Cooking Class with Sweet Thing Food

Only a few days after the Chad Sarno cooking class I attended, I was lucky enough to participate in another one - this time, with Holly from Sweet Thing Food. A while back, Z's family and I went to a pasta-making class taught by Holly at The Cambridge Center for Adult Education, and it was really fun and informative. We all liked Holly so much that Z's good family friend asked her to do a private cooking class for us at her beautiful home in Gloucester. 

Holly (left), and Z's brother, dad, and mom.

Since we had vegetarian and gluten-free people in our party, Holly designed a menu that catered to both of those dietary restrictions. She brought enough recipes and ingredients so that everyone could have a specific task. It really worked out well, as we all seemed to finish our own tasks around the same time. Dinner came together surprisingly smoothly, despite all of the different recipes we worked on.

My task (with the help of Z's dad) was to make the gluten-free pastry dough, which we used for a savory tarte tatin. The tarte tatin consisted of roasted bell peppers and sauteed onions with balsamic vinegar, raisins, and slivered almonds. Although I had never made gluten-free anything before, this dough was really simple to make and tasted just like the real thing. 

Some other dishes we made:

Quinoa with tomatoes, tofu, corn, and fresh parsley.

Corn fritters, which came with an addicting aioli dipping sauce.

Orzo with dried cranberries and Brussels sprouts (the only gluten-full dish we made).

Mesclun green salad with roasted butternut squash, goat cheese, and pistachios.

Not pictured: Moroccan stew, my tarte tatin, and rice pudding with mango chutney.

I might even be forgetting one or two dishes - that's how much food we made. After everything was done cooking, we all sat down and feasted. It was so wonderful to enjoy our efforts together, and everything was really delicious.

Holly is also a fantastic cooking instructor. She makes cooking and baking (and making gluten-free pastry dough) seem effortless, while also being able to explain things clearly. She's also hilarious and enthusiastic, which makes cooking with her that much more fun.

For more information on Holly and the services she offers, check out her website. 

Have you ever participated in a private cooking class like this before?

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