These 6 spots will teach you how to cook for the holidays
Whether you’re yearning to cook a new dish this holiday season or just want to sharpen your kitchen skills, these Boston-area holiday cooking classes aim to help.
Learn turkey tips and tricks from a James Beard Award-winning chef
During this “Thanksgiving Cooking Class with Tony Maws,” James Beard Award-winning chef Maws of Cambridge’s Craigie on Main and Somerville’s The Kirkland Tap and Trotter will teach students three turkey cooking techniques: old-school roasting, spatchcocking, and a two-cook method that involves separating the legs from the breasts. Maws will also offer carving tips and ideas for turkey leftovers. What’s more, Craigie on Main’s”wine guru” and director of operations Carl York will lead an in-depth discussion on the best wines to pair with your holiday feast. (Saturday, Nov. 11 from 10 to 11:30 a.m.; Craigie on Main, 853 Main St., Cambridge; $150)
Up the ante on your side dishes
Gain some major cooking cred with your family through this “Creative Thanksgiving Side Dishes” class taught by Diane Manteca, personal chef and former owner of Brickyard Cafe in Cambridge. Sample pairing wines while you make dishes such as brioche stuffing with chestnuts, pears and cranberries, truffled scalloped potatoes, and pumpkin gingerbread pudding. (Wednesday, Nov. 15 from 6 to 9 p.m.; Boston Center for Adult Education, 122 Arlington St., Boston; $65 plus $18 materials fee)
Make veggies people won’t pass up
Vegetables are the focus of “Didi Emmons’ Holiday Vegetable Hits” at Powisset Farm in Dover. Boston Chef Didi Emmons will teach students how to make roasted Brussels sprouts with umeboshi paste, cheddar mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, roasted winter squash and carrots with rosemary, and a salad of kale, cranberry, and goat cheese. Emmons will also share strategies for preparing foods ahead of time — so useful. (Thursday, Nov. 16 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.; Powisset Farm, Dover; $56 Trustees member, $70 nonmember)
Hands-on cooking classes are offered at Sur la Table.
Boost your cooking skills and your holiday recipe list
Arm your repertoire with “10 techniques every cook should master,” according to Sur La Table, and make a complete holiday meal, to boot, during the shop’s “10 Skills for Holiday Cooking” class. An instructor will teach the cooking skills while leading the preparation of arugula salad with roasted pumpkin pomegranate, herb-brined roasted chicken, “perfectly” roasted vegetables, “no fail” mashed potatoes, lump-free gravy, vinaigrette and cranberry relish, and a pumpkin tart. Students will also get a coupon good for 10 percent off in-store purchases the day of the class. (Friday, Nov. 17 from 2 to 4:30 p.m.; Sur la Table, 100 Huntington Ave., #D-006, Boston; $69)
Prepare rustic dishes on a farm
This “Giving Thanks: The Holiday Harvest Table” class at Appleton Farms in Ipswich is another one that takes farm-to-table to a whole new level. Focus on rustic dishes — think roasted sugar pumpkin soup, country sausage stuffing with apples and herbs, maple and bacon roasted Brussels sprouts, and cranberry-pear fruit strudels — and go home with printed recipes from your session after enjoying the freshly-made harvest meal. Don’t forget to bring your own beer or wine. (Friday, Nov. 17 from 6 to 9 p.m.; Appleton Farms, Ipswich; $72 Trustees members, $90 nonmembers)
Figure out what to do with those leftovers, and more, at the Boston Public Market
Head to the Boston Public Market this holiday season, where Chef Cleo Bell will conduct a series of cooking classes presented by The Trustees called “Farm-to-Kitchen Cooking Class: Holiday How-To.” Turn Thanksgiving leftovers into comfort foods such as Mexican turkey soup with beans, cilantro, and lime, and mashed potato, stuffing, and vegetable croquettes on Nov. 25. Make farm-fresh appetizers like kale chimichurri with chilled shrimp and veggie dippers, and a sweet and spicy butternut squash dip on Dec. 2 and 30. And create colorful, seasonal vegetable side dishes such as spinach and ricotta dumplings in pesto and lemon and pepper beets with maple and crispy ham on Dec. 9 and 23. Students will taste three local wines from the Massachusetts Wine Shop during each class. (Saturday, Nov. 25 and Dec. 2, 9, 23, and 30 from 1 to 3 p.m.; Boston Public Market, Boston; $52 for Trustees members, $65 for nonmembers)
