Bakersfield Life

Dining Divas

Cooking Class at Cafe Med

On a recent chilly evening, Tracy Walker Kiser, Penny Rafferty, Katie Kirschenmann and Lydia Rowles stepped into Café Med’s cooking class in which Meir Brown and his staff offered step-by-step instructions on preparing a gourmet meal. After taking tips from the pros, the Dining Divas are ready to take mealtime to a whole new level.

Learning from an expert restaurateur

Tracy - Save the date: Cafe Med’s highly anticipated cooking classes take place on the first Wednesday of every month. Owner Meir Brown is well respected for his popular restaurant located in the Stockdale Fashion Plaza as well as his ability to pass along his skilled cooking techniques.

Penny - Meir kept our attention with his entertaining cooking anecdotes and what can go wrong while cooking this food. The menu was very aggressive: Crab Cakes and Asparagus Wrapped with Prosciutto and Havarti for starters, Chateaubriand with Béarnaise Sauce was the entrée, Salade Niçoise with Ahi Tuna and Green Beans in Tomato Sauce accompany the main dishes, and the dessert was Bread Pudding and Bourbon Crème Auglaize. In this cooking class setting, Cafe Med not only provides the recipes to prepare these dishes, but also the confidence to pull them off.

About the class

Tracy - The class moves fast and detailed handouts are provided. We learned a simple trick on every dish, such as how to properly cut filets from tenderloin, how to clean asparagus and green beans, and the importance of smoking meat when searing it. Order a glass of wine upon arrival and have some laughs with friends, but be prepared to be dazzled.

For Starters

Crab Cakes

Tracy - Crab Cakes is a dish that can be personalized by trying different vegetables for flavor. On this night, Meir recommended using red onion instead of shallots for more flavor. The good thing about these crab cakes is they can be fried in a skillet or broiled in the oven, providing flexibility to how dense and crunchy the outer shell will be.

Penny - These crab cakes had a crispy outer layer and the inside was warm and delicious. The Dijon aioli drizzled on top was the perfect compliment. This recipe is very easy to make and can really hide a novice’s inexperience in the kitchen.

Asparagus Wrapped with Prosciutto and Havarti

Tracy - This was a new twist on the popular appetizer. Havarti adds a sharper taste mixed with the salty prosciutto. This is a great way to get kids to eat asparagus served either warm or at room temperature.

Penny - The dish was warmed in an oven for 2-3 minutes. The melted sweet buttery cheese combined with the salty prosciutto and the crunch of the asparagus provided multiple textures and flavors, leading to a craving for more.

The Entrée

Chateaubriand with Béarnaise Sauce

Tracy - We learned the different sections of beef that create the most flavor as well as proper ways to clean meat. The Chateaubriand is thick enough to serve two and should be prepared whole and sliced at serving time. A Béarnaise sauce was prepared in a double boiler and was tangy tart and very light. The meat was warm, tender and juicy. Meir rested the meat for 10 minutes before wrapping it in foil to rest for another 20 minutes to seal all the juices.

Penny - The outer layer of the Chateaubriand was browned to a deep rich brown that belied the rare center. Meir pan seared the meat on all sides before committing it to a 450-degree oven until it reached a 120-degree internal temperature. He spent a lot of time explaining how to tie together the tenderloin and the various cuts that come from this cut of meat.

Katie - Béarnaise Sauce is wonderful with all types of dishes. Eggs, chicken, beef and fish all benefit from being doused in the sauce. Béarnaise is rich and creamy and is sure to impress even the pickiest dinner guest.

Sides

Salade Niçoise with Ahi Tuna

Katie - Salade Niçoise is my favorite salad. A Salade Niçoise is a simple yet bountiful collection of diverse fresh ingredients and is fulfilling enough to be a main course. This salad is typically an assemblage of romaine or Boston lettuce, blanched green beans, small potatoes, olives, tuna canned in olive oil, quartered hard-boiled eggs and anchovies, dressed in Dijon style vinaigrette. But at Cafe Med this salad leaves its humble roots when it is created with sushi grade Ahi tuna crusted in sesame seeds, pan seared then drizzled with a sophisticated Dijon dressing made with champagne vinegar and laced with the peppery tart flavor of capers.

Penny - The French inspired salad can be served with canned tuna, but Meir of course chose fresh Ahi Tuna. The steak that he used was beautifully marbled and deep red. This is a heart healthy salad that is a meal in itself.

Green Beans in Tomato Sauce

Penny - The green beans in tomato sauce felt like home. The seasoning was rich, warm and welcoming. We learned the correct way to snap green beans – snap off both ends and then snap in the middle – and we also learned the difference between pancetta and bacon – bacon is smoked and pancetta is not.

Katie - This recipe starts with a half pound of bacon in a dry sauté pan and ends with tender and delectable green beans that are full and bright with flavor.

Tracy - This is an old classic for Italians and one my grandmother loved to make. The sauce should become part of the green beans in this dish, so slow cooking is the key to its tenderness. Use either veal or chicken stock for the base and be creative with seasonings from rosemary to thyme or even jalapenos. Meir suggests trying something different each time.

Bread Pudding and Bourbon Crème Auglaize

Penny - The finale was bread pudding. The bread is soaked in egg yolks, sugar, vanilla beans, milk and cream, then the mixture is transferred into a dish and baked in a 350 degree oven in a water bath for 40-45 minutes. The topping contained bourbon, milk, sugar, egg yolks and a vanilla bean. The warm gooey confection drizzled in a cream sauce was a delightful way to end the evening.

Impressions
Katie - Everything we learned transferred beautifully from Meir’s kitchen to my own. I prepared almost every recipe in the days following the class. The result: Everything I tried came out beautifully. Genuinely, every recipe was good and I learned a few things in the process. Meir has provided Bakersfield with a truly unique dining opportunity. The Cafe Med cooking school experience is a perfect gift for newlyweds and empty nesters alike.

Filet Mignon and All It’s Secrets

Crab Cakes
Prosciutto & Havarti wrapped Asparagus
Chateaubriand with Béarnaise Sauce
Potato Gratin
Salad Nicosie
Green beans in tomatoes sauce
Bread Pudding

Crab Cakes
2 tablespoons butter
1 medium onion, diced
2 ribs celery, diced
1 green pepper, diced
1 red pepper, diced
4 cloves garlic
3 tablespoon chopped cilantro
1 pound crab meat, picked clean
2 eggs
1 ½ + ¾ cup breadcrumbs
3 tablespoon Dijon mustard
¾ cup mayonnaise
1 cup olive oil
Paprika
Cayenne pepper
Salt and pepper
Dijon Aioli

Sauté onion with butter until wilted: add peppers and celery sauté 2 – 3 minutes longer. Add garlic, sauté 1 more minute, let cool in a bowl. Add crabmeat to cooled mixture, and parsley, cilantro and ¾ cup breadcrumbs, mayonnaise, salt and pepper, paprika and cayenne. Toss gently just to incorporate, over mixing will brake the crab too much. Form into balls of desired size and refrigerate for 30 minutes to 1 hour. Heat a pan with olive oil; roll crab cakes in breadcrumbs and fry gently on medium heat a pan with olive oil; roll crab cakes in breadcrumbs and fry gently on medium heat until golden on both sides.

Salad nicosie
4 – 5 tbsp olive oil
2 – 3 lbs sushi grade Ahi tuna cut 2”x 2” tubes
¼ cup fresh ground pepper
3 – 4 harts of romaine lettuce roughly cut
1 English cucumber sliced
2 vine ripe tomatoes sliced
½ lbs green beans blenched and shucked in ice water
8 – 10 red potatoes boiled soft quartered
6 hard boiled eggs quartered
¼ lbs nicosie or other black olives
1 small red onion sliced
1 recipe Dijon vinaigrette
½ cup chopped parsley

Season the fish lightly with salt and heavily with the pepper, sear the fish in a hot pan with olive oil 15 – 20 second on each side and set aside. Toss the lettuce lightly with the vinaigrette, arrange all other ingredients on top and drizzle lightly with the vinaigrette, sprinkle with parsley and serve.

Dijon vinaigrette
3 tbsp parsley – chopped
3 tbsp dill – chopped
3 tbsp capers
1 – 2 green onion – chopped
¼ cup champagne vinegar
½ cup olive oil
½ cup mayo
Salt and pepper

Place the herbs and vinegar in a blender pulse lightly and pure into a bowl. Add mayo, oil and mix well.

Asparagus wrapped w/ Prosciutto & Havarti Asparagus
Havarti Cheese
Prosciutto
Poach asparagus then shuck in ice water. Take chill off asparagus wrap with cheese then with Prosciutto. Bake in oven at 350 degrees for 2 – 3 minutes. .

Chateaubriand with Béarnaise sauce
1 – whole Tenderloin
1 – tsp. Salt
1 – tsp. Pepper
1 – Tbsp. Paprika
1 – tsp. Garlic
1 – Recipe Béarnaise sauce (follows)

Mix spices, sprinkle generously over meat, leave in refrigerator for two hours or overnight. Pan sear on all sides and finish in a 450-degree oven until 120-degrees internal temperature. Let rest 30 minutes.

Béarnaise sauce
3 – Tbsp. Chopped Shallots
3 – Tbsp. Chopped Chervil
3 – Tbsp. Tarragon
1 – Tbsp. Garlic
4 – Tbsp. red wine vinegar
4 – egg yolks, plus 2 – Tbsp. Water
½ lbs. melted butter
Salt & Pepper

Combine all chopped ingredients in a saucepan with wine vinegar, and then reduce slowly until liquid is absorbed. Over a water bath, whisk egg yolks and water until thickened, over the heat emulsify butter to eggs; add reduction of vinegar and then salt and pepper.

Potato Gratin
1 – ounce butter
2 pounds potatoes, peeled and sliced thin
1 ½ cup cream
½ cut grated greyer cheese
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic
1 – 2 eggs (optional)
Salt and Pepper

Caramelize onions in butter, add garlic, and let cool. Mix cream, cheese, and eggs (if used), and then add cooled onion mixture. In a baking dish, layer potatoes, salt and pepper. Cover cream mixture and repeat 3 – 4 more times. Bake open in a 350-degree oven until fork tender. If top is not browned sufficiently, broil to desired color. Let rest 10 minutes before serving.

Green beans in tomatoes sauce
2 lbs green beans – washed and snapped
½ lbs pancetta or bacon – diced
1 med yellow onion – diced
3 garlic cloves – minced
2 tbsp tomatoes paste
1-cup veal stock
Salt and Pepper

Sautee the pancetta in a dry sauté pan until crisp, drain on a paper towel and set aside. In the same pan with the pork fat add the onion and sauté until caramelized, add the garlic and tomatoes paste and sauté 2 min longer, add the beans and stock and simmer covered to desired doneness.

Bread Pudding and Bourbon Crème Auglaize
1 loaf white or egg bread
16 egg yolks
1 quart milk
1-quart cream
2 cups sugar
2 vanilla beans

Cut the bread into ½ - ¾ - inch cubes, arrange loosely in a buttered baking casserole. Whisk the egg yolks and sugar to incorporate, add milk, cream and scraped vanilla beans. Pour over breadcrumbs. Let rest for 20-30 minutes, top with remainder of cream. Bake in 350-degree oven in a water bath for 40 – 45 minutes or until knife inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Bourbon Crème Auglaize
1 cup bourbon
2 cups milk
1 cup sugar
6 egg yolks
1 vanilla bean

In a saucepan, reduce bourbon in ½ add milk and scraped vanilla bean. Bring to a steep, whisk in egg yolks and sugar. Temper with milk; return to heat whisking continuously until mixture is thickened. Continue to whisk over ice bath until cooled. (Do not exceed 170-degrees).