Week 4 Term 3 – 29 June 2026

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.

Spaghetti carbonara (v – replace guanciale with zucchini and confit garlic) 

This is traditional spaghetti carbonara.  It contains no cream.

1 x 650ml container

Equipment

  • Cutting board with paper towel under it
  • Knife
  • Cooktop
  • Saucepan
  • Frypan
  • Whisk
  • Bowl
  • Tongs

Ingredients

  • 100g spaghetti, dried
  • 50g guanciale
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 25g pecorino romano
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • Salt

Method

  1. Get all ingredients and equipment.
  2. Crisp guanciale:
  • Cut into small dice.
  • Put in cold frypan and bring to medium low heat.
  • Cook until fat has rendered out and flesh is crisp around the edges.
  • Turn off heat.
  1. Cook pasta to al dente in boiling salted water in the saucepan, according to instructions on the pack. Drain and reserve ½ cup of the water.
  2. While pasta is cooking, whisk together the egg yolks, grated cheese and a lot of cracked black pepper until smooth.
  3. Put pasta directly into frypan with rendered guanciale and toss to coat.
  4. Add egg mixture and 1 tbsp pasta water and emulsify.
  5. Plate (or into container).
  6. Clean down, including sweeping floor, wiping and sanitising cooktop and benches, washing and drying up, and cleaning and sanitising knives.

Beef and red wine pie (v – replace beef with roasted mushroom and leeks) 

1 x 650ml container or small pie tin

Equipment

  • Cutting board with paper towel under it
  • Knife
  • Cooktop
  • Saucepan
  • Pastry brush
  • Pie dish

Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp EVOO
  • ½ shallot
  • 1 small clove garlic
  • 250g beef chuck steak
  • ½ tbsp plain flour
  • ½ tbsp tomato paste
  • 70ml red wine
  • 70ml beef stock (salt reduced if using commercial stock)
  • ½ carrot
  • 30g mushroom
  • Pinch fresh thyme
  • Pinch fresh parsley
  • Sheet of puff pastry
  • 2 tsp milk
  • Salt and pepper

Method

  1. Get all ingredients and equipment.
  2. Preheat oven to 200C.
  3. Make pie filling:
    • Cut beef into bite sized pieces and toss in flour.
    • Heat oil in saucepan.
    • Fry off beef until browned.
    • Add garlic.
    • Add tomato paste.
    • Add red wine and stock and bring to boil.
    • Add carrot, mushroom and thyme.
    • Cover and simmer 45 minutes, then uncover and simmer until beef is tender. If sauce reduces too much, add water or stock. (In class, beef filling will be pre-prepared for you.)
    • Chop and stir in parsley.
    • Set aside to cool.
  4. Line and prebake pie crust:
    • Grease and flour pie tin.
    • Cut two pastry circles, each 2cm wider than top rim of pie dish.
    • Place one circle into pie tin, prick and blind bake until edges are golden brown.
    • Remove from oven.
  5. Fill and top pie:
    • Spoon cooled filling in to pie dish.
    • Top with second circle of pastry, pressing edges down to seal.
    • Brush top of pastry with milk.
  6. Bake pie for 20 to 25 minutes or until filling is hot.
  7. Plate (or into container).
  8. Clean down, including sweeping floor, wiping and sanitising cooktop and benches, washing and drying up, and cleaning and sanitising knives.

 

Bangers and mash with onion gravy (v – use vegetarian sausages or roasted pumpkin pieces)

This is based on a Barney Desmazery recipe.

1 x 650ml container

Equipment

  • Cutting board with paper towel under it
  • Knife
  • Cooktop
  • Frypan with oven safe handle
  • Saucepan
  • Strainer
  • Potato masher
  • Tray/plate

Ingredients

Bangers and onion gravy

  • 2 best quality pork sausages
  • 10g butter
  • 1 small onion
  • Small stalk thyme
  • ½ bay leaf
  • Pinch sugar
  • Scant tsp plain flour
  • 1 tsp red wine vinegar
  • 80ml red wine
  • 100ml beef stock
  • Splash Worcestershire sauce (v – soy sauce)
  • Small handful parsley

Mash

  • 250g potato
  • 5 tbsp milk
  • 15g cold butter
  • Pinch nutmeg
  • Salt and pepper

Method

  1. Get all ingredients and equipment.
  2. Preheat oven to 180C.
  3. Prepare vegetables:
    • Peel and slice onion.
    • Finely chop parsley.
  4. Cook sausages and onion:
    • Cook sausages in frypan over medium heat until outside is browned.
    • Add butter to pan.
    • Add onions, thyme, bay leaf and sugar.
    • Stir and put in oven for 10 minutes.
    • Turn sausages and return to oven for 10 minutes.
  5. Make mash:
    • Peel and quarter potatoes.
    • Put in saucepan in cold salted water to cover.
    • Bring to boil.
    • Simmer until soft.
    • Drain and leave to dry.
    • Mash in pan.
    • Add milk to pan and bring to simmer.
    • Beat in butter.
    • Keep warm.
  6. Make onion gravy:
    • When sausages are cooked, remove from oven.
    • Put sausages onto a tray/plate.
    • Return pan to cooktop over medium heat and cook until caramelised.
    • Add flour, stir and cook 1 minute.
    • Add red wine vinegar and Worcestershire sauce and reduce until sauce is thick.
    • Add stock and heat until reduced to sauce consistency.
  7. Plate (or into container) and garnish with chopped parsley.
  8. Clean down, including sweeping floor, wiping and sanitising cooktop and benches, washing and drying up, and cleaning and sanitising knives.

Coquilles St Jacques (Scallops Gratin) with Grilled Lemon 

This is a French classic.  Much of it can be prepared in advance, making this a good dinner party dish. 

1 x 650ml container

Equipment

  • Cutting board with paper towel under it
  • Knife
  • Cooktop
  • Saucepan
  • Strainer
  • Potato masher
  • Tray/plate with paper towel
  • Piping bag
  • Piping tip

Ingredients

Grilled lemon

  • ½ lemon
  • 2 tsp EVOO

Scallops

  • 1 large scallop on the shell
  • 120g potato
  • 15g butter
  • 40ml fish stock
  • 1 tbsp dill sprigs

Sauce

  • 5g butter
  • 1 tbsp flour
  • 80ml milk
  • 10ml cream
  • 30g grated cheddar
  • Salt and pepper

Method

  1. Get all ingredients and equipment.
  2. Preheat oven grill to high.
  3. Prepare potato mash:
    • Peel and quarter potatoes.
    • Put in saucepan in cold salted water to cover.
    • Bring to boil.
    • Simmer until soft.
    • Drain and leave to dry.
    • Mash in pan.
    • Beat in butter. Season to taste.
    • Put tip in piping bag.
    • Add potato to piping bag and tie off.
    • Pipe potato around top edges of scallop shells.
    • Wash out saucepan
  4. While potato is cooking, grill lemon by adding oil to top and placing under grill until browned.
  5. Turn oven to 200C.
  6. Cook scallops:
    • Poach in small saucepan in fish stock until just firm (about 3 mins).
    • Drain on paper towel. Discard fish stock or freeze for later use.
    • Drain on paper towel.
    • Slice into 3 horizontally.
  7. Make sauce:
    • Melt butter in saucepan.
    • Add flour and cook until smells a bit toasted.
    • Add milk and cream while stirring.
    • Cook until thickened.
    • Stir in cheese and melt.
    •  
  8. Assemble and cook scallops:
    • Add 1 tbsp sauce to centre of shell.
    • Top with scallops.
    • Add remaining sauce.
    • Bake in oven for 10 minutes or until golden.
  9. Plate (or into container) and garnish with picked dill.
  10. Clean down, including sweeping floor, wiping and sanitising cooktop and benches, washing and drying up, and cleaning and sanitising knives.

 

Intermediate French – Crepe Suzette

Equipment

  • Cutting board with paper towel under it
  • Chef’s knife
  • Cooktop
  • Frypan
  • Jug
  • Bowl
  • Whisk
  • Spatula

Ingredients

  • 60g unsalted butter
  • 20g caster sugar
  • 1 small orange
  • 10ml Cointreau
  • 15ml brandy
  • 40g plain flour
  • Fat pinch salt
  • 1 egg
  • 100ml milk
  • Lighter/match
  • Icing sugar for dusting
  • Oil for pan

Method

  1. Get all ingredients and equipment.
  2. Make crepe batter:
    1. Add flour and salt to jug.
    2. Add eggs and milk and beat to a smooth batter.
    3. Rest 30 minutes.
  3. Make orange butter:
    1. Cream butter and sugar.
    2. Grate in rind of orange.
    3. Add Cointreau.
  4. Fry crepes and spread with butter:
    1. Oil then wipe out pan.
    2. Add batter to make a thin crepe.
    3. Cook, flip and cook other side until both sides are golden brown.
    4.  
    5. Spread with half of the butter and fold into quarters.
  5. Make sauce:
    1. Put rest of butter in frypan and melt.
    2. Add juice of the orange and whisk.
  6. Flambee:
    1. Put folded crepes back into sauce to reheat.
    2. Pour over brandy and light.
  7. Plate (or into container):
    1. Crepes down.
    2. Sauce over.
    3. Dust with icing sugar.
  8. Clean down, including sweeping floor, wiping and sanitising cooktop and benches, washing and drying up, and cleaning and sanitising knives.

Intermediate French – Salmon en papillote with greens and roasted potato

Equipment

  • Cutting board with paper towel under it
  • Chef’s knife
  • Boning knife or long petty knife
  • Cooktop
  • Saucepan
  • Frypan
  • Tongs
  • 2 large sheets baking paper
  • Large baking tray
  • Small baking tray lined with baking paper

Ingredients

Salmon en papillote and sauce

  • 1 salmon fillet, skin off
  • 25g butter
  • 100ml tbsp fish, vegetable or chicken stock
  • 2 tbsp white wine
  • ½ zucchini
  • ½ shallot
  • 2 sprigs tarragon
  • 1 clove garlic
  • Handful chives
  • 1 shallot

Roasted potato

  • 200g floury potatoes such as Sebago
  • Pinch baking soda
  • 2 tbsp neutral vegetable oil
  • Handful parsley

Greens

  • Handful green beans
  • 1 tsp butter
  • Salt and pepper

 Method

  1. Preheat oven to 200C.
  2. Get all ingredients and equipment.
  3. Roast potatoes:
    1. Scrub potatoes and halve if large.
    2. Cook in salted water for about 10 minutes until soft.
    3. Drain and dry.
    4.  
    5. Roast on lined heavily oiled baking tray 20 minutes, flip, roast further 30 minutes.
    6. Top with parsley and toss again.
    7. Keep warm.
  4. Prepare vegetables:
    1. Top and tail beans.
    2. Finely chop parsley.
    3. Finely slice chives.
    4. Slice shallot.
    5. Pick half the tarragon.
  5. Encase salmon in paper envelope:
    1. Ribbon zucchini with vegetable peeler.
    2. Lay down one sheet of baking paper.
    3. Put to one side of the baking paper the zucchini, 1 chopped shallot, 1 sprig tarragon and 25g butter.
    4. Place salmon in centre of vegetables.
    5. Put second sheet of baking paper on top.
    6. Crimp and fold sides to start forming a pocket.
    7. When pocket is nearly formed, pour in 1 tbsp stock and 1 tbsp wine.
    8. Finish folding to seal.
    9. Place on baking tray.
  6. Cook salmon
    1. Put in oven for 15 mins.
    2. Check temp at 10 mins (53C).
    3. Cook for a little longer if needed.
  7. Blanch and refresh beans:
    1. Cook in boiling salted water.
    2. Drain and refresh.
    3. Leave in saucepan with 1 tsp butter and salt.
  8. Make sauce:
    1. Strain cooking liquid into frypan.
    2. Add stock and wine and reduce by 1/3.
    3. Add cream and reduce by half.
    4. Add herbs, reserving a tsp or so for garnish.
  9. Monte beans.
  10. Plate (or into container):
    1. Roast potatoes down.
    2. Salmon to side.
    3. Nappe salmon with sauce.
    4. Beans to side.
    5. Chopped herbs to garnish.
  11. Clean down, including sweeping floor, wiping and sanitising cooktop and benches, washing and drying up, and cleaning and sanitising knives.

Double meal prep:

French roasted chicken with lemon and herbs, greens and buttered potatoes (v – replace chicken with pumpkin and broccolini)

Chilli con carne with corn bread and greens (v – replace beef with quinoa and sweet potato)

This class involves you preparing 2 meals to be finished on the oven or stovetop or reheated in the oven at home.  Please bring:

  1. 2 x 350ml takeaway container for green beans and greens (double if cooking 4 serves/meal).
  2. 1 x 650ml container for potatoes (double if cooking 4 serves/meal).
  3. 1 x deep baking tray or casserole dish with a tightfitting lid for chilli – small (2 litre capacity) if you are cooking 2 serves per meal, or medium (3-4 litre capacity) if you are cooking 4 serves per meal. 
  4. 1 x deep baking tray or casserole dish with a tightfitting lid for chicken – small (2 litre capacity) if you are cooking 2 serves per meal, or medium (3-4 litre capacity) if you are cooking 4 serves per meal. 

Otherwise, you can buy ‘containers’ packs on our website for a couple of dollars each.

French roasted chicken with lemon and herbs, greens and buttered potatoes (v – replace chicken with pumpkin and broccolini)

 Equipment

  • Cutting board with paper towel under it
  • Knife
  • Cooktop
  • Saucepan
  • Large frypan
  • Tongs
  • Small bowl

Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp EVOO
  • 3 chicken pieces
  • ½ lemon
  • 2 sprigs thyme
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 50 g butter
  • 40ml chicken stock or water
  • 4 medium potatoes
  • Handful parsley
  • Large handful of beans or greens
  • Salt and pepper

Method

  1. Get all ingredients and equipment.
  2. Prepare potatoes and beans:
    • Boil potatoes in salted water (salty like the sea) until the skins just start to split.
    • Add beans for 2 minutes.
    • Put in takehome container with butter and chopped parsley.
  3. While potatoes and beans are cooking, prepare vegetables:
    • Chop parsley leaves (reserve stalks).
    • Halve lemon and cut one half into slices.
  4. Assemble:
    • Place sliced lemon, thyme and bay leaves into casserole dish.
    • Zest over lemon rind.
    • Put chicken on top.
    • Squeeze over lemon juice.
    • Add stock/water to base.
  5. Cover with foil and note cooking instructions.
  6. At home:
    • Cook chicken at 200C for 45 minutes (1 hr for a 4 portion serve) 2 hours (2.5 hours for double portion) or until chicken is starting to fall off the bone.
    • Serve with parsley potatoes and beans.
  7. Quick clean down.

 

Chilli con carne with corn bread and greens (v – replace beef with quinoa and sweet potato)

The cornbread is based on a RecipeTin Eats recipe.

Equipment

  • Cutting board with paper towel under it
  • Knife
  • Cooktop
  • Large saucepan with lid
  • Wok
  • Spatula
  • Tongs

Ingredients

Chilli con carne

  • 1 large onion
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 2 tsp ground cumin
  • 2 tsp smoked paprika
  • 1 tsp chilli powder
  • ½ tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 tsp dried oregano
  • 100ml stock
  • 1 tin chopped tomatoes
  • 1 tin black beans
  • 250g minced beef
  • 2 tbsp tomato paste
  • 1 tbsp sugar
  • 1 tbsp neutral vegetable oil

Cornbread topping

  • #
  • Large handful greens
  • Salt and pepper

Method

  1. Get all ingredients and equipment.
  2. Prepare greens by blanching in boiling salted water until done and then refreshing in an ice bath.  Put into takeaway container.
  3. Prepare chilli con carne:
  • Dice onion.
  • Fry until begins to brown.
  • Add mince and cook until browned and caramelised.
  • Mince garlic and add.
  • Add stock, tomatoes, tomato paste and sugar and simmer for about 2 minutes.
  • Drain and add beans.
  • Cook until base has thickened. Check for seasoning.
    • Place into base of casserole dish.
  2. Prepare cornbread batter by mixing the following in a bowl:
    • 60g butter
    • 1 egg plus one yolk
    • 130ml milk
    • 20g cornmeal (1/2 cup)
    • 90g self raising flour
    • 50g white sugar
    • ¼ tsp salt
    • 130g canned creamed corn
  3. Pour cornbread batter carefully over chilli con carne mix.
  4. Add cooking instructions to casserole dish.
  5. Clean down, including sweeping floor, wiping and sanitising cooktop and benches, washing and drying up, and cleaning and sanitising knives.
  6. At home, cook at 200C for 25 minutes until golden brown and a skewer inserted into the cornbread batter comes out clean.  Serve with reheated greens, sour cream and salsa.

Note:  The cornbread is quite sweet, as is traditional.  If you prefer a more savour profile, halve the amount of sugar.

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