A Cooking Class with Craft Beer: Healthy Summer Fun!

          This past Friday, Brown Rice Meets the Pearl had officially kicked off its first cooking class and it was a success. Details can be found here under the event of June 28th, 2013. All 24 participants completed the task of mixing and mingling while getting their hands dirty with building dishes from recipes provided. 
          The idea was to pair the food we made with the craft beer chosen by Americraft Imports. I wanted 3 beers that would represent me as well as complimenting the dishes that were on the menu that night. Guests were greeted with a tangerine wheat beer of Lost Coast Brewery from California, where I happily spent 5 years by the southern cliff sides embraced by the arms of my university. While people filed in, they got to form their own wholegrain mini burger buns made from Julian Hard Apple Cider with the dough that had already been risen once. We waited for a second rise before baking them in the oven for our herbed burgers later on that the evening. 

         4 groups of 6 people gathered around and each had a different task. A small demonstration began then one group was in charge of making the tomato salsa, a second was to make guacamole, another created the mango salsa and the last group mixed 2 different salads, which included a quinoa salad and a apple, carrot and cabbage slaw. These dips and salads paired well with the second beer, which was the Kona Big Wave Golden Ale and also with some of the whole wheat pita chips provided. The cabbage slaw is to be saved for eating with the fish tacos we all had a hand in making as well. I also whipped together a beer vinaigrette with reduced Anchor Steam amber ale. 

       After the appetizers, we had a chance to make our own thyme-rosemary mini burger patties topped with melted gruyere and beer caramelized onions as well as fresh chimichurri catfish tacos placed on skewers then baked before landing on tortillas with the cabbage apple and carrot slaw. 

      

         There was a period for the enjoyment of the food, meeting new friends and hanging out on the outdoor terrace while finishing the 2 beers we had so far. I gathered everyone together once more for the demonstration of the dessert and the presentation of the last beer of the night. The last beer was from New York, again a place where I was enveloped amongst the bustling food scene while finishing my graduate studies. The He'brew Genesis Dry Hopped Session Ale, I thought, would go well with a freshly made frozen yogurt of pineapple and kiwi served in a sugar ice cream cone. 

    

       The menus for this cooking class were based on the guidelines of the US Department of Agriculture's "My Plate" module and recipes will be given upon request if you were interested in receiving a copy. I hope everyone had fun and will stay tuned for other future events brought to you by Brown Rice Meets The Pearl. Thank you for all your support and see you soon at my next event. Many thanks to Spark Studios, Virginia and Yoshiko for the event space.