Week 2 Term 2 – 11 August 2025

Why methods?

We teach techniques, not recipes – because techniques are the building blocks of great cooking.  All our chefs are either trade qualified or Le Cordon Bleu trained, and we teach the way we were taught – using a ‘see it, do it’ model.  This means that for most classes our chef instructors use ‘running demos’ where they show you the skill and then you copy it – with assistance from your instructor as needed.   And in our express classes you will cook at the same time as the chef, following their lead.   We will give you an ingredients list and a method for each class, but you do not have to use it.

Our chefs will explain patiently and walk you through each class.   And if your dish doesn’t work out, that is OK – we run most classes 3 or 4 times a week so you can always come and try again!  Failure is part of learning.

Use these methods below to practice at home.

1 x 650ml container

Equipment

  • Large bowl
  • Pastry scraper
  • Dariole mould
  • Fork
  • Sifter/sieve
  • Cutting board with paper towel under it
  • Knife
  • Grater
  • Blender
  • Rolling pin
  • Pasta machine
  • Baking tray with baking paper
  • Cooktop
  • Large saucepan
  • Colander
  • Spatula

Ingredients

  • 100g 00 (baker’s) flour plus 1 tbsp for flouring bench
  • Big pinch salt
  • 1 egg
  • ½ egg yolk
  • 1 tsp EVOO
  • 30g baby spinach
  • Handful basil leaves
  • 1 tbs baby peas
  • 1 clove garlic
  • Pinch Aleppo pepper or other chilli flakes
  • 20g parmesan
  • 60 ml (3 tbsp) EVOO
  • ½ lemon
  • Salt and pepper

Method

  1. Get all ingredients and equipment.
  2. Make pasta dough:
    • Using the fork, whisk egg, egg yolk and oil together.
    • Sift flour and salt into bowl.
    • Make a well in flour.
    • Pour egg mix into the well in the flour.
    • Using a circular motion, with 2 fingers mix the flour with the egg mix until it starts to come together.
    • Knead until firm and very smooth.
    • Shape into a flat rectangle.
    • Wrap in cling film and rest for at least 30 minutes.
  3. Make green pasta sauce:
    • Crush garlic
    • Grate parmesan
    • Add the following to a blender:
      • 30g baby spinach
      • Handful basil leaves
      • Big handful parsley leaves
      • 1 tbs baby peas
      • 1 clove garlic
      • Pinch Aleppo pepper or other chilli flakes
      • 20g grated parmesan
      • 60 ml (3 tbsp) EVOO
      • Juice of ½ lemon
  • Blend until smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning.
  1. Line baking tray with baking paper. Flour lightly.
  2. Put a large saucepan of water on to boil. Add salt (until it is like the sea).  When it boils, reduce to a simmer (don’t let it boil hard for a long time, or the water will evaporate and will become too salty).
  3. Roll and cut pasta dough:
    • Flour bench lightly.
    • Use rolling pin to roll pasta dough to Size 7 thickness. Fold onto itself and roll again.
    • Roll through machine at size 7, 6, 5 and 4.
    • Cut using tagliatelle cutter.
    • Put onto floured baking paper, toss gently in flour, take care to keep in a single layer.
  4. CLEAN DOWN – as much as possible before cooking pasta – scrape and wash benches, clean cutting board and knife and put away, wash and put away dishes, sweep floor.
  5. Cook pasta:
    • Bring water to a rolling boil.
    • Add pasta all at once.
    • Cook until done (will take about 2 minutes – taste it).
    • Retain about 60ml of pasta water (half a dariole mould approx.).
    • Drain through colander.
    • Put pasta back in saucepan.
  6. Mix green pasta sauce into pasta:
    • Add green sauce over low heat.
    • Emulsify using pasta water.
  7. Clean down, including sweeping floor, wiping and sanitising cooktop and benches, washing and drying up, and cleaning and sanitising knives.

2 x 650ml containers

Vegetable stock (Fond de Legumes)

Equipment

  • Cooktop
  • Large saucepan
  • Cutting board
  • Knife
  • Fine mesh sieve

Ingredients

  • 100g carrot
  • 75g onion
  • 75g leek
  • 50g celery
  • Small sprig thyme
  • Small bay leaf
  • 3 parsley stalks
  • 5 peppercorns
  • Cold water

Method

 

  1. Get all ingredients and equipment.
  2. Wash and finely chop vegetables (no need to peel).
  3. Add to pot with herbs and peppercorns.
  4. Just cover with cold water (about 500ml). Water must be cold.
  5. Bring to a simmer on high heat, then turn down heat and simmer for 45 minutes, skimming off any scum. Do not boil. 
  6. Strain through sieve, pressing down to extract as much flavour as possible.
  7. Discard solids.
  8. If desired, reduce volume by vigorous boiling.
  9. Do not put salt in stock. Store in an airtight container and use within 5 days.
  10. Clean down benchtop and wipe over/replace cutting board and knife.

Fish stock (Fumet de Poisson) (v-Fond de Champignons or Mushroom Stock)

Equipment

  • Cooktop
  • Large saucepan
  • Cutting board
  • Knife
  • Fine mesh sieve

Ingredients

  • 125g onions
  • Small bay leaf
  • 3 parsley stalks
  • 5 peppercorns
  • 1 small fish carcass (v – 30g dried boletus or chantarelle or other mushrooms, 1 cup mirepoix (chef to provide))
  • Cold water

Method

  1. Get all ingredients and equipment.
  2. Finely slice onion.
  3. Place onion in saucepan with all other ingredients. (v- add mirepoix)
  4. Wash the fish carcass (v – hydrate the mushrooms in a little warm water)
  5. Add fish (v-mushrooms) to the pan.
  6. Cover with cold water.
  7. Bring to a simmer on high heat, then turn down heat and simmer for no more than 20 minutes (v- up to an hour), skimming off any scum. Do not boil. 
  8. Strain through sieve, pressing down to extract as much flavour as possible.
  9. Discard solids.
  10. If desired, reduce volume by vigorous boiling.
  11. Do not put salt in stock. Store in an airtight container and use within 3 days.
  12. Clean down, including sweeping floor, wiping and sanitising cooktop and benches, washing and drying up, and cleaning and sanitising knives.

Equipment

  • Cooktop
  • Saucepan
  • Frypan
  • Cutting board with paper towel
  • Knife
  • Bowl
  • Spatula
  • Jug for stock
  • Grater

Ingredients

  • 50g mixed mushrooms
  • 1 small sprig thyme
  • 1 small shallot
  • 30g butter
  • 100g arborio, carnaroli or vialone rice
  • 50ml white wine
  • 300ml chicken stock (v – mushroom stock)
  • 50ml cream
  • 20g parmesan cheese

Method

  1. Get all ingredients and equipment.
  2. Cut or tear mushrooms into bite size pieces, saute in butter.   Remove to bowl.
  3. Heat stock in saucepan with half the picked thyme and pour into a jug.
  4. Brunoise onion and sweat very gently in butter in frypan.
  5. Add rice and toast until translucent.
  6. Deglaze with white wine and reduce until almost all liquid is evaporated.
  7. Add stock a little at a time, agitating rice until stock is absorbed and rice is cooked. Will take about 15 minutes.
  8. While stock is absorbing, clean down and wash up.
  9. When rice is al dente, add cream and mushrooms and combine. Check for seasoning, including acid. Top with parmesan.
  10. Clean down, including sweeping floor, wiping and sanitising cooktop and benches, washing and drying up, and cleaning and sanitising knives.

Beef stock

Equipment

  • Cutting board with paper towel
  • Knife
  • Roasting pan
  • Cooktop
  • Frypan
  • Large saucepan
  • Colander for straining

Ingredients

  • 300g beef bones
  • 1 tbsp tomato paste
  • ¼ pig’s trotter (optional)
  • Cold water
  • 50g carrot
  • 50g onion
  • 50g celery
  • 10g dripping or lard (or olive oil)
  • 25g leek
  • 3 parsley stalks
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 5 peppercorns
  • 1 sprig thyme
  • 1 bay leaf

Method

  1. Get all ingredients and equipment.
  2. Preheat oven to 200 degrees.
  3. Roast bones to dark brown.
  4. Cut vegetables into mirepoix.
  5. Saute carrot, onion, and celery in fat until lightly browned.
  6. Drain fat off beef bones. Reserve fat and chill.
  7. Put vegetable mix in saucepan with leek, herbs, peppercorns, the pig trotter (if using) and the drained, cooked beef bones.
  8. Cover with cold water and bring to boil. (In class, at this point combine the stock base with other students – the chef teacher will give you a prepared stock).
  9. When boiling, turn down heat and simmer gently for 6 to 8 hours, skimming regularly (failure to skim or boiling the bones = cloudy stock).
  10. Strain, pressing down on the solids to extract as much liquid as you can.
  11. If desired, reduce.
  12. Do not add salt.
  13. Cool rapidly (shallow container) and refrigerate.
  14. Clean down, including sweeping floor, wiping and sanitising cooktop and benches, washing and drying up, and cleaning and sanitising knives.

Note

 This is a brown beef stock, meaning that the bones are roasted and vegetables browned before the stock is made.

Chicken stock

Equipment

  • Cutting board with paper towel
  • Knife
  • Cooktop
  • Large saucepan
  • Colander for straining

Ingredients

  • ½ chicken carcass
  • 100g carrot
  • 60g onion
  • 60g leek
  • 40g celery
  • 3 parsley stalks
  • 5 peppercorns
  • 1 sprig thyme
  • 1 bay leaf

Method

  1. Get all ingredients and equipment.
  2. Trim fat off chicken frame and if necessary cut the bones into small pieces.
  3. Cut vegetables into mirepoix.
  4. Put vegetable mix in saucepan with herbs and peppercorns.
  5. Cover with cold water and bring to boil. (In class, at this point combine the stock base with other students – the chef teacher will give you a prepared stock).
  6. When boiling, turn down heat and simmer gently for 2 to 4 hours, skimming regularly (failure to skim or boiling the bones = cloudy stock).
  7. Strain, pressing down on the solids to extract as much liquid as you can.
  8. If desired, reduce.
  9. Do not add salt.
  10. Cool rapidly (shallow container) and refrigerate.
  11. Clean down, including sweeping floor, wiping and sanitising cooktop and benches, washing and drying up, and cleaning and sanitising knives.

Note

 This is a white chicken stock.  For a brown chicken stock, cook the bones and vegetables as for brown beef stock.

Beef Jus

Equipment

  • Cooktop
  • Saucepan
  • Whisk
  • Strainer/sieve

Ingredients

  • 2 tsp beef drippings or 1 tsp olive oil
  • 1 small shallot
  • 20ml red wine
  • 20ml port
    125ml beef stock
  • 2 tsp butter
  • Salt to taste

Method

  1. Get all ingredients and equipment.
  2. Cut butter into small cubes. Keep cold.
  3. Heat oil. Sweat shallot in oil/beef drippings.
  4. Deglaze with wine.
  5. Add port and stock and reduce hard to a sauce consistency.
  6. Wipe out pan.
  7. Finish by whisking in butter. Do not reheat after whisking in butter (if you want to take the sauce home, add the butter over heat at home).
  8. Clean down, including sweeping floor, wiping and sanitising cooktop and benches, washing and drying up, and cleaning and sanitising knives.

1 x 350ml container

 Equipment

  • Cooktop
  • Saucepan
  • Cutting board w paper towel
  • Chef’s knife
  • 2 small bowls
  • Extra teatowel
  • Whisk
  • Strainer

Ingredients

  • 100g butter
  • ¼ shallot
  • 2 peppercorns
  • 20 ml white wine vinegar
  • 10 ml water
  • 1 egg yolk
  • Salt
  • ¼ Lemon

Method

  1. Get all ingredients and equipment.
  2. Clarify butter in a bowl over bain marie.
  3. Brunoise shallot.
  4. Put vinegar, shallot, peppercorns and water into saucepan, reduce to approximately 5ml (1 tsp), strain and cool.
  5. Put egg yolk and cooled reduced vinegar into bowl, whisk on teatowel over bain marie.
  6. Add clarified butter very slowly indeed whisking constantly (spoon at start).
  7. Adjust with hot water if needed, finish with lemon juice, season and taste for seasoning.

Equipment

  • Cooktop
  • Frypan w metal handle
  • Small saucepan
  • Cutting board w paper towel
  • Chef’s knife
  • Butter knife or offset spatula
  • Grater
  • Whisk
  • Small baking tray lined with baking paper

Ingredients

  • 2 tsp butter plus 2 tbsp butter
  • 2 tsp plain flour
  • 125ml milk
  • Pinch nutmeg
  • 2 slices sourdough
  • 2 slices ham (v – 1 to 2 tbsp caramelised onions and ¼ tsp picked herbs)
  • 50g gruyere or cheddar cheese
  • 2 tsp Dijon mustard
  • 1 egg
  • Salt and pepper

Method

  1. Get all ingredients and equipment.
  2. Grate cheese.
  3. Prepare a mornay sauce:
    a. Melt 2 tsp butter in saucepan.
    b. Add 2 tsp flour and mix to combine. 
    c. Allow roux to ‘toast’ on bottom until it is golden and smells nutty.
    d. Slowly whisk in milk until smooth (off heat).
    e. Return to heat, bring to just before boiling, stirring constantly.
    f. Add 1/3 of the cheese. Stir until melted.
    g. Remove from heat, season, add nutmeg and set aside (leave in saucepan).
  4. Toast bread:
    a. Spread 1 side of each piece of bread with butter
    b. Fry buttered side down in frypan over medium heat until toasted. Set aside.
    c. Preheat oven to 220C or preheat grill to high.
  5. Build sandwich
    a. On untoasted side of both slices of bread, spread half the mornay sauce
    b. Top one slice with 1/3 of cheese and ham (v –caramelised onions and herbs).
    c. Spread mustard on other slice of bread
    d. Put sandwich together.
    e. Put remaining mornay sauce on top of the sandwich.
    f. Top with rest of cheese.
  6. Put sandwich into oven/under grill.
    a. Put sandwich on lined baking tray (tuck baking paper under sandwich if using grill)
    b. Cook/grill until cheese topping is bubbly and starting to brown.
  7. Fry egg in remaining butter until white is set but yolk is runny.
  8. Get sandwich out of oven, top with egg, add salt and pepper.
  9. If taking home. wrap sandwich in paper and then foil. Reheat in oven at 180 for about 10 minutes or until warmed through.
  10. Clean down, including sweeping floor, wiping and sanitising cooktop and benches, washing and drying up, and cleaning and sanitising knives.

Note

Serve with cornichon/small dill pickles and green salad.

1 x 650ml container

Equipment

  • Large bowl
  • Pastry scraper
  • Dariole mould
  • Fork
  • Sifter/sieve
  • Cutting board with paper towel under it
  • Knife
  • Blender
  • Rolling pin
  • Pasta machine
  • Baking tray with baking paper
  • Cooktop
  • Large saucepan
  • Colander
  • Spatula

Ingredients

  • 100g 00 (baker’s) flour plus 1 tbsp for flouring bench
  • Big pinch salt
  • 1 egg
  • ½ egg yolk
  • 1 tsp EVOO
  • 100g roasted red capsicum
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 1 heaped tbsp walnuts
  • Big handful parsley and/or basil
  • 20g parmesan
  • Pinch chilli flakes
  • 60 ml (3 tbsp) EVOO
  • ¼ lemon
  • Salt and pepper

Method

  1. Get all ingredients and equipment.
  2. Make pasta dough:
    • Using the fork, whisk egg, egg yolk and oil together.
    • Sift flour and salt into bowl.
    • Make a well in flour.
    • Pour egg mix into the well in the flour.
    • Using a circular motion, with 2 fingers mix the flour with the egg mix until it starts to come together.
    • Knead until firm and very smooth.
    • Shape into a flat rectangle.
    • Wrap in cling film and rest for at least 30 minutes.
  3. Make charred pepper pesto sauce:
    • Crush garlic
    • Grate parmesan
    • Add the following to a blender:
    • 100g roasted red capsicum
    • 1 clove garlic
    • 1 heaped tbsp walnuts
    • Big handful parsley and/or basil
    • 20g parmesan
    • Pinch chilli flakes
    • 60 ml (3 tbsp) EVOO
    • Juice of ¼ lemon
  • Blend until smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning.
  1. Line baking tray with baking paper. Flour lightly.
  2. Put a large saucepan of water on to boil. Add salt (until it is like the sea).  When it boils, reduce to a simmer (don’t let it boil hard for a long time, or the water will evaporate and will become too salty).
  3. Roll and cut pasta dough:
    • Flour bench lightly.
    • Use rolling pin to roll pasta dough to Size 7 thickness. Fold onto itself and roll again.
    • Roll through machine at size 7, 6, 5 and 4.
    • Cut using tagliatelle cutter.
    • Put onto floured baking paper, toss gently in flour, take care to keep in a single layer.
  4. CLEAN DOWN – as much as possible before cooking pasta – scrape and wash benches, clean cutting board and knife and put away, wash and put away dishes, sweep floor.
  5. Cook pasta:
    • Bring water to a rolling boil.
    • Add pasta all at once.
    • Cook until done (will take about 2 minutes – taste it).
    • Retain about 60ml of pasta water (half a dariole mould approx.).
    • Drain through colander.
    • Put pasta back in saucepan.
  6. Mix red pesto sauce into pasta:
    • Add sauce over low heat.
    • Emulsify using pasta water.
  7. Clean down, including sweeping floor, wiping and sanitising cooktop and benches, washing and drying up, and cleaning and sanitising knives.

Double Meal Prep

This class involves you preparing 2 meals to be finished or reheated in the oven at home.  If you have them, please bring:

If you are making 2 serves of each meal:

  • 1 x 350ml container
  • 1 x 650ml container (2 x 650ml containers if making 4 serves/meal) plus
  • 2 x casserole dishes with lids – small (4 litre capacity) if you are cooking 2 serves per meal, or medium (6 to 8 litre capacity) if you are cooking 4 serves per meal. Otherwise, you can buy a ‘containers’ pack on our website for a couple of dollars. 

Chicken Fricassee  (v – Mushroom Fricassee)

Equipment 

  • Cooktop
  • Saucepan with lid
  • Cutting board with paper towel
  • Chef’s knife
  • Spatula
  • Whisk

Ingredients 

  • 2-4 chicken pieces (v – 300g mushrooms and 2 zucchini)
  • 1 tbsp EVOO
  • 10g butter
  • ½ onion
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 10g flour
  • 25ml white wine
  • 200ml chicken stock (v – mushroom stock)
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 sprig thyme
  • 1 carrot
  • 5cm piece of leek
  • 125 ml cream
  • Handful parsley
  • 300g cooked buttered penne (chef to provide)

Method

  1. Get all ingredients and equipment.
  2. Cook chicken (v – mushroom):
    a. Season chicken (v – mushroom, and tear or chop into chunks).
    b. Heat oil and butter in pan and cook chicken skin side down until golden (v – fry mushrooms).
  3. While chicken is cooking, prepare vegies:
    a. Slice onion.
    b. Mince garlic.
    c. Slice carrots.
    d. Slice leek.
    e. Chop parsley.
    f. (v- chop zucchini into chunks)
  4. Make sauce:
    a. Remove chicken (v – mushroom), sweat onions and garlic until onion is translucent.
    b. Add flour and cook until toasted.
    c. Deglaze pan with white wine and stock. Whisk until smooth.
    d. Add thyme and bay leaf. Bring back to simmer. 
  5. Add chicken (v – mushroom) back in to saucepan.
  6. Add carrot.
  7. Simmer for about 15 minutes. If lid is not tight, cover with alfoil or a paper cartouche (we can show you how to make one of these). 
  8. After 15 minutes cooking add leek. Simmer for a further 20 to 30 minutes. (v – add zucchini 10 minutes after adding leek).
  9. Put pasta into 650ml container.
  10. When chicken (v- mushroom) is stewed, finish sauce:
    a. Remove chicken (v – mushrooms) and vegies into casserole dish.
    b. Cook down sauce a little.
    c. Add cream and simmer until thickened.
    d. Check and adjust seasoning.
    e. Pour over chicken in casserole pan.
  11. Clean down bench. Wash all dishes and reset for second meal.
  12. At home, put covered container into a 180 degree oven for approx. 20 mins to reheat. Add pasta to sauce with 5 minutes to go.

Ratatouille with white beans

Equipment

  • Cooktop
  • Saucepan
  • Frying pan
  • Strainer
  • Cutting board w paper towel
  • Chef’s knife
  • Bowl

Ingredients

  • 1 tin diced tomatoes
  • 100g butter
  • 2 small onions
  • 4 cloves garlic
  • 1 x 400g tin cannellini beans
  • 2 zucchini
  • 4 pattypan squash or other yellow squash, or 1 capsicum
  • 1 medium or 2 small eggplant
  • 3 tomatoes
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tsp dried basil
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 1 sprig rosemary
  • Large handful shredded mozzarella
  • Handful fresh parsley
  • Salt and pepper

Method

  1. Get ingredients and equipment.
  2. Make pasta sauce:
    a. Put tinned tomatoes into saucepan.
    b. Add butter and 1 halved, peeled onion.
    c. Simmer on low heat while you finish cooking
  3. Slice all vegies and remaining onion into 5mm rounds (halving any very large pieces). Mince garlic.  Chop rosemary.
  4. Pour sauce into bottom of casserole dish. Either discard cooked onion or slice and add to sauce.
  5. Add minced garlic and rosemary to sauce.
  6. Add beans to sauce and mix.
  7. ‘Stack’ vegies horizontally across your casserole dish over the sauce.
  8. Drizzle over olive oil, add basil and oregano, add salt and pepper.
  9. Put cheese in 350ml container with parsley.
  10. Clean down, including sweeping floor, wiping and sanitising cooktop and benches, washing and drying up, and cleaning and sanitising knives.
  11. At home, preheat oven to 180 degrees and cook uncovered for 45 minutes (until a skewer or knife tip inserted into the middle passes through the vegies with no resistance). Add mozzarella and return to oven until melted. Tear parsley leaves over the top.
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