Almaden Resident

Community

Novices find help at holiday cooking workshops

By Monica Heger

If the thought of tri-tip steak drizzled with bearnaise sauce, mushroom risotto, homemade cream of mushroom soup and chocolate espresso bars elicits a Pavlovian response, then Elsie Saba's cooking class may start mouths watering.

Saba, a cooking expert who prides herself on teaching even the most novice cooks how to prepare gourmet meals, has launched a series of cooking workshops for the holiday season.

A new addition at the Almaden Community Center, Saba's cooking classes meet Saturday mornings at 9:30 a.m. for about three hours. Participants can either pay per class or buy a package of four classes.

Each week Saba teaches the class how to prepare a new meal based on participant recommendations. She gives students more than just cooking lessons, including tips on how to save time while cooking by using fewer dishes.

For the upcoming holiday season, Saba is holding a workshop Nov. 18 designed to help both novice and experienced cooks whip up a Thanksgiving Day feast.

In December, Saba says she is willing to share her recipes for party hors d'oeuvres and other dishes during another holiday workshop.

Among her cooking tips, Saba recommends using wine that you'd want to drink as cooking wine.

"Good wine, good food. Bad wine, bad food," Saba says.

That doesn't mean a $20 bottle of wine is necessary. During a recent class, Saba recommended a $3 bottle of chardonnay on sale at Trader Joe's.

The participants in a recent cooking class said they were drawn to the class because of a desire to expand on their recipes and to try cooking things they've never done before.

"I came here just to eat," said participant Jim Nelson.

"We're trying a whole lot of new things that none of us have done before," said Lee Venus.

Kim Stonehouse said she's tried a couple of the recipes she's learned and that it is mostly a matter of getting the new recipes into her repertoire. She said the main change in her cooking habits is that she's started making more from scratch.

Saba touts cooking from scratch as a healthier alternative to buying already prepared foods. Even as she melted butter and dark chocolate for the lavishly rich chocolate espresso bars, Saba said because of the ingredients she uses, the dessert was still healthier than anything store-bought.

She said dark chocolate that had 70 percent or more cocoa contains many anti-oxidants that are healthy. Desserts from the store typically don't use that kind of dark chocolate, and they tend to have more trans fats and hydrogenated oils, she added.

"Baking is like chemistry," Saba said. "If you don't put the right amount in, it's not good. Stores put the right amount of the wrong ingredients. If you cook yourself, you can put the right amount of the right ingredients."

Saba, who is from Greece, grew up in a cooking family. Her family used to have a restaurant, and she grew up with a natural love for baking. From that she developed her cooking skills. With many recipes and cooking experience under her belt--Saba began cooking at age 9 or 10--she says she never cooks the same recipe twice unless her kids request something in particular, and even then she usually makes some variation to the recipe.

"I don't like to cook the same recipe over and over," Saba said. "I get bored; I want something challenging."

One key to cooking, she said, is knowledge of the ingredients.

"I read a lot about ingredients before I use them," she said. "I get familiar with the ingredient, see the benefits, where it's grown, what it's used for and how it can benefit a recipe," she said.

She particularly likes using many different kinds of herbs in her recipes.

"Herbs are great flavor that is good for you," she said. "They add dimension to a dish."

She said the use of herbs can also reduce the amount of fat. Since herbs add lots of flavor without adding fat, the amount of butter or oil, which also add flavor, can be reduced.

Her favorite types of cuisine to cook are mostly Mediterranean, including French, Greek, Italian and Moroccan food.

For more information on the cooking class contact the Almaden Community Center at 408.268.1133. Participants can reserve a space up until the day before a scheduled workshop. There is still space available for the Thanksgiving Meal workshop on Nov. 18.

Thanksgiving feast tips

By Elsie Saba

* Buy the right turkey. Fresh turkeys are better than frozen turkeys, especially if you plan to brine your bird. The texture of the meat of a fresh turkey after brining will be superior. Brining a frozen turkey will result in a turkey that is too salty and with a spongy texture that is not desirable.

* There are two types of fresh turkeys--free-range and farm-raised.

Free-range turkeys have a better, more complex flavor.

* Turkey size matters. The ideal size of the turkey is between 12 and 18 pounds. At this size, you get a turkey that is tender and succulent. For those hosting a large gathering, either cook two turkeys, in the 12- to 18-pound range, or cook one turkey and supplement it with an additional turkey breast, which holds most of the meat.

* Choose the right-size pan. For a turkey to be cooked evenly, there needs to be a good flow of air around it. The pan has to be larger than the turkey to allow airflow.

* Elevate the turkey in the pan using a rack to prevent it from sitting in the drippings and becoming soggy.

* Tuck the wings and the thighs close to the body using cooking twine to guarantee even cooking for all parts of the turkey.

* If you decide to brine the turkey, do not stuff it, but rather, cook the stuffing on the side, since the drippings will be very salty and will ruin the stuffing flavor.

* If you decide to brine the turkey, make sure to rinse the turkey well before you cook it.

* For those not brining the turkey, baste the turkey every 30 minutes to keep it juicy.

* Let the turkey rest for at least 20 minutes before carving so the active juices get absorbed back into the meat and do not run out as soon as you cut into it.

Elsie Saba teaches gourmet cooking classes at Williams-Sonoma and at the new Almaden Community Center.