Rowan College at Burlington County’s Culinary Arts Center in Mount Holly is hosting workshops based on regional French cuisine. Registration is now open at rcbc.edu/ppd.
Nothing says love like a homemade French meal. If you want to woo your sweetie, but don’t know where to start, Rowan College at Burlington County’s personal development culinary classes can help. Community members will learn how to make a variety of French meals from different regions of the country.
It is believed that soup paved the way for the modern restaurant industry. In Paris in the 18th century, public restaurants started opening and served different varieties of soup. “Sensational Soups” on Saturday, Feb. 9, teaches you the techniques behind a good pureed soup, cream-based soup, and a basic vegetable soup.
Learn how to make dishes from Alsace and Lorraine in “Alsatian Exploration” on Saturday, Feb. 16. The recipe for French stew that we included below is a good example of this type of cooking.
Then, take your taste buds on a trip to Normandy and discover an easy technique for making pan sauces in “Norman Conquest” on Saturday, March 9. “Duck Deconstruction” on Saturday, April 13 will focus on how to make this fowl the centerpiece of your next meal. On Saturday, April 27, experience “The Magic of Macrons” as you create these beautiful French confections.
All classes start at noon in the college’s Culinary Arts Center located in downtown Mount Holly.
Alsatian Style Lentil, Cabbage, and Pork Stew
Serves 4
1oz. olive oil
½oz. butter
1 cup leeks, sliced in thin rings, white only
1 tbsp. garlic, chopped fine
1 cup dried lentils
1 pound pork butt (shoulder), medium cubes
4oz. smoked ham, medium cubes
4 cups green cabbage, shredded
2 cups of chicken stock
1 cup of dry white wine, preferably Riesling
1 bay leaf
Salt and pepper
1. Heat oil and butter in a large pot. Season the pork well with salt and pepper and brown on all sides. Remove pork and set aside. Add leeks to pan and sweat until soft. DO NOT Brown. Add garlic, sweat for a couple of minutes. Add lentils and mix with the leeks and garlic. Return the pork back to the pot, add the smoked ham, cabbage, stock, wine and bay leaf.
2. Bring everything to a gentle simmer, (at this point, all the ingredients can be put in a Pressure Cooker) and cook until the lentils and pork are tender. Add more chicken stock during cooking if necessary.
3. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper and serve.
This article was written by Rowan College at Burlington County Culinary Arts Director Chef James Brudnicki for the Courier-Post.