Who
doesn’t love buttermilk pancakes? But who buys buttermilk these days? I
don’t! But there’s an easy workaround for this that will give your
pancakes the tang of buttermilk as well as make them super fluffy. FYI:
I’ll demonstrate gluten-full and gluten-free (GF) batters.
I’ll also talk about the science behind what makes these pancakes so fluffy and delicious!
Watch me and my 9yo as we make “perfect pancakes” this Saturday at 9amPT/12pmET.
Whether you are a total beginner to cooking or someone who just came back from a trip around the world and wants to integrate more flavors into their cooking, this class is for you!
These workshops are also available as private events. If you are looking for a unique party idea, I can come to your home or we can plan it for a space outside of your home as well. I am also planning on doing a virtual version of this workshop. Please email me to be put on the list.
Unleash your creativity by learning to cook without recipes, or as I call it “Intuitive Cooking.”
Learn the basics of bringing flavors together and cooking to your taste and your budget.
My #1 tip to help you live a happier, healthier and wealthier life is to cook from scratch 90% of the time, and I’ll explain why in my class.
About Intuitive Cooking: In the 1990s, CalTech noticed an issue with its new crop of engineers: they didn’t know how to make the mental leap from theory to practice unlike their 1960’s predecessors, who had grown up “playing” and taking apart radios and telephones. What was discovered is that childhood hands-on play is a good indicator of future creativity.This insight into “play” has informed my Intuitive Cooking Workshops completely. My workshops are designed to liberate you from any limitations that may be holding you back from being creative in the kitchen, and give you the foundation you need to “build” dishes from the “ground-up.”
About me: Growing up with a Chinese/Hawaiian mother and a Mexican/European father in health-conscious and diverse Los Angeles, I have learned to infuse the flavors of all of the cultures I’ve been exposed to in a healthy and flavorful way. I am a completely self-taught cook who began “playing” in the kitchen at a very young age. I started cooking more earnestly when I was 7-years-old because of a family misfortune that required me to step-up. About a decade ago, I invented a gazpacho mix that was sold in gourmet food stores throughout California and at pop-up events at Williams-Sonoma. I am also the cooking parent at my child’s coop where we have made everything from Renaissance-era yeast cakes to crusty Italian bread with the children. My 7-year-old can frequently be found in the kitchen making her own french toast. Over 90% of our family’s meals are cooked from scratch.
What I’ve learned over the years is that many people would like to cook from scratch more, but they lack the knowledge that one procures through experimentation, “hands-on play”, that allows you to cook without recipes. My workshop aims to fix this and teach people the mental thought process of cooking without recipes that will allow you to cook to your tastes and your budget. These classes will set the foundation for making you the kind of cook who can just “whip something up” based on what’s in your fridge or taste something at a restaurant and then recreate it in your own kitchen.
Come cook with me at Valley College this summer on Sundays from 2pm-5pm. You can observe and eat or you can cook with me and take a full meal home with you! Register now: tinyurl.com/LAVC-Sum17
Have you always wanted to know how to cook but are intimidated by the kitchen or don’t like the “handcuffs” of recipes? Explore the skill of cooking without recipes AKA “intuitive cooking.” Cooking from scratch is one of the best ways to live a happier, healthier, and wealthier life! Learn the building blocks of cooking and know that no matter what is in your refrigerator or pantry you can create a delicious, inexpensive and nutritious meal for you and your family. All recipes are gluten-free and vegan/vegetarian with minimal adjustments.
If you love the flavors of the Mediterranean, this class is for you! We’ll make a NOT deep-fried version of falafel and it’s flavorful side dishes of tzatziki and taboule. This vegetarian feast is full of light and bright flavors that are perfect for summer. All recipes are gluten-free may be vegan with minimal adjustments.
This fun and vegetarian class will take us around the world in the kitchen. We’ll create a riff on tortilla espanola, a traditional Spanish tapas recipe, with our eggs and then go to France to make the best apple pie you’ve ever had. Finally we’ll stop in Italy for a healthier version of the cheesy spinach and artichoke dips we all love so much. All recipes are gluten-free and vegan with minimal adjustments.
And for the kiddos, a 3-part workshop on baking. Three consecutive Saturdays from 10am-1pm starting July 29th.
Kids will get a practical working knowledge of the core essentials of baking and will have the opportunity to incorporate their own flavor preferences into the items we create. Lemon cake or chocolate cake? Oatmeal cookies or chocolate chip cookies? Bread pudding with sauce or without? Kids will be engaged to think about the science behind baking and begin to learn how to create their own recipes from scratch. We will also use some “alternative” flours to expose the kids to gluten-free baking and the thought process behind ingredient substitution.
In the class we will make cakes, pies, cookies, frosting, breads and bread puddings. This class is suitable for upper level beginners to intermediate bakers from ages 10-18. Bakers will get to eat the results of their work, or take home a small care package at each session.
Here’s what students are saying:
“Thank you for the excellent cooking class today. I had much fun and really learned a lot. I’ll also have to give kale another try. I am looking forward to your book coming out.” -David Y.
“We had so much fun! Alegre is inspiring and entertaining and the food is delicious.” -Jeanne L.
“Great class for someone who hates to cook!” -Judi B.
Alegre's Blog 