OK–we are definitely making up for lost time. The very last part of May we attended a cooking class at The Stock Pot. The menu was derived from whatever was fresh at the Farmers Market and the chef was from one of our favorite restaurants, The Tavern on Brady. We were in!
We attended our first “cooking class” at a local winery a couple of years ago. We had a great time. I write “cooking class” because I was surprised the first time we went. In classes like this, one is not so much an active cooker, but more of an active eater. The “teacher” assembles the food and explains ingredients and technique while the audience watches and asks questions. Then you get to EAT THE FOOD!
The menu for our farmers market meal follows:
- Balsamic Roasted Garlic Bruschetta
- Perfect Deviled Eggs
- Grilled Caesar Salad
- Rosemary-Lemon Roasted Chicken
- Herb Garlic Roasted Farmers Market Vegetables
- Blueberry Lavender Cobbler with Streusel Topping
We were the first ones there and Chef Grant welcomed us and chitchatted with us a bit about the farmers market, gardening, and his favorite kitchen utensil. According to him, one can never have enough tongs. Since we were so prompt, we got prime seats at the kitchen bar.
Chef Grant was genuine and seemed to be a natural in front of the audience. He was unassuming and stated that he never gets to make these dishes anymore: “Executive chefs don’t get to cook that much.”
As we sat down, there was some wonderful bread and roasted balsamic garlic. OMG! This was so good. He shared his technique:
Cut the top off of a head of garlic, place it in a ramekin, pour about 1/3 part olive oil and 2/3 part balsamic (LOTS of balsamic). Roast in oven about 20 minutes.
Next came the deviled eggs. Deviled eggs are sort of a specialty at the Tavern and they do many variations like wasabi, curry spiced, and bacon! Chef asked, “How many cooks are there?” and answered, “That is how many ways there are to boil eggs.”
Here is his philosophy:
Fill a large pot with water and 1/4 c. vinegar and bring to a boil. While waiting on water to boil, prepare an ice bath in a large bowl with half ice and half water. When water is boiling, gently add eggs with a slotted spoon. Set your timer for 15 minutes. Transfer eggs to ice bath for 5-10 minutes to cool. Then, peel eggs.
There were lots of questions regarding the vinegar, the practice of adding salt (which he said does nothing), and using old eggs. Fresh eggs will not peel and you will be left with a clumpy mess.
Here is his recipe for a classic deviled egg:
Classic Deviled Eggs from the Tavern on Brady (Chef Grant Vespasian)
12 eggs (boiled with directions above)
1/3 c. mayonnaise
1/4 c. mustard
2 t. dry mustard
1/4 t. paprika
salt and white pepper to tast
chopped chives for garnishingGrate yolks through a sieve. Add grated yolks, mayo, mustard, dry mustard, paprika, salt and pepper to food processor and puree until smooth. Taste to check seasoning. Adjust. Transfer filling to pastry bag with tip and pipe into eggs.
Garnish with more paprika and chopped chives.
He made sure to tell his wait staff not to be stingy with the chives.
Now, my mom makes a mean deviled egg (learned from my grandmother), but let me tell you, these are pretty outstanding deviled eggs.
I can’t wait to share the rest of the recipes from this evening with you.
(Please add the Tavern on Brady to your to do list if you are ever in Tulsa!)
The deviled eggs look perfect.
Look forward to the rest of recipes!
Angie
Can’t wait to see what else you learned!
Beautiful eggs!
This looks like so much fun! Loving the look of these gorgeous eggs 🙂
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
Thanks Angie, Jen, and Uru!
I can’t wait to try this recipe myself although (much to my husband’s chagrin) I will probably have to tweak it a bit! 🙂
Hey, sign me up for an eating class! I know how it’s done! I’d put everyone to shame! lol 😉 Love the balsamic garlic–I love roasted garlic and now will have ot try adding some balsamic to the olive oil. YUM!
Just be a tad bit careful. The first batch I tried at home I burned! Not a pleasant mess to clean up.
I never get sick of deviled eggs (although I’ll stick to my new found pressure cooker method which is the best ever for easy peel eggs). Cooking/eating classes are so much fun, and hey, you don’t have to do the dishes.
Wow–pressure cooker? I am still scared of them from my grandmother’s sputtering beast she used to can with.
I love deviled eggs! I cant wait to try that balsamic garlic. Gosh, I will bet that was wonderful.
I still have so much garlic left from last year’s harvest and I think it is ready to start pulling this year’s now. There will be lots of balsamic garlic in our future.
Perfectly made deviled eggs! Can’t wait for the rest of the recipes!
Thanks, Katerina. There is lots more to come.
[…] far, I have featured his classic deviled eggs, balsamic roasted garlic, and grilled Caesar […]
How eggs-citing … Love your photos 🙂
:). Very punny!
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