Cooking Classes for April and May 2013

This is probably the first time I have combined two months of classes. It is only because I will be away after the first weekend of May and will be back before the first weekend of June.

Kindly check my blog for updates on new classes and all. The blog is always updated if I am adding classes or even removing one or two to add in something else.

Please check, http://www.nicholaspillai.wordpress.com

Also do Like my facebook page Cooking With Nicholas, I may add some of our class photos there if I ever use my camera in class.

Hope to see you all this month and thanks for your support.

Red Velvet Cake
April 7th Sunday 10 to 1 pm

The much requested Red Velvet Class is here one LAST TIME. You will learn;

1. Red Velvet Cake
2. Chocolate Filling
3. Cheese Topping

This is a hands on session: Class will commence once there are 6 students. Please bring along a big enough container to take your piece of cake home.

Price Per Person: $90

Chocolate Indulgence 2 – CLASS IS FULL
April 7th Sunday 2.30 to 5.30

A class for all Chocoholics. Learn to make easy favorite Chocolate Delights. You will learn to make

1. Chocolate Marbled Brownie
2. Chocolate Truffle Tart
3. Chocolate Muffins

Price Per Person: $95

(Class will commence once there are 8 students). Please bring three containers to take home your goodies.

Pasta Class
April 13th Saturday 10 to 1 pm CLASS IS FULL
Sunday April 21st 2.30 to 5.30 CLASS IS FULL

NEW DATE FOR PASTA CLASS

Sunday April 14th 10 am to 1 pm

Wednesday May 1st 10 to 1pm

2 Places Left

Learn to make Pasta from scratch. You will also learn to make a Lasagna and Aglio ed Olio.

Price Per Person: $90

Class will commence once there are six students. This is a hands on class

Cheesecake – CLASS IS FULL
April 13th Saturday 2.30 to 5.30pm

The long awaited cheesecake class is here, learn to make;
1. Baked Coffee Cheese Cake
2. Baked Cinnamon Apple Cheesecake
3. Baked Peanut Butter Chocolate Chop Cheesecake

Price Per Person: $110

(Class will commence once there are six students)

Curry Class is FULL
Curry without Coconut Milk 2
April 14th Sunday 2.30 to 5.30

1. Chicken Devil Curry
2. Dry Mutton Curry
3. A Hearty Vegetable Dhall Curry

Price Per Person: $100

(Class will commence once there are six students)
Please bring three containers to take your curries home.

Bread Class
Saturday April 20th 10 am to 1 pm

You will learn to bake;
1. Wholemeal Loaf
2. Semolina Bread
3. Bagels

Price Per Person: $95

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

Puff Pastry Class is FULL
Sunday April 21st 10 am to 1 pm

After three wonderful classes thus far, I thought why not? So we’re doing it again.
You will learn to make:

1. Puff Pastry
2. Sausage Rolls – The real one
3. Creamy Chicken with Three Mushroom Filling

Price Per Person: $95

(Class will commence once there are 6 students)
This is a hands on class, please bring your containers to take your pies and sausage rolls home. PLEASE DRESS COMFORTABLY.

Mille Crepe
Saturday April 27th 10 am to 1 pm

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.

A Classy High Tea
Saturday April 27th 2.30 to 5.30 pm

I like nice tea cakes and scones. Here are some of my favorites,
1. Chocolate Cupcakes with Salted Almond Icing
2. Orange Poppyseed Chiffon Cake
3. Fluffy Scones

Price Per Person: $95

Class will commence once there are 6 students

Chocolate Indulgence 1 – My Best Selling Class of 2012
Sunday April 28th 10 to 1 pm

Let’s make some Decadent Chocolate Favorites you will learn to make;
1. Rich Chocolate Brownies
2. Decadent Chocolate Chip Cookies
3. Chocolate Lava Cake

Price Per Person: $95

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

Vegetarian Class
Sunday April 28th 2.30 to 5.30

It’s been more than two months since I have eaten meat and so I’ve decided to hold a class on some of my vegetarian favorites. You will learn to prepare;
1. Spaghetti Kerabu
2. Vegetable Cutlets
3. Barley, Mushroom and Corn Salad
4. Carrot and Chickpea Salad
5. Home Made Cheese Crackers

Price Per Person: $100

Class will commence once there are six students.

Proceeds from this class will be donated to the Farm Animal Sanctuary, BRITAIN’S FIRST FARM ANIMAL SANCTUARY and last secure place for over 600 animals and birds rescued from abuse, neglect, slaughter and abandonment.
http://www.thefarmanimalsanctuary.co.uk/Contact_us.php

Old Fashioned Butter Cake and Butter Icing Class
Wednesday May 1st 2.30 to 5pm

Let’s make Old Fashioned Butter Cake and Butter Icing
You will also learn to do some basic decoration like spreading icing, piping the sides and covering borders on your own cake.

This is a hands on session, the old fashion way to make this is by using a spoon. So we will be doing it the old fashion traditional way.

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

Fried Noodle Class CLASS IS FULL
Saturday May 4th 10 to 1 pm

Let’s learn to make some hawker favorites. You will learn
1. Mamak Mee – Original Penang Style
2. Hokkien Mee
3. Char Koay Teow

Price Per Person: $90

Class will commence once there are 6 students
Please bring three containers to take your foods home and please dress comfortably.

Creme Brulee Class
Saturday May 4th 2.30 to 5.30 pm

Learn to make this favorite dessert of many. You will learn
1. Sweet Paste
2. Pandan Crème Brulee
3. Vanila Crème Brulee

Price Per Person: $90

Class will commence once there are 6 students

Let’s make Sweet Breads is FULL
Sunday May 5th 10 to 1 pm

1. Cinnamon Rolls
2. Potato Bread
3. Raisin Loaf

This is a fully hands on session.

Price Per Person: $95

(Class will commence once there are 6 students)

Let’s make Macarons.
Sunday May 5th 2.30 to 5.30 pm

You will learn to make:
1. Macarons
2. Chocolate Black Sesame Filling
3. Lemon Curd Filling

Price Per Person: $95

Class will commence once there are 6 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

Fees are to be paid once you make a booking, if a class is canceled you will be refunded. If fees are not paid, your name will be not be placed on the list.

Gather Your Pals and Get Your Hands Dirty at the Chocolate Indulgence Class With Nicholas Pillai, Making Delectable Chocolate Treats Like Chocolate Lava Cake, Decadent Chocolate Cookies, Chocolate Muffins and Rich Chocolate Brownies for Only RM88 Instead of RM189

Highlights

• Learn to make delectable chocolate treats like chocolate lava cake, rich chocolate chip cookies, chocolate muffins and brownies
• Nicholas Pillai is an experienced chef who’s also a food writer, recipe contributor and food stylist for various publications
• An informal home-based baking class, so do dress comfortably
• Classes are conducted in small groups, up to 9 participants per class, so everyone gets a chance to get the their hands dirty
• Take home your self-made chocolate treats, but remember to bring your own container!

The Fine Print

• Certificate valid from Sep 22, 2011 to Oct 22, 2011
• Limited to one certificate per customer
• May purchase multiple certificates as gifts
• Not valid with other offers
• Valid on weekends and public holidays
• Lessons will be conducted in groups of 3, up to 3 groups per class
• Participants are required to book their preferred slots
• Bookings have to be made at least 1 week before the class via nicholas_pillai@yahoo.com as classes run on a first come first serve basis
• Cancellations should be done 3 days prior to the booked slot
• Classes schedule is on:
• 24th September 2 to 5 pm
• 25th September 10 to 1
• 30th September 7 to 10 pm
• 1st October 2 to 5 pm
• 8th October 10 to 1pm
• 9th October 2 to 5pm
• 16th October 2 to 5 pm

Description

During the Mayan civilization, a 1.5oz milk chocolate bar can probably buy you a rabbit or more. Since we don’t need that kind of currencies these days, we might as well turn it into yummilicious chocolate treats with today’s deal: RM88 instead of RM189 for a chocolate indulgence class.

At this fun and entertaining hands on classes, Chef Nicholas Pillai, a food writer, recipe contributor and food stylist for various publications, will be sharing the techniques and demonstrating step by step the art of making chocolaty treats including chocolate lava cakes, decadent chocolate cookies, chocolate muffins and rich chocolate brownies. And the best part of his class is, you’ll be able to enjoy the yummy treats you made and bring them home and brag to your mates about it!

The Company

Cooking With Nicholas

70, Jalan 14/24 , , Petaling Jaya , Selangor 46100
016 – 682 7465

Picnic at Bukit Cerakah

I have not been to a picnic for a gabazillion years, I think the last proper picnic I had was when I was in kindergarten…Assunta Kindergarten that is. I remember back then we went to Taman Jaya, and it was such a big thrill to get donuts and a drink, I remember well enough because that is all we had.

Anyhow back to the present, Grace organized a picnic and so I decided to do something of a must have staple, only because I saw it on TV on Astro 105 when the golden age of Malay movies and there was a picnic scene on the beach so I got kind of nostalgic, and of course Sandwiches and trying to be a bit more current I included Chicken and Mushroom Quiche and Rich Chocolate Muffins.

For the Sandwiches I did not bother cutting away the skin of the wholemeal bread simply because the bread was too fresh, and I just did not want to waste it and also it does not dry off so easily. It was filled with Cheese and Chicken, with Carrot and Salad and slathered with a tiny bit of butter.  The flavors mixed well I should say, though I would have preferred it colder.  Must rectify that then next round.

As for the Quiche, I left them in their foil containers so it was easy to eat as the pastry was crumbly, and it was filled with chicken and mushroom  and with cheese and of course milk and eggs to congeal the filling to make it a Quiche.  There are a myriad ways of making Quiche.  This was by far the easiest.

The Chocolate Muffins I made actually did well in the heat because the chocolate chips inside the muffin oozed out in a chocolate lava kind of manner.  It looked sinfully rich and yes it was of course.  The muffins were in their cup cake wrappers so that was easy enough. Forgot to add the orange peel in it though.

I must say the photos courtesy of Alexander Lee was well taken.

We had Nasi Lemak a must have staple I feel, and of course the rest that I mentioned. These photos speaks for it self. By the way I made Nasi Lemak kukus ok…. Not the rice cooker one but actually steamed the rice. Always tastes nicer I think.

There was another group there of parents with kids and they were celebrating a birthday party. Now Busy body of course peeked and saw they had colorful mini steamed cakes, fried rice, noodles, and even a whole leg of lamb which they cut in my presence and gleefully explaining its ingredients as it was cut like it was a cheap cut of meat. I thought this was rather a waste since leg of lamb is not cheap and perhaps the more hygienic thing to do was to have sliced it at home and pour gravy on it to keep it moist. They also had a birthday cake which I noticed was old fashioned butter icing. Something that most people sneer and turn away because of its sweetness. So it was nice to this happening in front of my eyes.

I feel the choices of foods for a picnic is important. I chose what I made simply because it was no hassle, did not spill except for the Sambal which I cling wrapped. The rest were placed in Tupperware and it did not even break.

Another factor is flavor after like three hours of cooking. The rice was fine because it was placed in a thermos flask, the rest of the Nasi Lemak accompaniments were put into disposable containers. This seemed to work out well as we did not have that far to walk and with these containers, it did not catch any flies and ants though we did get Migdies hovering around due to the smell.

Check out the photos. I hope Grace does another picnic. Wonder what I will cook then,

One thing to note!!!!! BRING ICE!