Cooks'Wares Spring and Summer Class Schedule is here, and it's packed with talented local chefs and teachers, mouth-watering menus and fine choices for cooks of all skill levels.  We welcome back two especially popular visiting chefs and authors,  Diane Phillips - the Diva of Do-Ahead, and George Geary.

Everyone is busy, so we've included lots of menus that are perfect for entertaining or family meals, and can be prepared quickly or made ahead.   You can cook these delicious dishes as your schedule allows, and serve them with confidence later.

We have a Kids Class in June at Settler' Walk, and a 4-day Kids Series plus a 3-day 'Tween Series in July at Harper's Point.  We'll have all your family members cooking!

Click here to access the full calendar and all the details!

The rules for cooking pasta change when it's fresh pasta!  For starters, the cooking times are always significantly shorter! 

Q:  Many pastas call for "dressing with a brown butter sauce."  What is this?

A:  Brown butter is butter that has been melted, and clarified by removing the white milk solids that appear after the melted butter stops foaming. The remaining butter is heated for about 2 minutes or until it just turns brown.  Just like toasting nuts, "toasting butter" brings out unique flavors of the butter.  As the butter browns, watch carefully; it changes from browned to burnt rather quickly.
 

Q:  Adding 2 tablespoons of salt to the 5 quarts of boiling water seems like a lot of salt.  Why so much?

A:  Unlike many foods, where salt can be added after cooking according to an individual's taste, pasta requires that it absorb the salt along with the water.  Remember, much of the added salt will be washed away when drained.  Italian tradition has it that the pasta water "should be as salty as the sea."
 

Q: Should I rinse pasta after draining?

A:  Experts seem to agree that it is unnecessary to rinse pasta.  In fact, they claim that rinsing removes the starches that help the sauce to stick to the pasta.  The key to reduced sticking is to dress the pasta with sauce and serve immediately. The one exception to "no rinsing" may be pasta intended for a cold, salad presentation.

Recently, Lynne Rossetto Kasper visited Cincinnati and participated in a fundraiser for WVXU Public Radio, 91.7FM.  We know many of you are familiar with her weekly radio show, The Splendid Table, but in case you aren't, tune in on Sundays at 11:00 on WVXU.  You'll be entertained and educated with her delightful commentary and unique guests.  Her award-winning cookbook that started the Splendid Table tradition is reviewed below:

The Splendid Table, Recipes from Emilia-Romagna, the Heartland of Northern Italian Food by Lynne Rossetto Kasper.  Copyright 1992. William Morrow and Company, Inc., New York, New York.

This cookbook is as comfortable on the bedside nightstand as it is on the kitchen counter.  Ms. Kasper has assembled a definitive compendium of Northern Italian cuisine, the region that brings us authentic Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, and Modena's Balsamic Vinegar. In addition to the authentic recipes, are the stories and context that add real flavor and enjoyment to each recipe and section in the book.  The cookbook spans the table as an in-depth resource for appetizers, light meals, multi-course dining, and regional desserts.  The Splendid Table has been awarded for very obvious reasons - once as the "Book of the Year" award by the distinguished International Association of Culinary Professionals, and again as the Cookbook of the Year by the James Beard Foundation.