Join Chef Irv Miller of Jackson’s Steakhouse as he leads another series of cooking classes each month, July through November 2011. Classes cover everything from shopping to preparation to presentation. Two classes are scheduled for each month. The first class begins promptly at 5:00 p.m. and ends at 6:30 p.m. The second class begins at 7:30 p.m. and concludes at 9:00 p.m. Each class costs $45 per person, which covers the cooking demonstration, tastings of the recipes, wine pairings, and a take-home recipe booklet so you can try your hand at Miller’s recipes in the comfort of your own home. Reservations are required, so be sure to make yours by calling Maria Goldberg, Director of Marketing, Public Relations and Special Events at 850-217-2347 or the restaurant at 850-469-9898.
Foods and Flavors of Greece: Wednesday, July 20
Most everyone loves the traditional flavors from Greece! Chef Irv will prepare regional specialty dishes and will discuss the food similarities and differences of the country’s many regions. For many Americans, the dictionary of Greek cuisine terms is a thin one. Most know just the basic ingredients: pasta, beans, lamb, feta and grape leaves, and regional dishes such as Spanakopita and Moussaka. The dishes of Greece come directly from the flavors of nature, from ingredients found in sunny, hilly lands, some surrounded by bright blue seas. Everywhere you go in Greece, vegetables are plentiful. If you go to Greece you’ll get tomatoes, cucumbers, capers, cheese, peppers, olives, a spicy arugula, oregano, eggplant, fish, lemon, oregano, honey, nuts, potatoes, lamb and olive oil – all fresh ingredients go into this robust, exciting cuisine.
Taste of St. Tropez: Wednesday August 17
Saint-Tropez is a small coastal town to the east of Marseille in southeastern France, located on the French Riviera. Saint-Tropez is known today for its famous and affluent summertime guests. Local restaurants and chefs boast of their signature coastal favorites. Chef Irv will focus on the coastline seafood specialty bouillabaisse; different from other fish soups is this region. This selection includes Provençal herbs and spices in the broth, and the use of local Mediterranean seafood. Recipes for bouillabaisse vary from family to family in Marseille, while local restaurants and chefs dispute which versions are the most authentic. In Marseille, the broth is served first in a bowl containing the bread and rouille, with the seafood and vegetables served separately in another bowl or on a platter. Whichever the authentic case may be, Chef will prepare his signature version of bouillabaisse “Emerald Coast Style.”
Flavors of Asia: Wednesday: September 21
Chef Miller will create dishes – some of his favorite Asian-inspired recipes – using ingredients from our local Vietnamese markets, Viet Hoa, Bien Dong, and My Tan Supermarket, which specialize in oriental foods. Popular restaurant ingredients include sriracha, red chili and garlic purée, sambal oelek, soy sesame oil, kwong hung seng sauce, hoisin sauce, oyster sauce, fish sauce, sweet red chili sauce, wonton and egg roll wrappers, tamarind paste, and dried rice noodles for soups. The fresh produce includes miniature bananas, jicama, yuca, mango, rambutan, colossal ginger root, lemon grass, baby bok choy, yard-long beans, cilantro, bean sprouts, and daikon, to name a few items.
Savoring Sensational Seafood: Wednesday, October 19
Chef Miller will share tips for purchasing, storing, preparing and cooking fresh seafood and shellfish. He will discuss basic marinades and demonstrate how to prepare several of his favorite dishes. With a bit of pre-planning, a trip to the local seafood market will inspire you to use the freshest seafood available by purchasing over-the-counter seafood fresh off the boat. Locally prized seasonal catches include red snapper, grouper, scamp, cobia, pompano, triggerfish, swordfish, wahoo, mahi-mahi, amberjack, sheepshead, speckled trout, flounder, yellowfin tuna, king and Spanish mackerel, and shovelnose lobster. The focus will be on our celebrated Gulf Coast seafood and preparing dishes using over-the-counter and readily available local seafood.
Steakhouse Favorites: Wednesday, November 16
Steaks – it’s what we are known for here at Jackson’s. Chef Miller will share some of his most requested Jackson’s recipes over the past 12 years. In addition, he will be highlighting some of his favorite classic steakhouse foods. He will include open-flame and roasted meat classics, steakhouse sides, and lead a discussion about steakhouses around the country, such Jackson’s Steakhouse in Pensacola, Florida; Peter Luger’s in New York; Bern’s in Tampa, Florida; the original Shula’s Steak House in Miami Lakes, Florida; David Burke’s Primehouse in Chicago and New York; and will highlight some of their signature steakhouse specialties.