"Distinctive Kitchens"

A coworker of mine told me about a place called "Distinctive Kitchens" recently. Distinctive kitchens is a store that sells appliances and kitchenware but also hosts weekly cooking classes. The theme of the class for the day before our anniversary was "Bacon Lovers". I surprised Josh by taking him to this "cooking class" on Saturday night. It was a big hit! We sat around the bar surrounding the kitchen and sampled each course as it was made. The chef also provided us with the recipes she used at the end of the event.

I thought I might share a few of the recipes here for anyone interested. I will not include the chicken recipe, as Josh and I did not like it as much as the others.

Spinach Salad with Apples, Avocado, and Pancetta (a type of bacon)

6 to 8 servings
1 cup vegetable oil (she emphasized not using olive oil because it would overpower everything else)
1/4 cup powdered sugar (apparently a frequent ingredient in dressings used on spinach salad)
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoons dry mustard (can substitute for Dijon mustard)
1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
(the dressing proportions may need to be adjusted accordingly)

1/2 pound pancetta, chopped (she bought it thick cut instead of thinly sliced)
2 6 ounce bags baby spinach leaves
2 medium sized red apples (red delicious or gala), thinly sliced
1 cup thinly sliced red onion (she recommended putting sliced onion in an ice water bath to decrease the strong flavor of the red onion)
1 ripe avocado, cubed
(she also added chopped red bell peppers and toasted almonds in the salad but they were not in the recipe)

Whisk oil, powdered sugar, vinegar, lemon juice, dry mustard, paprika, and ground ginger in a small bowl to blend. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Saute chopped bacon slices in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat until brown and crisp. Using slotted spoon, transfer chopped bacon to paper towel and drain. Combine baby spinach leaves, apple slices, red onion, and avocado and bacon in large bowl. Toss salad with enough dressing to coat. Divide among salad plates and serve.

Filet Mignon with Gorgonzola Sauce
8 servings

3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1/2 pound fresh shiitake mushrooms, stemmed, sliced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 cups whipping cream
1 cup crumbled gorgonzola cheese (about 4 ounces)
2 teaspoons minced canned chipotle chiles (from canned chipotles in adobo)- she ended up using chili powder so she wouldn't waste a big can when she only needed a few teaspoons

8 6 ounce filet mignon steaks
bacon

Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add shiitake mushrooms and saute until soft, about 4 minutes. Add garlic and stir 1 minute. Add whipping cream and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer sauce until thickened, about 4 minutes. Stir in gorgonzola cheese and chipotles. Season sauce to taste with salt and pepper.
Sprinkle steaks with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in another heavy large skillet. Cook steaks in skillet until brown on both sides and cooked to desired doneness, about 5 minutes per side for medium rare. Rewarm sauce. (A note: she also wrapped the steaks in semi cooked bacon and then put the steaks in the oven at 350 to crisp up the bacon at the end. The steak was served over adobo mashed potatoes- recipe not provided). Delicious!

Pecan Praline Bacon

1 pound thick cut bacon (about 12 slices)
3 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 tablesspoons chili powder
1/4 cup pecans, chopped fine
Preheat oven to 425

On a rack of a large broiling pan arrange bacon slices in one layer and cook in middle of oven 10 minutes, or until it just begins to turn golden. In a small bowl stir together sugar and chili powder. Remove pan from oven and sprinkle bacon with sugar mixture and pecans. Return pan to oven and cook until bacon is crisp and browned, about 5 minutes. Transfer bacon, praline-sides up, to paper towels to drain.
(we thought this would be spicy, but it was not at all and melted in our mouths- a big hit!)

Enjoy!