Hot ‘N Spicy Night Out

Last weekend we finally got a chance to cash in my gift certificate to a local cooking school. We went to a demonstration class there a few years ago and have been wanting to get back for a hands-on class. The class we signed up for was called Hot ‘N Spicy. The menu looked great and it fit in our schedule. We cooked up…

Bloody Mary Chili
Smoked Pork Ribs with Red Chili Glaze
Thai Garlic Noodles
Chili Truffles

Everything was delicious and relatively easy to make. The bloody mary chili was a beef chili with tomatoes, green pepper, celery, jalapeno and other spices. The meat was tender and the flavors were great, not too spicy. I was surprised how much I liked it without beans.

The ribs were the most complicated of the dishes. They were first simmered with jalapenos, garlic, seasoning, celery and stock. They were then smoked in a stovetop smoker, brushed with the red chili glaze, and then finished on the cast iron grill. By far it was my favorite dish of the evening. The red chili glaze was my favorite recipe, I can’t wait to try this on other meats, seafood, and vegetables.

The noodles included all the traditional Thai flavors I love, though I would have loved a bit more heat.

Dessert was actually the dish we started with. The truffles were simply melted chocolate, butter, cream, chili powder and paprika mixed together. Refrigerated until firm and scooped out to makes small balls. Half were rolled and coated in a mixture of powder sugar and cinnamon, the other half cocoa and chili powder. They finished the meal perfectly. I can’t believe how incredibly easy they were to make.

The chef did a great job of making sure everyone got to actively participate in the class and was an excellent teacher. He made for a fun class. We even learned a some new stuff, even basic tricks like how to prep a bell pepper in three cuts and smashing the celery down to make it easier to dice. Seriously, how did I not think of these things before?

We even went home with some new kitchen toys. They offer a good discount on retail products at the end of the class, the classes are actually within the larger retail store. I got an awesome new knife, I have been wanting a nice one for so quite awhile now and after getting a chance to try it out it class I knew this would be a great option. We also bought the stove top smoker that we used in class, we’ve both been wanting one for probably six years. We are planning on putting it use for Fat Tuesday.

Don’t be fooled by the picture, the beer bottles were for the whole table. The husband got put to work plenty! A really great evening all-around!

Thanks to the husband for the gift certificate and the fun evening of cooking!