Italian Cuisine with a Peruvian Flair!

Tonight's class was something really special, for Quality Street Kitchen and for our students.

Chef Liliana and our sister-in-law Rocio were providing an Italian dish presented with Peruvian hospitality and charm!

The menu for the night included Beef Carpaccio with Arugula and Goat Cheese; Spinach and Ricotta Malfatti with sage butter; Sun Dried Tomatoes Risotto; and Passion Fruit Mousse.

My brother Johnny, who was the general contractor that remodeled our store, took tonight's photographs.



Liliana and Rocio share a laugh....not sure if this was in English or Spanish?

You can tell there is a lot of hands-on work with tonight's menu. These dishes take time but are well worth it.




We have learned over the years that in Peru, you do talk a lot with your hands! (Rocio, this means you too!)

The Beef Carpaccio is something that would be difficult to find in the States, as it's foundation is with thinly sliced raw beef.

But the presentation and flavor was phenemonal!

The salad was equally beautiful, and as always, presented artfully and bursting with flavor!

And then it was onto dessert. Passion fruit is a bit difficult to find locally, but can be found in the DC metropolitan area.

It never hurts to give a little taste test.

...and the Mousse was placed in individual class bowls! What a great evening! Liliana and Rocio are ready to do this again, but between Liliana living in Peru, and Rocio in Ft. Lauderdale, it may be a few months. We certainly appreciate everything that was done to make this class special, and we'll keep you posted for when they are coming again!

Cajun Delight

Tonight's menu comes from our French-speaking Acadian or "Cajun" immigrants in the Acadiana region of Louisiana, USA. It is a rustic cuisine — locally available ingredients predominate, and preparation is simple.

Chef Heath starts off with a spicy crab dip to get the ball rolling.


Then it's time to assemble the bread pudding which will bake for much of the class.

Onto the main affair, Chicken, Andouille, & Shrimp Gumbo w/ White Rice.

Andouille sausage is a spicy dry smoked sausage, characterized by a coarse-ground texture.

Gumbo is made by progressively adding ingredients to a stock pot. The Le Creuset heats this dish beautifully.

An authentic Cajun meal is usually a three-pot affair, with one pot dedicated to the main dish, one dedicated to steamed rice, skillet cornbread, or some other grain dish, and the third containing whatever vegetable is plentiful or available.


Miraculously, what takes about an hour to prepare, we've accomplished in three photos!



And it's serving time. Chef Heath has brought an authentic filé to sprinkle on top, which consists of dried and ground sassafras leaves. This can also be served over the rice and never goes in the pot.

Chef Heath snuck in another traditional New Orleans special to accompany the dirty rice, called Boudin, which is a type of sausage pork with milk or rice dressing, stuffed into a pork casing.

This is then sliced and placed over bread, with a slice of Andouille sausage with a special bar-b-que sauce. Flavorful and simple, this was plated with the dirty rice and was a meal unto itself.


Laissez Les Bons Temps Roule!

And then it's time to finish the evening with the Bread Pudding and Bourbon Sauce, absolutely delicious!

Chef Heath did a great job, and a good time was had by all!