Attended the Italian Chef vs Pastry Chef Cooking Class with my friend LM at The Ritz on another Saturday. The class was held by Lobo’s Chef Mariano Liuzza and Chef I Made Kona at their demo kitchen. The staff were very nice to us and eager to assist. Croissants and various pastries with coffee were served when we got there. The 2 chefs were so friendly and very patient and accommodating of all our questions. Check out the scrumptious dishes they taught us!
I liked that they held it in a Demo kitchen where it was not very noisy. The range was in the middle and the entire group could see what was going on.
(Click on pictures to enlarge)
PASTA
The pasta recipes were very basic. Chef Mariano taught us simple tricks to ensure that pastas are served al dente, that correct equipment and the best (not necessarily the most expensive) ingredients are used. It is in the little details that will differentiate an AMAZINGLY DELICIOUS pasta from a merely “good” one. I realized that despite pasta being quite common and easy, I am still doing a lot of things wrong. Can’t divulge all the secrets and recipes here but this is definitely a class I recommend taking!
Mushroom and Cream Sauce Pasta. I’m drooling just thinking about it!
Click here to check out my attempt at recreating the Mushroom and Cream Sauce Rigatoni!
Chef Mariano in action
This has to be the most fresh tasting Bolognese pasta I’ve ever had (as opposed to the usual meaty-tasting Bolognese). Bolognese is pronounced bō-ləˈn(y)ā-sē.
Aglio, Oilio E Peperoncino (Garlic, Olive Oil and Pepper flakes) is the simplest pasta recipe but it’s so tricky not to burn the thin garlic chips! I’ve tried making this already, will post pics soon!
Pesto “Alla Genovese” Original Recipe. Yes that’s a Kilo of glorious Basil leaves right there! The funniest thing was when the Chef passed it around for people to see and possibly smell it, the ladies around him started grabbing leaves and eating them!! LOL. Chef has a quite serious but accommodating personality and I love how he said very diplomatically “Yes Basil is very good and it tastes even better once we prepare it.” =P
Apparently pesto cannot be made with a hand blender, it has to be a proper blender (the one used for making shakes) or it wont come out properly. Must convince hubby to buy me one! I want that Industrial blender!!! (wishful thinking)
The choice of Orecchiette pasta for the pesto was excellent! This was my favorite dish of the day! SOOOOO GOOOOD! (I’m salivating again)
PASTRY
Chef Made Kona showed us 2 desserts: Lemon Granita and Creamy Baileys Tiramisu. They both took longer than the pasta dishes and Chef needed a sous–chef to assist him to make the process shorter.
Lemon Granita. This is not an easy dish to make and takes a lot of patience – you have to place the mixture in the freezer and scrape with a fork every hour for four hours!
The jolly sous-chef Riki whipping some yolks and sugar…
…while Chef Made whips cream and finishes his masterpiece.
The finishing touch: edible gold leaf!
LUNCH
I love the creative presentation of the breads and condiments – they doubled as table centerpieces.
The lunch menu
Antipasto Misto: Selection of grilled vegetables, mixed lettuce, rock melon and parma ham marinated with balsamic dressing. An EXCELLENT salad!
The lemon granita was served next as a palate cleanser. Refreshing & yummy!
Trio Di Pasta: Ravioli in cream, Penne Bolognese and Spaghetti Aglio E Olio.
Too bad our ride came early! We didn’t get to taste the Tiramisu! ARGH.
Not only did we get certificates, but our goody bag included our dessert favorite, Chocolate Ganache with edible picture of the Chefs.
The Italian Chef vs Pastry Chef Cooking Classes were conducted for Rp 488,000 ++ / person, inclusive of certificate of participation and lunch. For inquiries regarding schedule and rates of other cooking classes (classes and rates vary) you can get in touch with Lobo. Details below.
* Cooking class c/o The Ritz Carlton Kuningan
Lobo (Italian/Steakhouse/Terrace) – The Ritz Carlton Jakarta
- Phone: (62-21) 2551 8888
- Fax: (62-21) 2551 8889
- JL. Lingkar Mega Kuningan Kav. E.1.1 NO.1, Mega Kuningan, Jakarta 12950 Indonesia
One of the better organized blogs I’ve seen. Easy to follow and well taken photographs! It’s like I was attending this cooking class! (I wish I attended this class!)
Thanks Robbie! That’s a big deal coming from professional creative folk like you! =)