in the meantime, here is an update of the last recipes that we tried for you and that you can easily replicate at home…. it was an asian dinner and the idea was to serve something light but colorful… here is the menu that is on our blog :

• lime & coriander shrimps
• pilaf rice cake
• mango & avocado salsa

we also anted to share with you the last pictures taken in the restaurant as we finished the last coating of the floor…. hope you will like it!

i have to say, that we are very proud of that as we also received a great welcome from the community on that occasion.

we hope to see you again this coming saturday to try our quiches and cakes as well as some of our specialties such as the granola or the nougatine cookies!

we’ll be there all day long!

the purpose of the class was to show them that it is possible to cook a stunning and traditional thanksgiving dinner within a couple of hours with a little help from some of williams sonoma products and utensils!

let’s start with the menu….

turkey breast with harvest stuffing and pan gravy
brussel sprouts with chorizo
fennel salad with roasted pumpkin seeds and pomegranate seeds
pumpkin slice with ginger whipped cream
vanilla and salted caramel sauce ice cream with candied pecans

and now, pick-up the recipes that you want to try, all of them are below!

to make it easier for you, i have highlighted the products that you can find at williams sonoma

turkey breast with harvest stuffing and pan gravy

ingredients

a 5- to 7-pound fresh turkey breast
sea salt & ground pepper
chopped herbs & spices such as thyme, rosemary, garlic, ginger, cumin…
vegetable oil
honey

method

preheat your oven to 325 degrees f.
brush the turkey breast with vegetable oil and honey.sprinkle with salt, pepper, herbs, and spices.
insert a meat thermometer to the center of the breast. wrap and seal the breast in heavy aluminum foil. place on a wire rack in a shallow roasting pan.

roast the turkey breast until the meat thermometer reaches 170 degrees f. (up to 2-3 hours). open the aluminum foil about 30 minutes before the breast is done and baste 2 times with the drippings.

pan gravy

once the turkey is cooked, let it rest on a rack and pour all the juices and drippings in the roasting pan.
add a little chicken broth as well as a little white wine and let it reduce on medium heat.
depending on how you like it, add one or 2 tsp of butter to make it more glossy or 1tsp of flour to get it thicker.

whole wheat harvest stuffing

ingredients

• 1 williams sonoma whole wheat harvest stuffing box
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 yellow onion diced
• 3 celery stalks diced
• 1/2 tsp salt and ground pepper
• 3,5 to 4 cups of warm chicken stock

method

preheat your oven to 375.
grease a 9 x 13 baking dish.
in a pan, heat olive oil and cook the onion, celery until soft and translucent (up to 10 minutes). season with salt and pepper.
transfer in a large bowl and combine with the stuffing, cranberries and pecans of the williams sonoma box.
stir in 1/2 cup at a time to avoid it pool in the bottom of the bowl.

the croutons should be soft, neither crunchy nor mushy. you may not need all the stock.
transfer the mixture in the baking dish, cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes then keep on baking without foil for another 25 minutes to get a golden and crisp top.
let it rest about 10 minutes before serving.

brussel sprouts with chorizo

ingredients

• 1,5 pounds brussels sprouts
• 3 tbsp good olive oil
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
• 1 spicy chorizo sausage
• 1/2 cup of chicken broth or white wine

method

preheat oven to 400.
cut off the brown ends of the brussels sprouts and pull off any yellow outer leaves. cut them into 2 and mix them in a bowl with olive oil, salt and pepper. cover a roasting tray with parchment paper and spread them on it.
roast for 35 to 40 minutes, until crisp on the outside and tender on the inside. shake the pan from time to time to brown the sprouts evenly.
once the brussels sprouts have a nice brown color, pour the broth or wine on top of them and let it reduced in the oven. it will moist the sprouts.
in the meantime, slice or cut into 2-3 mm julienne a spicy chorizo sausage and 5-10 minutes before the sprouts are cooked, spread the chorizo on the brussels sprouts. shake well and let it roast.
take it out of the oven, give it another good shake and serve it.

fennel salad with pumpkin seeds and pomegranate seeds

ingredients

• 2 fennel bulbs washed and trimmed
• 1 lemon juice
• 1 handful of pumpkin seeds slightly toasted
• 1 pomegranate deseeded
• olive oil, salt & pepper
• 1 tbsp williams sonoma pomegranate molasse
• 1 lemon juice
• 1 handful of fresh mixed leaves
• fresh dill roughly chopped

method

cut your fennels lengthways and get rid of the center.
thinly slice it and keep it in a large bowl of iced water with a lemon juice to keep it white otherwise it will get dark.
whisk together the pomegranate molasse, lemon juice, salt and pepper. whisk in the olive oil and adjust the seasoning.
cut the pomegranate into 2 and using a wooden spoon, knock the shells with it to release the seeds in a bowl. keep the juice to incorporate it to the dressing.
once ready, spread mixed leaves on a serving dish, cover with fennel shavings, drizzle with dressing, spread pumpkin and pomegranate seeds as well as dill. make another layer if needed and serve right away.

pumpkin slice with ginger whipped cream

ingredients

• 1 williams sonoma spiced pecan pumpkin quick bread bag
• 8 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 cup of water
• 2 eggs
• 2-3 tbsp williams sonoma muirhead pecan pumpkin butter

• 1,5 cup of heavy cream
• 4 tbsp of icing sugar
• 1 thumb of ginger peeled and grated

method

preheat your oven to 350.
grease a 4 x 8 inch loaf pan or cover it with parchment paper.
in a bowl, combine the quick bread mix with the melted butter, water and beaten eggs.
spread evenly the batter into the pan.
swirl 2-3 tbsp of pecan pumpkin butter into the batter in order to spread it evenly then bake it for about 50 minutes until an inserted knife comes out clean. let it cool down on a rack.

in a large bowl, whip the cream and the icing sugar until it gets thick and dense. incorporate the grated ginger.

with a serrated knife, cut the borders of the pumpkin cake and cut it in the middle.
turn one of both parts upside down and spread the whipped cream on it and cover with the other part.
if you have too much whipped cream, cover the top of the cake with the remaining cream and dust with light brown sugar or cinnamon.
cut into squares or voice slices and serve it right away with a scoop of ice-cream.

vanilla and caramel sauce ice cream

ingredients

• 1 pack williams sonoma vanilla ice-cream starter
• 1,5 cup of half and half
• 1,5 cup of cold heavy cream

• 4 tbsp williams sonoma dulche de leche or salted caramel sauce

method

in a large bowl, whisk together the ice-cream starter and half and half nutil the starter has dissolved. stir in the cream.
transfer the mixture in an ice-cream maker and freeze according to the instructions.
transfer to a chilled container, swirl a few tbsp of dulche de leche in it and freeze until firm (at least 2 hours).

as it was a day dedicated to cycles, we prepared food easy to grab for people on their wells as well as people on their feet….

that’s why we have associated our name with buddy fruits, those great fruit pouches that are so easy to carry, store and eat…. but most importantly, that are so healthy and yummy….

this was a great day, our tasting experts loved the event, the music, the bouncing castle, not only the purple but also the pink, the yellow…. buddy fruits pouches and they left with sticky fingers, bouncy belly and a few missing muffins!

yes…. it was a great sunny day and even if we were too busy to have a look around we still had time to spot a beautiful purple bike that would be very useful for our deliveries….!

maybe the next post will be dedicated to bike again….!

as it was our first time, we were thrilled and scared at the same time. i had spent 2 days cooking all my signature dishes but it was worth it as they really loved it….  we have been lucky too as the day was sunny and the customers really nice and interested in meeting all the producers.

and i have to say that i was too…. i wish i had more time to speak with all of them but i also had to get ready and then to serve the customers but by the end of the day, i went around with a few financiers and took the time to have a little chat and trade a few products….

as a result i came back with unusual vegetables such as snake gourds and purple haze carrots from mr. green dean as well as delicious home-made hummus with a strong tahine flavor…. my favorite!

i also brought back spiced dehydrated kale that made me think to my friend sybille who still lives in london and loves to try new vegan and raw food recipes. she used to dehydrate any veg or fruit she had in her kitchen!

and for our nanny whose mother loves new products, i could not resist to bring back one of the freakin’ flamingo preserves. the range of flavors is amazing, you have sugar free options as well as rum options…. just have a look at the website, you’ll want to go for it!

yes, it was a really great day and we look forward to participate to the next one! hope to see you there…

we’ll propose fresh salads, savory tarts as well as lots of cakes, cookies and home-made granola.

let’s come and give it a try.

the museum is located at

285 aragon avenue, coral gables, fl 33134

get to know more about it on the link below

http://coralgablesmuseum.org/upcoming.php

i brought my twins with me so that they discover the wonderful products grown out there.

the idea is to try to promote as much as possible the locally grown products such as herbs, tomatoes, squash, chards, eggplants, salads, beets…. and that is what teena does for chefs as well as for private customers.

you should have a look at her website or visit her farm, everything is spotless and well organized, she is really kind and loves being surrounded with kids and most important, she is passionate with what she does!

the season is coming soon, subscribe online to get your own local fresh vegetables!

who’s cooking?

from one to one class to group class, diane is more than happy to teach anyone who loves cooking and want to know more in an entertaining way.

how long does it last?

class usually last up to 3 hours in order to have time to meet and discuss the topics of the day around a nice drink but also by the end of the class, share more tips and cook extra recipes!

first, the guests are welcome with nibbles and drinks in order to wait for everybody to arrive

then we take a few minutes to explain the way we’ll cook the whole menu

once everybody is ready, the cooking takes place for at least 2 hours

then each guest learn how to dress a plate or a dish and bring it to the table to enjoy it with everybody

once all the menu has been plated and tasted, the guests can bring back home all the extra food they have been preparing in order to share the produce of their hard work with family, friends or colleagues or just to give it another go the day after just because it is so yummy!

what’s to cook?

diane has lots of menu to propose but usually she first discuss the event with the host in order to propose 3 different options among which the host and his guests will have to make their choice.

if you want to get a better idea, let’s have a look at some of the past events:

http://dianeskitchen.wordpress.com/category/girls-in-the-kitchen/

but here is a few ideas:

tapas class : up to 6 tapas (savory & sweet) not only spanish but also italian, lebanese, french, greek, asian…..

knife skills: a 3 courses dinner with basic but yummy recipes in order to focus on the way to handle knife and cooking stools properly

cafe gourmand: for the sweet tooth, only mini deserts to get along with your coffee or just for the pleasure of getting 3 to 4 different deserts instead of one!

macaroons: learn how to cook one of the most well-known sandwich biscuits in the world!

it’s easy to cook: a 3 courses dinner for those of you always in a hurry and who only want to use the most basics utensils (knife, pan, chopping board and oven)….

what’s the price?

usually the price for a private cooking class starts at  60$/person for a group of 4 to 8 persons.

of course, depending on your requirements, the price will change if you want to have a wine tasting, cook specific ingredients such as shellfish, truffles or rare spices.

need more info?

email diane: dianerabaut@gmail.com

or call her: 305 587 6964