Cheese Classes.......and A Chance to win a great cookbook: BakeWise

On Thursday, I am leaving for Texas to take a two day cheese making course  with my good friend, and Pastry chef, Teresa B.  I have been looking forward to this for months! 

 

Artisan cheese making seems like a natural progression or evolutionary step in my quest,  as I try to create recipes using only local, seasonally available produce and products. If you factor in the Food Nerd element and my obsessive quest to "just know MORE", I could not pass up this opportunity.    I am fortunate to have milk delivered to our home in glass bottles each week (Longmont Dairy), and now I have access to raw cow's milk AND raw goat's milk.  As many of you know, I already encourage you to make your own fresh ricotta cheese.  It is very easy, and there really is nothing else that compares to it. By taking this course, I hope to bring the knowledge of small scale "in house" cheese making to you.  

This is what we will be making: Fresh Butter, cultured buttermilk, sour cream, cream cheese, cottage cheese, herbed cheese logs, feta, ricotta, yogurt, labaneh (a spreadable yogurt cheese), 30-minute mozzarella AND the step-by-step process for making aged cheeses such as Cheddar, Colby Jack, Parmesan, Pepper Jack, Gouda and Brie, as well as artisan cheeses....  

I am already packed and ready to go!

Cookbook Give Away

If you ever watch Alton Brown on the Food Network, then you are familiar with Shirley O Corriher. Corriher, as well as, Harold McGee and Herme This, have been writing about food science years before anyone watched "Good Eat's"(yes, I love the show) or "America's Test Kitchen".

A few days ago, I received two copies of Shirley O Corriher's new Cookbook;  BakeWise: The Hows and Whys of Successful Baking with Over 200 Magnificent Recipes.

This month, I will have a drawing for a chance to win my second copy of "BakeWise".  Everyone who signs up to receive my blog (the sign up is to the right, directly under my profile), will be entered in the drawing to win this new cookbook.  If you sign up, or are already receiving my blog, just send me a quick email with your name and email address and I will contact you when the winner has been chosen. The cookbook contest begins today, October 22, 2008 and will end October 31, 2008.  Feel free to pass this opportunity on to your friends and family who enjoy food!   My email address is located in the "about me" section of this blog. Good Luck!  I am off to make cheese....

Chef Deb