Cheese Lover’s Workshop @ Las Cosas

I attended the Cheese Lover’s Workshop at Las Cosas today with guest instructor Wendy Steinberg. Originally, I thought we would be learning about cheeses and tasting them. Instead, we learned about cheese and used them in dishes.

Class description: Join cheese enthusiast and former Whole Foods cheese dept. director Wendy Steinberg as she shares with us valuable info about the wonferful world of this beloved ingredient. Our menu is made up of Wendy’s favorite and includes: Wendy’s Decadent Mac & Cheese, Marinated & Grilled Halloumi over Baby Greens, Fresh Creamy Chèvre Herb marinated served with Cured Olives & Roasted Tomatoes, Chef Ramon Chavez’s Tallegio and Mushroom Ragu Pizza, Warmed Burrata Fresca served over Crusty Bread with Basil, Israeli Sheep Feta with Spinach & Orzo, and Gorgonzola Dolce with Poached Pear, drizzled with Local Honey. Cheeseheads Unite! (Hands-on)

Menu title page corrections:

• Grilled Halloumi over Baby Greens
• Marinated Goat Cheese
• Potato Fennel Pizza with Taleggio and Sausage
• Warmed Burrata Fresca with Fresh Basil Served over Crusty Bread
• Israeli Sheep Feta with Spinach & Orzo
• Wendy’s Decadent Mac and Cheese
• Poached Pears with Local Honey and Gorgonzola Dolce

Per usual, the menu items are split up among class members. My partner and I worked on three dishes – the halloumi one, the orzo one and the poached pear one.

Grilled Halloumi over Baby Greens

First we started with sliced halloumi cheese and grilled it on the stove with a grill pan.

The goal was to warm the cheese and created beautiful grill marks.

At the same time we prepared the baby greens – mixed greens, lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper.

When the cheese was done, it was placed around the plate of greens. The grilled cheese was brushed with olive oil and a bit of oregano was place on each one.

Israeli Sheep Feta with Spinach & Orzo

We also worked on pasta with greens dish. Israeli sheep feta was not available at the store. We still used sheep feta, but not specifically Israeli.

This was started by another group and finished by my partner and me. My partner sautéed the tomatoes in olive oil with garlic and oregano. The dish also has spinach leaves, sheep feta, olive oil, salt, pepper, and black pepper.

Gorgonzola Dolce with Poached Pear Drizzled with Local Honey

We also worked on the dessert. In a pot, we put in pears, lemon juice, lemon rind, pears, sugar, cloves, and cinnamon stick.

Then we covered that in a dry red wine and let it poach for 30 minutes.

Then we removed the pears from the pan.

The finished pears are drizzled with honey, dressed with a slice of gorgonzola cheese and a spring of thyme.

The Other Menu Items

Marinated Goat Cheese – goat cheese, olive oil, basil leaves, rosemary, partially crushed black peppercorns, salt, and slightly crushed garlic.

Potato Fennel Pizza with Taleggio and Sausage – red potatoes, garlic, sweet onion, fennel, salt, pepper, olive oil, Italian sausage, bella mushrooms, Parmesan, taleggio cheese, and pizza dough.

Warmed Burrata Fresca Served over Crusty Bread with Basil – burrata cheese, crusty bread, olive oil, salt, black pepper, basil leaves, and roasted tomatoes.

Wendy’s Decadent Mac & Cheese – elbow pasta, unsalted butter, all purpose flour, whole milk, half and half, sharp cheddar cheese, grated Guyere, salt, black pepper, paprika, dijon mustard, and nutmeg.