Culinary Vacations
From Vermont Whole Wheat to Italian Home Cooking
May 18, 2007 Jacqueline Church
White Whole Wheat Flour - What?
A reader recently asked about “White Whole Wheat Flour” and how it differed from white flour or wheat flour. Now there’s a question! Researching this for her I turned to a local resource: King Arthur Flour. I was reminded of all the great cooking classes available and how few of us take advantage of these opportunities.
The release of the 75th anniversary edition of The Joy of Cooking was an opportunity for food writers and cookbook reviewers to take stock (you’ll pardon the pun) of how cooking-illiterate we’ve become. One of my suggestions in Happy Birthday Joy of Cooking; was to cook with friends. Another was to share a recipe. I shared a favorite simple cake recipe (Mrs. Fisher's Apple Torte) and a story of how it was given to me.
Lessons on line like - Pie Crust Made Easy
Pie crusts seem to terrify everyone. My recipe gets rave reviews, click here; and give it a whirl. Berries season is just around the corner. If your "fear of frying" extends beyond the perfect pie, I recommend that you investigate your local restaurants, inns, cooking schools and even retail stores for a class that inspires you or addresses a kitchen fear.
Here are some ideas for live demos, classes and more.
Local New England Cooking Classes
King Arthur Flour in Norwich, Vermont offers classes in everything from sourdough to crème brulee. Check out the schedule here. On-line classes and free recipes are available on their site as well. It's a terrifc resource for bakers, novice or experienced.
You may be able to get in the kitchen with the chef at a local restaurant and learn regional favorites or exotic dishes. Hone your knife skills or take a host of classes offered at your local Sur la Table. Don't forget: many restaurants and caterers, like the ones in Manhattan that offer classes for the new so-called "gastrokids."
The New England Culinary Institute runs an offering called the Chef "Inn" Training program. The four diamond inn has received numerous awards for food and wine excellence. You can simply enjoy the food or see demos, take classes (some are free), or even have a private five-course meal for two.
Cooking on a Vacation
If this sounds like a good (rather than a crazy) idea to you, you might want to whet your culinary curiosity in more exotic locales. Many hotels now offer cooking classes in their kitchens or elsewhere with local chefs as a package deal. In Have Spatula Will Travel, the New York Times' Taylor Holliday (can it be her real name?) notes the growing trend of culinary travel. Places as diverse as Istanbul, India, Mexico, Vietnam, and Morocco are covered and several examples of hotel packages are described.
If Paris or Italy are more your style, consider culinary travel packages. I listed several options in my Luxe Level Gift Guide.
Cesarine - the best of both worlds
One of the most interesting trends is The Home Food of Italy Organization. The group is dedicated to preserving authentic regional Italian cuisine.
"Cesarine" are the home cooks of Italy, preparing traditional, regional cuisine for tourists, in their own kitchens. It's an amazing enterprise, recently featured on the PBS series "Diary of a Foodie," which by the way, is perfect for you if armchair culinary travel is more your style.
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