Cooking Class

  I wasn’t sure I would find the room at Barker Middle School when I arrived to the Cooking Demo hosted by Executive Chef Mike Needle of the Basket Factory Restaurant. Lucky for me the smell of the mini beef wellingtons drifted in the hallway and I found my way in without a problem. Julie “Chatterbox” Obermiller had found out about the class and invited me to participate. Since she knows how much I enjoy cooking and writing about food I was eager to stop by and pick up some gourmet cooking tips.

  Even though I arrived late due to a Roy-Hart Cross Country meet (the team did great by the way). I slipped into my seat and the cooking experience began. I started by watching the fish Swai, in the grouper family ,go through an egg wash and then dipped and baked with sugared walnuts was a delicious dish. I think if I tried to make it at home myself I will serve with homemade apple sauce . 

Executive Chef Mike Needle

    Chef Mike gave us cooking tips all while preparing dishes carefully and with a great deal of concentration to what he was doing. Even in a strange kitchen he felt at home and he went slowly so we could all take notes to try and recreate his delicious dishes in our own homes. Note please that I said we would, try and recreate them…..

  He cooked slobsters, which he mentioned we can get at local seafood stores.  They are large shrimp with a lobster taste. The meat is pulled out then they were stuffed with Gorgonzola cheese, citrus spice and wrapped in bacon -back in the shell and went in the oven for about 1/2 hour. Although I didn’t try one there wasn’t one left on the dish when we were all finished. He did say I could substitute asiago cheese, so I am going to try it.

   Spinach/Lobster/Artichoke dip was really good too. Served along with chips it was a big hit at the class.

spinach,lobster and artichoke dip

   When I asked him what he enjoyed cooking best he said he liked to cook seafood. Another participant asked his least favorite dish to cook and as I suspected, he enjoys cooking pretty much everything.    

  He’s taken courses at the culinary institute in Mediterranean foods and other courses as refreshers and to get new ideas for the restaurant. We were sharing our favorite dishes at the Basket Factory, mine is the Chicken Marsala. Everyone seemed to like something different.

  One of my favorite dishes was the mini beef wellingtons made with a lovely mixture of onions, mushrooms and Merlot pre-prepared and then baked inside.  Here’s a great pix before we dove into it.

  I love fresh spices, and I was thrilled that at the end he added a sprig of Rosemary. He likes to cook with fresh rosemary,  and says it gives a whole different flavor to the dishes. 

    I’m hoping Chef Mike Needle will return in January to share more cooking ideas with us. I’ll be there, with my fresh rosemary. In the meantime you’ll be able to try these great dishes at the Basket Factory in Middleport. 

mini beef wellington