MAY 2010 CLASSES

NEW YORK STEAKHOUSE Thursday, May 6th 6 PM Recipes include: Char Grilled New York Strip Steak with Brandy Mushrooms; Fresh Steak Fries; Char Grilled Jumbo Shrimp Cocktail – jumbo char grilled shrimp with homemade grated horseradish, Tabasco, fresh lemon juice cocktail sauce; Decadent Chocolate Pudding Cake – a treat of moist chocolate cake on a bed of decadent creamy chocolate pudding. $75 per person

TUSCAN SPRINGTIME Friday, May 7th 6 PM Recipes include: Tuscan Ricotta Cheese Ravioli with Spring Asparagus, Crispy Prosciutto and Lemon-Garlic Sauce; Char Grilled Bruschetta with Artichoke Pesto; Italian Lemon Tarts with Meringue – homemade pastry crust with lemon filling and a meringue rosette topping. $65 per person

ARTISAN FRENCH BREAD WORKSHOP Saturday, May 8th 10 AM – 4:00 PM This bread workshop will unveil the mystery and techniques to making classic artisanal French breads. Techniques taught – create crusty artisan breads with chewy centers, leavening, types of flour, water temperatures, dough temperatures, by hand, kneading on a mixer, proofing, windowpane test, punching down, shaping, baking, cooling, baking on a stone slab, learning how to create a steam effect in your oven and much more. Lunch is included. Recipes include: Provence Fougasse Bread; Crusty Artisan French Baguettes; Pate Fermentee Sponge Starter; Classic Butter Croissants; Chocolate Pain Croissants. $95 per person

TUSCAN MOTHER’S DAY LUNCH Cooking Class, Lunch and Spring Flowering Plant

Sunday, May 9th 1 PM – 4:30 PM On mom’s special day treat her to the gift of quality time together at Le Chat Gourmet’s special Italian Mother’s Day cooking class complete with lunch, recipe booklet and a flowering spring plant to take home! Join us with the special mom in your life for a relaxing, fun-filled afternoon creating memorable cuisine and memories. After class, enjoy shopping in our gourmet cookware shop, save 10% on ALL your retail purchases over $150 the day of class!!

Recipes include: ~ Tuscan Quiche - oven baked smoked ham baskets with quiche filling of herbs, vine ripened tomatoes, eggs and Italian cheeses ~ Tuscan Stuffed Potato Torta - oven baked layers of creamy potatoes, fresh mozzarella and smoked mozzarella cheese ~ Italian Lemon Ricotta Pancakes with Blueberry Sauce $65 per person

M.O.M. M is for the many times you’ve hugged me, O’s for the outstanding things you do, M is all our memories together ~ Leanne Guenther

SAUCE MAKING TECHNIQUES

THE ART OF SAUCE MAKING A superb sauce can turn a simple dish into an impressive creation, created to accompany food and enhance its flavors. In this technique cooking class, Executive Chef Denene Vincent will reveal the fundamental skills and techniques in creating classic sauces including some essential French "mother sauces". Sauce making is often perceived as intimidating or difficult and often what separates the home cook from a professional chef but with a few important techniques we will have you creating sauces like the pros! We will also discuss menu ideas regarding what dishes to pair with our classic sauces and at the conclusion of class create a vegetable crudités platter for sampling our saucy creations!

Wednesday, May 12th 6:00 PM – 9:30 PM

Recipes include: ~ Italian Fresh Pesto ~ Blond Roux ~ French Béchamel White Sauce ~ French Mornay Parmesan Sauce ~ Citrus Vinaigrette ~ Classic Hollandaise Sauce ~ French Black Olive and Caper Tapenade ~ Fresh Cranberry Pear Chutney ~ French Béarnaise Tarragon Sauce ~ Artistic Crudités Vegetable Platter $65 per person

It is the sauce that distinguishes a good chef. The Saucier is a soloist in the orchestra of a great kitchen ~ Fernand Point SAVEUR COOKS at LE CHAT GOURMET! Le Chat Gourmet Culinary Arts has teamed up with Saveur Magazine to bring you Saveur Cooks! Join Executive Chef Denene Vincent for this “hands-on” cooking class as we explore Tuscan Classics.

When you sign up for a SAVEUR Cooks class you will receive…

• SAVEUR canvas tote bag and goodies • Full-color recipe booklet • One year subscription to SAVEUR Magazine* – to continue your culinary adventure across Tuscany and beyond!

New! SAVEUR COOKS TUSCAN CLASSIC

Thursday, May 13th 6 PM Tuscany is a region rich in vegetables and fruits, full-bodied wines, and distinctive local cheeses and meats. SAVEUR’s editors have selected some of the most evocative dishes and most ingenious tips and techniques shared with us by Italian cooks over the years. From early mushroom crostini to deeply savory prosciutto-wrapped pork loin and creamy polenta, each of these dishes is a standout on its own; together, they add up to a glorious feast. Recipes include: Roasted Tuscan Pork Loin Roulade with Fresh Summer Herbs; Creamy Parmesan Polenta with Wild Mushroom Ragu Sauce; Tuscan Ribollita Soup with Ciabatta Bread; Vanilla Bean Panna Cotta with Brandy Scented Summer Strawberries. $75 per person

*In the event you are already a subscriber to Saveur Magazine, Saveur will add the year to the end of your current subscription. For couples from the same address, Saveur will provide one two-year subscription.

MOREL DINNER

Friday, May 14th 6 PM Recipes include: Char Grilled Filet Mignon Steak with Morel Mushroom Bordelaise Sauce; Creamy Yukon Gold Mashed Potatoes; Morel Mushroom Caramelized Onion Soup with Molten Swiss Cheese Croutons; Chocolate Dessert Crepes with Lemon-Vanilla Crème and Michigan Tart Cherry Sauce. $75 per person

TAKE ME OUT TO THE BALL GAME – kids ages 8 -16 Saturday, May 15th 10 AM – 1 PM Recipes include: ‘Hotdog’ Sugar Cookies – looks like a hotdog but it’s really a cookie!; Chocolate ‘baseball’ Cupcakes with Vanilla Buttercream Frosting; Cracker Jack-Style Caramel Popcorn. $50 per person

ITALIAN SPRING Saturday, May 15th 6 PM Recipes include: Italian Slow Braised Tenderloin Beef Tips with Fresh and Chianti Red Wine Jus; Smashed Red Skin Potatoes; Italian Spring Asparagus and Parmesan Risotto with Lemon-Basil Pesto; Italian Chocolate Swiss Roll Cake with Hazelnut Crème and Vanilla-Chocolate Crunch Glaze. $75 per person KNIFE SKILLS TECHNIQUE WORKSHOP

Basic knife skills are an important component of any culinarians repertoire - whether you plan to earn a living in the kitchen or simply cook for your family and friends. Learning to handle a knife correctly will be safer, speed up your prep time and result in uniformly cut food products that will cook more evenly. The mastery of classic knife skills and methodology will also vastly improve the look of your food, garnishes and plate presentations.

Wednesday, May 19th 6:00 PM – 9:00 PM

Knife skills techniques include: ~ Learn to hold and cut correctly ~ Knife Safety ~ How to purchase a quality knife ~ Learn to hone and sharpen a knife ~ Learn the following knife cutting techniques… ~ Chiffonade ~ Julienne ~ Bruinoise ~ Batonnet ~ an onion ~ Lozenge ~ Bias ~ Rondelle ~ Fans ~ Paysanne ~ Use your knife skill techniques to create a trio of salsas… Tropical Mango Salsa Fresca, Black Bean Salsa & Classic Mexican Salsa Fresca with lots of tortilla chips!

$65 per person

In addition, save an additional 10% on ALL your retail purchases over $150 including knives the day of class only! This is a great opportunity to update those worn out old knives or add a specialty knife or two to your collection. Remember…class size is limited! SEASONAL GOURMET - Sweet Vidalia Onions Thursday, May 20th 6 PM Recipes include: Char Grilled New York Strip Steak with Caramelized Vidalia Onion Gorgonzola Cheese Sauce; Jumbo Thick-Cut Batter Dipped Vidalia Onion Rings; Warm Bacon and Vidalia Onion Cheese Spread with Crusty Artisan Bread; Mocha Latte Toffee Crunch Ice Cream. $75 per person

CHEF’S MAY TABLE

Friday, May 21st 6 PM Recipes Include: Spring Rack of Lamb with Mustard Herb Crust and Red Wine Sauce; Creamy Yukon Gold Mashed Potatoes; Char Grilled Spring Asparagus Salad with Warm Sweet Vidalia Onion-Bacon Vinaigrette and Poached Egg; Spring Strawberry-Rhubarb Galette Tart. $75 per person

LET US HOST YOUR NEXT PARTY! Le Chat Gourmet is available for private holiday cooking parties. Great for office parties or family gathering! Call us at 517.663.7322 for details and dates.

GIFT CERTIFICATES More than a gift…a culinary adventure! Perfect answer for any occasion… holidays, birthdays, bridal showers, weddings, anniversaries, employee thank you, house warming or 'just because'. Use towards cooking classes or purchases from our gourmet cookware shop!