UT’s Culinary Institute is offering a variety of cooking classes this summer.
The courses range from cooking lessons to wine tastings. Students will expand their skills, knowledge, and palate with a variety of cuisines.
The courses include:
- How to Cook Fish Successfully Every Time, 6–8:30 p.m. Thursday, June 22. In this hands-on course, students will learn three easy techniques to prepare fish—baking, pan frying, and parchment-paper-wrapped grilling—as well as how to select the right fish, prepare it, and finish it with two delicious sauces.
- Grilling Can Be for Everyone! 6–8:30 p.m. Thursday, June 29. Students will enjoy the back patio overlooking the Tennessee River for a night of grilling basics. This hands-on course will cover the tools and proper temperatures to cook all meats on the smoker. The course features burgers, hot dogs, and steaks.
- Food and Wines from Around the World, 6–8:30 p.m. Thursday, July 20. Experience great food and wines from France, Australia, and Argentina. The menu includes shrimp steamed in wine with a buttery herb sauce over linguine, red-wine-braised beef short ribs with roasted potatoes, slow-roasted pork over carrot and apple slaw, and chocolate mousse cake.
- Cake Decorating, 2–5:30 p.m., Saturday, July 22. Students will get creative and learn the basics of cake decorating like dividing, filling, and icing. Participants will also learn to make Swiss meringue buttercream icing for ready-to-decorate pre-baked cakes.
- Canning: Everyone Is Doing It! Why Not You? 6–8:30 p.m. Thursday, July 27. Students will learn about proper tools, preservation methods, and how to make pickles and jams.
- Summer Corn Goodness, 6–8:30 p.m. Thursday, August 3. In this delicious vegetarian course, students will learn several methods for preparing fresh sweet summer corn. Students will create a menu of sweet corn bisque with a basil oil drizzle, butter lettuce salad with zucchini corn fritters and lemon dressing, creamy corn pasta with heirloom tomatoes and basil, and a blueberry polenta upside-down cake with corn ice cream.
- Summer Pies, 5:30–8:30 p.m. Tuesday, August 8. Students will perfect the technique of making homemade pie in this hands-on course. Students will learn to make everything from the flaky crust to delicious fillings of a lattice fruit pie, and will make a vanilla cream pie from scratch.
- Yeast Breads, 9 a.m.–noon Saturday, August 12. Students will bring yeast to life, develop it, and bake it to a golden brown while learning great tips for proofing, kneading, resting, and rising for successful results every time. They’ll take home Finnish pulla baked as a braided wreath and a loaf of pepper cheese bread.
About the instructors:
- Joseph Blauvelt graduated with a dual degree in culinary and pastry arts from Sullivan University. He has been in the food industry for 31 years and is currently an instructor in UT’s Culinary Institute.
- Kelly Campbell is a certified wine specialist with over 20 years of experience in the wine industry, including teaching and selling wine.
- Donna Prang is a graduate of UT’s Culinary Institute and former owner of Bella Luna Restaurant on Market Square. Her specialties include Italian, Persian, and healthful farm-to-table cuisines.
- Terri Geiser is a culinary enthusiast, caterer, and cooking instructor who appears regularly on WBIR. She has been teaching cooking classes for over 20 years for the Glass Bazaar and previously for Williams-Sonoma. Currently she is the assistant director of the Culinary Institute community cooking courses at UT.
- Amanda Kohler is a baking and pastry graduate of the Culinary Institute of America. She has worked at a variety of establishments on the East Coast, including Blackberry Farm, Perfect Wedding Cake, and the American Club Resort.
All classes have a fee of $50 and are held at the UT Visitors Center, 2712 Neyland Drive. Checks and credit cards are accepted. To register, contact Terri Geiser at tgeiser@utk.edu.
Students must wear closed-toe shoes and long pants to classes.
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CONTACT:
Terri Geiser (865-524-4963, tgeiser@utk.edu)
Tyra Haag (865-974-5460, tyra.haag@tennessee.edu)