On Saturday afternoon, B and I drove over to Williamsburg for a class at The Brooklyn Kitchen called “Hearty Vegetarian Entrées.”
A friend had told me about BK last fall; it’s a specialty food and kitchen supply store with two “labs” for cooking classes. I love gifting “experiences” for birthdays and holidays, like museum passes and I’ll-make-you-dinner coupons. I thought it would be fun for B and I to take a cooking class together, and this seemed like the perfect place to go! The classes book up fast. They had a couple vegetarian classes including pasta making and veggie-burgers-four-ways, but nothing gluten-free and meat-free. So I decided to make an exception (which, to be honest, I do more often than not… I’ll never learn) and enjoy the day.
Chef Max Sussman, formerly of Roberta’s, led the class. His three-item menu for the class reflected summer’s vegetable offerings: Cauliflower and roasted onion tart, warm gigante bean salad with zucchini and oregano pesto. Here he is showing us how to make the perfect pie crust!
Hint: butterbutterbutter and a light egg wash.
What do you get when you combine caramelized onions, roasted cauliflower, feta and heavy cream? Personalized vegetable tarts!
Here’s B manning the chickpea burgers, sipping on some good ole Brooklyn pilsner. (Unfortunately there was no wine; there was already flour in the burgers and the pie crust- obvs- and I was trying not to go on a total gluten bender.)
Let’s eat family style!
Cauliflower and roasted onion tart, warm gigante bean salad with zucchini and oregano pesto (which was supposed to come with couscous… we cooked it, but I guess it didn’t make it onto the table), and chickpea burgers with sriracha mayo.
We had a great time! The class itself was fun… the menu wasn’t so exciting, but it may have been geared more towards people who aren’t used to cooking at home. It also would have been nice if the meal hadn’t been quite so heavy… but then again, the class was called “Hearty Vegetarian Entrées.”
Most importantly, it was a great way to spend a Saturday afternoon with B! We went foraging together last summer, but that’s the only class we’ve taken together. Hooray for new experiences!
