“Pick me up!”  Desserts like this are why I put 15lbs on in three weeks on my first trip to Italy in the 8th grade…they’re hard to say no to!

Join us in Padova for a private cooking class with Isa and learn to make this yourself.

This looks insanely delicious. Nothing, and I mean nothing, beats the way porcinis are integrated into northern Italian cuisine. The savory, rich flavors…yes!

We love sending clients to her classes, as they’re both informative and delicious. Let us know if you’d like us to coordinate one for you.

Check out Mama Isa’s carbonara recipe. It might be sacrilegious but I make a vegetarian version with fake bacon that works out just fine (I crisp it in oil with some garlic and shallots and it tastes plenty rich).

CLASS IS FULL

1. Lemon Rosemary Leg of Lamb
2. Roast Chicken
3. Stuffing
4. Roasted Vegetable Salad
5. Spicy Baby Potatoes
6. Christmas Pudding
7. Brandy Butter Sauce

Price Per Person: $145 (Class will commence once there are 6 students)
This is a hands on class, We prepare and cook the meal together and then have a nice meal.

Christmas Delights
Saturday December 1st 2.30 – FULL

Sunday December 16th 10 – 1 place left

You will learn to make some Christmas favorites that seem to be rather expensive at all major hotels. This is a fully Hands on session where you will be working in groups. You will learn to make:

1. Stollen
2. Marzipan for Stollen Filling
3. Fruit Mince Tart Filling

4. Christmas Fruit Mince Tart

5. Shortbread

These are ideal homemade Christmas gifts.

Price Per Person: $90 Class will commence once there are eight students.

Fruit Cake Class
Thursday December 6th 10 to 1 pm
Saturday December 8th 10 to 1 pm – CLASS IS FULL

It’s my favorite time of year when we make our Christmas Cake. You will learn to make two types of fruit cakes.

1. Rich Rich Fruit Cake
2. Semolina Fruit Cake

This is a semi hands on class where students will participate in making and baking the cake together.

Price Per Person: $85 Class will commence once there are six students.

Sri Lankan Love Cake Class
Saturday December 8th 2.30 to 4.30

After years and years, I am finally holding this Love Cake Class. This is a traditional cake made when gentlemen came a courting. Learn to make this cake from scratch. This cake takes a bit of precision and care when being prepared.

This is a hands on session where you will be making this cake in groups.

Price Per Person: $65. Class will commence once there are 6 students.

Yule Log
December 1st 10 – 1pm – CLASS IS FULL
December 9th 2.30 to 5.30 –

2 places left
December 15th 10 to 1 pm

Decorate your own Christmas Yule Log and take it home. You will learn to prepare

1. Traditional Sponge for Swiss Roll
2. Cherry Filling
3. Chocolate Icing to decorate the cake

This is a Fully Hands on session, so please dress comfortably.

Price Per Person: $90. Class will commence once there are eight students.

Turkey Class
Saturday December 15th 2.30 to 5.30
Sunday December 16th 2.30 to 5.30

It’s the yearly Turkey Class, learn to make my moist turkey and all the trimmings and accompaniments that go with it.

1. Roast turkey with chestnut stuffing and turkey gravy

2. Waldorf salad
3. Sautéed Rosemary Tomatoes
4. Scalloped potatoes

5. Christmas pudding
6. Butter custard sauce

Price Per Person: $135. Class will commence once there are eight students.

Classes will be held at 70 Road 14/24 Petaling Jaya. Please call 016 6827465 or email cookingwithnicholas@gmail.com to book and to make any enquiries. Please check my blog http://www.nicholaspillai.wordpress.com

All Classes have to be paid in advance.

Anyway, I am back and will do my best to post as often as I can.  I still have lots of things to share; it’s just making the sharing a priority.  So A Posto Personal Chef Services LLC turned two today.  We officially opened for business on August 1, 2010, but I was just getting off a plane from Italy so I don’t count that date.  On September 1, 2010, our website went live which in my mind, made us a a viable business.  Here are some highlights of what we’ve been up to over the past year:

• Teaching: my true passion!

• I have become a regular instructor at the Culinary Center in Lincoln City  where, along with Chef Sharon Wiest, I teach one-two classes a month.  Last October, I taught a 5-day Italian class that was a blast.  We made food from a different region every day and everyone’s favorite part of the day was the 11:00 AM snack where we had salumi’s, cheeses, and wine!
• I’ve taught two cooking class workshops at the Sitka Center for Art and Ecology a beautiful campus located at Cascade Head just north of Lincoln City.  I am working with the staff now to develop a workshop for 2013.
• I started teaching 3-hour hands-on classes at the South Beach Community Center once a month.  I started with hands-on pasta making and have branched out into other menus over the past couple of months.  Bruce taught his first hands-on pizza class last weekend and will be teaching another class this month.
• I have taught several private classes this year, many more than last year.  It’s always fun to get a group of people together in a private setting and work on a meal together.  One of my favorites was one I did back in July that was a birthday surprise for a dad from his family.  When I walked into the house, Mom said: “honey dinner’s here”.  Dad looked at me and said: “good, I didn’t want to go out anyway.”
• I’ve scheduled with Oregon Coast Community College to teach homemade mozzarella and ricotta cheese making, starting in October, once a month through the end of the year.
• Private Dinner Parties:

• I have had the opportunity to cook for many special occasions over the past year.  We’ve not done as many weddings this year as last and most of them have been very small.  All of the dinner parties have been at either private homes or vacation rentals and have run the gamut on the type of celebration.  Some highlights are as follows:

• An 85th vegan birthday celebration where there was over 400 years of collective wisdom in the room along with my first vegan tiramisu’!
• A collective 60th birthday party with 12 friends who have known each other since kindergarten.
• A 50th wedding anniversary where the entire family got dressed up for the event with three men showing up in tuxedos!
• A family reunion where it was a first time visit to the Oregon Coast for many of the members.
• Other Events:

• I participated in three cook-offs and won at two of them.  They are held at the Culinary Center in Lincoln City 4 times a year: Jambalaya in January, Fish Taco in May, Mushroom in October and Chowder in November.  They are fun events and literally, hundreds of people show up.  I’ll be competing in the Mushroom cook-off this year again (won 2nd place last year) on October 6th.
• I taught a team-building class for a group from Nike back in June.  I had three teams of participants and they were very competitive with each other.  It was fun and the food came out great.
• I provided the food for the City of Lincoln City’s holiday party last December.  I made five different kinds of lasagne for over 150 people.  It was a fun night as there were several people coming back into the kitchen asking for the recipes.  I will be providing the food for the city again this year.
• I provided the food for a charity fund raiser for the local hospital in Lincoln City.  It was an Italian menu and the homemade meatballs and sausage were the big hit!
• Community Service:

• I taught a few free one-hour classes for Food Share of Lincoln County this Spring.  We focused on a recipe for one vegetable that could be prepared within one-hour that is common to Food Pantry clients.  The participants received a copy of the recipe and the vegetable to take home.
• I worked on the revision of the 10th anniversary Oyster Cloyster cookbook and was the chef coordinator last year (and will be again this year).  The Oyster Cloyster is an annual fundraiser for the aquarium science program at the community college.
• I’m a sponsor and volunteer for the upcoming Harvest Meal at Forks Farm in Yachats on September 16.  The meal is a fundraiser for Ten Rivers Food Web which helps to develop programs that focus on local foods within our communities.

Whew!  I am so excited that I have been able to take my passion for cooking and sharing of good food and make it my life’s work.  This year has been one of growth personally and professionally and I look forward to the opportunities that lie ahead.  I’ve made some beautiful contacts with like-minded people this past year, many of them farmers, and I look forward to the continued relationships.  I am very happy that I made the choice to change my path in life and encourage all of you to find your passion and follow it!  It’s why we are here!  A presto!

The art of Mille Crepe – Learn to make Mille Crepe from scratch. You will learn to make the crepes, the mille feuille (Cream) and assemble the crepe and take your share home.

Price Per Person: $95

Class will commence once there are 6 students. This is a hands on session so please dress comfortably and bring a container.

Saturday 8th September 2.30 to 5.30
Choux Paste Class

Homemade cream puffs are a true delight. Let’s learn to make several types of variations using choux paste. You will learn to make;

1. Cream Puffs
2. Paris Brest
3. Chouros
4. Cream Puff Filling
5. Paris Brest Filling

Price Per Person: $100

Class will commence once there are 6 students. This is a hands on session, so please dress comfortably, and bring containers.

Monday 17th September 10 to 1 pm (Public Holiday)  Class is FULL
Let’s make Bread

Learn to make;

1. Foccacia Bread
2. Ciabatta
3. Five Seed Bread

Price Per Person: $90

This is a fully hands on session. Class will commence once there are 6 students.

Saturday 29th September 2.30 to 5.30
Let’s make Sweet Pastries

Class is FULL

Learn to make;

1. Sweet Pastry
2. Lemon Meringue Tarts
3. Banofee Pie
4. Rich Chocolate Tarts

Price Per Person: $100.

Class will commence once there are 6 students. This is a fully hands on session

Please call 016 6827465 or email cookingwithnicholas@gmail.com
All Classes will be held at 70 Jalan 14/24 Petaling Jaya.
All classes are to be paid for in advance before a seat is confirmed.

As many of you know, I have strong ties to the music community here in New Orleans, and it gives me great joy to be able to continue to work with the musicians in a different capacity than I have in the past.  I’ve gone from the production truck to the lunch truck….LOL.  Many of our musicians in the city don’t have health  insurance and the N.O. Musicians Clinic is their only connection to health care of any kind.  Please keep this organization in mind when you are considering donations to worthy causes.  They help some of our country’s most treasured cultural assets.

Thanks.

• I will be teaching my first official hands-on pasta making class at the Culinary Center in Lincoln City on March 19.  I will also be teaching a hands-on brunch class to celebrate Mother’s Day along with Executive Chef, Sharon Wiest on May 7.  And, we just scheduled a week-long Italian Intensive class October 24-28.  I’m excited to be part of the team that provides culinary instruction to the residents and visitors of Lincoln City.
• I will be teaching my first workshop at the Sitka Center for Art and Ecology on August 20.  The participants will be making pasta and sauces from several Italian regions on the beautiful and pristine campus located just north of Lincoln City at Cascade Head.
• I am working with Food Share of Lincoln County to develop a cooking class program for the Food Share clients who receive monthly food boxes.
• Bruce & I have also been volunteering at the Culinary Center in Lincoln City.  We’ve met some great chefs, nice people, and have learned new recipe and techniques.  Plus, we get paid in food!!!
• I worked with the Taft High School Culinary Program from October-February as a chef mentor to help the team prepare for the annual ProStart competition which is held in Portland.  The team chose a Sicilian menu which included caponata, cannoli, and tuna.  While they did not win, they had a great time and added some Italian words to their culinary vocabulary.
• We have embarked on a 6-month radio campaign with BOSS/KCUP here in Newport to help make us a household name.  Our clients are ‘anyone who eats’……
• We’ve donated 4 in-kind dinners to both the Lincoln City and Newport Chambers, and to Samaritan Hospital in both Lincoln City and Newport.  We’ve cooked for three of those donations and have made new friends from the experiences.
• I’ve become a Lincoln City Chamber Ambassador, and will be meeting with the Newport Ambassadors in May to present the business and feed them a good Italian breakfast!
• We moved our website to a CMS (Client Management System) so we could respond more quickly and easily.  The website has been revised over the past couple of months in content only; the original design remains intact as it is exceptional….we’ve received numerous compliments from many of our clients and potential clients.
• We created a Facebook page for the business and keep our fans up to date on the latest status……….become a fan yourself.
• I’ve been a guest on local AM radio a few times and will be on again twice this month: March 14 on KBCH with the Lincoln City Chamber Chat and on March 23 on KCUP.
• We’ve booked several small dinner parties for wine tastings, weddings, anniversaries, and life celebrations for this Spring, Summer, and Fall.  It feels good to have work scheduled 6 months or more out and know that more will come in.
• I’ve taught several private cooking classes and have more scheduled.  They have all been  hands-on up to this point, but we can also do demonstration or a combo if the client desires.  All we need is a private kitchen and at least 4 people to make one happen.
• I’ve also done some private one-on-one instruction.  It’s been really fun to help the client learn to make something new and then enjoy it with their family and/or friends.
• Bruce has been helping me with preparation and serving at our dinner party bookings, managing our finances, and contributing to the website and the blog.  He’s also been feeding our friends his incredible pizza; he continues to improve his skill with every pie he makes.

It’s amazing what we’ve accomplished in such a short period of time and we thank everyone who has supported us along the way.  We look forward to cooking more great food for great people that is always healthy, fresh and in season, and affordable!

French Macarons

March 5^th Saturday 2 to 4.30

March 20^th Sunday 2 to 4.30

A fully hands on class, making French Macaroons with different fillings.

1Macarons                                                                   

2.     Orange Chocolate Ganache Filling

3.     Salty Butterscotch Filling

I can only take 5 students per class due to oven space.  This is a fully hands on class. Please bring containers to take your macarons home.

Price Per Person: $95

Private Class – $500

A Complete Meal – Easy, Tasty and the Family will love you for it. You will learn:

March 6^th Sunday 2 – 4.30 pm

March 17^th Thursday 10.30 to 1pm

1.     Chicken schnitzel

2.     Croquette Potatoes

3.     Tomato Medley Salad

4.     Two Color Soup

5.     Chocolate Croissant Pudding

Price Per Person: $125

Private Class: $600

Class will commence once there are 5 or 6 students.

Cupcake Class

March 6^th Sunday 10 to 1 pm

Learn to make and decorate freestyle cupcakes

1.     Cake

Pretty Cupcakes all in a row

2.     Butter Icing

3.     Fondant

4.     Chocolate Topping

5.     Chocolate Cream

6.     Learn to do freestyle designs

Each person gets to take home 8 decorated cupcakes. All ingredients will be provided. Kindly bring a container to take home your cupcakes.

Price Per Person: $95 (Class will commence once there are 8 students)

Private Class: $450

Table Etiquette for Kids and Young Adults

March 15th 10.30 to 12.30

Manners maketh the Man, learn to eat like a lady and a gentlemen, no matter where you are, or who you’re with. Learn to make a difference

A proper 4 course meal will be served.

Price Per Person: $85 inclusive of notes.  Class will commence once there are 6 students.

Private Class: $300

School Holiday Cupcake Class for kids

March 16^th Wednesday 10 to 12.30 pm

Learn to make and decorate freestyle cupcakes

1.      Cake

happy cupcakes!

2.     Butter Icing

3.     Chocolate Topping

4.     Chocolate Cream

5.     Learn to do freestyle designs

Each person gets to take home 8 decorated cupcakes. All ingredients will be provided. Kindly bring a container to take home your cupcakes.

Price Per Person: $85 (Class will commence once there are 8 students)

Private Class: $400

Chocolate Favorites

March 19^th Saturday 2 to 4.30

Learn to make these easy pick and go Chocolatey snacks.Ideal for Tea, and to make the kid happy.

1.  Lamingtons – learn to make sponge cake and chocolate coating

2. Chocolate Espresso Fudge Cakes – Learn to make Fudge Cake with Mocha Topping

Price Per Person: $85 Class will commence once there are 6 students

Private Class: $400

Nasi Lemak Kukus

March 20^th Sunday 10 to 12.30

Freshly made Nasi Lemak Kukus after class

1.     Nasi Lemak Kukus – not the rice cooker kind but the real steamed kind.

2.     Chicken Rendang

Our Homestyle Meal after Class

3.     Sambal

4.     Sotong Sambal

5.     Crispy Fried Fish – Singapore Style

Then we will all sit together and have  Nasi Lemak  complete with the rest of the trimmings.

Price Per Person: $115 (Class will commence once there are 5 students.

Private Class $550

Fluffy Roti Canai and a Dhal

March 26^th Saturday 2 to 4.30 pm

Learn to make Malaysia’s favorite comfort food.

This is a fully hands on class. Learn to make:

1.     Roti Canai

2.     Roti Telur

3.     Murtabak

4.     Vegetable Dhal Curry

Price Per Person: $95 Class will commence once there are 6 students

Private Class: $500

Cheesecake Class

March 27^th Sunday 2 to 4.30

We will learn to make a portioned cheesecake and whole cheesecakes. These are rich cheesecakes and not the type you find in our local cake shops.

1.     Chocolate Peanut Butter Cheesecake

2.     Caramel Apple Cheesecake

3.     Chocolate Cheese Strawberry Cupcakes

Price Per Person: $100 (class will commence once there are 6 students)

Private Class: $500

Classes will be held at 70 Road 14/24 Petaling Jaya.  Please call 016 6827465 or email nicholas_pillai@yahoo.com to book and to make any enquiries.  Please check my blog, www.nicholaspillai.wordpress.com for class schedules and any changes.

Payments are to be made in advance unless otherwise stated.

I had wanted to do something a little different, fun and interactive for the bride-to-be. Toyed with the idea of private cooking classes at the Calphalon, The Chef Upstairs, Dish Cooking Studio etc. but sadly, we’re not made of money. <pause> Don’t even say it. Blissfully unaware. <longer pause> Fine. Personal restaurant track record MAY beg to differ.

Reached out to friends for more reasonable ideas and suggestions flew in – from inviting Massimo Bruno to cook a family-style dinner to oyster shucking at Oyster Boy to a simple themed potluck to private dining at Toronto’s newest restaurant Luma. The last suggestion came from Luma’s own Chef Jason Bangerter.

He was offering an intimate 14-seat private room for exclusive dining and a grand meal to remember.

Should’ve seen my face.

Beamed like I had just won the mayoral debate.

If the room was available that night, it was ours. And a few days later, confirmed. Bless his heart, this was going to be the best experience ever. Then…then, it gets better. I know, right? Then, Chef Jason asked if I wanted to design the menu for the eve.

P-a-r-d-o-n.

Had Christmas come early?! Sweet j, this was fantastic.

T’was the early season of giving, so I called in my clever strategist and talented art director into a meeting. Pourquoi? Well, common denominator lies in our passion and slight obsession with food. K is our resident chef and E is a budding macaron maker & appreciator of all things French & wine. As 90% of our conversations – when not work-related, of course – center around food, they were perfect.

With that, extremely important meeting was called. Urgent. Needed ASAP in main boardroom. Moi, frantic? Never. Ahem. Ever so kind, both rushed to my defence. And projected on the screen was Luma’s menu. 1) select three appetizers 2) select three mains 3) select one dessert. Go!

Should’ve seen us. Like three little pigs in mud, so happy we were. Laboriously debated each dish, drooled (quite literally) over every ingredient, balanced several options against tastebuds, sacrificed dishes for others… and this is what we ended up with:

———————————————————————————————————–

APPS

BURRATA
{fresh mozzarella cheese with beetroot, roasted eggplant, marjoram and pine nut vinaigrette}

SCALLOP SASHIMI
{sliced thinly with celery leaves, herbs, radish and ginger vinaigrette}

FOIE GRAS TORCHON
{pineapple, brioche, macadamia nut and vanilla}

MAINS

RICOTTA GNOCCHI
{light tomato fondue, basil, sunchokes and roasted garlic}

BUTTER POACHED LOBSTER
{steamed potato, corn, grilled leeks, lime and coriander pistou}

GRILLED BEEF TENDERLOIN
{braised beef cheeks, crispy potato chips, celery root purée, caramelized sunchokes, watercress and wild mustard jus}
-or-
BAKED SALMON
{gallo mussels, spanish chorizo, piquillo pepper and saffron rouille}
-or-
ROASTED COD
{northern woods mushrooms, sweetbreads, hazelnut, celery and porcini cream}

DESSERT

LEMON TART
{sour cream ice cream and blueberries}

———————————————————————————————————–

Best menu ever. And obviously torn with the last main dish, we left it up to the executive chef to make the executive decision. But, oh so proud we were with our selections…as if we had created these dishes ourselves. Can you imagine?? What great fun we’d have.

[Sidebar] Always try to approach life with this much enthusiasm. Good for the soul.

Oh my, could not WAIT to dine. Too bad it was 8 days away.

To be continued…in tomorrow’s gluttonous edition of LEKIM.ca