The Confident Cook: Desserts - In Person

A hands-on in-person cooking class culminating in a dinner served with wine and beer. This class is limited to 12 students. Review our registration and cancellation policies here. Masks are recommended.

Take your culinary skills to the next level with our new fundamentals series, The Confident Cook. It’s a Pick-Your-Own-Adventure, where you decide which classes are most beneficial to you as a home cook. We guarantee that taking at least six classes will build your kitchen skills, broaden your repertoire, and give you the confidence to tackle any 18 Reasons class on the calendar.  That’s why we’re offering you a deal - add six or more Confident Cook classes to your cart to take 15% off your total order! Cook along with Chef Mike and add a swagger to your seasoning, a cool hand to your chef’s knife, and a flair to your plated presentations. 

The Confident Cook: Desserts teaches you how to wrap up your home-cooked meals with everyone's favorite course. Because we know there are never enough sweets, we will craft three different dishes in this class!

To get started we will whip up a gluten-free and seasonal Blood Orange Meringue Pie.  Talk about a show-stopper: it will begin with the simplicity of a press-n pistachio crust.  Then on to making a citrus curd, as we thicken and sweeten crimson blood orange juice into our filling.  Topped with the science-heavy light as air clouds of an Italian meringue, and grab your spoons in one hand and your phone in the other for this dessert.

Then onto cookies, with everyone’s favorite dunker biscotti.  Want to learn to bake? What could be better than something called “twice-baked”? Measuring, scaling, and other precision excursions into the world of pastry, plus the use of a savory herb just to ground Chef Mike in this world of sugar.

Finally, we will wrap up this dessert tour with the childhood favorite chocolate pudding, all grown up and fancy.  We will learn the basics of thickening (as if three desserts weren’t thickening enough!) with cornstarch and eggs, and talk about chocolate as we use it in three forms for this dessert.  Just to make it interesting we will add in a touch of chocolate’s ancient partner chile to make this a more grown up option.  The class will also include a hearty salad and an array of cheeses and snacks, as we know we cannot live on sweets alone.

MENU

Blood Orange Meringue Pie with Pistachio Crust 

Rosemary, Almond, Orange Biscotti

Grown up Chocolate Pudding

This menu contains the following common allergens: egg, wheat, dairy, tree nuts. If you have allergies or dietary restrictions that concern your ability to cook along, please e-mail info@18reasons.org before purchasing a ticket.

Let’s Cook Together! 

Born in the Haight Ashbury neighborhood of San Francisco, Mike Weller grew up in the suburbs of San Jose, where he discovered cooking as his first profession and lifetime passion. After wandering through typical teenage jobs at pizza joints and ice cream parlors, Mike’s first “restaurant” job was with Sambo’s Coffee Shops, slinging hash and cooking eggs for the bar rush and Sunday breakfast crowds.  He moved on to help open several restaurants, attend the California Culinary Academy, and study under European chefs with Michelin backgrounds. Later, Mike served as an executive chef for catering companies, wineries and country clubs.  When his son was born, Mike transitioned his career into teaching, returning to the CCA where he eventually became the Executive Chef and Director of Academics. Mike also returned to school for training in his new field, earning a Master’s Degree in Education. Having taught for Le Cordon Bleu North America in both online and brick and mortar schools, Mike is thrilled to return to teaching in a neighborhood-based community.  When he is not teaching he reaps the benefits of his backyard garden, kept in perfect order by his Master Gardener wife.