Moroccan Spice Weekend Cooking Class
I visited Morocco for the first time while researching for my first cookbook, “From Tapas to Meze", and fell in love with the place, the people, and the cuisine. Moroccan food is a melting pot of Berber, African, Arabian and European and not only are the dishes chock full of lots of fresh vegetables, Moroccan cooks also incorporate flavors like pungent preserved lemons, spicy harissa, fragrant orange blossom water and the most extraordinary blend of spices. Every bite of Moroccan food is spicy, sweet, and tart all at once. It's magical!
When I started doing my Culinary Tours to Morocco about 10 years ago, I met Bahija. She's an incredible chef in Marrakech and I was like a sponge in her kitchen- absorbing every morsel of knowledge and technique that she shared. This experience has taken my understanding of Moroccan food to another level and I'm so excited to share traditional techniques and a few modern twists, with you.
The best part is that Moroccan dishes can be surprisingly easy to replicate at home. Really! With just a few spices, you can turn just about anything into a delicious tagine in a matter of minutes. Believe me, once you've made one tagine, you'll want to add it to your weeknight rotation!!
We'll start our weekend off making what they call an eggplant salad which is really more like a jam. Once you start eating it, you can’t stop! We’ll also make an Orange, Carrot and Radish Salad scented with orange blossom water I brought back from Marrakech. A big part of the daily meal is bread made from durum wheat semolina known as "khobz". We'll crank up the oven and make a home version of this flatbread dusted with nigella seeds that we'll dip into argan oil.
Since Morocco lies on two coasts, the Atlantic and the Mediterranean, Moroccan cuisine has ample seafood dishes and we'll create dishes like Briouats, the baked phyllo triangles filled with spicy shrimp and scallops and a tagine made with salmon and preserved lemons. We'll be sure to make a fish tagine packed with seasonal veggies. Yummmm! I can't wait to show you how to make the lightest couscous you've ever tasted. We'll surround it with a tagine of seven vegetables and chickpeas, or even make a couscous dish that could be served any time of the day-- even breakfast. And for dessert? We'll make another one of my favorites, an Almond and Cinnamon Bisteeya, or an ice cream topped with ras el hanout brittle that's simply out of this world! Oh, and our meal isn't complete without perfectly paired cocktails or wine!
In this 2-day cooking class weekend, we'll be cooking in my kitchen studio (the same one that you see on my TV show!) in San Francisco. Each hands-on cooking class will feature recipes I’ve learned during my travels around the Morocco and the menus are designed to highlight seasonal ingredients and lots of cooking techniques. We'll begin by reviewing the recipes, then students will divide into teams and start cooking. I'll work side-by-side with you and show you how to fine-tune your skills and taste buds. When we're finished, we'll sit down in the dining room and enjoy the fruits of our labor.
You probably know that I love wine just about as much as food so wine is a big component to the meal ! With the meal that we’ve prepared, we'll taste a variety of wines whose flavors have been selected to match each dish, and we'll learn about the grape varietals and origin of each wine.
You probably know that I love wine just about as much as food so wine is a big component to the meal! We'll taste a variety of wines whose flavors have been selected to match each dish, and we'll learn about the grape varietals and origin of each wine.
Your class will take place in the centrally located Pacific Heights neighborhood of San Francisco. After cooking during the day, you will still have plenty of time to enjoy San Francisco and all of its wonderful sights. We are happy to provide a list of nearby hotels and bed & breakfasts to choose from for your stay, just note that it's quite easy to get around in San Francisco on foot, or by taxi, Uber, or public transportation, so where you choose to stay depends on what you might want to see and do after class each day.
Classes begin at 10:00 AM and finish at approximately 3:00 PM. Classes are limited to 10 students to ensure that everyone gets personal attention. We recommend wearing closed-toe, rubber-soled shoes and comfortable clothes for the cooking classes.
This weekend course costs $950.00 per person. The cost includes hands-on cooking instruction, copies of all recipes, an apron, and a multi-course lunch each class day complete with a cocktail and wine pairings. Full payment for the course must be included with your completed reservation form to secure your reservation. Due to limited availability we cannot provide refunds for cancellations.
*Note: Course fee does not include accommodations or transportation to the cooking school location.
Questions? Contact us!
