with Chef Jenn! To reserve your seat today call Chef Jenn at (858) 212 9054 or email at jlfelm@yahoo.com

In the North County

Spanish Tapas- Wednesdays March 28 to April 4 from 6 to 9 pm at Torrey Pines High School $89

This 2 week class will present you with amazing recipes, all the tips and tricks you will need to cook (as well as eat) these astonishing Spanish Tapas. This class will showcase tapas, Spanish Custards and so much more. Join Chef Jenn for these bold flavored, rich and exciting recipes like Ham, Cheese and Potato Croquettes, Garlic Clams, Citrus Marinated Olives, Natilla, Gazpacho, and much more!  All classes are hands on and will give you everything you need to create (and eat) wonderful meals.

Spanish Tapas Part 2-April 18 to 25 from 6 to 9 pm at Torrey Pines High School, $89

This 2 week class is a continuation of Spanish Tapas Part 1 (these classes can be taken independently); and it will present you with amazing recipes, all the tips and tricks you will need to cook (as well as eat) these astonishing Spanish Tapas. Join Chef Jenn for these bold flavored, rich and exciting recipes like Meat Balls with Spicy Tomato Sauce, Spanish Rice Pudding, Sauted Mushrooms with Garlic Olive Oil, and much more!  All classes are hands on and will give you everything you need to create (and eat) wonderful meals.

Italian Cooking For Beginners- Thursday April 19 to 26 from 6 to 9 pm at La Costa Canyon High School, $89

 Looking for inspiration in the kitchen? Do you wish you could make delicious Italian dishes at home? Then this 2 week course will give you what it takes to prepare simple, impressive, and tasty dishes. Come join Chef Jenn, Certified Culinary Nutritionist and Caterer, as she teaches you all the tips and tricks to make cooking fun and delicious. This class offers a hands on experience with a professional chef, to guide you through culinary basic, and wonderful recipes. Creamy Polenta, Sauteed Spinach and Swiss Chard with Golden Raisins and Pine Nuts, Sicilian Roasted Chicken, Ricotta Cheese Fritters with Blueberry Sauce (we will make the Ricotta Cheese in class). Week 2 - "Antipasti" with Red Wine Vinaigrette, Tuscan Bean Soup, Lasagna "Rolls" with Bolognese Sauce, Tiramisu. See you there!

Please go to www.sdadulted.com to sign up for these classes today.

Urban Farm Cooking Class-Sunday April 29 from 1 to 3pm in Encinitas $33

Coral Tree Farms, in the heart of Encinitas, and Chef Jenn Felmley are combining to bring you vegetarian cooking classes. This wonderful day on the farm will start with a tour of Coral Tree Farm (including the cute and cuddly animal and maybe a few baby animals). Followed by a cooking demonstration and tasting by Chef Jenn Felmley Come learn, eat and support your local farmer. Classes are limited to 20 people, please contact me to RSVP in advance, with Chef Jenn jlfelm@yahoo.com

Cooking Seafood with Catalina Offshore- Friday April 13, 2012 from 6 to 9 pm at Great News in Pacific Beach $59

Join Tommy Gomes, Catalina Offshore Products fishmonger and Chef Jenn, Culinary Instructor and Certified Culinary Nutritionist at Great News In Pacific Beach; to  learn how to make wonderful fresh fish dishes. Tommy and Jenn will show  how to filet and portion fish as well.  San Diego Magazine has nominated Tommy  as one of the top 50 people to watch in 2011, so don’t miss out.

Tommy will be donating his teaching fee to Urban Slow-Foods San Diego. Tommy and Jenn will discuss how to buy fresh seafood and what to look for in freshness and how to trust a true fishmonger. They will also instruct students on how to use the entire fish. Recipes: Roasted Shrimp Cocktail with Classic Red and White Cocktail Sauce; Baja Style Octopus Ceviche with Fresh Tortilla Chips; Salmon Burger with Wasabi Mayonnaise; Scallop and Crab Stuffed Halibut with Citrus Beurre Blanc.

Click here to sign up

Vegan Chocolate Pudding with Coconut Whipped Cream

I have a funny thing I like to do. When I am planning vegan cooking classes I like to give them a theme (Vegan Valentines,  Thai Vegan, Summer Vegan, etc) and next month’s class is a St. Patrick’s Day themed vegan cooking class.

My go to dessert for St. Patrick’s day is this super rich chocolate pudding. Normally I would make it with Bailey’s Irish Cream to up the Irish factor, but it’s not vegan (although there are a few online recipes to make a vegan Bailey’s Irish Cream).

Yesterday spent the day toying with recipes, to convert my chocolate pudding into a vegan recipe. Here is what I found

1)    Please don’t use the recipes on the internet that call for “egg replacer” and “cocoa powder” – they are awful!

2)    Semi-sweet baking chocolate has no dairy and makes a super-rich pudding

3)    Adding egg replacer to my recipe (1 tbsp) makes the pudding super thick (like Jello instant pudding thick), not my favorite to sit down to a bowl of in front of the TV...but would be amazing in a “pudding pie” recipe.

Here is the recipe that I liked best, it taste like thick rich chocolate. You will love it And I topped it with a little Coconut Whipped Cream.

Vegan Chocolate Pudding

Serves 4 to 6

4 oz             Semi-sweet baking chocolate, broken into small pieces

¼ cup          Coconut cream

¼ cup          Agave nectar

2 tbsp          Corn starch

1 cup          Almond milk

2 cups         Coconut milk*

2 tsp           Vanilla

¼ tsp          Instant espresso powder

 Coconut whipped cream for garnish (optional) 

In a double boiler**, over medium low heat, combine semi-sweet chocolate, coconut cream and agave nectar. Melt over barely simmering water, stirring constantly.

Remove from heat while a couple of pieces are still visible.

Whisk together corn starch, almond milk, coconut milk, vanilla and espresso; dissolve cornstarch completely.

Pour almond milk mixture into a sauce pot and heat over medium low heat. Whisk and scrape with a rubber spatula, constantly. If you don't keep on stirring, the mixture will turn clumpy, but you want it to be smooth and creamy.

Once it is thick, turn off heat and add melted chocolate. Pour into serving bowls or cups and chill in the refrigerator for at least one hour, but best if done a day ahead. 

Garnish with coconut whipped cream, and enjoy!

*I recommend Golden Star Coconut Milk

** To heat the liquid for your double boiler- start by placing a small amount of water (making sure that the water does not touch the bowl that will be inserted later) into a sauce pan.Bring water to a boil over high heat.Turn off heat and insert a bowl just small enough to rest inside of the pot. 

Vanilla Coconut “Whipped Cream”

Makes1 ½ cups

1 cup                    Coconut milk, COLD (golden star)

½  tsp                   Vanilla extract

½                          Vanilla Bean seeds, split down the length and seeds removed

2 tsp                     Agave nectar or sugar (optional)

½  tsp                   Agar agar

½ cup                   Coconut milk

2 tbsp                   Coconut milk

Using a hand mixer, whip 1 cup coconut milk, vanilla extract, vanilla seeds and agave nectar; whip at high speed for a minute or two until it becomes fluffy and whipped cream-like.

Cover and refrigerate.

In a sauce pot combine agar agar and ¼ cup coconut milk. Cook over medium heat to dissolve agar agar (or until the majority of flakes dissolve), about 7 minutes .

Remove from heat and stir in 2 tablespoons coconut milk.

Strain coconut milk with agar agar into whipped coconut milk. With a hand mixer, whip together agar agar and coconut milk with the already whipped coconut milk; till light and fluffy. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes (best if done the day before).

Plum Cobbler and Pinot Noir...a match made in heaven

In last nights Wine Country Cooking Class, it was Pinot Noir night. The menu for the evening was

French Country Vegetable Soup

Citrus Cedar Plank Salmon

Cauliflower Puree

Plum Cobbler

The smell where intoxicating. You felt as if you where in a bottle of Pinot. The first thing to hit your nose was the cedar (from the cedar plank salmon),  the the light vegetal aromas of ripe tomatoes from the soup and lastly the velvety aromas of vanilla and plum from the cobbler. It was a night to remember.

I loved the pairing of Chalon Vinyard Pinot Noir, with it lightly oaked flavor and strong jammy fruit notes. I had to share it.



Plum Fruit Cobbler

Serves 4

Filling-
1/3 cup       Sugar
2 tbsp         All-purpose flour
2 lb             Plums, pitted, peeled (optional) and cut to chunks                   
1  tbsp        Unsalted butter, melted
½  tsp         Vanilla extract
1/8 tsp        Almond extract

Topping-
3/4 cup                 All-purpose flour
¼  cup                  Cornmeal
1 tsp                     Baking powder
¼ tsp                    Salt           
1 tbsp                   Unsalted butter, cold and cut into small cubes
½  cup + 1 tsp      Heavy cream, divided
2 tsp                     Raw sugar

 
Preheat oven to 400°F. Butter a baking dish.

Toss together filling ingredients in a large bowl. Spread out in baking dish and bake until just bubbling, 10 to 20 minutes.

Make topping while filling bakes: Whisk together flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt, then blend in butter with your fingertips or a pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add ½ cup cream and stir just until a dough forms.

Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface and lightly dust with flour, then roll out with a floured rolling pin into a 1/2-inch-thick round. Cut out biscuits with lightly floured cutter. If necessary, gather scraps and reroll once, then cut out more biscuits.

Arrange biscuits 1/2 inch apart over hot filling. Brush tops with remaining tablespoon cream, then sprinkle with sugar. Bake until topping is golden and fruit is bubbling in center, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool to warm, 30 minutes.

Best if served with whipped cream!!