The last time I had attended a cooking class was in January, 2003 at MacMenamin’s Grill in New Rochelle, a restaurant no longer in business.
My classmates and I had to cook our own food. It’s easy to romanticize it,
but honestly it was hard work.
We were so wrapped up in our own slicing and dicing that it was difficult to follow the chef closely. And when we finally slurped down our food, it seemed anticlimactic.
Fast forward to January 20, 2012, when I attended a Friday night cooking class at Homeworks in Old Saybrook,
a wonderful kitchen equipment store (see photographic tour of store at end of article) owned by Ken Schneider.
By contrast with my earlier experience, this was an incredibly entertaining evening that seemed to just fly by. When I arrived at 6:30, there was a nice place setting at the chef’s table in the back of the store awaiting me.
There was so much charm in all of the appointments.
Our instructor was Chef Dawn Fitzpatrick Dowd, a woman with great natural instincts, cooking skills, and an ability to communicate effectively and easily.
The theme of our dinner was Spanish tapas, and Chef Dawn was working from a cookbook by Spanish celebrity chef José Andrés, whose Washington, D.C. restaurant, Jaleo, I had visited.
And presenting our Riojan wines
as well as circulating to answer questions
was Carlos Rodriguez, National Sales Director for Grupo Bodegas Olarra.
One of the reasons that it was painless to watch our food prepared in real time before our eyes was that we always had wine before us and something to nibble.
Our first wine was a NV Ondarre Cava Brut Millennium. People tend to use sparkling wines for sipping and toasting and overlook how food-friendly they actually are.
We nibbled on these breads,
which came with good Spanish olive oil
as well as cheese and sausage
and two wonderful olive tapénades, one green and one black.
As we nibbled and noshed, we received instruction
and inspected foods that were passed around. Many of the food products were provided by two of Homeworks’ favorite local vendors: Atlantic Seafood in Old Saybrook, which supplied shrimp and clams for the dinner, and Fromage Fine Foods in Old Saybrook, which supplied the cheeses, sausage, Spanish oil and piquillo peppers.
Soon we also had before us patatas bravas, dressed with both an aïoli and a spicy sauce.
Our second wine was a 2009 Valserrano Blanco.
As we sipped it, we watched Chef Dawn prepare
a delightful Catalan flatbread, which we soon made disappear.
Chef Dawn also prepared traditional garlic shrimp for us. Enjoy these before and after photos.
It was time for our third wine, a 2005 Otoñal Reserva.
This wine proved excellent accompaniment to steamed clams with chorizo, crisp potato skins, and a citrus and saffron aïoli.
It became hard to tell whether the wines were propelling the food, or vice versa. Well, no matter. Our next vintage was a stunning 2004 Ondarre Reserva. We were enjoying it as we watched Chef Dawn working on our main course, which was Spanish-encrusted roast pork tenderloin with romesco sauce.
One red wine, an incredible 2004 Cerro Añon Gran Reserva,
was actually intended as accompaniment to one of our desserts. And what a dessert that was—rustic bread with dark chocolate, olive oil and salt!
Our final course was a Spanish flan.
The flan was offered with good coffee
and a Reymos Sparkling Muscatel from Valencia (which I failed to photograph).
Chef Dawn was a walking talking miracle, but she wasn’t without any help at all.
All of the guests had a splendid time,
including me.
At the end of the meal, everyone toasted Chef Dawn for an incredible learning and dining experience.
I end with my promised photographic tour of Homeworks. Always remember that you can enlarge any photo simply by clicking upon it.
Credits & Contacts:
All of the wines served are available at SeaSide Wine & Spirits, 118 Main Street, Old Saybrook, 860-388-3015, www.seasidewineandspirits.com
Juan Carlos Rodriguez of Grupo Bodegas Olarra, www.grupobodegasolarra.com
Tapas, A Taste of Spain in America by José Andrés, published by Clarkson Potter.
Homeworks, 711 Boston Post Road, Old Saybrook, 860-388-3331, www.homeworksct.org
I am taking my mother to Spain for her 60th birthday this October and I thought it would be great if we introduced her to Spanish Cooking in the time before our trip.
Do you know of any upcoming classes that would fall between April and October in the Connecticut (or greater New Haven area)? This event looked perfect. Thanks
Thanks in advance for any assistance.