Food & Philanthropy

Boy have I been lucky the past eight months! I’ve been blessed by you. I’ve had incredible support from our amazing chefs with the bonus being in the kitchen with them.

Starting June 8, you’ll be able to have the same joy as me; in-person classes are returning!

Can’t think of a better way to welcome you back than with a class that gives back. If love is the invisible ingredient we somehow taste and philanthropy’s definition is love of mankind, what happens when we combine the two? It’s a fun evening cooking along with GAP Ministries’ Executive Chef John Hohn, with 25% of your registration supporting GAP’s life-changing work. Not in Tucson? Not ready to venture out? No worries. You can join us via Zoom.

Tucson’s 2014 Iron Chef, since 2015, he’s been GAP’s culinary arts director/instructor overseeing a free 10-week, 400-hour training program for under-employed, unemployed and in-need individuals. In 2020, 97 students graduated. The GAP Kitchen reclaims highly perishable donated food like fruits, vegetables and meat, making meals for foster children in its group homes, kids in low-income schools and homebound elderly through a partnership with Interfaith Community Services, cooking more than 122,735 meals last year.

Stay tuned for summer classes, including the monthly Tucson Originals series, as well as your partnership in supporting food-related nonprofits. Zoom will remain an option. Also in the works are pop-up events, a staycation or two with chefs and potentially a New England fall culinary weekend where you’ll cook with the chef. It’s all a work in progress so thanks for your patience as the details are confirmed.

Don’t miss Chef Mat Cable’s Wednesday Pizza class. He’s giving you plenty of pizza dough and the curd necessary to make fresh mozzarella. Zio Peppe, his latest restaurant with Chef Devon Sanner, is now open for takeout with indoor dining coming soon. One lucky person will receive a $50 Tucson Originals card to use at any of their 26-member restaurants.

Wishing you joy in the kitchen and a 2021 summer of fun.
Michele

Coeur à la Crème
Serves 4

1 cup cottage cheese, sieved
4 tablespoons heavy cream, whipped
2 large egg whites
3 tablespoons superfine sugar + extra for sprinkling
Light cream
4 small pansies to decorate, optional

1. Combine cottage cheese and whipped cream.
2. Stiffly beat egg whites, then beat in sugar a little at a time. Fold into the cheese mixture until evenly combined.
3. Divide mixture between 4 coeur à la crème molds or 1 large mold lined with cheesecloth, then level the surface. Fold any overhanging cheesecloth on top, then place on a rimmed baking sheet and chill overnight. If using other small or large molds, line them with cheesecloth and place upside down on the baking sheet so they can drain. Alternatively, pierce some holes in the bottoms of the molds so the liquid can drain away.
4. Unmold on individual plates or 1 plate if making a single one, sprinkle with superfine sugar and pour light cream around each one. Decorate with pansies.