FoodieFellas - Kerri's popup cooking class

In an age of Comme des Garcon guerrilla stores and pop-up retail, it's not surprising that FoodieFellas would try their hand at organising a pop-up cooking class featuring Chef Kerri yesterday! In true private kitchen style, it was held in a recently-vacated apartment in Marine Parade, and limited to a small intimate group of enthusiastic foodies.

At the appointed time on a sunny Saturday, students arrived, and welcome drinks were served.

The first creation: a smooth and buttery (yet light) sea salt and caramel cheesecake. Castor sugar was used to make the caramel to get a better toasty rich flavour due to its finer grain and larger surface area exposed to the pan. Although brown sugar is traditionally used to make butterscotch, Kerri explained that a little could be mixed into the castor sugar to add even more complex taste notes to the caramel sauce. (Click the images to load the larger size version, which is quite a bit clearer.)

The next dish: country-style battered mushrooms with a herb-infused vinegar dip. Kerri's secret: the addition of a pinch of baking powder to the batter to fluff up the mushroom pieces in the hot oil, and the judicious addition of thyme, tarragon, white peppercorns and garlic pieces to white wine vinegar - it really tasted and smelled so much more aromatic! Kerri explained that this was due to the garlic mellowing the vinegar. There's also a special dipping/batter technique, and an optimum temperature for the oil, but I shouldn't reveal too much here!

Finally, a dessert of poached pears and figs in mulled wine spiced with cinnamon, vanilla bean, lemon zest, and other yummy spices! The wine, mixed with the fresh citrus notes and dusky aromas of spices, yielded a balanced combination. The longer the soak, the deeper and richer the colour!

Finally, in the grand FoodieFellas tradition - time to taste the food creations, drink, relax and chat about food tips, recipes and techniques. Some more pop-up cooking classes are in the works. Check back at this website or email foodiefellas (at) gmail.com to be kept updated on future sessions.