A Day In Tuscany + Baking Classes

Chef Luciano Paolo Nesi 2
It felt like it was a day in Tuscany when Chef Luciano Paolo Nesi of L’Opera thrilled his audience at a cooking demo at The Maya Kitchen with his repertoire of fresh ingredients, simple recipes and truly delectable dishes. Chef Nesi, who has called the Philippines his home for the past 20 years, gave out tricks and secrets, and answered questions as he prepared some of Italy’s beloved dishes. Below are some of the dishes he shared with the audience:

Scamorza Alla Griglia
(Grilled Smoked Mozzarella with Fresh Pork Sausage Topped with Balsamic Cream)
mozarella

INGREDIENTS:

100 grams Italian sausage
100 grams smoked cheese
1 teaspoon sweet balsamic sauce

Procedures:
Slice the Italian sausages in halves. In a pan, grill the smoked cheese and sausages.
Glaze with sweet balsamic and put fresh rosemary on top.


Cappelini Pomodoro Secchi e Zucchine

(Angel Hair Pasta with Sundried Tomato and Zucchini in Spicy Extra Virgin Olive Oil)
sundried tomato pasta

INGREDIENTS:

100 grams cappelini pasta, cooked al dente
10 ml extra virgin olive oil
10 grams garlic sliced
5 grams chili finger
100 grans zucchini
20 grams sundried tomato
salt and pepper to taste

Procedure:
Cook the pasta to al dente, sauté all the ingredients and toss with the cooked pasta.

Panna Cotta Con Miele Tartufato
(Italian Cream Custard with Honey Truffle and Sweet Balsamic Topping)
panna cotta with balsamic topping

INGREDIENTS:

1.5 liter         whipping cream
300 grams   white sugar
6 pcs           gelatin sheets
honey syrup

Procedure:

In a casserole combine cream and sugar, put to boil.
Then put the gelatin sheets one by one and stir constantly until the gelatin is dissolved.
Pour in a molder with caramelized sugar.
Chill.

For toppings:

Honey truffle and sweet balsamic.

Speaking of The Maya Kitchen, the culinary school will be holding baking classes this month. For those interested here are the scheduled classes for June:
maya logoTomorrow, June 13, Saturday, is Beginner’s Cake Decorating from 9am-3pm with hands on and group workshop to include recipes for Boiled Icing, Swiss Meringue and Ganache. Class Fee is P1,500.

Basic Culinary is on June 16-19, Tuesday to Friday, 9am-3pm and include,s cooking fundamentals and international standard techniques of meal preparation from soup, salad, pasta, main courses and sandwiches to desserts for the home and for institutional scale kitchens with workshop. Class fee is P8,000.

Fondant Making is on June 20, Saturday, 9am-3pm with hands on and group workshop. Create your own fondant from scratch and decorate your own cake. Class fee is P1, 500.

Basic Baking is on June 23-26, Tuesday to Friday, 9am-2pm offering basic baking techniques applicable to small and commercial scale production of recipes and formulations of quick breads, pies, cookies, cakes and other bread varieties. Class Fee is P7,000.

One Day Basic Cooking is on June 24, Wednesday, 9am-3pm inclusive of kitchen tool awareness and proper use; applying different cooking methods for fish, chicken and pork; deboning of chicken and filleting of fish; and proper use of spices and herbs. Class fee is P999.

Learn how to bake sweet breads like Spanish Bread, Pandesal, Cinnamon Bread and Ensaimada with Basic Breads on June 25, Thursday, 9am-2pm. Class fee is P1,499.

June 27, Saturday, 9am-1pm is for Bars and Cookies. Learn to make Oatmeal Raisin Cookies, White Chocolate Chip Cookies, Food for the Gods, Butterscotch Bars and Choco Hazelnut Swirl Blondies. Class fee is P1,500.

For more information on this and on other course offerings, log on to www.themayakitchen.com, e-mail contactus@themayakitchen.com  or visit The Maya Kitchen Culinary Center every Tuesday to Saturday on the 8/F  Liberty Building, 835 A. Arnaiz Avenue (Pasay Road), Makati City or call 892-1185 / 892-5011 local 108 / Mobile No. +63947 835 2290.

Ryan