Week Six: Cooking Class

    This week I will be taking you all on a date. Unfortunately it will only be a virtual date, but it’s the thought that counts right?

    For Valentine’s day, my boyfriend took me on a surprise date to Central Market. Those of you who have read week one’s post know that I am a Central enthusiast, but when we arrived I must admit that I was a little confused. A date in an upscale grocery store? But it all made much more sense when he brought me upstairs and into a cooking class. He obviously knows me pretty well because this is right up my alley!

    Central Market offers an array of different cooking classes. From desserts to Italian to sushi, they pretty much cover it all. The one that we sat in on happened to be a heart healthy menu. It was a lot like the Food Network got plopped right into the center of my restaurant of choice. They had several rows of tables and chairs set for mealtime that faced a fully equipped kitchen with cameras and television monitors so that you can watch the chef’s every move.  Our chef was a portly, good humored man who joked and instructed as we observed and ate the dish as he was recreating it before our eyes.

    The menu was magnificent. As I mentioned, this was the heart healthy cooking class so the four-course meal was full of simple, health conscious, and of course tasty food items.

    The first course was a cold broccoli salad. To create this meal opener, the chef blanched broccoli and soaked it in ice water, then sautéed onions with a little bit of balsamic vinegar and topped everything off with sliced almonds and lemon zest for a refreshing finish. The second course was an Italian vegetable soup, which included things such as red beans, celery, and other soup friendly veggies. This soup was one of my favorite parts of the meal because it was so simple and yet still healthy and delicious. The third course was similarly easy to create. The chef cooked up some orzo (which is a rice-shaped Italian pasta) and sautéed it with a bit of chopped red onion and asparagus. The main course was a salmon filet with almond pomegranate sauce. The chef explained that instead of using fattening and potentially unhealthy things to thicken a home made sauce, ground almonds serve as a thickener without adding a ton of extra calories or saturated fats. Dried pomegranates and a dash of pomegranate syrup gave this sauce a sweet and tangy flavor that complemented the salmon well. For dessert, the chef served a pumpkin polenta that was reminiscent of pumpkin pie, but with about half of the calories and fat.

    This class was such a great experience. Not only did I get to enjoy a Food Network like experience right before my eyes, but I also got to learn several healthy alternatives to create a well thought out meal.

    So next time you are looking for a unique night out, whether it’s with that special someone or a group of girlfriends, check out one of Central Market’s awesome cooking classes.

    Happy Eating!