Cooking School

As I mentioned in yesterday's post, I was attending cooking school today. I signed up myself and 12 friends from my afternoon tea group for a class on Comfort Foods. The class was held at the Stonewall Kitchens Cooking School in York, Maine. Our instructor, Linda Driver, waa fabulous! She was so knowledgeable and relaxed. She interacted with us and created a cozy atmosphere on a very cold day.

The first course she made was a squash soup topped with beets and creme fraiche. Linda demonstrated how to make each course and then we all got to eat it! This soup was the perfect texture and absolutely delicious. Doesn't it look inviting?

This kitchen is too die for. Imagine having a kitchen like this one! Cooking would be such a joy!We not only learned how to make each course, we also learned some interesting tips to make cooking easier and safer.
The second course was grilled ham with fruit compote. The fruit compote consisted of pears, pineapple, apples, apricots, and honey. My taste buds were in heaven! A potato dish was also demonstrated and then served along with the ham. We ate scalloped potatoes with three cheeeses (cheddar, parmesan, and gorgonzola). I loved the potato dish. I am Irish and a potato girl.
Here's the ham and fruit bake with the potatoes before I devoured it!

For dessert, we had brownies with vanilla ice cream, chocolate sauce and whipped cream. The perfect finale for a wonderful and delicious learning experience. I have to say the staff at Stonewall Kitchens was top notch. Each step of the process went smoothly from my first phone call in September when I first booked the class to the last phone call last week. I begged for 1 more seat because I had incorrectly counted the number of reservations I needed. The class was sold out but they still accomodated me.

The women who served us during the class were as sweet as could be. They all looked genuinely happy to be there assisting us! When is the last time your server was truly happy to wait on you?

And there was Richard who took care of us from the minute we walked in the door. He made sure we knew we could get 20% off at the cooking school and the store. He was there to answer any questions and he was as upbeat and personable as the ladies at Stonewall.

Here's the outside of the store. No matter the season, it is always gorgeous.Inside the store,there is a cafe, bakery, and an array of jams, chutneys, sauces, oils, and unique gift items like a sconce made of snowshoes. Most of the time when I visit Stonewall I buy their coffee caramel or mocha espresso sauce. Just add vanilla ice cream and you are all set. There are also many varieties of hand soaps and lotions. I picked up a bottle of White Pine hand soap for my new kitchen. I also bought a beautful basket made of birch bark.

I know you all want to check out this store's website so here it is http://www.stonewallkitchen.com/ .

If you buy one of their jams or sauces, type in the name of the item on their website and it will pop up with recipes you can make with your particular item.

I hope if you live in the area you will visit Stonewall Kitchens and if you have the time, take advantage of one of their cooking classes. My friends have already mentioned they'd like to go back to take another class perhaps next time we can learn about appetizers or desserts.

While I'm on the subject of food, I'd like to wish all of you a wonderful Thanksgiving filled with

family, friends and great food. Blessings to you all!